AP poll 12/11

[Plebe]

But does that mean that UCLA is a better team just because they beat Baylor under those circumstances? IMO, no, but then again...I AM a Baylor fan.

Well, I wouldn't see it that way anyway, regardless of personnel absences. I don't think that Oklahoma State is necessarily a better team than UCLA just because of one game. Just like I don't think Baylor was a worse team than Mississippi State last year either. Sometimes a team wins because they're just better that day, or things happened to bounce their way.

 

[easttexastrash]

This year, AP and USA Coach polls are apparently different in the top 10 teams except UConn. I more trust USA Coach poil than AP poll.

I don't know...coaches expected to vote for their rivals, even if they are more deserving?

 

[easttexastrash]

Well, I wouldn't see it that way anyway, regardless of personnel absences. I don't think that Oklahoma State is necessarily a better team than UCLA just because of one game. Just like I don't think Baylor was a worse team than Mississippi State last year either. Sometimes a team wins because they're just better that day, or things happened to bounce their way.

True that!

 

[Plebe]

This year, AP and USA Coach polls are apparently different in the top 10 teams except UConn. I more trust USA Coach poil than AP poll.

The coaches' poll had Washington at #25 in the preseason, as apparently some of them were too busy to notice that they lost everyone from last year's team, both players and coaching staff.

Polls are always suspect because they're simply a hodgepodge of individual opinions, but in general I find the media poll slightly less obtuse than the coaches' poll.

 

[LoTrader]

UCLA beat Baylor while Lauren Cox was out, but lost to unranked OkSU.
If UCLA loses one more game they should be out of the top 25.

UCLA will lose a few games (for sure) in the PAC12 season

 

[LoTrader]

I saw Oregon State in Maui. I think they are still underrated, but I'll have a better sense after they start conference play.

Other than the Maui Tournament Oregon State played in last week, I've seen every OSU game. OSU has traditionally struggled with offensive output because they were carried by only a few players on the team. Not this year, they are scoring well from all positions. This is a huge change from past years. Right now, OSU's defense is behind where they were at this time in past years. PAC12 conference play will fill in the picture on this team, but I'm excited to see an OSU team that can score (for the 1st time) from all positions on the floor. I think the best teams in the PAC-12 are Oregon, OSU, UCLA. USC may surprise as well.

 

[LoTrader]

Good point. I never thought this but have to agree with you.

I don't know about Tennessee, watching the game vs Texas, they look very undisciplined. They won, but it was ugly. If they don't play with more discipline going forward, they will get smoked when they play a team that is balanced, takes care of the ball, and plays with discipline.

 

[CMC'72]

Lookin' forward to Louisville!

 

[Fairfield Fan]

All of those first nine teams are for real. Notre Dame proved that even with serious injuries at key positions, they are talented enough, and coached well enough, to take UConn to the limit. Oregon's class of sophomores is proving that they weren't flashes-in-the-pan last year. Yes, they got blown out by Connecticut, but that was last year. Tennessee, as undisciplined as they are, are now without the toxic DD, and with new talent, they're proving that if you recruit enough top names, you can play tough against most anyone. South Carolina has A'ja Wilson, one of the best big players ever in women's basketball, poor coaching notwithstanding, so her team will always be in every game. Mississippi State, with a tough 6'7" post player, is showing that they were not a fluke last year. No one ever knows which Louisville team will show up in which game which season. Roster turmoil and inconsistency seem to be the coach's calling cards. But they're capable of being excellent.

All the rest are all the rest. The Final Four will come from that Top Nine. Will Connecticut come out on top? We now know that our roster has injury issues that could persist all season. Camara's injury appears to be more serious than let on, and she may or may not play more than a few minutes. KLS's foot could recur and keep her out. And Gabby's migraines appear to be chronic and worse than in previous seasons. That's three top kids. Add to that the surprising lack of serious competition offered by the three "other" freshmen, and the two sophomores, and the picture is now emerging of a Connecticut team with a very short bench and a vulnerability to injuries.

It's not a foregone conclusion any more. There are some tough-as-nails teams out there, and we're not as steel-solid as we thought we were. We'll wait for the big late-season challenges. But the picture is coming into better focus now...

 

[Vowelguy]

This year, AP and USA Coach polls are apparently different in the top 10 teams except UConn. I more trust USA Coach poil than AP poll.

The coaches poll in most sports is usually joke. It’s iften filled out by An AD or assistant, and will follow very conservative rules (eg any win = move up; any loss = move down).

The AP poll is better 99.9% of the time , in all sports, imho.

 

[SCspur]

All of those first nine teams are for real. Notre Dame proved that even with serious injuries at key positions, they are talented enough, and coached well enough, to take UConn to the limit. Oregon's class of sophomores is proving that they weren't flashes-in-the-pan last year. Yes, they got blown out by Connecticut, but that was last year. Tennessee, as undisciplined as they are, are now without the toxic DD, and with new talent, they're proving that if you recruit enough top names, you can play tough against most anyone. South Carolina has A'ja Wilson, one of the best big players ever in women's basketball, poor coaching notwithstanding, so her team will always be in every game. Mississippi State, with a tough 6'7" post player, is showing that they were not a fluke last year. No one ever knows which Louisville team will show up in which game which season. Roster turmoil and inconsistency seem to be the coach's calling cards. But they're capable of being excellent.

All the rest are all the rest. The Final Four will come from that Top Nine. Will Connecticut come out on top? We now know that our roster has injury issues that could persist all season. Camara's injury appears to be more serious than let on, and she may or may not play more than a few minutes. KLS's foot could recur and keep her out. And Gabby's migraines appear to be chronic and worse than in previous seasons. That's three top kids. Add to that the surprising lack of serious competition offered by the three "other" freshmen, and the two sophomores, and the picture is now emerging of a Connecticut team with a very short bench and a vulnerability to injuries.

It's not a foregone conclusion any more. There are some tough-as-nails teams out there, and we're not as steel-solid as we thought we were. We'll wait for the big late-season challenges. But the picture is coming into better focus now...

Not sure how you can call Dawn a poor Coach after winning the National Championship as well as owning the SEC for the last 5 years. Also I'm not sure if you have seen SC this year but it's more of a team effort as one player can't do it all, it just so happens that Wilson has been dominating in every game. But other then that good analysis FF.

 

[noirwestern]

All of those first nine teams are for real. Notre Dame proved that even with serious injuries at key positions, they are talented enough, and coached well enough, to take UConn to the limit. Oregon's class of sophomores is proving that they weren't flashes-in-the-pan last year. Yes, they got blown out by Connecticut, but that was last year. Tennessee, as undisciplined as they are, are now without the toxic DD, and with new talent, they're proving that if you recruit enough top names, you can play tough against most anyone. South Carolina has A'ja Wilson, one of the best big players ever in women's basketball, poor coaching notwithstanding, so her team will always be in every game. Mississippi State, with a tough 6'7" post player, is showing that they were not a fluke last year. No one ever knows which Louisville team will show up in which game which season. Roster turmoil and inconsistency seem to be the coach's calling cards. But they're capable of being excellent.

All the rest are all the rest. The Final Four will come from that Top Nine. Will Connecticut come out on top? We now know that our roster has injury issues that could persist all season. Camara's injury appears to be more serious than let on, and she may or may not play more than a few minutes. KLS's foot could recur and keep her out. And Gabby's migraines appear to be chronic and worse than in previous seasons. That's three top kids. Add to that the surprising lack of serious competition offered by the three "other" freshmen, and the two sophomores, and the picture is now emerging of a Connecticut team with a very short bench and a vulnerability to injuries.

It's not a foregone conclusion any more. There are some tough-as-nails teams out there, and we're not as steel-solid as we thought we were. We'll wait for the big late-season challenges. But the picture is coming into better focus now...

Ehhhhh, I watched that damn tex/tenn crapfest from start to finish and feel like I know even less about them now than I did a week ago. Not seeing how it tells you anything in regard to how either team will fare against opponents who play offense, much less organized defense. If it were me shuffling numbers neither one of them would be in the top ten.

 

[easttexastrash]

I mentioned extenuating circumstances for Baylor. It's really unfortunate what Mulkey and her family had to go through. Injuries happen to everybody. I'm sure they missed Cox, but you still have to play the game. Stanford has been missing their leading scorer McPhee since the 2nd game of the season. Does that mean Baylor's win against Stanford doesn't count?

Stanford is not really looking like a signature win, either.

 

[easttexastrash]

Not sure how you can call Dawn a poor Coach after winning the National Championship as well as owning the SEC for the last 5 years. Also I'm not sure if you have seen SC this year but it's more of a team effort as one player can't do it all, it just so happens that Wilson has been dominating in every game. But other then that good analysis FF.

Dawn did a masterful job reinventing that team late in the season when Coates went down.

 

[SCspur]

Dawn did a masterful job reinventing that team late in the season when Coates went down.

I also think it worked out for the best.... Guard play wins in the tourney not just throwing the ball to your bigs the entire game.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Not sure how you can call Dawn a poor Coach after winning the National Championship as well as owning the SEC for the last 5 years. Also I'm not sure if you have seen SC this year but it's more of a team effort as one player can't do it all, it just so happens that Wilson has been dominating in every game. But other then that good analysis FF.

I think she had overwhelming talent. But she has been chronically incapable of making Wilson mesh with the rest of the team. Just raw talent going out and winning.

For perspective, look at how Coach Geno is molding Azura Stephens, making her into a completely different player from the one who played for Duke. He's slowly getting her to stop throwing up 25-footers. And he's integrating her into an offense, opening up easy baskets created by the entire offense. Wilson, by contrast, appears to be playing largely on her own.

 

[SCspur]

I think she had overwhelming talent. But she has been chronically incapable of making Wilson mesh with the rest of the team. Just raw talent going out and winning.

For perspective, look at how Coach Geno is molding Azura Stephens, making her into a completely different player from the one who played for Duke. He's slowly getting her to stop throwing up 25-footers. And he's integrating her into an offense, opening up easy baskets created by the entire offense. Wilson, by contrast, appears to be playing largely on her own.

Well for starters she doesn't have her entire team healthy. We are down two Senior guards right now (who should be back practicing) as well as awaiting Te'a Cooper to become elgible. So essentially SC was starting a freshman, a role player from last year, and a transfer, while UCONN had All of its starters from day 1 and Geno could slowly slide Stevens in to get her comfortable.

Aja on the other hand (admittedly) had to do a lot of scoring by her self especially in the ND and MD games because it's taking time for the team to mesh. But she's definitely not playing on her own, as you can see she already has 28 assists. That's twice as much assists as she has in this point of the season last year.

Once Dawn gets her entire team healthy and Te'a Cooper eligible I think you will see and entirely Different SC team. Yes Wilson will still score a lot, but the ball movement and flow of the offense will be present once we have out perimeter playmakers back.

 

[cbraarj]

As stated, USF doesn’t match up well with UConn. I don’t see Louisville challenging the Huskies at home and after last night, even with Holmes back, TX does not have the team to win in Austin. That leaves SC in Columbia as the only remaining challenge for the Huskies during the regular season, imho.

Uconn by 20 in Columbia on Feb.1st!

 

[cbraarj]

Dawn did a masterful job reinventing that team late in the season when Coates went down.

Dawn should have sat Coates before her injury and that move would have been masterful!

 

[oldude]

Uconn by 20 in Columbia on Feb.1st!

So you think it’ll be close...

 

[Golden Husky]

This year, AP and USA Coach polls are apparently different in the top 10 teams except UConn. I more trust USA Coach poil than AP poll.

Oh, not me. To the extent they have time to watch video, coaches tend to view future opponents and many have no clue what's happening outside their conference. Also, some coaches have an agenda. I'd say the writers are more knowledgeable and less biased...but, as a matter of full disclosure, I worked for The AP for 44 years so I'm not without bias, either.

 

[oldude]

Oh, not me. To the extent they have time to watch video, coaches tend to view future opponents and many have no clue what's happening outside their conference. Also, some coaches have an agenda. I'd say the writers are more knowledgeable and less biased...but, as a matter of full disclosure, I worked for The AP for 44 years so I'm not without bias, either.

GH, as a result of your experience, I hereby nominate you to head up the weekly Boneyard WBB Poll. Given the level of expertise on WBB around here, I have no doubt that the BY poll will eclipse the AP & Coaches polls in a matter of weeks.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Well for starters she doesn't have her entire team healthy. We are down two Senior guards right now (who should be back practicing) as well as awaiting Te'a Cooper to become elgible. So essentially SC was starting a freshman, a role player from last year, and a transfer, while UCONN had All of its starters from day 1 and Geno could slowly slide Stevens in to get her comfortable.

Aja on the other hand (admittedly) had to do a lot of scoring by her self especially in the ND and MD games because it's taking time for the team to mesh. But she's definitely not playing on her own, as you can see she already has 28 assists. That's twice as much assists as she has in this point of the season last year.

Once Dawn gets her entire team healthy and Te'a Cooper eligible I think you will see and entirely Different SC team. Yes Wilson will still score a lot, but the ball movement and flow of the offense will be present once we have out perimeter playmakers back.

I don't believe her team looked great as a team last year either. Never could effectively integrate Coates and Wilson. They always looked disjointed, and Wilson was left out of the pattern offense time after time. Tremendous talent, but it wasn't a great "team". UConn has good talent, but outstanding teamwork. Hence, my reference to how the coaching staff is retraining Z.

 

[Golden Husky]

GH, as a result of your experience, I hereby nominate you to head up the weekly Boneyard WBB Poll. Given the level of expertise on WBB around here, I have no doubt that the BY poll will eclipse the AP & Coaches polls in a matter of weeks.

For the reasons you stated, I think a BY poll would be a wonderful idea, Oldude. Given the level of knowledge and passion for the game, I'm sure most posters would deliver serious intent to the responsibility of voting. I'm just not the right guy to manage and tally the results.

Perhaps someone will volunteer (Am I permitted to write "volunteer" on a Huskies site?) for the chore. Would you want to open the voting to all or, like The AP poll, do you think voting should be limited to a committee of those who have demonstrated a national scope and thorough knowledge of the sport?

If the latter, I'd be very confident--as would most, I believe--with you choosing the panel of voters.

 

[oldude]

For the reasons you stated, I think a BY poll would be a wonderful idea, Oldude. Given the level of knowledge and passion for the game, I'm sure most posters would deliver serious intent to the responsibility of voting. I'm just not the right guy to manage and tally the results.

Perhaps someone will volunteer (Am I permitted to write "volunteer" on a Huskies site?) for the chore. Would you want to open the voting to all or, like The AP poll, do you think voting should be limited to a committee of those who have demonstrated a national scope and thorough knowledge of the sport?

If the latter, I'd be very confident--as would most, I believe--with you choosing the panel of voters.

While I greatly appreciate your vote of confidence, it sounds too much like work to me. For that reason we may just have to live with the more fallible AP & Coaches polls. So long as the Huskies are on top, it doesn’t much matter what the order is after that.