AP Poll- #15 UConn

[Tenspro2002]

It appears by the explanation linked below UConn's BPI is low because they play too many close games.

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/81133/bpi-talk-villanova-ranked-among-elite

Hard to argue with that logic. BPI correctly distinguishes between unimpressive and convincing wins. We have several of the former and not too many of the latter.

 

[huskyharry]

It appears by the explanation linked below UConn's BPI is low because they play too many close games.

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/81133/bpi-talk-villanova-ranked-among-elite

Thanks...good find.
Margin of victory is a flawed statistic when using it as a means to project how effective a team will perform. Teams that press and rely on superior athleticism can really run up the score against lower ranked teams that lack the athleticism to stay with them. However, in the end those types of teams generally under-perform, as they can't dictate their tempo against more experienced teams.
On the other hand, there is certainly some benefit to the margin of victory and certainly UConn's inability to put teams away is a weakness...so both systems are flawed to a certain extent. Good thing the current system allows it to be settled on the court.

 

[UMass]

Actually what's weirdest imo is UMass just dropping from 22 to 23 on the AP's and 20 to 22 on the Coaches' after losing at home, albeit to a decent FSU team. A lot of us thought their ranking would be gone for the year. So UMass escapes its P5 schedule still ranked, which means they have a shot at staying ranked all year. Teams will fall and UMass will move up as they play second-tier A-10 teams, maybe far enough to give a cushion for a couple losses. We clearly see the coaches and AP want UMass to have an arbitrary number next to them.

There are a couple chicks in my graduate program from UMass so it will be interesting going forward. When was the last time two New England schools were ranked for a significant amount of time?

UMass lost to FSU in Sunrise, Fla. in the Orange Bowl Classic tournament. But I do agree, I thought we would be out of the top-25. Gonzaga losing, among others, helped keep UMass in.

 

[mauconnfan]

UMass lost to FSU in Sunrise, Fla. in the Orange Bowl Classic tournament. But I do agree, I thought we would be out of the top-25. Gonzaga losing, among others, helped keep UMass in.

From what I've seen I think UMass is a Top 25 team or at least they have the tools. They are driven in a "big" way by Chaz but the interior is a strength although inconsistent at times. Will be interesting to see how they do in the A10 as this should be a team who wins or competes for that title anything less would be disappointing. I like Kellogg but not sold on him to be the "x's and o's" guy when they get in a big game, we'll see.

 

[babysheep]

UMass lost to FSU in Sunrise, Fla. in the Orange Bowl Classic tournament. But I do agree, I thought we would be out of the top-25. Gonzaga losing, among others, helped keep UMass in.

Ahh, gotcha. Said "vs" on the schedule on espn.com which usually notes a home game. UMass definitely isn't a team to be taken lightly this year, I'd bet a lot of people are going to have them as their cinderella. Hopefully they can take care of the A-10

 

[David 76]

I thought our drop was a little harsh. First we went from 8 to 10 w/o losing, then a 2 point loss makes it a total of dropping 7 spaces for a close loss.
I was thinking 13, no big deal and rankings aren't the real deal.

 

[freescooter]

SEC? top to bottom I don't see the difference but I think the top 3 in AAC may be stronger than Kentucky, FLA and ......

But the voting has only a little to do with reality, though more in basketball than in football. And the SEC will be the viewed as superior even if it isn't. And I'm not so sure that even the dregs of the SEC are as bad as the dregs of the AAC.

 

[Kitaman]

They look about even, maybe a slight edge to the bottom team based on SOS. Based on the multiple home wins and road losses against ranked teams, the bottom team looks like it belongs in the 10-15 range. The top team probably 15-20.

And yes, I know who they are.

History has proven in a recent head to head matchup that we are not that much better than Florida, perhaps even equal.