Can We Count the UNC Win as a "Quality Win" Now?

[fireford]

As some may recall earlier in the year there was some back-and-forth among posters about whether or not UNC was a "quality win" for UConn.
Some were like "Hey, when you look at their roster and some of the games they've won, that team's pretty good". Others were like "Meh....no big deal beating them".
It wasn't the prettiest of wins because UConn almost lost a big lead in the second half but it was a de facto road win against a now top 10 (#9) team. Also, Azzi and Aubrey weren't playing yet.
So while yesterday's win gives UConn the much needed validation they've been looking for all year as a bona fide national contender I think in hindsight that they should be given more props for what seemed to be an underappreciated win against UNC at the time.

 

[packwrap]

Yep! Always entertaining. Creighton now top 30 on NET. Louisville, Miss, and Iowa St all making late season surges and moving back up the rankings.

A real shock today was UConn now #1 in NET! I hope I get to meet the little wizard behind that curtain, as honestly it does not seem right. SC #2.

 

[Centerstream]

Personally I don't think of a win as a quality win if you were supposed to win.
But yesterday was a quality win!

 

[Huskee11]

The UNC win against NC State on Sunday helps us as well although unfortunately UNC star Ustby went down with a knee injury in that game. That will dim their prospects moving forward.

 

[oldude]

That UNC win was technically played at a neutral site in Charlotte, NC, which is about as neutral as playing UConn in Hartford. It was a great win against a very good team that has gotten overlooked as we all argue about tournament seeding criteria.

 

[Bone Dog]

A real shock today was UConn now #1 in NET! I hope I get to meet the little wizard behind that curtain, as honestly it does not seem right. SC #2.

Warren Nolan still shows SC as #1 in NET and UConn as #2. I have no idea what's behind the discrepancy.

Personally I don't think of a win as a quality win if you were supposed to win.

Does that mean SC and UCLA have no quality wins?

That UNC win was technically played at a neutral site in Charlotte, NC, which is about as neutral as playing UConn in Hartford

I agree. Neutral in the sense that fewer UNC students would be there than at an on campus game. I remember hearing that a lot of Sarah's high school friends showed up for the game, but that can't have been more than a hundred people. Of course, there was bound to be the usual "Bueckers Army" of fans that shows up everywhere.

 

[YoDore]

Warren Nolan still shows SC as #1 in NET and UConn as #2. I have no idea what's behind the discrepancy.

Were you somehow looking at a version that wasn't updated. It shows UConn at #1 now.

NET Ranking - Women's College Basketball | WarrenNolan.com

2025 Women's College Basketball NET Ranking: NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) a ranking of teams based on five factors, team value index, net efficiency, winning percentage, adjusted winning percentage, and scoring margin.

www.warrennolan.com

 

[Bone Dog]

Were you somehow looking at a version that wasn't updated. It shows UConn at #1 now.

NET Ranking - Women's College Basketball | WarrenNolan.com

2025 Women's College Basketball NET Ranking: NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) a ranking of teams based on five factors, team value index, net efficiency, winning percentage, adjusted winning percentage, and scoring margin.

www.warrennolan.com

D'oh, I was looking at what must have been a cached copy of last year's page.

 

[Plebe]

That UNC win was technically played at a neutral site in Charlotte, NC, which is about as neutral as playing UConn in Hartford.

Not a valid comparison. UConn regularly plays multiple home games each season at the XL Center. The same is not true of UNC in Charlotte.

The more apt comparison would be to UConn's games at Mohegan Sun or Barcalys Center.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Louisville is #28 and moving up. Ole Miss is #33.

 

[oldude]

Not a valid comparison. UConn regularly plays multiple home games each season at the XL Center. The same is not true of UNC in Charlotte.

The more apt comparison would be to UConn's games at Mohegan Sun or Barcalys Center.

Yes and no. The reason that UNC WBB doesn’t play more games in Charlotte is because they can’t fill it up, unlike UConn in Hartford, Bridgeport, Uncasville, Brooklyn or Albany.

I’m sure that UNC was hoping for a much bigger home team crowd in Charlotte. Fortunately, between Sarah’s friends and family, along with the legion of young Paige Bueckers fans and their parents, there was a pretty good crowd on hand for the game.

 

[triaddukefan]

1. The game was here in Greensboro not Charlotte

2. GTHC

 

[uh-no]

That UNC win was technically played at a neutral site in Charlotte, NC, which is about as neutral as playing UConn in Hartford. It was a great win against a very good team that has gotten overlooked as we all argue about tournament seeding criteria.

It was in Greensboro, not Charlotte.

Crowd was fairly neutral....which was a bit surprising given how many uconn fans were there, and how the crowds used to be when uconn would play in chapel hill.

 

[Plebe]

Yes and no. The reason that UNC WBB doesn’t play more games in Charlotte is because they can’t fill it up, unlike UConn in Hartford, Bridgeport, Uncasville, Brooklyn or Albany.

This is just narrative-spinning. Was UConn filling up the XL Center in 1980, which is when they started using it as their second home court?

The XL Center has been the second home to the UConn Men’s Basketball team since January of 1976 and the UConn Women’s Basketball program since 1980.​

XL Center - Facilities - University of Connecticut Athletics

The official facilities page for the University of Connecticut Huskies

uconnhuskies.com

Again, it's unclear to me why you're lumping Hartford in with those other four locales, none of which are designated home court locations for UConn.

 

[Sifaka]

This little bicker between two of my favorite posters brings to mind a priceless comment by Jorge Luís Borges, the brilliant Argentine author.

"Las Malvinas fue una guerra entre dos calvos por un peine". Jorge Luis Borges

The Falklands/Malvinas war was like two bald men battling for a comb.

 

[oldude]

1. The game was here in Greensboro not Charlotte

2. GTHC

Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Durham. It’s all the same……

 

[VA Huskie]

That UNC win was technically played at a neutral site in Charlotte, NC, which is about as neutral as playing UConn in Hartford. It was a great win against a very good team that has gotten overlooked as we all argue about tournament seeding criteria.

Actually the game was played in Greensboro, NC. I should know, I was there.

 

[Bone Dog]

Actually the game was played in Greensboro, NC. I should know, I was there.

What was the crowd like?

 

[NEforceUConn]

55/45 UNC to my eyes

I was surprised there was so much Carolina blue

Cheering wise UConn National was louder, guess the Tarheels were enjoying their wine and cheese.

 

[yhun89]

As some may recall earlier in the year there was some back-and-forth among posters about whether or not UNC was a "quality win" for UConn.
Some were like "Hey, when you look at their roster and some of the games they've won, that team's pretty good". Others were like "Meh....no big deal beating them".
It wasn't the prettiest of wins because UConn almost lost a big lead in the second half but it was a de facto road win against a now top 10 (#9) team. Also, Azzi and Aubrey weren't playing yet.
So while yesterday's win gives UConn the much needed validation they've been looking for all year as a bona fide national contender I think in hindsight that they should be given more props for what seemed to be an underappreciated win against UNC at the time.

UNC was absolutely a quality win from the start. They DID make that huge comeback towards the end but we were able to seal the game.

They play in a tough ACC conference, and have given NC State and even almost ND a run for their money.

 

[Centerstream]

That UNC win was technically played at a neutral site in Charlotte, NC, which is about as neutral as playing UConn in Hartford. It was a great win against a very good team that has gotten overlooked as we all argue about tournament seeding criteria.

Actually the game was played in Greensboro, NC. I should know, I was there.

And Greensboro is probably 80 miles closer to Chapel Hill than Charlotte is. Straight shot too...just take I-40W.

 

[packwrap]

Personally I don't think of a win as a quality win if you were supposed to win.
But yesterday was a quality win!

The issue with quality wins has nothing to do with the eye test. For the committee quality wins are against higher ranked teams. (Officially Quad1 wins based on NET)

UConn had a problematic schedule this year as Oregon State, Iowa State, Louisville and Ole Miss (even Creighton) were on the schedule with plan to be 'quality opponents'.

Then for variety of reasons, all of these teams had terrible OOC results, knocking them down the rankings and causing them to no longer be quality wins. For a while UConn's only good win was NC.

Now slowly, Creighton, Louisville, Miss and Iowa St are performing well in their conference, and are all back in/close to top 30.

This now improves UConn strength of schedule, gives us more quality wins, improved our NET, and strengthens resume for committee seeding.

Of course beating SC also adds a quality win, too!

 

[Centerstream]

The issue with quality wins has nothing to do with the eye test. For the committee quality wins are against higher ranked teams. (Officially Quad1 wins based on NET)

UConn had a problematic schedule this year as Oregon State, Iowa State, Louisville and Ole Miss (even Creighton) were on the schedule with plan to be 'quality opponents'.

Then for variety of reasons, all of these teams had terrible OOC results, knocking them down the rankings and causing them to no longer be quality wins. For a while UConn's only good win was NC.

Now slowly, Creighton, Louisville, Miss and Iowa St are performing well in their conference, and are all back in/close to top 30.

This now improves UConn strength of schedule, gives us more quality wins, improved our NET, and strengthens resume for committee seeding.

Of course beating SC also adds a quality win, too!

I was joking with my post that you are replying to. I could care less about rankings and seedings because the human factor is always there. The seedings may have computer based factors but the algorithms are written by humans and all contain human bias. For example, a person decides what conference is the strongest and so human bias comes into play for NET, SoS, Massey, etcetera.
I'm guessing but right now SoCar is number 1 in Massey but not in NET. Why is that? Because a human, different one for each, has set the parameters for each one.