Coaches Poll also out for week 15 (2/16/16)

[Biff]

Both polls out

Coaches did not do the ND/SC hokie-pokie

 

[rbny1]

They didn't do the Lady Vols hokie-pokie either. Tenn dropped from 28 to 29.

 

[Orangutan]

Somehow SC's lead over ND actually increased, though both teams have more points than last week. A little surprising to me since ND's only game of the week was a blowout over #17 Miami.

 

[Bonpland]

Hard to believe that losing at home by 12 in a game that they trailed by 21 in the last quarter has more value in the coaches' mind than ND dismantling Miami.

 

[EricLA]

Tenn's next 2 games are against the 2 worst teams in the league - LSU and Mississippi (both 2-10 in the SEC). Tenn should win both handily. they lost ground in the coaches poll - dropping from 26 to effectively 29. It will be interesting to see if the AP drops them out of the top 25 as Michigan State, Missou, and WVU could all move up. Mizzou plays only Auburn before the next AP poll so they won't have any losses and IMHO should move ahead of Tenn. Michigan State lost 2 in a row to drop out of the top 25 and face Rutgers and Minnesota before next Monday. I think they lose at least one.

WVU won't be going anywhere fast as they face #20 Oklahoma and then #8 Texas. Beat either team and I think they leap frog Tennessee, but I'm not sure they can win. Then again, Oklahoma is not exactly a world beater so maybe they can pull off the win...

BYU is an interesting team - they could leapfrog Tenn also. The coaches already have them ahead of Tenn at #26. They are 14-1 in their division. i could see them entering the top 25 in both polls next week...

Clearly I'm rooting for Tenn to drop out of the top 25 in both polls. Maybe LSU will give them a great game and pull off the "upset"...

 

[Dillon77]

With some nine minutes left in the game against #17 Miami, ND had a 36-point lead and Muffet McGraw decided to clear the bench and have various combinations of players finish out the game, giving time to folks who don't usually get that kind of court time.

Wonder if MM regrets not having more of a blowout. Or, makes you wonder if coaches are even paying attention to the specific games -- even the scores -- and making decisions based on (set) impressions.

That said, gut says that Irish should just play out the rest of the ACC schedule -- including the away game at FSU next Monday -- one game at a time.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

UConn, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Baylor all have clear paths to the #1 seed. It just depends what region they are going to and who the top 4 seeds in each region are. I would love to see Tennessee get an 8/9 seed in UConn's region.

 

[Carnac]

They didn't do the Lady Vols hokie-pokie either. Tenn dropped from 28 to 29.

Tennessee is still ranked in the AP polls. Can anyone please explain to me how a team playing as poorly as Tennessee, is still be ranked as one of the top 25 programs in the entire country? Most things I can figure out, but this is not one of them.

I've watch several of their games recently. They're horrible. Any LV fans that want them to play Conn should seek counseling. UConn would embarrass Tennessee. Regardless of the score late in the game, Geno may not take his foot off the gas.................for old times sake. I'd watch!!!

They've been pushed out of a boat with an anvil shackled to their ankle, and they can't swim. Only "a flaming Tennessee homer" could think Tennessee should still be ranked. To say that they are underachieving this year is a gross understatement.

 

[Kibitzer]

@Carnac. As AP voters listen to Sarah Brightman singing "Memory" from "Cats," they vote to perpetuate an internet legend.

 

[Icebear]

Tennessee is still ranked in the AP polls. Can anyone please explain to me how a team playing as poorly as Tennessee, is still be ranked as one of the top 25 programs in the entire country? Most things I can figure out, but this is not one of them.

I've watch several of their games recently. They're horrible. Any LV fans that want them to play Conn should seek counseling. UConn would embarrass Tennessee. Regardless of the score late in the game, Geno may not take his foot off the gas.......for old times sake. I'd watch!!!

They've been pushed out of a boat with an anvil shackled to their ankle, and they can't swim. Only "a flaming Tennessee homer" could think Tennessee should still be ranked. To say that they are underachieving this year is a gross understatement.

Yes, TN's problem isn't just their losses but some of the terrible play and marginal wins they have had.

 

[trb123]

Tennessee is still ranked in the AP polls. Can anyone please explain to me how a team playing as poorly as Tennessee, is still be ranked as one of the top 25 programs in the entire country? Most things I can figure out, but this is not one of them.

I've watch several of their games recently. They're horrible. Any LV fans that want them to play Conn should seek counseling. UConn would embarrass Tennessee. Regardless of the score late in the game, Geno may not take his foot off the gas.......for old times sake. I'd watch!!!

They've been pushed out of a boat with an anvil shackled to their ankle, and they can't swim. Only "a flaming Tennessee homer" could think Tennessee should still be ranked. To say that they are underachieving this year is a gross understatement.

Many (perhaps most if not all) Vol fans do not want to play us. One of their biggest worries is that the NCAA will put them in the same bracket as UCONN. I think they will avoid playing us because they have too many friends in the NCAA selection committee.

 

[Carnac]

Many (perhaps most if not all) Vol fans do not want to play us. One of their biggest worries is that the NCAA will put them in the same bracket as UCONN. I think they will avoid playing us because they have too many friends in the NCAA selection committee.

I completely agree. The only way Tennessee wants to see UConn right now is on television.

 

[Vowelguy]

They've been pushed out of a boat with an anvil shackled to their ankle, and they can't swim. Only "a flaming Tennessee homer" could think Tennessee should still be ranked. To say that they are underachieving this year is a gross understatement.

I wouldnt say they "should" be ranked, but I don't have a big problem with it. And I hate Tenn.

8 of their 10 losses are to teams ranked above them. And several of those games were quite close, including 2 in OT.

The 2 computer polls have the Vols at #30 (Massey) and #21 (Sagarin). So a #24 ranking hardly seems a travesty.

 

[Vowelguy]

UConn, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Baylor all have clear paths to the #1 seed. It just depends what region they are going to and who the top 4 seeds in each region are. I would love to see Tennessee get an 8/9 seed in UConn's region.

Ohio St is rising, and could challenge Baylor if Bears slip up.

 

[wasolddog]

I wouldnt say they "should" be ranked, but I don't have a big problem with it. And I hate Tenn.

8 of their 10 losses are to teams ranked above them. And several of those games were quite close, including 2 in OT.

The 2 computer polls have the Vols at #30 (Massey) and #21 (Sagarin). So a #24 ranking hardly seems a travesty.

I believe they bumped Tenn up to 24 last week so they could drop them a spot in the next poll keeping them in the top 25! LOL
I tend to agree with you given the way things work. One minor detail, actually they lost to 7 teams ranked above them by my count. Florida was only in the top 25 for two weeks and was never ranked above them.

 

[Bonpland]

With some nine minutes left in the game against #17 Miami, ND had a 36-point lead and Muffet McGraw decided to clear the bench and have various combinations of players finish out the game, giving time to folks who don't usually get that kind of court time.

Wonder if MM regrets not having more of a blowout. Or, makes you wonder if coaches are even paying attention to the specific games -- even the scores -- and making decisions based on (set) impressions.

That said, gut says that Irish should just play out the rest of the ACC schedule -- including the away game at FSU next Monday -- one game at a time.

I'm clearly not one of the "statistics" people on this site and your comment points out what is an essential problem with the way sports and athletic events are interpreted by the sporting community.

In mid-season UCONN won a couple of games back to back by scoring more than 100 points. That generated excitement here and among reporters, but why did it mean anything? As a UCONN long-term fan and follower I could fill a small book with a list of the games we could have scored more that 100 but didn't because Geno eased off in pressing for points.

Uconn is famous for playing hard all game, every game, but that doesn't mean that the score has to make it to triple digits to qualify a game as being meaningful.

Geno sat Stewie when she was near a triple double recently and neither he nor Stewie cared. Could Stewie lead the country in scoring? Maybe, but what would be the point?

Not Muffet nor any other coach should be thinking about running up the score in a clear and certain win, but unfortunately the polsters seem to notice "margin of victory" more than they do "quality of play".

In my very first post when I joined this esteemed collection of like minded characters, I related what it was that my college coach said at the beginning of each new season.

When asked how he made decisions regarding the starting lineup, playing time, discipline and leadership he pointed at a blackboard where he had written four words on different lines. In six inch letters was the word PROGRAM. Below that in three inch letters was the word TEAM. Below that in one inch letters was the word PLAYER, and below that was some scribbling.

He worked his way down saying Program was always first, Team second and the Players were his third consideration. No player was bigger than the Team, and no Team was more important than the Program. Then he would point at the scribbling at the bottom and say, "And that line is for individual statistics....I pay absolutely no attention to them." In thirty years of coaching, on three different levels he never had a losing season.

When a team is obsessed with scoring and not with improving they wind up losing to UCONN and ND badly. Too bad the voters don't always see it that way. Too bad teams are still most often judged by how many points they score and not by how well they play the game.

 

[CTtransplant]

Tennessee is still ranked in the AP polls. Can anyone please explain to me how a team playing as poorly as Tennessee, is still be ranked as one of the top 25 programs in the entire country? Most things I can figure out, but this is not one of them.

There are two issues here. If you accept that SC is the second best team in the country, then Tenn should be in the top 25. The bigger issue in my mind is why are the coaches still ranking USCe the #2 team? They must not have watched the game. The SEC gets good press from the ESPN commentators because their jobs are partially tied to the SEC network.

If you think the SEC is overrated, and S Carolina is not the second best team in the US, then you can easily move Tenn out of the top. 25.

 

[Kibitzer]

Too bad teams are still most often judged by how many points they score and not by how well they play the game.

Grantland Rice was immortalized as a sportswriter and is reverently recalled for his legendary column describing Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen" and the following little poem:

"For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name,
He marks not if you won or lost but how you played the game."​

(Recited from memory, sorry for any errors.)

 

[Sonny44]

I wouldnt say they "should" be ranked, but I don't have a big problem with it. And I hate Tenn.

8 of their 10 losses are to teams ranked above them. And several of those games were quite close, including 2 in OT.

The 2 computer polls have the Vols at #30 (Massey) and #21 (Sagarin). So a #24 ranking hardly seems a travesty.

Yes, as my father would say they are a very strong team; they're holding up the rest of the league.

 

[Dillon77]

I'm clearly not one of the "statistics" people on this site and your comment points out what is an essential problem with the way sports and athletic events are interpreted by the sporting community.

In mid-season UCONN won a couple of games back to back by scoring more than 100 points. That generated excitement here and among reporters, but why did it mean anything? As a UCONN long-term fan and follower I could fill a small book with a list of the games we could have scored more that 100 but didn't because Geno eased off in pressing for points.

Uconn is famous for playing hard all game, every game, but that doesn't mean that the score has to make it to triple digits to qualify a game as being meaningful.

Geno sat Stewie when she was near a triple double recently and neither he nor Stewie cared. Could Stewie lead the country in scoring? Maybe, but what would be the point?

Not Muffet nor any other coach should be thinking about running up the score in a clear and certain win, but unfortunately the polsters seem to notice "margin of victory" more than they do "quality of play".

In my very first post when I joined this esteemed collection of like minded characters, I related what it was that my college coach said at the beginning of each new season.

When asked how he made decisions regarding the starting lineup, playing time, discipline and leadership he pointed at a blackboard where he had written four words on different lines. In six inch letters was the word PROGRAM. Below that in three inch letters was the word TEAM. Below that in one inch letters was the word PLAYER, and below that was some scribbling.

He worked his way down saying Program was always first, Team second and the Players were his third consideration. No player was bigger than the Team, and no Team was more important than the Program. Then he would point at the scribbling at the bottom and say, "And that line is for individual statistics....I pay absolutely no attention to them." In thirty years of coaching, on three different levels he never had a losing season.

When a team is obsessed with scoring and not with improving they wind up losing to UCONN and ND badly. Too bad the voters don't always see it that way. Too bad teams are still most often judged by how many points they score and not by how well they play the game.

I'm thinking -- and hoping -- you and I are coming out on the same opinion here...ND played a heck of a game yesterday. In her post-game remarks, Coach McGraw was very pleased with the performance and felt the team was "just about there" for the end of the year push into the tournaments. I commend her for letting everyone play...the game was essentially over.
Sure Coach M would like to see her substitutes play with a high degree of efficiency but sometimes it works, sometimes not. She's gotta push on (as would Coach G).

In the end, these mid-season polls are not going to determine who eventually will play each other...it's the performances we've been watching game-in, game-out. Sometimes I raise my eyebrows and get a bit irked, but then I realize I'd rather watch a well-coached game and try to find if UConn, ND, DePaul, etc. is playing ball.... Keep on, keepin' on.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Hard to believe that losing at home by 12 in a game that they trailed by 21 in the last quarter has more value in the coaches' mind than ND dismantling Miami.

The Gamecocks also blew out a ranked Florida team last week.

 

[bballnut90]

With some nine minutes left in the game against #17 Miami, ND had a 36-point lead and Muffet McGraw decided to clear the bench and have various combinations of players finish out the game, giving time to folks who don't usually get that kind of court time.

Wonder if MM regrets not having more of a blowout. Or, makes you wonder if coaches are even paying attention to the specific games -- even the scores -- and making decisions based on (set) impressions.

That said, gut says that Irish should just play out the rest of the ACC schedule -- including the away game at FSU next Monday -- one game at a time.

What bodes well for both teams is that if they run the table the rest of the way (which looks likely for both, although Notre Dame has a tough game against FSU coming up), they'll be the #2 and #3 seeds and who is #2 vs. #3 will not make a big difference like it would being #3 vs #4.

Here's a question--if Baylor runs the table the rest of the way and SC or ND loses a game, do they jump SC/ND and take over as a #2 or #3 seed?

 

[cabbie191]

I doubt Muffet cares a whole lot about these polls unless she believes that somehow they influence the NCAA tournament seedings. There is a difference, is there not, between being the 2nd versus 3rd overall seed when it comes to where your team goes after the opening rounds? But for a team with ND's caliber, I don't think it matters where they wind up playing: unless they have a major injury and/or have a crapper of a game and/or run into a Louisville vs Baylor type of buzz saw, I expect they make it to Louisville, and I think they are most likely in the final game against UConn for the third year in a row.

 

[Vowelguy]

There is a difference, is there not, between being the 2nd versus 3rd overall seed when it comes to where your team goes after the opening rounds?

Yes.
SC & ND are competing to be in the Lexington KY regional. That is a 5-7 hr drive for them and their fans, as opposed to ending up in Sioux Falls, SD.

 

[Orangutan]

The Gamecocks also blew out a ranked Florida team last week.

Not exactly comparable, in my opinion. SC was up by 10 through 3, ultimately won by 15. Looks like the starters played deep into the 4th quarter. I'd class it more as a comfortable win than a "blow out".

As previously mentioned, ND was up by 32 through 3 and led by as much as 36 before the bench was cleared. ND would have won by 40+ if the starters had played all the way.

So I still think that ND was more impressive over last week than SC and thus miffed that SC's points lead somehow increased. Not the coaches' poll matters.