Creme's Way too Early Top 25

[sweetspot]

I’d still have Maryland above NCSU but it’s a lot closer than when Creme’s rankings came out. Depending on what Baylor does to find replacements, I’d have them out of the top 4.

 

[JDuro]

Zia Cooke’s numbers against a Big East conference schedule would be pretty interesting. ?

 

[sweetspot]

Zia Cooke’s numbers against a Big East conference schedule would be pretty interesting. ?

That’s fair, but you could just as easily wonder what she’d shoot if she didn’t have the gravitational field that is Aliyah Boston on the floor.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

I’d still have Maryland above NCSU but it’s a lot closer than when Creme’s rankings came out. Depending on what Baylor does to find replacements, I’d have them out of the top 4.

I dropped Maryland to 6th and NC State to 5th. Baylor I believe signed Lewis, the talented guard from Alabama who scored over 30 points against North Carolina in the tournament. They stay 4th.

 

[Plebe]

Zia Cooke’s numbers against a Big East conference schedule would be pretty interesting. ?

It's always fascinating to me that the people want to trash talk another conference in the good ol' hypothetical "her numbers would be so much better if..." argument. It's especially rich in this case, considering every single SEC team except for SC face-planted miserably in the NCAA tournament.

But did she really excel against the "lesser" defenses? One of her worst "numbers" came against Vanderbilt, a team so bad they canceled their season and the coach still got canned.

For the record I think very highly of Cooke.

 

[JDuro]

It's always fascinating to me that the people want to trash talk another conference in the good ol' hypothetical "her numbers would be so much better if..." argument. It's especially rich in this case, considering every single SEC team except for SC face-planted miserably in the NCAA tournament.

But did she really excel against the "lesser" defenses? One of her worst "numbers" came against Vanderbilt, a team so bad they canceled their season and the coach still got canned.

For the record I think very highly of Cooke.

Not rich in the least. Every Big East squad, save UConn, lacked severely in athleticism and length. And yes, the SEC did disappoint in the NCAAT, but not enough for the BE and their two representatives to feel last season they were anywhere near the SEC conference as a whole.

 

[SECbbfan24]

It's always fascinating to me that the people want to trash talk another conference in the good ol' hypothetical "her numbers would be so much better if..." argument. It's especially rich in this case, considering every single SEC team except for SC face-planted miserably in the NCAA tournament.

The SEC was trash outside of South Carolina unfortunately. A&M really had been regressing the last half of the year outside the SC game.

Teams like Arkansas, Miss St and Kentucky were giant disappointments relative to their talent level.

 

[Plebe]

Not rich in the least. Every Big East squad, save UConn, lacked severely in athleticism and length. And yes, the SEC did disappoint in the NCAAT, but not enough for the BE and their two representatives to feel last season they were anywhere near the SEC conference as a whole.

Wonderful. That should make a nice inscription for this year’s banner. But it still doesn’t explain why Cooke’s “numbers” paled against the likes of Vanderbilt and Mercer. But hey, I get it, anything to put forward a narrative that makes the fans feel good.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

That’s fair, but you could just as easily wonder what she’d shoot if she didn’t have the gravitational field that is Aliyah Boston on the floor.

That's fair too, but what if she played next to Bueckers and Edwards.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

The SEC was trash outside of South Carolina unfortunately. A&M really had been regressing the last half of the year outside the SC game.

Teams like Arkansas, Miss St and Kentucky were giant disappointments relative to their talent level.

Let's not confuse the ncaa tournament results with team quality.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

It's always fascinating to me that the people want to trash talk another conference in the good ol' hypothetical "her numbers would be so much better if..." argument. It's especially rich in this case, considering every single SEC team except for SC face-planted miserably in the NCAA tournament.

But did she really excel against the "lesser" defenses? One of her worst "numbers" came against Vanderbilt, a team so bad they canceled their season and the coach still got canned.

For the record I think very highly of Cooke.

you can compare the Massey ratings of their opponents for years seasons if you want to be evidence based or you can just reference one game sample sizes. Your choice.

I don't subscribe to her books so can't speak to the advanced metrics.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Zia Cooke’s numbers against a Big East conference schedule would be pretty interesting. ?

And they would be equally interesting if she had to share the ball with more consistent scorers. Anastasia Hayes or Caitlin's "NUMBERS" would certainly take a hit. No Uconn player is going to lead the nation in scoring....unless something bad happens.

 

[undersized]

These evaluations of individual players (or player vs. player comparisons) never fail bring out the worst in certain fans. Some of y'all really want to judge a player for "only" scoring 9 points in a game that her team won 106-43? (I'm referring to the South Carolina/Vandy game.) Basketball is a team sport, and a player's impact on a game is so much more than just numbers on a page. What these players really care about is working with their teammates to maximize team success, and the degree to which the SC guards can do that this season is how we'll measure success. On an individual level, Zia's an elite player -- can't we just leave it at that?

Besides, isn't this thread about the projected Top-25 next year? Lol

 

[Plebe]

you can compare the Massey ratings of their opponents for years seasons if you want to be evidence based or you can just reference one game sample sizes. Your choice.

I don't subscribe to her books so can't speak to the advanced metrics.

Well now we're a full two steps removed from the point. And now suddenly the conversation is about an evidence basis as opposed to say, glibly throwing out dreamed-up hypotheticals about other conferences as a way of throwing shade.

The comment in question implied Cooke's numbers have been hurt by playing against better defenses. But when I look at her actual "numbers" (evidence, right?) I'm not seeing clear evidence of correlation to strength of opponent. She had 25 vs. Stanford but only 11 vs. UConn (horror, a Big East team). She had 26 vs. Florida (also an SEC team, who knew?!) but only 9 vs. Vanderbilt. Arkansas was no defensive juggernaut and yet she only scored 9 on them.

But I get it, let's not let the actual "evidence" stand in the way of a good story.

 

[sivad40]

I see that Zia Cooke's scoring numbers are being ? picked and goalposts moved to frame a debate. Zia Cooke scores 26 against FL = bad because it was against a bad SEC team. 9 points against Vandy= bad because it was against a bad SEC team.

 

[Plebe]

I see that Zia Cooke's scoring numbers are being ? picked and goalposts moved to frame a debate. Zia Cooke scores 26 against FL = bad because it was against a bad SEC team. 9 points against Vandy= bad because it was against a bad SEC team.

Well, you’re certainly free to read all of that into it if you really want, but you are straying many west Texas miles away from what I was saying. I suspect intentionally so.

 

[Vowelguy]

In terms of top teams for next year , how about GA? Return Everyone I think?

 

[undersized]

In terms of top teams for next year , how about GA? Return Everyone I think?

Yeah, these way-too-early rankings were published before the Georgia seniors announced they are returning next year.

 

[QtrCrtPress]

Arizona loses McDonald. Will they be a top 10 team without her?

Baptiste too. I don't think so.

 

[Alydar]

If you want to see the gap between Cooke and Bueckers just watch a Bueckers highlight video of the SC game. Cooke is prominent.

 

[wolfe613]

The SEC was trash outside of South Carolina unfortunately. A&M really had been regressing the last half of the year outside the SC game.

Teams like Arkansas, Miss St and Kentucky were giant disappointments relative to their talent level.

the same Arkansas that beat Uconn sucked? uh ok

 

[SECbbfan24]

the same Arkansas that beat Uconn sucked? uh ok

They are good team at home. They are NIT level team when on the road, the almost lost to a bad Auburn team at the end of the year

 

[bbsamjj]

If Haley Jones decides to be the Haley Jones we saw in the Final 4, she's probably the biggest matchup problem in college basketball next year. It doesn't take away from Stanford's hole at PG, but I don't see any team with the ability to stop an "on" Jones next year.

 

[bbsamjj]

I'm also curious what the addition of Diamond Johnson (tears for my fellow RU fans) means for NC State. I think she's a better scorer than either Crutchfield or Perez, but they will both be super seniors next year, so she could become a "super sub" for the backcourt.