Question on weekly conference pairings, Pac-12 example

[Figurehead]

So on Friday and Sunday conference match ups is it better to play the tougher team on a Friday and less tougher team on a Sunday or vice versa or does it really matter?

Examples are going against the Stanford and Cal pairing, USC and UCLA pairing.
Stir up the hornets nest first and play the tougher team first or play the weaker side of the pairing and rest your starters more on Friday?

 

[bennyskid]

Depends if you are the hunter or the hunted, don't you think? And whether your travel partner is better or worse than you?

IMHO, there are too many variables and it really doesn't matter.

PS: There is no resting of starters in the Pac.

 

[j66kicker]

It is best to play the better team first - when you have more time to prepare for them. (Note Tara's great record vs UConn when she has time to prepare, but not-so-great record when it's the second day of the weekend.)

 

[DaBball]

I would guess that a few years ago, a lot of teams spent much more time preparing for Arizona State than Arizona, regardless of who they played first, when they were making the trip to Arizona or being visited by the Arizona schools, simply because Arizona was so bad while Arizona State was a perennial top-25 team. The Arizona trip is extremely harder this year than it was two years ago, thanks to the emergence of Arizona.

In the case of the Arizona schools, the Washington schools, or the mountain schools, I’m not sure it matters much, but I’d definitely rather play Stanford and UCLA on Friday and Cal and USC on Sunday.

 

[Plebe]

I would guess that a few years ago, a lot of teams spent much more time preparing for Arizona State than Arizona, regardless of who they played first, when they were making the trip to Arizona or being visited by the Arizona schools, simply because Arizona was so bad while Arizona State was a perennial top-25 team. The Arizona trip is extremely harder this year than it was two years ago, thanks to the emergence of Arizona.

CTT made the statement last year, when someone asked her about the improvement of Arizona, that it is very, very helpful to have a strong travel partner.

 

[willtalk]

.

In the case of the Arizona schools, the Washington schools, or the mountain schools, I’m not sure it matters much, but I’d definitely rather play Stanford and UCLA on Friday and Cal and USC on Sunday.

Except if you are a school that has a strong travel or home partner. If you are Oregon or Oregon St, for example, it would make sense to play the weaker of the teams first. That would mean you could play more of your reserves longer and rest your starters for the second game. All the while your opponent is having to play a tough to the wire contest.

 

[azfan]

CTT made the statement last year, when someone asked her about the improvement of Arizona, that it is very, very helpful to have a strong travel partner.

I remember when CTT made that comment about the ascendant Wildcat program and the help it provides both when they travel. The flip side of that of course is you have to play the better program and Barnes has beat CTT two of the last three meetings.

I think I would agree that when on the road you'd want to play the better of the two teams first. For example last weekend ASU nearly beat UCLA and on the Sunday game had their way with USC at least for the first three quarters.

I'm not sure it matters when you're at home. It would be really interesting to hear CTT's candid view of this.

In any event the upcoming weekend will be a wonderful one in Tempe and certainly challenging. I really can't wait to see the to Oregon schools in person.

 

[Figurehead]

Depends if you are the hunter or the hunted, don't you think? And whether your travel partner is better or worse than you?

IMHO, there are too many variables and it really doesn't matter.

PS: There is no resting of starters in the Pac.

Tell that to Colorado and Utah at Matt Knight arena