UCLA-USC TONIGHT!! Oh wait, it's on Peacock. Never mind. | Page 2 | The Boneyard

UCLA-USC TONIGHT!! Oh wait, it's on Peacock. Never mind.

Dropping out of the #1 spot isn’t necessarily going to happen. UCLA still only has one loss and were on the road.

However there will some major movement in the Top 8. You still have #South Carolina hosting #7 UConn on Sunday then #3 Texas playing #5 LSU. #8 Kentucky has lost this week.

I can see #6 USC move up to #4 if LSU and South Carolina loose.
 
Dropping out of the #1 spot isn’t necessarily going to happen. UCLA still only has one loss and were on the road.

However there will some major movement in the Top 8. You still have #South Carolina hosting #7 UConn on Sunday then #3 Texas playing #5 LSU. #8 Kentucky has lost this week.

I can see #6 USC move up to #4 if LSU and South Carolina loose.
Kentucky is not and has never been a legitimate Top
10
Team.

They merely had an easy front end end schedule
 
For Uconn their final record pre NCAA tournament will pretty much be determined after Sunday, expecting to run the table the rest of the regular season and conference tournament. For the other top contenders it is far different. Not only could they lose in conference to a very good but maybe not great team, of which there are many, but also by definition, three of the top 7 will have to lose again in the conference tournament.

USC or UCLA will lose at least once more, and the same is true for two out of three from SC, Texas, and LSU. The team with the best odds of getting a number 1 seed might be Notre Dame because their chances of winning the ACC tournament is probably better than any team from the SEC of Big 10. IMO none of the teams from the top two conferences have locked up a number 1 seed, at least yet.
 
Selfishly, I'm glad it was on Peacock as I wasn't able to stay up last night. Two hours of clearing out a foot of snow will do that to you.

I do agree that having it on Peacock wasn't great, but this is the trend. There were a lot of good Iowa games last season that were moved the Peacock to leverage the Clark effect.
 
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JuJu giveth, but she mostly took things away from UCLA.
Being a fan of another team that took on U$C, I'm amazed at how Coach Close pretty much let JuJu run free, both on offense and defense.

Well, one of the beneficiaries of this UCLA loss are The Fighting Irish and they have a tough home game against Duke on Monday at 6 p.m.....and that one is on ESPN, not Peacock for FS1. See you there.

And maybe the Trojan-Bruin rematch will be on a more easily accessed channel.
 
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I thought Juju was pretty incredible tonight. Far and away she was the most active and dialed in player on the floor, I thought she played with so much heart. TBH in games I've seen previously I never fully understood why Juju was quite as hyped up as she is, but tonight I get it. It wasn't a flawless game but she absolutely dominated on both ends and willed USC to that win. Final statline of the night: 38 points, 11 rebounds, 8 blocks, 5 assists, 12-26 FG, 6-9 from 3.
Love this. I appreciate @Bone Dog comment as well. Juju was great. Her competitive spirit really showed. I think because she started so hot, there was a point where she cooled off and it seemed like she took a lot of bad shots. Fortunately or unfortunately she is there offensive system. I'm still not sure why TVO doesn't have a bigger role, it kinda bums me out. But last night was a truly great showcase performance. Like her ability in transition, the blocks and rebound would make anyone say, yeah I get the Juju thing.
As for UCLA.. I don't think it was a bad performance. Though I know it's easier said than done, I did think this is and has been the formula to beat them. They actually didn't play well there last game against Oregon. And similarly Oregon had a big who was able to at least match up with Betts and make her work. I think if u have a good defensive big and crowd Betts, u pretty much dare them to hit 3s. I just think they have a lot of players who are hit or miss from the perimeter. Don't get me wrong, Jaquez, Gardiner, Aarnasailo, Jones, even Rice can make them but I think u live with them shooting on the outside. Gardiner is another Oregon state transfer that bums me out. Just don't think her role and opportunities are great when they have 2 other 4s just as talented. I think it actually takes away from all 3. Dugalic, TG and Barker imo would be impactful 30 minute a game players on several teams. I still really like UCLA and think they should make the final 4.
 
I have Peacock and I love it. Got during one of their many deals. I watch it more than any other streaming service unless there’s games on other networks.
 
I think it actually takes away from all 3. Dugalic, TG and Barker imo would be impactful 30 minute a game players on several teams.
My take also. I wonder if Barker and Gardiner regret transferring to UCLA. Yes, they have a shot at being rotation players on a team that gets a ring. But they could have been starters on a few teams that might have a had a shot.
 
Finally there was something worth watching on Peacock! Too bad it was a 10PM start time (which I totally understand for a weekend day game and have no problem with). I just don't want to stay up til midnight watching a non UConn game. :)
 
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I was already in a Level 23 sleep but sounds like I missed a performance for the ages.
 
I have Peacock and I love it. Got during one of their many deals. I watch it more than any other streaming service unless there’s games on other networks.
Apparently, though, you can't really tape it, unless you go through shenanigans with other software.

Being in Mountain Standard Time, as we are 12 months of the year, it wasn't all that late for us. We actually joined Peacock late in the game and rewound to somewhere around half time. Quality was good, but not ideal way to do it.

We watch nothing live.
 
I think the point above about having a big who makes Betts work hard is key. We noticed late in the game she was bringing the ball below her shoulders -- getting her into trouble. She did that a lot her freshman year and seemed to have learned not to, but I wonder if that is her default when she is tired, and that explains its occurrence late in the fourth quarter last night.
 
From a basketball standpoint, this UCLA loss doesn't mean much as long as they don't drop another B1G game. They still have all of their goals ahead of them.

From a perception standpoint, it's going to sting for a while. Until last night, the discourse centered around UCLA being "underrated" despite being undefeated, how we (as women's basketball fans) didn't appreciate the team enough, how they were a carbon copy of South Carolina 2023-24, etc. For them to lose by double digits to a team in the same city that has a bigger star than anyone UCLA's program has ever had--is damaging to how they are going to be perceived moving forward. There's no way around that. Now, people will be talking about UCLA. Unfortunately, for them, they'll be talking about UCLA in the context of how JuJu destroyed them. And because they play in the same city as JuJu and Southern Cal, it's not like they'll be able to block out the discussions. They will hear about it everywhere they go in that city. EVERYWHERE. That's rough, but you have to be careful what you wish for.
 
Dropping out of the #1 spot isn’t necessarily going to happen. UCLA still only has one loss and were on the road.

However there will some major movement in the Top 8. You still have #South Carolina hosting #7 UConn on Sunday then #3 Texas playing #5 LSU. #8 Kentucky has lost this week.

I can see #6 USC move up to #4 if LSU and South Carolina loose.
They're going to drop--and should. That road game was all of 14 miles from their campus and they simply did not look like a #1 team.

Notre Dame will be the new #1 come Monday.
 
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JuJu giveth, but she mostly took things away from UCLA.
Being a fan of another team that took on U$C, I'm amazed at how Coach Close pretty much let JuJu run free, both on offense and defense.
Get that bored monkey drummer ready:D

Coach should have guarded JuJu close.:rolleyes:

Quite the game. For JuJu non fans, it was really tough to ignore the blocks, steals, rebounds and her Q4 help defense on Betts. She competed hard in crunch time.
 
Get that bored monkey drummer ready:D

Coach should have guarded JuJu close.:rolleyes:

Quite the game. For JuJu non fans, it was really tough to ignore the blocks, steals, rebounds and her Q4 help defense on Betts. She competed hard in crunch time.
JuJu performed like a superstar All-American is supposed to perform in big games and at crunch time. I hope others took note!
 
I always believe that the value of rankings when dependent on single game outcomes should consider the factors that resulted in the win or loss. Basketball by nature is a game of hot and cold shooting and streaks. A player playing the best game of their life is not going to happen in every game. Neither is a player playing a sub par game. I always say that you are never as good as your best game, nor as bad as your worst. In their loss to ND Juji had a bad shooting night. While some could be attributed to ND defense, not all of it is to a player like Juju who when they get hot are unstopable. Too bad the National Championships are decided by a single elimination tournament. On any given night, any team can beat a better team as long as they are close enough in talent. All it takes is for them to catch the better team on a down day while they play one of their better games.
 
Get that bored monkey drummer ready:D

Coach should have guarded JuJu close.:rolleyes:

Quite the game. For JuJu non fans, it was really tough to ignore the blocks, steals, rebounds and her Q4 help defense on Betts. She competed hard in crunch time.
JuJu Watkins is the only NBA, WNBA or Division I men's or women's player this century with 35+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 5+ blocks and 5+ made 3-pointers in a game. And she did it against the previously undefeated #1 team in the country whose scouting report had to have emphasized the importance of stopping her.
A performance for the ages.
 
JuJu Watkins with one of the greatest performances I have ever seen
I do agree that having it on Peacock wasn't great, but this is the trend. There were a lot of good Iowa games last season that were moved the Peacock to leverage the Clark effect.
JuJu's performance was indeed very impressive, perhaps the closest thing she's offered yet similar to many of Caitlin Clark's games against top teams the past several seasons... and she spiced it up with those blocks!

I subscribed to Peacock a couple of years ago to watch lots of golf otherwise unviewable here... this is just a cool bonus having games like this on Peacock!
 
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Maybe, but there are four teams that can jump Notre Dame in the race for the #1 overall seed by winning out regardless of what the Irish do.
OK, just to make sure we're talking about the same thing: you're referring to the #1 seed in the NCAA tourney, not the AP poll, correct?

Are you basing this on your analytics and/or your interpretation on how the selection committee will use said studies and their own instincts?

And, this will happen even if the Irish win out? That said, what four teams are those? And why?
 
OK, just to make sure we're talking about the same thing: you're referring to the #1 seed in the NCAA tourney, not the AP poll, correct?

Are you basing this on your analytics and/or your interpretation on how the selection committee will use said studies and their own instincts?

And, this will happen even if the Irish win out? That said, what four teams are those? And why?
I don't really think at this point Notre Dame is a "lock" but they do probably have the best shot at the #1 over all seed. Their only losses were a long time ago, on neutral courts, to teams that are not chopped liver.

UCLA from the B1G, LSU or South Carolina from the SEC, none of which has lost to Notre Dame, if they win out, at least are in shouting distance by the smell test, but the numbers of Quad wins, etc. may tell a different story, especially LSU. Having lost to Notre Dame handicaps Texas and USC conceptually, but again, the committee will use analytics. I'm old fashioned, and really too lazy, to try and study analytics while I understand their value.
 
I think Notre Dame has more good wins, but also worse losses than most of the other teams in consideration. They aren't terrible losses, not saying that. Most of them have only lost to other Top 10 teams. USC losing to Iowa is of course an exception to that.
 
From a basketball standpoint, this UCLA loss doesn't mean much as long as they don't drop another B1G game. They still have all of their goals ahead of them.

From a perception standpoint, it's going to sting for a while. Until last night, the discourse centered around UCLA being "underrated" despite being undefeated, how we (as women's basketball fans) didn't appreciate the team enough, how they were a carbon copy of South Carolina 2023-24, etc. For them to lose by double digits to a team in the same city that has a bigger star than anyone UCLA's program has ever had--is damaging to how they are going to be perceived moving forward. There's no way around that. Now, people will be talking about UCLA. Unfortunately, for them, they'll be talking about UCLA in the context of how JuJu destroyed them. And because they play in the same city as JuJu and Southern Cal, it's not like they'll be able to block out the discussions. They will hear about it everywhere they go in that city. EVERYWHERE. That's rough, but you have to be careful what you wish for.
Only if they lose the rematch.

No one is talking about Texas getting blown out by SCar after Texas's win the second time.
 
OK, just to make sure we're talking about the same thing: you're referring to the #1 seed in the NCAA tourney, not the AP poll, correct?

Are you basing this on your analytics and/or your interpretation on how the selection committee will use said studies and their own instincts?

And, this will happen even if the Irish win out? That said, what four teams are those? And why?
If UCLA wins out, they’d be the #1 overall seed.

If South Carolina, Texas, or LSU win out, they’d be ahead of Notre Dame for either 1 or 2 overall, pending UCLA.

Notre Dame is 4th in the NET today and those other teams have multiple games remaining against opponents better than anyone left on ND’s schedule.

ND is 5th at both Massey and Her Hoop Stats. Analytics matter much more to the committee than women’s AP voters.
 
I think Notre Dame has more good wins, but also worse losses than most of the other teams in consideration. They aren't terrible losses, not saying that. Most of them have only lost to other Top 10 teams. USC losing to Iowa is of course an exception to that.
They do not have “more” good wins than SCar or Texas. The Quad system is the method for determining “good win.” those two teams each have 10 quad one wins.! Notre Dame has only 6.

As far as losses go, you are right about losses. ND’s aren’t terrible but Utah is down around the bottom of the quad ones whereas Texas and SCar’s losses are all in the top ten

It is however, extremely close. If Texas loses to LSU and Scar loses to UConn, ND will surge to the lead.

A lot of tough BB to be played before the committee makes its final decision but at least we get a taste with Monday’s first reveal.

 
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