Uconn to #1 Watch

[Tonyc]

With Stanfords win last night I will change my feeling on the rankings.

Stanford
UConn
Oregon
Baylor
LVille

or

Stanford
UConn
Lville
Oregon
Baylor

I dont see Lville moving up 7 places to number 1 or 2. I dont see Oregon and Baylor dropping 3 spots either. Should LVille be ranked ahead of Oregon meaning that Oregon drops further or does LVIlle move up to 3 2 or 1 in the polls. Thats a huge leap imo for one win. Could the poll be Stanford UConn Lville Oregon and Baylor? Could be. I could see UConn at number 1 only because they have been winning against lesser teams many of which are better then the lesser teams the other top teams beat. Lets face it Stanford has struggled against lesser teams like Cal Baptist. but did win last nite. Hey Stanford won so I give them the number 1 spot.

What yesterday showed us is there is no dominate team and UConn is not as bad as many fans think they are. Many of us are comparing UConn to UConn super teams and not to the other teams in the field. True UConn is not invincilbe like we've been used to seeing and maybe thats why we think they arent that good but imo yesterday showed me that everybody else isnt as dominate as we thought either. It also showed me that if Ania is more reliable on her outside shot UConn and UConns rebounding continues to improve we very well could be the team to beat.

Baylor with Cox is a different team so when she comes back we will see what effect she has on the team. Stanford and UConn are still young for the most part and Oregon just seems to be not as consistent over the past few seasons. Sometimes they look unbeatable and other times they struggle.

Reading some other posts I must ask. How can UConn drop? They havent lost and Stanford has struggled against lesser teams Baylor and Oregon just lost and played lesser teams. ???? Just gotta wonder. UConn has their core 4 and anyone of them can put up 20+ in any game. No other team has that. Baylor lost imo because Cox is out. Do you remember when UConn had KML and a couple of other starters out a few years ago and best 4 of 5 top ranked teams. That tells me this years top teams arent as good as many top teams of the past and UConn not being what we're used to is better then we think. JMO folks .

 

[LoTrader]

In my poll I have UCONN and OSU right next to each other at 7 & 8. Both are undefeated, but neither of these teams have played a top 10 team. They have both beaten teams they should have beaten, that's it. Doesn't mean they won't eventually be in top 5, even #1, but neither have been tested, therefore not a top 5 team.

 

[Longtime fan]

Oregon already went down. Baylor is currently losing to South Carolina. Stanford will be hard pressed to beat Mississippi State tonight....

....so.....Uconn to #1

Let's stay away from that ranking nonsense. I find it a relief that UCONN is not in these conversations. It matters not at all. We have often been ranked number one during the last several years, when we have been beaten in the final four. The team is not close to that level this year. Not yet.

Please, just drop the focus on a meaningless statistic. It gives me agita. Just watch the games and enjoy, win or lose. This team is developing into something. We aren't sure just what that is, yet.

 

[Grad1990]

With Stanfords win last night I will change my feeling on the rankings.

Stanford
UConn
Lville
Oregon
Baylor

Imo You nailed it.

The only question is whether pollsters move Louisville up 5/6 spots eking them ahead of Oregon. Pollsters don't normally move teams so dramatically. However, since both South Carolina and Baylor both lost this week, too......they might, and in the process, get the poll right this week.

There have been instances in the past when Uconn was clearly the best team in the country and were still lowered in the ratings by a loss (example; at Stanford fall 2014-15 I think). The only time a team ranked number one loses, and stays number one, is after a season is nearly concluded. This is not the current case which is why Oregon will drop.

Have to admit though, Oregon's win over Team USA was so impressive I expected them to go start to end without a loss.

 

[tower1]

Mondays AP and Tuesday's Coaches Polls should be interesting to say the least. The results from yesterdays games/upsets should make a voter actually take a few more minutes to do their rankings...instead of just mailing them in.

The only thing I can agree on is Stanford will become the new #1. IMO, I do not see Oregon and Baylor drop further down than maybe #3/#4. I would not be surprised if UConn actually drops to #5 or lower based on this massive shuffle.

DISCLAIMER: Remember everyone has an opinion, mine is just as good as the next one.

Yes this is ridiculous !

 

[Longtime fan]

With Stanfords win last night I will change my feeling on the rankings.

Stanford
UConn
Oregon
Baylor
LVille

or

Stanford
UConn
Lville
Oregon
Baylor

I dont see Lville moving up 7 places to number 1 or 2. I dont see Oregon and Baylor dropping 3 spots either. Should LVille be ranked ahead of Oregon meaning that Oregon drops further or does LVIlle move up to 3 2 or 1 in the polls. Thats a huge leap imo for one win. Could the poll be Stanford UConn Lville Oregon and Baylor? Could be. I could see UConn at number 1 only because they have been winning against lesser teams many of which are better then the lesser teams the other top teams beat. Lets face it Stanford has struggled against lesser teams like Cal Baptist. but did win last nite. Hey Stanford won so I give them the number 1 spot.

What yesterday showed us is there is no dominate team and UConn is not as bad as many fans think they are. Many of us are comparing UConn to UConn super teams and not to the other teams in the field. True UConn is not invincilbe like we've been used to seeing and maybe thats why we think they arent that good but imo yesterday showed me that everybody else isnt as dominate as we thought either. It also showed me that if Ania is more reliable on her outside shot UConn and UConns rebounding continues to improve we very well could be the team to beat.

Baylor with Cox is a different team so when she comes back we will see what effect she has on the team. Stanford and UConn are still young for the most part and Oregon just seems to be not as consistent over the past few seasons. Sometimes they look unbeatable and other times they struggle.

Reading some other posts I must ask. How can UConn drop? They havent lost and Stanford has struggled against lesser teams Baylor and Oregon just lost and played lesser teams. ???? Just gotta wonder. UConn has their core 4 and anyone of them can put up 20+ in any game. No other team has that. Baylor lost imo because Cox is out. Do you remember when UConn had KML and a couple of other starters out a few years ago and best 4 of 5 top ranked teams. That tells me this years top teams arent as good as many top teams of the past and UConn not being what we're used to is better then we think. JMO folks .

And what satisfaction does it provide that you might argue UCONN is #1, 4 or 14? Does that change the team? Does that activate Westbrook? We will know how good this team is in March. Not by some artificial statistic of " ranking." Unless you are heavily betting in Vegas, on where UCONN will be ranked this week...please spare us. We don't care. The team is better off flying under the radar ( which won't happen) anyway. Please give us your ideas on the players, the approach, the strategy, something about how the team is playing basketball.....anything but meaningless " ranking" positions. It is a waste of space, and signifies nothing.

 

[Carnac]

Stanford the likely #1. Which is good. Agree with everyone who thinks UConn doesn't need to back into that tag right now.

UConn has a lot of work to do. We should focus on being ready for tournament play in 3 months than being number 1 right now. Being number 1 at this time would profit us not, and give UConn a false sense of security that would do more harm than good. I don’t think there will be any undefeated teams in Division one this year. Rankings mean nothing in November.

When UConn plays Baylor and South Carolina, they must do so healthy and at full strength. Those two games are the biggest games remaining on our schedule, and will be true measuring sticks that will accurately depict exactly where we are in relation to other elite top ranked teams that we’ll be paired with in the tournament. If UConn wins both games by double digits, that will say one thing, while a double digit loss would say something else.

As it is said every year, our focus and goal should be on winning those last 6 games, nothing else. I’d be OK with 2-3 losses en route to a championship this year. There are lessons learned when you lose. Mistakes and errors in judgment are magnified in a loss, and demand to be addressed.

Do what you have to do NOW to be ready for that first tournament game in March, and take nothing for granted and assume nothing. This year’s team is not like most UConn teams in recent years. This team is not good enough to look past any team they will play in the tournament. This year it will truly be one game at a time, survive and advance.

Tip in - Did you notice who Oregon, Baylor and Miss St. lost to? They lost to other elite highly ranked teams. They didn’t lose to an unranked mid-major that caught them on a bad day. Those losses will only strengthen their resolve and grit going forward.

 

[JoePgh]

I think that Baylor's loss is more likely to be "forgiven" by those who do the rankings considering that they are without Heather Cox at this time. It is at least doubtful that they would have lost by 15 points to South Carolina (or even lost at all) if Cox had been healthy and available, as she will be later this season. By contrast, Oregon lost with a full roster of healthy players.

The other thing that I noticed about yesterday's box scores is that none of the teams that were Top-5 before the day began got any significant contribution from their benches in the games yesterday. UConn is not alone in having a "thin" bench, and in fact I think by February its bench may be more productive than these other teams' benches.

 

[donalddoowop]

UConn has a lot of work to do. We should focus on being ready for tournament play in 3 months than being number 1 right now. Being number 1 at this time would profit us not, and give UConn a false sense of security that would do more harm than good. I don’t think there will be any undefeated teams in Division one this year. Rankings mean nothing in November.

When UConn plays Baylor and South Carolina, they must do so healthy and at full strength. Those two games are the biggest games remaining on our schedule, and will be true measuring sticks that will accurately depict exactly where we are in relation to other elite top ranked teams that we’ll be paired with in the tournament.
If UConn wins both games by double digits, that will say one thing and a double digit loss will say something else.

As it is said every year, our focus and goal should be on winning those last 6 games, nothing else. I’d be OK with 2-3 losses en route to a championship this year. There are lessons learned when you lose. Mistakes and errors in judgment are magnified in a loss, and demand to be addressed.

Do what you have to do NOW to be ready for that first tournament game in March, and take nothing for granted and assume nothing. This year’s team is not like most UConn teams in recent years. This team is not good enough to look past any team they will play in the tournament. This year it will truly be one game at a time, survive and advance.

Tip in - Did you notice who Oregon, Baylor and Miss St. lost to? They lost to other elite highly ranked teams. They didn’t lose to an unranked mid-major that caught them on a bad day. Those losses will only strengthen their resolve and grit going forward.

It should not make any difference how many games they lose during the season if they win the last six.

 

[HuskyNan]

This thread is bad for the mojo

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

This weekend's results prove that no team in NCAA WBB is unbeatable this season... which is of course a great to see. Our Huskies will continue to grow, blend and meld and improve as a Team as the season progresses. A poll result during the 1st week of December is of little value, except of course for getting a conversation going on the BY and other chat boards. The ONLY Result that matters is who wins the Final Game on April 5, 2020 in New Orleans.

 

[mbr33ct]

I think that Baylor's loss is more likely to be "forgiven" by those who do the rankings considering that they are without Heather Cox at this time. It is at least doubtful that they would have lost by 15 points to South Carolina (or even lost at all) if Cox had been healthy and available, as she will be later this season. By contrast, Oregon lost with a full roster of healthy players.

The other thing that I noticed about yesterday's box scores is that none of the teams that were Top-5 before the day began got any significant contribution from their benches in the games yesterday. UConn is not alone in having a "thin" bench, and in fact I think by February its bench may be more productive than these other teams' benches.

To me it shows when a game is on the line, from top teams, the bench becomes thinner and shorter. Geno is not alone on this.

 

[BroadwayVa]

UCONN Lville Stanford Oregon Baylor. If Stanford loses Stanford drops to 6 and everyone else moves up. Some may disagree that Uconn isn't nu.ber one however everyone else has lost but Lville and maybe Stanford. Therefore perhaps everyone else isn't that good yeti.

Everyone must remember this is December and no team is Uconn of OLD. A loss to any does not mean a loss for the season. Let the dust settle.

 

[chrissaran]

I agree with Plebe. The only 1 that matters is the last 1.

 

[chrissaran]

I think that Baylor's loss is more likely to be "forgiven" by those who do the rankings considering that they are without Heather Cox at this time. It is at least doubtful that they would have lost by 15 points to South Carolina (or even lost at all) if Cox had been healthy and available, as she will be later this season. By contrast, Oregon lost with a full roster of healthy players.

The other thing that I noticed about yesterday's box scores is that none of the teams that were Top-5 before the day began got any significant contribution from their benches in the games yesterday. UConn is not alone in having a "thin" bench, and in fact I think by February its bench may be more productive than these other teams' benches.

It's Lauren Cox.

 

[ReadR00ster]

Creme has Oregon State at 1. Can't see that with who they've played. I got to go Stanford because Miss State win is a big win. I'll go with UConn at #2 who has no big wins but a lots of wins over teams with a pulse. I am going Louisville at #3. Beacause of head to head I have to put them over Oregon. It was kind of a flukey game that shouldn't drop the Ducks far but Louisville has the better resume now. Baylor should drop pretty far. Yes, they don't have Cox but who knows when she will be back an how well she can play when she does? And have you watched them? As much as SC gets picked on for bad shooting. Baylor is worse. They have to drop below SC who does have a loss to a #17 but has wins over a #4 and #2.

1. Stanford
2. UConn
3. Louisville
4. Oregon
5. Oregon State
6. South Carolina
7. Texas A&M
8. Baylor
9. Florida State
10. Maryland

 

[ReadR00ster]

I think that Baylor's loss is more likely to be "forgiven" by those who do the rankings considering that they are without Heather Cox at this time. It is at least doubtful that they would have lost by 15 points to South Carolina (or even lost at all).

I don't think you can "forgive" Baylor yet. Maybe once she comes back on the team an Baylor starts looking a lot better. That is more of an "end of the year" consideration.

 

[LoTrader]

Creme has Oregon State at 1. Can't see that with who they've played. I got to go Stanford because Miss State win is a big win. I'll go with UConn at #2 who has no big wins but a lots of wins over teams with a pulse. I am going Louisville at #3. Beacause of head to head I have to put them over Oregon. It was kind of a flukey game that shouldn't drop the Ducks far but Louisville has the better resume now. Baylor should drop pretty far. Yes, they don't have Cox but who knows when she will be back an how well she can play when she does? And have you watched them? As much as SC gets picked on for bad shooting. Baylor is worse. They have to drop below SC who does have a loss to a #17 but has wins over a #4 and #2.

1. Stanford
2. UConn
3. Louisville
4. Oregon
5. Oregon State
6. South Carolina
7. Texas A&M
8. Baylor
9. Florida State
10. Maryland

So how is it that you can put UCONN at #2, if your logic is that re: OSU that you "Can't see that with who they have played"? OSU has beaten 3 teams that have only 1 loss to date (all by OSU). Who has UCONN played that gets them to #2? BTW, I don't have UCONN or OSU in the my top 5.

 

[mbr33ct]

Creme has Oregon State at 1. Can't see that with who they've played. I got to go Stanford because Miss State win is a big win. I'll go with UConn at #2 who has no big wins but a lots of wins over teams with a pulse. I am going Louisville at #3. Beacause of head to head I have to put them over Oregon. It was kind of a flukey game that shouldn't drop the Ducks far but Louisville has the better resume now. Baylor should drop pretty far. Yes, they don't have Cox but who knows when she will be back an how well she can play when she does? And have you watched them? As much as SC gets picked on for bad shooting. Baylor is worse. They have to drop below SC who does have a loss to a #17 but has wins over a #4 and #2.

1. Stanford
2. UConn
3. Louisville
4. Oregon
5. Oregon State
6. South Carolina
7. Texas A&M
8. Baylor
9. Florida State
10. Maryland

At beginning of season I was saying the same of Oregon St but it's time to give them their props. For a team "who they've played" and unbeaten, WarrenNolan.com has them at #1 in both RPI and SOS.

 

[Plebe]

At beginning of season I was saying the same of Oregon St but it's time to give them their props. For a team "who they've played" and unbeaten, WarrenNolan.com has them at #1 in both RPI and SOS.

View attachment 48731

Are we really giving credence to a ranking that has Illinois State at #6 in the country ?

#TooSoon

 

[ReadR00ster]

So how is it that you can put UCONN at #2, if your logic is that re: OSU that you "Can't see that with who they have played"? OSU has beaten 3 teams that have only 1 loss to date (all by OSU). Who has UCONN played that gets them to #2? BTW, I don't have UCONN or OSU in the my top 5.

If you think the OSU's schedule is better UConn's that is fine for you. I don't agree. I think Uconn's is slightly better as it's loaded with decent power 5 team and no mid-majors. Cal recently beat Arkansas who I am high on and Uconn took care of them. I think Depaul and Miami are overrated and Missouri State is the best win the Beavers have which compares to a team like Cal. Who knows? Maybe I am underating Pacific, but until they actually beat someone one note the are just another mid-major team in my book.

 

[ReadR00ster]

so we are supposed to act like Missouri State is the legit number 2 team in the country too? And because Oregon State beat them they should be number 1? lol

 

[LoTrader]

If you think the OSU's schedule is better UConn's that is fine for you. I don't agree. I think Uconn's is slightly better as it's loaded with decent power 5 team and no mid-majors. Cal recently beat Arkansas who I am high on and Uconn took care of them. I think Depaul and Miami are overrated and Missouri State is the best win the Beavers have which compares to a team like Cal. Who knows? Maybe I am underating Pacific, but until they actually beat someone one note the are just another mid-major team in my book.

Whatever you think about OSU's schedule strength, it doesn't answer my question about how you have UCONN at #2 given the opponents UCONN has played up to this point?

 

[Plebe]

If you think the OSU's schedule is better UConn's that is fine for you. I don't agree. I think Uconn's is slightly better as it's loaded with decent power 5 team and no mid-majors. Cal recently beat Arkansas who I am high on and Uconn took care of them. I think Depaul and Miami are overrated and Missouri State is the best win the Beavers have which compares to a team like Cal. Who knows? Maybe I am underating Pacific, but until they actually beat someone one note the are just another mid-major team in my book.

For the record, Dayton is a mid-major, and not even a good one at that.

As UConn fans, we of all people should know that "power 5" designation by itself is hardly meaningful as an indicator of quality. Most power 5 teams didn't even make the NCAA tournament last year. Missouri State was a Sweet 16 team last year, which is better than 80% of the power 5 teams did.

You may think DePaul and Miami are overrated, but none of UConn's opponents thus far can claim to be any better. Cal has a loss to Harvard. Ohio State has losses to Ohio and South Dakota. Vanderbilt just lost to Seton Hall. Virginia lost to a very mediocre USC.

 

[mbr33ct]

Are we really giving credence to a ranking that has Illinois State at #6 in the country ?

#TooSoon

I agree #TooSoon is right, I do not believe Warren Nolan is saying these teams are the top teams in the country, data is only supporting RPI/SOS and how teams have fared (wins/losses) with Q1-Q4 teams. If we dismiss #6 Illinois St (for this RPI/SOS) do we also not give credence to #3 Stanford, #4 UConn and #5 Louisville.

#GottaStartSomewhere

 

[tomcat]

I certainly hope UConn does not go to #1. They have done nothing to deserve it yet -- notice, I said yet -- and at this point are a seriously flawed (and right now, injured) team. Yes, they are coming along and yes, they give us reason for optimism, but #1 is just silly. Someone else. Anyone else. Let UConn languish at #3 or 4 for a while longer. When they beat someone important, then let's talk.

 

[ReadR00ster]

Whatever you think about OSU's schedule strength, it doesn't answer my question about how you have UCONN at #2 given the opponents UCONN has played up to this point?

The answer is. "Who've they played" is not the only criteria. They are both undefeated teams with a similar level of competition on the books. I think UConn's resume is slightly better and I just think they are a slightly better team, though neither deserve to be #1. I think Oregon is still the best team by a good bit. And I think Stanford deserves to be #1 right now but barely.

 

[LoTrader]

The answer is. "Who've they played" is not the only criteria. They are both undefeated teams with a similar level of competition on the books. I think UConn's resume is slightly better and I just think they are a slightly better team, though neither deserve to be #1. I think Oregon is still the best team by a good bit. And I think Stanford deserves to be #1 right now but barely.

You continue to not answer the question? Why do you have UCONN ranked #2 over all the other teams (forget about Oregon State).

 

[ReadR00ster]

For the record, Dayton is a mid-major, and not even a good one at that.

As UConn fans, we of all people should know that "power 5" designation by itself is hardly meaningful as an indicator of quality. Most power 5 teams didn't even make the NCAA tournament last year. Missouri State was a Sweet 16 team last year, which is better than 80% of the power 5 teams did.

You may think DePaul and Miami are overrated, but none of UConn's opponents thus far can claim to be any better. Cal has a loss to Harvard. Ohio State has losses to Ohio and South Dakota. Vanderbilt just lost to Seton Hall. Virginia lost to a very mediocre USC.

I disagree that being a power 5 team is not meaningful just because there are some good non power 5 teams. The level of competition is not the same at the mid-major level. I don't think its a gross disparity by any means but those power 5 teams that don't make the tournament because they are getting beat mostly by other power 5 teams on their level or better and because of automatic bids taking up spots.

 

[Plebe]

I disagree that being a power 5 team is not meaningful just because there are some good non power 5 teams. The level of competition is not the same at the mid-major level. I don't think its a gross disparity by any means but those power 5 teams that don't make the tournament because they are getting beat mostly by other power 5 teams on their level or better and because of automatic bids taking up spots.

I'm sorry but that's just not true at all. If anything the power 5 teams are advantaged in tournament selection because they're given so many more opportunities to score quality wins against top 50 teams in conference, which the committee places an extremely high value on.