Who's #2 Now?

[MilfordHusky]

The cynic in me says make Maryland the #2 as there will be another #1 vs #2 game on December 29th, proving both teams don't lose before the teams meet. Besides that Maryland may be more talented then Baylor and deserve the ranking despite their weak schedule.

I like the #1 vs. #2 angle, though I think the Terps couldn't beat Baylor or ND.

 

[Orangutan]

I was the exact opposite. I knew Mulkey was going to try and beat us with post play which almost never works vs UConn. I was very surprised that Muffet tried that route. She of all coaches should know you beat UConn with guard play. Then in the presser she says we needed to get the ball the Turner more... no no no Muffet. Look at the games you have won. GUARD PLAY... GUARD PLAY... GUARD PLAY... They never learn.

Then again, to paraphrase Rick Pitino - "Skylar Diggins isn't walking through that door!" "Kayla McBride isn't walking through that door!" I don't think emphasizing guard play was the way forward because 2 of 3 starting guards (Mabrey and Arike) were playing below par last night.

I like the computer rankings, so I'll stick with them and go:

2. Baylor
3. ND

Maryland and South Carolina are 4 or 5 in whichever order you like. I'll give Maryland the benefit of the doubt since they're undefeated.

 

[Tonyc]

UConn is number 1 no doubt. South Carolina ND MD and Baylor all look to be top 4. There are some other good teams out there too but as of right now I like these as the top teams. Win or lose to MD UConn is still number 1 because of who they have beaten and MD has played only LVille. SC has a bad loss, Baylor and ND lost to UConn. So I like UConn ND Baylor MD SC in that order. With that said ND and Baylor could flip flop between 2 and 3.

 

[Intpseeker]

Perhaps if MD played anyone other than the Little Sisters of Perpetual Responsibility, and before our brethern of the trollish persuasion get all moist and slathery, save it. Last night was proof of why you watch your sugar content and bulk up with high quality protein.

Understand, the turtles may kick our butt, but the psychological advantage that accrues to elite athletes for proving to themselves that they are enough is yuge. Read around to other fan sites. There is always a contingent that believes that 40 point wins early on builds 'confidence' . That is just so much horse puckey. The only way the human animal changes, is if they don't like how something is. And the only way that happens is to play someone who could kick your tuckus.

 

[bizarro aj]

Maryland's schedule so far has been a joke and they should be undefeated. My top 3 would be
1.Uconn
2. Baylor
3. Florida state

 

[StephStorrs]

My personal Top 6:
#1. UConn
#2. Baylor
#3. Notre Dame
#4. Florida State
#5. Maryland
#6. South Carolina

MD feels like a wildcard right now as to where they fit in. Yes, they're undefeated, but with the schedule they've played, they should be. Are they better than Notre Dame, Florida State, and Baylor? My gut says no. Had SC beaten Duke, I would have put SC above MD as well. I don't doubt MD by any means - in fact, quite the opposite. But as of right now, I don't think they've shown enough to warrant a place above the three aforementioned teams. With that being said... that's only my personal opinion. My prediction on the poll is that it's entirely possible, as MD is undefeated, for them to hop to #2 or #3. If FSU wins their game against Florida, I could see them jumping over SC to take #6. Then again, I suppose that also depends on what Miss St. does as well.

 

[Kaizen]

Maryland's schedule so far has been a joke and they should be undefeated. My top 3 would be
1.Uconn
2. Baylor
3. Florida state

Agree, if FSU beats UoF today (looks they will).
Why no one is talking USF? They may not be the top 10 team but still pretty good (Laia Flores has 17 asts beating FIU 91-41).

 

[DefenseBB]

I would say Baylor just because they look better than ND and they have better wins. ND, even in its wins over lesser competition, hasn't been playing to its potential. Baylor has looked good in beating the likes of UCLA and DePaul.

I agree with Plebe,Baylor #2 due to strength of schedule and the fact they lost to UConn at UConn and have improved in the games since that lost. Notre Dame has mostly played at home. MD is 3 and SC 4.

 

[DefenseBB]

Agree, if FSU beats UoF today (looks they will).
Why no one is talking USF? They may not be the top 10 team but still pretty good (Laia Flores has 17 asts beating FIU 91-41).

No one is talking USF due to the schedule they play. Look at the list and who really thinks USF could beat any of the top 11 teams the majority of the time. The soph Laksa is playing very well and leads them. Put Gabby or Kia on her and say goodnight.

 

[tonehill68]

My top 4 is:

1. UCONN
2. Baylor (wont penalize them for not playing this week)
3. Maryland (kicking butt and taking names, regardless of who they played.
4. Notre Dame (ranking based on loss to UCONN and how Baylor and MD has looked).

Miss State, South Carolina and Florida State can all flip flop positions. I actually think FSU is a better team than Miss St right now.

 

[tomcat]

ND is still #2 in my mind and the last team I want to face in the final four - eventually they are going to break through when it really really matters most.

Could not agree more. Despite last night, IMHO they have the talent to be scary good when hitting on all cylinders.

 

[JordyG]

Antonelli had The UCONN third before the game, so I supposed she'd say Maryland.

 

[Kaizen]

Antonelli had The UCONN third before the game, so I supposed she'd say Maryland.

She will pick UConn as #1

 

[UcMiami]

I'll go again - except for Baylor and ND with their Uconn game, none of these teams in the discussion should have been really tested by any of their opponents.

ND was tested by GB. The #2 team shouldn't have that on their resume. They have a win over Washington at home and Washington may be a decent team, but ... 11 point win is OK. Otherwise they have played nobody. I don't see that except losing at home to Uconn as anything better than MD to be honest - Louisville/Washington, ASU/GB and a bunch of mid-majors who any of these teams should blow away.

Baylor - UCLA by 14 at home, Ohio State at home by 17, DePaul at home by 32 - the first two are what they should do the third is maybe a bit better than 'expected'. Other than that, they have played the usual dregs plus TN as their signature road win.

SC - losing to Duke is a non-starter - a Duke team that is now struggling to stay ahead of Elon tonight at home in the third Q. that loss moves them to the back of the chain.

MD - a load of crap with the single best win of this group - on the road at Louisville. Not impressive but in a pretty close comparison to the ND Green Bay game they played a decent ASU at home and won by 41 points, 10X the margin of victory ND had over GB at home.

Baylor and SC have played the most challenging schedules of this group but again for teams in a discussion for a #2 ranking, none of these games should have been hard and they weren't. All of these teams have scheduled Uconn which is great, but none of them have scheduled any one of the others and they all should have. None of them should be particularly challenged in conference, so they should step up and start scheduling not 1 but 2 or three of the top five teams. I am disgusted, they all use that P5 conference schedule is so HARD that they have to play cupcake city in their OOC. I call BS. Baylor has like one loss in Big 12 in the last three years and they haven't really been challenged. ND - they sometimes throw in a conference loss to add a little color, but really? SC - easy street in the SEC even if they can't beat Duke. MD in the BIG Meh? Don't think so.

To me the question between less than great resumes comes down to Baylor or MD, and I come down barely on the side of the undefeated team with the best road win. Give ND 4th and SC fifth (to teach them not to lose to Duke ever again! )

I like FSU but they just haven't played anyone besides us (best win so far tonight against FL), and neither has Miss State (Texas at home while needing OT to beat Iowa State )

 

[Intpseeker]

I like the computer rankings, so I'll stick with them and go:

2. Baylor
3. ND

Maryland and South Carolina are 4 or 5 in whichever order you like. I'll give Maryland the benefit of the doubt since they're undefeated.

I believe ND is superior to Baylor and, for whatever it is worth, should be #2.

 

[HopJim]

ND is still #2 in my mind and the last team I want to face in the final four - eventually they are going to break through when it really really matters most.

Agreed. ND unlikely to have its center shoot 5-6 airballs, make few 3's and get beaten down the court multiple times for open layups again. Would also be happy not to face them again in 2016/17.

 

[JordyG]

She will pick UConn as #1

It's a shame when the eye test has to interfere with people beliefs. Ultimately at some point later this season her faith will deny reality.

 

[donalddoowop]

Maryland's schedule so far has been a joke and they should be undefeated. My top 3 would be
1.Uconn
2. Baylor
3. Florida state

Their schedule last season was also a joke but look how tough they played UCONN. It is said when a team plays UCONN more than once it will play a better game against them. However, Maryland has not played this UCONN team and their style of play. It may be like playing them for the first time. Maryland better be in good shape because the other teams that played UCONN seemed to tire by the fourth quarter, even though they were deeper.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

I think Baylor is the better team, but the voters always seem to be so big on ND. I go with the tendencies, there:

1. UConn
2. ND
3. Baylor
4. Maryland
5. FSU
6. South Carolina.​

In reality, I think it should be:

1. UConn
2. Maryland
3. Baylor
4. ND
5. South Carolina
6. FSU​

 

[TerpWomenFan]

Maryland defeated ASU in Las Vegas on a neutral court. The problem with Maryland is no one have seen them this season (except ESPN3 against Louisville) so it's hard to get a feel for them. Also, they get slammed for the poor OOC schedule and rightfully so. But in reality, Maryland is a really good basketball team. A Final 4 level team. SWK (26 against Louisville) and Brionna Jones (14-16 shooting last night) are playing like All Americans. Destiny Slocum is the best PG Maryland has had since Kristi Toliver. Then they have 6-7 other players who can play at a high level. Because of their schedule I would leave them at #4.

 

[skilz]

1. UConn
2. Baylor
3. ND
4. Maryland

Can't fault Baylor for not playing this week. They have already played a total of 11 games. ND has played 9 games, with the DeP game being #10. However, I think the rankings will depend on the outcome or margin of win on the ND/DeP game, which I think will be closer than the Baylor/DeP final. Maryland has only played 1 top 10 team (not named UConn), so I can't push them up any further than #4. FSU would come in as #5.

 

[Nuyoika]

1) Neither team should be penalized for scheduling, and losing to, UCONN

2) UConn beat both teams by identical scores. However......

It took a flagrant foul ultimately worth four points to round out UCONN's 11-point win at home v Baylor. It took Notre Dame's 5 points during garbage time (The last 55 seconds) to change a 16-point loss to an 11-pointer on their home court. In my opinion, Baylor kept is closer longer in a less hospitable environment.

3) It is hard to penalize Baylor in advance of a perceived easier conference schedule. If that were prevalent, boy would UCONN be in trouble.

I would put Baylor second right now. If Maryland wins against UCONN, and remains unbeaten, they are #1 until they lose.

However.... Baylor was ranked higher than UConn at the time.... So in theory if the #2(Baylor at the time) gets beaten by the #3(UConn at the time) regardless as to whether its home or away I am not sure how that means when the new #1(UConn at the time of playing Notre Dame) beats the new #2(Notre Dame) that the new #3(Currently Baylor) now becomes #2?

I can't follow that logic. It would make more sense to leave the rankings as is until either one of the 3 lose or Baylor and ND play each other which won't be happeneing.

 

[Rayvin56]

Duh!! Baylor,,,

ND should drop at least 3 spots since that is what happened to Baylor after they lost AT UCONN. Doesn't matter to me if Maryland moves to 2 since UCONN will knock them off soon enough and Baylor would move up at that point.

Texas may be the best 2-4 team that we've seen in a long time.

Got to agree with you, ETT--Baylor at the 2 spot...

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I'm not convinced that Florida State isn't the second best team in the country. It's going to be really, really interesting when they play Notre Dame and Louisville. I wouldn't put it past Florida State to beat them both.

 

[UcMiami]

I think ND is getting a little too much respect from outsiders, and what is worse, they and their coach were buying into that respect based on both performance and reaction after the Uconn game. They have:

1. The best/most experienced PG of the teams ranked in the top 5 - I really like Allen and think she will deserve the Lieberman should she win it. Unlike Baylor's Johnson last year she actually is a scoring threat in every game.

2. They have a collection of highly talented perimeter players who can score, but it is a 'collection' at this point and not a organized team. Arike is an exciting offensive talent, and they have threatening three point shooters, but it isn't that experienced a group and I don't have a sense that they are individually very balanced players - some are strong defenders, some can hang at the three point line and drain shots, others can drive hard, but they are at the moment mostly 'specialists'. And they seem not to know the pecking order within the team, nor their specific roles.

3. They do not have the best center or a particularly good rotation in the post. Turner has a lot of talent, but her play reminds me of Tina Charles as a freshman, but she is a junior and should be a more consistent force by now. I know she is recovering from surgery and this might be like a knee, requiring a year of play to get past the mental hurdles, but I am not giving her a pass because the issue is consistency of effort and not of performance. The other players are 'nice' but not special - Boley is a freshman so she has time, the others ...

It is an unbalanced roster, with more strength outside than in, which is better than the opposite generally, but causes coaching headaches because you are always trying to compensate and disguise. It is also early in the year and Muffet has a lot of time to create better definition in roles and tighten organization as a team. There is a lot of talent and that can cover for lack of real team cohesion, especially with a really good experienced PG, so this team could become a beast in March, but it also has a bit of the feel of last years team that could disappoint before reaching the FF. Muffet is a good and experienced team builder but I don't really see those Diggins/McBride/Achunwa kind of leaders in the players, nor the Cable/Huffman/Mabrey1 senior glue and mental toughness leaders. Allen for all her skill and on-court leadership isn't that player.

None of the teams being discussed is a really balanced team (including Uconn) so all the coaches and teams are dealing with issues and covering up for deficiencies. I am not saying ND is not going to win it all. Just that people seem to be glossing over their problems more than they are with the others.*

* I haven't seen Maryland play and they haven't challenged themselves enough - they might be the most balanced team of the lot. That doesn't make them the best, but they do have solid talent and so I will be curious to watch them against Uconn - is their season to date a mirage built on a cupcake foundation, or are the cupcakes creating the smokescreen that disguises their real strength?

 

[easttexastrash]

I think ND is getting a little too much respect from outsiders, and what is worse, they and their coach were buying into that respect based on both performance and reaction after the Uconn game. They have:

1. The best/most experienced PG of the teams ranked in the top 5 - I really like Allen and think she will deserve the Lieberman should she win it. Unlike Baylor's Johnson last year she actually is a scoring threat in every game.

Allen is a very good PG, but she is nowhere near the offensive threat that Alexis Jones is. I will take Jones over Allen every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

[bizarro aj]

I will say i think Florida state is winning the acc. I also think uconn is going to beat Maryland easily to show them that playing cupcakes don't get you ready for uconn.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

I also think uconn is going to beat Maryland easily to show them that playing cupcakes don't get you ready for uconn.

Like they did last season in New York when they had Stewart, Tuck and Jefferson. Lol.

 

[JordyG]

Like they did last season in New York when they had Stewart, Tuck and Jefferson. Lol.

When Frese loses in College Point by the same amount as last year please pop onto the BY. Your team peaking during a 10 point loss in December doesn't seem much of a bragging point to me. To a clearly under performing UConn team by the way.

 

[UcMiami]

Allen is a very good PG, but she is nowhere near the offensive threat that Alexis Jones is. I will take Jones over Allen every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I might agree as a 'guard', but as a point guard - nope. I like Jones a lot, but I don't think she as the point guard could lead Baylor to a title. I understand your Aussie is taking on more of the PG duties since the Uconn game which I think is wise of Kim.