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Post by MTC on Aug 26, 2014 19:11:50 GMT -5
I'm glad we are in non-agreement. I think it is shortsighted to say Penn State "always" does anything. As RR and Dom said what the team did last year has no bearing on what they will do this year. I last year doesn't have any bearing on this year, the expectation at PSU is ALWAYS the same. You could say the same for Stanford, USC, Texas, and most other teams. This year is NOT going to be easy one for Penn State.
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Post by hammer on Aug 26, 2014 20:17:05 GMT -5
I just hope Penn State realizes how fortunate they were last year and doesn't get their hopes too high since they have 8 freshmen. Hopefully they will improve during the fall and have some players step up again this year. This year will be a battlefield of the minds and bodies to see who has the best endurance on the court. The important thing is to remain positive and use losses as stepping stones to refine your game. RR will keep them in line and they won't be taking anything for granted. But 8 freshman isn't quite the right perspective. When Logan Tom came to Stanford she didn't play like a freshman. And, here's another one you might have heard of: Kerri Walsh. Did you see the HS All American game? There was someone on the court who didn't play like a freshman. She's now at Penn State. And there was a MB who looked physically imposing, sort of like Foluke Akinradewo, who didn't get many decent sets. What is going to happen when Micha Hancock starts giving her candy sets?
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Post by Not Me on Aug 26, 2014 20:55:55 GMT -5
And another thread becomes all about Penn State.
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Aug 26, 2014 22:54:01 GMT -5
Brazil 1 - 7 Germany.
A bigger flop will not happen this year or for years to come. The bar has been set high...or low, I guess.
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Post by SportyBucky on Aug 27, 2014 8:12:03 GMT -5
I find the survey interesting in that no one seems to think FL or TX will disappoint. Could mean no one expects either to do anything, hence no disappointment. Could also mean everyone thinks either will make final 4 and beyond. Thoughts?
Personally, FL will underperform (ranked in top 5 but no further than sweet 16 or elite 8, and yes ball-busters out there, I know I'm using basketball tournament terminology) as in most years past. TX will fly through preseason and Big 12, but will come across another team that exploits their mediocre passing (Hint: Target Eckermann, Pilar, Amy Neal, and Kat Brooks) and only moderately better floor defense.
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Post by toomuchvb on Aug 27, 2014 9:08:29 GMT -5
Penn State and Washington are under the microscope for having top-ranked recruits in their freshman class. So greater attention, scrutiny, to those teams makes sense. Wisconsin getting votes based on season versus post-season play also makes sense. (Were they really "worthy" of a title shot coming out of their region? IMHO, yes. They won their region. Period. Will they pull a Michigan? Clearly, people believe so.)
Texas will do just as @sportybucky says; and so will Florida in terms of moving through conference unfettered. Both those teams' challenges come at tournament time, as usual. Texas' non-conference match-ups don't include any West-coast dominators like USC, Stanford, or Washington as do the Florida and Penn State schedules. Texas will tangle with the Zhejiang Chinese club team just over a month before NCAAs. Nebraska chose to do the same in pre-season. So despite a B-team scrimmage win, Nebraska fans still say "in Rolfzen we trust".
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Post by MTC on Aug 27, 2014 12:20:29 GMT -5
I just hope Penn State realizes how fortunate they were last year and doesn't get their hopes too high since they have 8 freshmen. Hopefully they will improve during the fall and have some players step up again this year. This year will be a battlefield of the minds and bodies to see who has the best endurance on the court. The important thing is to remain positive and use losses as stepping stones to refine your game. RR will keep them in line and they won't be taking anything for granted. But 8 freshman isn't quite the right perspective. When Logan Tom came to Stanford she didn't play like a freshman. And, here's another one you might have heard of: Kerri Walsh. Did you see the HS All American game? There was someone on the court who didn't play like a freshman. She's now at Penn State. And there was a MB who looked physically imposing, sort of like Foluke Akinradewo, who didn't get many decent sets. What is going to happen when Micha Hancock starts giving her candy sets? I didn't see HS all American game, so who didn't play like a freshman? Thanks
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Post by vbgirls2 on Aug 27, 2014 13:45:37 GMT -5
I think if Wisconsin doesn't make it to the championship game or even the final four people will think their season was bad, (based on how far they went last year and how they did in the B10 overall). Which is really too bad. Now I can't say the same for UCLA after winning it a few years back, they really fell apart.
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Post by vbgirls2 on Aug 27, 2014 13:47:44 GMT -5
I personally like Mary Wise and Florida, but they underachieve almost every year, and I am not sure why. I know that their conference although stronger as of late, does not help them week in and week out play at a top level to prepare them for tournament time. Maybe they will prove me wrong this year.
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Post by hammer on Aug 27, 2014 14:19:27 GMT -5
RR will keep them in line and they won't be taking anything for granted. But 8 freshman isn't quite the right perspective. When Logan Tom came to Stanford she didn't play like a freshman. And, here's another one you might have heard of: Kerri Walsh. Did you see the HS All American game? There was someone on the court who didn't play like a freshman. She's now at Penn State. And there was a MB who looked physically imposing, sort of like Foluke Akinradewo, who didn't get many decent sets. What is going to happen when Micha Hancock starts giving her candy sets? I didn't see HS all American game, so who didn't play like a freshman? Thanks Ali Franti was bombing balls all over the court against some of the best HS players in the country and her passing and blocking were stellar also. That, my friend, is a very good sign. In the previous year Ebony Nwanebu was one of the standouts. And a few years back Micha Hancock was a standout.
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Post by hammer on Aug 27, 2014 14:21:40 GMT -5
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Post by tomclen on Aug 27, 2014 14:24:02 GMT -5
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Post by Wiswell on Aug 27, 2014 15:05:15 GMT -5
I think if Wisconsin doesn't make it to the championship game or even the final four people will think their season was bad, (based on how far they went last year and how they did in the B10 overall). Which is really too bad. Now I can't say the same for UCLA after winning it a few years back, they really fell apart. Really? That would be very disrespective of the teams by fans, because it's basically saying that if they don't win the NC, they suck. Sure, as a WI fan I would love to see them in the final four. But without that achievement it certainly doesn't mean their season was bad. Leave that thinking to the PSU fans.
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Post by hammer on Aug 27, 2014 16:16:20 GMT -5
Sometimes a roster listing is worth a thousand words. Oh, and they threw in a picture just for good measure.
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Post by rainbowbadger on Aug 27, 2014 16:22:51 GMT -5
I think if Wisconsin doesn't make it to the championship game or even the final four people will think their season was bad, (based on how far they went last year and how they did in the B10 overall). Which is really too bad. Now I can't say the same for UCLA after winning it a few years back, they really fell apart. Really? That would be very disrespective of the teams by fans, because it's basically saying that if they don't win the NC, they suck. Sure, as a WI fan I would love to see them in the final four. But without that achievement it certainly doesn't mean their season was bad. Leave that thinking to the PSU fans. Agreed. I want us to do well this year. I want us to win the B1G. I want us to be National Champions. But that's not the yardstick I'll be using for this season. As far as the tournament's concerned, much of how far you go depends on your draw. Wisconsin could be better than they were last year - I think they will be - and not go as far in the tournament. I want to see the Badgers do better than last year in the conference. Last year we were 12-8 in B1G play. That's two wins above .500, as Dorothy loves to remind everyone. I think we can do way better than that this year.
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