Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2014 8:11:31 GMT -5
Volleyball enthusiasts may try to over-analyze what happens during the pre-conference portion of college volleyball. With so many great players coming out of thousands of club programs in our country today, the first four weeks are difficult for any team that does not return a full slate of starters from the previous year. Most teams are relying on freshmen to contribute. With rare exceptions, the freshmen arrive on August 10th and are playing their first college match on August 29th. 18 days of preparation is not enough. Rankings are a joke until these teams can sort things out. They are entertaining (the rankings) and I am happy we have something to look at. However, until mid September - or later, it is difficult to know what teams are really going to be top 10 squads. The RPI is a joke. When will the VB selection committee have the right people sitting at the table. For a committee to use RPI to the degree this group does is a complete travesty. Coaches cannot always control how good their first 10 to 12 opponents will be. For that matter, they have zero control over how good their conference foes will be. I would love to see Mike Hebert, Terry Pettit, and a few other reliable retired coaches, lead the NCAA selection committee. The RPI factor has to be toned down. This is going to be a great college volleyball season. Sure, it looks like Penn State, Stanford, and Texas may be the lead dogs, but I see 10 to 12 teams that can spill the beans in 2014. For now, it will be fun to watch conference play begin and teams really begin to take shape.
|
|
|
|
Post by toomuchvb on Sept 22, 2014 9:34:13 GMT -5
Maybe too early to tell, but where's Iowa State headed? Love CJL! But from what I've seen they've gone flat. What do the knowledgeable think is needed for Coach Lynch to resume her upward trend?
|
|
|
|
Post by volleyhead on Sept 22, 2014 9:51:39 GMT -5
Maybe too early to tell, but where's Iowa State headed? Love CJL! But from what I've seen they've gone flat. What do the knowledgeable think is needed for Coach Lynch to resume her upward trend? ISU has always been known for two things with CJL at the helm... great libero and great setting. When Landwehr graduated 2 years ago, they took a hit in the setting department last year and with their Lib graduating from last year, who was one of the top 3 or 4 in the country, they are starting a little slow. Anytime you start your season with two top 10 teams as they did, it can affect you a little. |
|
|
|
Post by toomuchvb on Sept 22, 2014 10:06:39 GMT -5
Maybe too early to tell, but where's Iowa State headed? Love CJL! But from what I've seen they've gone flat. What do the knowledgeable think is needed for Coach Lynch to resume her upward trend? ISU has always been known for two things with CJL at the helm... great libero and great setting. When Landwehr graduated 2 years ago, they took a hit in the setting department last year and with their Lib graduating from last year, who was one of the top 3 or 4 in the country, they are starting a little slow. Anytime you start your season with two top 10 teams as they did, it can affect you a little. Thanks-- That libero was a firecracker wasn't she?! |
|
|
|
Post by baywatcher on Sept 22, 2014 13:04:44 GMT -5
I agree with OP in principle, but there are so many teams it would be hard to evaluate them all fairly by anyone, and I doubt that retired coaches want to spend the time and resources to fairly evaluate teams across the country; they have earned the right to spend their time the way they want.
I assume your talking about teams like American last year, or even BYU that missed out on seeding; perhaps others can come up with other examples of teams that get put into first two rounds with teams like Stanford, SC and Texas, or teams that are usually really good. St. Mary's comes to mind; their best teams invariably end up in the Stanford regional, or another Pac 12 powerhouse. Same now with Texas A&M in Texas, or another Texas mid major league champ.
The other example would be a 30-4 type team from a conference with numerous 100+ and 200+ RPI teams, so that the champ, who may lose a tournament, has no chance on the RPI level to get in. That would help to get an evaluation on those teams, particularly after a tournament upset; maybe watch film, although thaty is still suspect.
|
|
|
|
Post by SmokeDogg on Sept 22, 2014 13:09:03 GMT -5
Expand the field!
|
|
|
|
Post by Boof1224 on Sept 22, 2014 14:19:15 GMT -5
What like ncaa basketball with the play in games. Soon they will have play in games for the play in games. Might as well have every school in tourney. There's always gonna be a few teams as last few out that there's gonna be debate no matter how many spots they expand. If they let every team in nation in teams would find something else to complain about. I say just keep it as is. Little adjustments here and there fine but I don't thing expanding field will make arguments go away |
|
|
|
Post by Boof1224 on Sept 22, 2014 14:20:57 GMT -5
Has a 15 or 16 seed ever won a tourney in any sport anyway ?
|
|
trojansc
Legend
All-VolleyTalk 1st Team (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017), All-VolleyTalk 2nd Team (2016), 2021, 2019 Fantasy League Champion, 2020 Fantasy League Runner Up, 2022 2nd Runner Up
Posts: 28,106 
|
Post by trojansc on Sept 22, 2014 16:32:52 GMT -5
Has a 15 or 16 seed ever won a tourney in any sport anyway ? Fresno State in baseball was unseeded. There are 16 regionals, with 4 teams each. They were sent to the Long Beach Regional as the #4 seed in that regional and upset the Beach. They just kept winning after that. They won the NCAA Championship for Fresno state's first in a men's sport. If they seeded all 64 teams Fresno State would have been around 48-54... insane.. They finished that season with THIRTY ONE losses, but were NCAA Champions. |
|
|
|
Post by Boof1224 on Sept 22, 2014 16:48:25 GMT -5
Has a 15 or 16 seed ever won a tourney in any sport anyway ? Fresno State in baseball was unseeded. There are 16 regionals, with 4 teams each. They were sent to the Long Beach Regional as the #4 seed in that regional and upset the Beach. They just kept winning after that. They won the NCAA Championship for Fresno state's first in a men's sport. If they seeded all 64 teams Fresno State would have been around 48-54... insane.. They finished that season with THIRTY ONE losses, but were NCAA Champions. U could go both ways on that scenario. Some will like it cause it provides the Cinderella outcome. Others won't because it gives teams that probably shouldn't have chance based on reg season to get in. Most sports have to many teams getting in playoffs or tourney and they seem to keep funding ways to expand . It dilutes pool and takes away from reg season performance. It won't change though, it will always get worse cause it's all about money. |
|
|
|
Post by Boof1224 on Sept 22, 2014 16:50:15 GMT -5
I'd bet anyone that wants to right now that football is starting with 4 but almost guarantee it will end up being 8 team playoff.
|
|
|
|
Post by baywatcher on Sept 22, 2014 17:00:11 GMT -5
To me Men's basketball actually has a virtual national tournament, since so many conferences have conference tournaments at the end. At one time the only conference that didn't was the Ivy League. And some conferences only take the top 8 of 10 teams, or whatever. But really, everybody gets a chance. Win your conference tourney, you're in the NCAA, and 6 (or 7) more wins, you're champs. Would track over to volleyball easily enough, but I don't think the major conferences are starting qualifying tournaments anytime soon.
|
|
|
|
Post by hammer on Sept 22, 2014 18:59:12 GMT -5
Has a 15 or 16 seed ever won a tourney in any sport anyway ? Didn't NC State win the NCAA basketball title with a poll ranking of approx. 22? |
|
