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Post by Island on Oct 2, 2004 21:01:31 GMT -5
No graphics please!!! Hey, lookee here. A 5-game match. A good 30 minutes of the usual (R)uffda! drivel and it's still only 9pm! I can go watch Stanford-Cal! Or get drunk (since the kids are in bed) and dance around the house naked.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2004 21:03:48 GMT -5
So how far does Minnesota fall in the AVCA poll?
I predict only to #3, given Florida's loss, but I bet Hawai'i and Nebraska really close the gap.
Gophers #3, PSU #6 (maybe #7 if they are kind to Florida) and OSU around #11 or 12. Too many teams to leap over and Texas needs to move up, too.
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Post by Island on Oct 2, 2004 21:05:22 GMT -5
Gee, I hope we win but man, to be in the top 4. This is a crazy year. Go Wahine!!!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2004 21:06:01 GMT -5
A digital camera. Hack into IBme.com and -- voila! -- I can get myself banned from VolleyTalk!
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Post by Island on Oct 2, 2004 21:19:40 GMT -5
Then who would beat himself up when the Gophers are struggling. Glad you put the hammer away for this match.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Oct 2, 2004 21:32:08 GMT -5
So how far does Minnesota fall in the AVCA poll? I predict only to #3, given Florida's loss, but I bet Hawai'i and Nebraska really close the gap. Gophers #3, PSU #6 (maybe #7 if they are kind to Florida) and OSU around #11 or 12. Too many teams to leap over and Texas needs to move up, too. Agree MN may not fall too far - They still have solid wins on a tough schedule. With UCSB losing to Pacific, there might be room in the top 10 for OSU.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2004 8:25:01 GMT -5
Russ Rose comments (from PSU release):
"This was a good match,” said head coach Russ Rose. “We had the opportunity to distance ourselves and we weren’t as good as we needed to be in getting some good swings. [Minnesota] is a lot more physical than we are. Tonight was a good exhibition by Kaleena [Walters] and [Minnesota’s] Paula [Gentil] of why they’re two of the best liberos in the country. But if you give up a huge run in the fifth game in rally scoring, you deserve to lose. There’s something to be said for having physical kids that can bang the ball at critical times, and Minnesota has them. I thought [Minnesota’s] Kelly Bowman was the key player tonight, she played outstanding.”<br> Rose went on and on about how physical Minnesota was, especially compared to PSU, last year after the Gophers won there. I'm not sure what he means. Plus, who won the title last year?
Maybe PSU isn't as strong as Minnesota--Gophers have a very good weight program--but I'm not sure how that translates to "banging" the ball.
I'd be very interested to hear more about this from Rose.
Nice to hear the compliment of KBow.
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Post by GopherBob on Oct 3, 2004 12:34:40 GMT -5
I guess the Buckeyes are now in the driver's seat in the Big Ten race, unless they lost to Iowa. I kind of doubt that happened. Minnesota does salvage the split on the toughest trip of the year, so they aren't in too bad of shape, either. It's WAY too early to start annointing somebody as 'in the driver's seat'. You can't really tell how the conference is starting to shake out until every team has finished their first 10 matches.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2004 12:42:54 GMT -5
This is true. However, OSU and Minnesota, of the three top contenders, are the only teams with a road win of significance and no losses at home.
Unless you want to add Purdue and Michigan to the contenders, which you easily could.
Wisconsin, Illinois and PSU have all lost at home.
So, the Buckeyes DO have an advantage, even if it is early. BIG win for the Gophers last night. Not only does it give them the road win, it sticks PSU in a hole.
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Post by bigfan on Oct 3, 2004 15:40:18 GMT -5
Golden Gophers drop to #3 and remain in the drivers seat for a berth in the final four.
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Post by rocket on Oct 3, 2004 16:26:25 GMT -5
What exactly is a good road win in the Big Ten? How is the Big Ten really shaking out right now. I believe most fans see three tiers - the first group includes Minnesota, Penn State, and the reloaded Buckeyes. The next tier has Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Purdue - yes, Purdue. And the final tier has Michigan State, Northwestern, Indiana, and Iowa. I would currently rank the league like this:
1. Minnesota 2. Penn State 2. Ohio State 4. Wisconsin 5. Michigan 5. Illinois 5. Purdue 8. Michigan State 8. Northewestern 10. Indiana 10. Iowa
Road wins will be difficult to come by for teams not in the upper tier. Wisconsin's win today certainly keeps the media off of Pete's back for another week.
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Post by bucky415 on Oct 3, 2004 17:33:24 GMT -5
I still think the three tier view is the most accurate, and the Buckeyes are definitely in the top one now. I think Wisconsin is maybe the middle tier team with the best chance to play with the top teams, because they are capable of playing really well at times, but I don't think they can do it consistently enough to beat them at this point. Today's win was encouraging, though. Purdue and Michigan are both solid teams, but I don't think they have as much upside as the Badgers. Illinois will be tough at Huff, but they don't have a dominant hitter and are inexperienced at setter and the middles, which is not a fun thing in this conference.
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Post by vballmaniac40 on Oct 3, 2004 20:37:29 GMT -5
I like Michigan more than Wisconsin. They play really good defense, and IMHO Pete Waite is a bad coach.
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Post by Gorf on Oct 3, 2004 21:19:33 GMT -5
I like Michigan more than Wisconsin. They play really good defense, and IMHO Pete Waite is a bad coach. I think Pete is a good coach, not necessarily a great coach. I wonder about his recruiting ability though. John Cook was able to recruit some high calibre players to Wisconsin and though Pete has recruited some good players I don't think they've been at quite the same level as those John recruited.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2004 22:21:29 GMT -5
Recruiting is often about that one special player. For Cook, it was Livingston. That's what put them in the finals.
Of course, he did a hell of a lot with the other kids he brought in. The biggest difference I see from Cook's teams to Pete's (with his recruits) is ball control. I have no idea if credit or blame should go to either guy for that.
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