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Post by fetchin on Nov 29, 2015 22:29:18 GMT -5
Bring it on Hook em, UCLA defense will give them serious problems Of course Michigan won't be a pushover, Although I could see the Wolverines losing in the first round you never know with them.
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Post by bayarea on Nov 29, 2015 22:33:22 GMT -5
Pablo has Michigan at 22 and Santa Clara at 29 for the first round matchup.
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Post by volleyfan24 on Nov 29, 2015 22:45:21 GMT -5
Austin is easily the hardest subregional. The comittee did the Longhorns no favors they have homecourt but damn. So many good teams in this regional. Texas, Purdue, Michigan, UCLA, Oregon, the Floridas, Wisconsin, Yikes whoever makes it out of here will be battle tested and surely earned it.
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Post by coloradokidd on Nov 29, 2015 22:51:34 GMT -5
This is going to be a fun regional. Texas may have a very tough second round game. And a third, if Mich. can get that far.
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bluepenquin
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Post by bluepenquin on Nov 29, 2015 22:52:35 GMT -5
It looks like there were limitations on where Oregon could go. Here are the air travel teams that are #3's in their sub - they must have had them below these teams:
Northern Arizona (with USC - so Oregon couldn't replace them) Arizona Arkansas State (with Washington - so Oregon couldn't replace them) Purdue Miami Arizona State
That left these host teams as the only options for Oregon (the rest were either PAC hosts or already had drive-in options):
Kansas Nebraska Texas Wisconsin Minnesota
Not a lot of good choices here.
The only other option I can see is making Oregon #3 in the Kansas Sub and moving Missouri State to #4? - or just putting Oregon as #4 in Kansas?
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Post by badgerbreath on Nov 29, 2015 22:54:55 GMT -5
What sucks is we have to beat TX at home, assuming we get there. Ugh. After Devaney, Huff and the Boiler Box I'm not that worried about playing away. Earlier in the season was a different story.
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Post by Babar on Nov 29, 2015 23:00:58 GMT -5
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Post by rcryland on Nov 29, 2015 23:01:01 GMT -5
Y'all keep on underestimating us. Six FFs in 7 yrs, haven't missed a Regional Final in 10 years.
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Post by herdmentality on Nov 29, 2015 23:22:51 GMT -5
how is Wisconsin's ball control? not sure, but I know Oregon's ball control is very good. Fast transition, nice libero. Not gonna be an easy (cupcake) first round like all the other BIG's got.
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Post by vbprisoner on Nov 29, 2015 23:44:52 GMT -5
Yeah, this has the makings of the most competitive regional with 4 to 5 teams that could win. There maybe 1 or 2 cupcakes a first round match, but after that you need to buckle up and bring it!
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Post by canda on Nov 30, 2015 0:11:44 GMT -5
Texas will have to get through Purdue in the second round, then most likely UCLA (which beat USC) and Wisconsin, which is playing at a very high level.
I don't see it. I think Wisconsin-UCLA in the regional final.
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Post by vbprisoner on Nov 30, 2015 0:26:21 GMT -5
WTH is this.........cupcake
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Post by badgerbreath on Nov 30, 2015 0:35:18 GMT -5
Outraged?
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Post by bayarea on Nov 30, 2015 0:46:15 GMT -5
Haha... just don't type c u p c a k e!
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Post by badgerbreath on Nov 30, 2015 1:09:19 GMT -5
So, I've not seen them play but UCLA seems like a very good defensive team. Looking at their stats they dig 56% of non-error attacks. That is off the charts. UW leads the B1G at 51.5%. Now some of the difference could be level of opponent, but it's clear UCLA is built to soak up attacks, frustrate and hit you in transition. I know people always say the badgers face up poorly against physical, athletic teams, but I don't think that is right. Badgers have seen a lot of those types of teams. The team that beat us most recently was Minnesota, who is built a little like UCLA. The gophers did not beat the badgers physically, they just played tougher defense and were cleaner in transition, and in all other parts of their game. They outlasted the badgers, who weren't quite up to speed yet. Illinois almost beat us really through an amazing defensive effort as well. They didn't how anything like that intensity against Nebraska. UCLA scares me a bit because they may resemble those teams.
Purdue is potentially pretty dangerous. They serve tough - a lot of serving specialists it seems. They run out of subs in long sets. They have a really really dangerous pair of middle attackers, and Annie Drews on the R, who they lean on a LOT. She is a powerhouse you basically hope to keep under about 0.250. Their worst weakness has been on the left. Epenesa just seems to make bad decisions more and more this year, and Alexa Smith is not quite ready. But Azaria Stahl has been playing really well of late. Their other big weakness is that their passing is not that consistent, and when under pressure the setter Evans seems to make mistakes. They have had a tendency to have a lot of mental mistakes (BE's BHE's HE's) at key moments. That said, they could easily have swept Minnesota on their home floor -- but they don't travel particularly well.
Michigan is another team that will try to serve you off the court and they run a 6-2 with a freshman setter Abbott, and a senior, Warner. Some big hitters, especially Abby Cole, although they have moved her around a lot. Kiefer Wright is a key player in the middle -- if she starts going off it's a good indication that you are in trouble. Goode and Lambert seem more streaky to me, but can also be effective. A new frosh Skojdt has been making a big contribution of late. Knop is a dynamic undersized 6 rotation hitter on the left who surprisingly effective and really the emotional glue to this team. They have been really dangerous since she came back from a shoulder injury, though the badgers managed them well, only going to extra points in one crazy set in Madison. They beat PSU and gave Minnesota trouble. The back court has gotten much better with the addition of the Lerg sisters. But they can inconsistent -- sometimes things just don't click. They can get frustrated.
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