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BYU 2019
Jun 3, 2019 19:27:28 GMT -5
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Post by Brutus Buckeye on Jun 3, 2019 19:27:28 GMT -5
Why doesn't the Y play USU in VB? That's an interesting question, especially since Utah State happens to be Heather Olmstead's alma mater. And they have played USU in the past, most recently in 2011 from what I can tell. If I had to guess, I think the Aggies' low RPI has something to do with it, at least recently. USU won just five matches last year and had an RPI of 250. According to an article I just read in the Deseret News about the just-announced 2019 schedule, only one non-conference match is against a team with a losing record, and that one is Wichita State, who is hosting the invitational that Texas will also be at (and Wichita had a better RPI last year than some of the other teams BYU is playing in their non-conference schedule, though none are as bad as 250). The 2018 RPIs of their non-conference foes: Stanford (1) Texas (3) Marquette (15) Utah (34) VCU (64) Wichita State (86) Utah Valley (92) Boise State (131) Weber State (133) Sam Houston St (151) LIU Brooklyn (178) I imagine that if USU was more competitive, BYU would be inclined to schedule them in future seasons. Dang, she won't even give her own Alma a game? That's cold!
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Post by beba on Jun 4, 2019 10:09:15 GMT -5
People already give BYU grief for playing in a "weaker" conference, then more because they are perceived to play a weak non-conference schedule. Why add another weak opponent? And who would you take out?
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trojansc
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Post by trojansc on Jun 4, 2019 18:14:28 GMT -5
Why doesn't the Y play USU in VB?
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Post by vballfreak808 on Jun 4, 2019 18:45:47 GMT -5
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trojansc
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BYU 2019
Jun 4, 2019 19:58:03 GMT -5
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Post by trojansc on Jun 4, 2019 19:58:03 GMT -5
The strangest part about that match was that Utah State swept! One of the biggest upsets of all time
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Post by Wolfgang on Jun 4, 2019 20:16:13 GMT -5
You still made the Final Four that year! The strangest part about that match was that Utah State swept! One of the biggest upsets of all time This was 2010. Hawaii did not make it to the Final Four. Hawaii lost in the 2nd round to Washington. Hawaii made the Final Four in 2009. In 2010, Hawaii had beaten Utah State twice in the regular season in sweeps, but was swept by Utah State in the WAC championship match.
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Post by WahineFan44 on Jun 4, 2019 20:18:19 GMT -5
You still made the Final Four that year! The strangest part about that match was that Utah State swept! One of the biggest upsets of all time No.That was the previous year. We got eliminated pretty handidly by washington in the second round that year. 2010 Was a weird season. We had so much potential but just collapsed towards the end of the year.
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Post by Brutus Buckeye on Jun 4, 2019 20:23:34 GMT -5
People already give BYU grief for playing in a "weaker" conference, then more because they are perceived to play a weak non-conference schedule. Why add another weak opponent? And who would you take out? Oh I'm not complaining, I like that she told her alma "get better." It shows relentlessness, and that she doesn't play favorites. Two good qualities in a D1 coach. Now me, I'm a sucker for an in state match up, so I'd figure out a way to get all the Utah schools on there. USU and SUU instead of Sam Houston and LIU Brooklyn would probably be the route I'd take with regards to replacements, but you could also do midweek games or an all-Utah Tourney. But I'm just a fan in the stands....
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trojansc
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BYU 2019
Jun 4, 2019 20:29:05 GMT -5
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Post by trojansc on Jun 4, 2019 20:29:05 GMT -5
You still made the Final Four that year! The strangest part about that match was that Utah State swept! One of the biggest upsets of all time No.That was the previous year. We got eliminated pretty handidly by washington in the second round that year. 2010 Was a weird season. We had so much potential but just collapsed towards the end of the year. Oh yeah, that’s right. The ‘09, ‘10, and ‘11 Hawaii squads were all very very good teams
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Post by WahineFan44 on Jun 4, 2019 20:34:38 GMT -5
No.That was the previous year. We got eliminated pretty handidly by washington in the second round that year. 2010 Was a weird season. We had so much potential but just collapsed towards the end of the year. Oh yeah, that’s right. The ‘09, ‘10, and ‘11 Hawaii squads were all very very good teams IMO the 2009 team is one of the best serve and pass teams of the last decade, BUT the 2011 team would beat them. If it wasnt for the comitee being idiotic that year when it came to the brackets, Hawaii makes the final four. Unfortunately the #1 and #3 teams as ranked by the AVCA had to play in the round of 16.
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Post by beba on Jun 5, 2019 10:59:47 GMT -5
Does anyone know where the BYU thread is? Apparently I fell into the Hawaii losing matches to Utah State thread...
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Post by mintonetteman on Jun 5, 2019 15:57:05 GMT -5
... well, it does bring back memories of the "end of" WAC days, there were definitely some epic BYU/Hawaii battles that I remember in person or watching on TV--after the first BYU final four run and when Hawaii was a consistent national power. I would love to see the Wahine get back to that level.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2019 18:00:10 GMT -5
Does anyone know where the BYU thread is? Apparently I fell into the Hawaii losing matches to Utah State thread... Isn't having Hawai'i discussions take over your thread a sign that you've made it big on volleytalk?
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Post by bbg95 on Jun 5, 2019 18:37:51 GMT -5
So not a lot has been said about the schedule itself, so I thought I’d take a closer look. At first glance, the combination of a road match against Stanford and a neutral match against Texas may be the best two non-conference opponents BYU has played in a single regular season (i.e. not counting NCAA tournament games), certainly in recent memory.
Stanford will almost certainly be ranked No. 1 at the beginning of the season, likely unanimous. And considering that Texas was ranked 5th in the final poll and always has a ton of talent, a top 5 ranking seems conceivable when the first poll comes out in August. Marquette is also a quality opponent, as they were ranked 15th in the final poll. I decided to look at the ranked opponents BYU has played outside of conference in the past (not counting Utah, since they play them every year), according to the past schedules on byucougars.com.
2019: 1. Stanford. 5. Texas. 15. Marquette 2018: 1. Stanford. 10. USC. 25. Marquette 2017: 21. Ohio State 2016: 11. Ohio State 2015: 7. North Carolina. 22. USC. 24. Purdue 2014: 5. Washington. 14. Colorado State 2013: 25. Creighton 2012: 14. Tennessee. 24. Colorado State 2011: 8. Illinois 2010: 6. Illinois. 6. Hawaii (twice). 7. Nebraska. 18. Colorado State 2009: 5. Nebraska. 8. UCLA. 23. Kansas State 2008: None 2007: 2. Stanford. 10. Wisconsin. 17. Cal Poly 2006: 4. Stanford
This appears to be the strongest non-conference slate since at least 2010 and the best since moving to the WCC in 2011. I hope that they can get to the point where they have 4+ non-conference matches against top 10 opponents every season. Even if they lose some of those matches, that’s fine, as the tough competition can only help (as long as the team is actually good, which was not the case in 2010). This isn’t like football, where a single loss can end your season almost before it begins if you’re not named Alabama.
BYU has made three deep runs in the NCAA Tournament since 2007 (Elite 8 in 2007, national runner-up in 2014, Final Four in 2018). In all three seasons, they had played a top 5 non-conference opponent in a competitive match (3-1 win over top-seeded Stanford in 2007, 3-2 loss to third-seeded Washington in 2014, 3-2 win over top-seeded Stanford in 2014) in the regular season. I don’t think that’s a total coincidence, as those kinds of matches build confidence.
Of course, scheduling matches with top powers is easier said than done, but as BYU continues to prove itself on the national level, that becomes more viable, as schools like Stanford and Texas may view a non-conference match with BYU as mutually beneficial.
In another sport, the example I look to is Gonzaga men’s basketball. They’ve been relevant nationally since their initial run to the Elite 8 in 1999. After some Sweet 16s and top-3 NCAA tournament seeds in subsequent seasons, they could schedule Connecticut, Michigan State, and Maryland in 2005-2006 (all three had won a national championship since 2000). Last season, Gonzaga (two years removed from a national runner-up finish) had non-conference games against Duke, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
The good news for BYU is that the WCC is not as much of a liability for them as it is for Gonzaga. The WCC was ranked 5th by conference RPI last year, while it was 8th in men’s basketball. But it still is not as strong as the Big 10 or Pac-12, so scheduling as tough a non-conference schedule as possible is important.
I view the scheduling as yet another positive indicator that Heather Olmstead is an amazing coach who is putting the program in a great position. Other indicators are the NCAA tournament performances (seven straight Sweet 16s, including two Final Fours dating to Shawn Olmstead’s tenure), the four best recruiting classes in program history (11th in 2016, 13th in 2017, 8th in 2018 and 4th in 2019), great player development (e.g. RJP going from an undersized and lightly-recruited high schooler to arguably the best player in the country by the time she graduated), etc. I couldn’t be happier with her performance.
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Post by beba on Jun 5, 2019 19:33:52 GMT -5
Does anyone know where the BYU thread is? Apparently I fell into the Hawaii losing matches to Utah State thread... Isn't having Hawai'i discussions take over your thread a sign that you've made it big on volleytalk? I think it's sort of like Steve Martin in The Jerk, all excited that he is finally "somebody" because his name is in the phone book.
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