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Post by bucky415 on Jun 3, 2007 0:38:07 GMT -5
I am hoping that this will be the year for Wisconsin; hosting the regional does give them a significant advantage. They are currently 0-2 on their European tour, but the really good news is that everyone is playing. Given how the spring went, that is a vast improvement. I am really hoping that, along with actually being healthy, the Badgers can become the type of passing/defensive team that they were in 2000-01 this fall. There is a lot of experience in the back row, so I am hoping those players can step up and really make back row play a strength. If they do, I think there will be more than enough firepower for the Badgers to be dangerous, especially if Simpson gets into the groove that she found in the middle of last season. I still think that the team's health is the biggest question mark, but at least there are some encouraging signs in that direction. I am not as concerned with the L2 position, because I think that the Badgers will have solid options there (my guess is that DuPont will start and do well). Also, if the team is healthy and the ball control is decent, that player won't have to carry too much of the load offensively, since the Badgers will have other good offensive players in the front row and Dolgner there as a back row attacker.
(Warning: this might be a bit ironic)
I would also keep Hawaii in mind as a (sort of) surprise team, because they always seem to find a way to be in the mix nationally. Losing Kanoe and Mason will hurt a lot, but they could be getting back a lot of talent if their injured players return to form. The last time that people didn't expect a lot from them, I think they went 30-1. If they can run a more diverse offense, Houston could really thrive, since the defense wouldn't always be keyed on her.
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Post by AntennaMagnet on Jun 3, 2007 9:52:00 GMT -5
Wisconsin will never make it to the big dance until they get line refs at their home games who don't cheat.
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Post by bucky415 on Jun 3, 2007 10:59:36 GMT -5
I would take offense if there wasn't some truth to that. There have been some iffy line calls that helped the Badgers over the years.
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Post by AntennaMagnet on Jun 3, 2007 12:09:49 GMT -5
Yes, I would say that is true of most Big Ten line judges who make a couple of "house calls" for the home team, but there have been some pretty egregious efforts in Madison that border on the shameless. It must put the Big Ten refs in pretty awkward positions.
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Post by baywatcher on Jun 3, 2007 16:50:05 GMT -5
Line calls-absolutely in the eye of the beholder. Everyone needs the 6 camera triangulate system put in at Wimbledon for tennis lines to be installed; of course, players would probably get in the way.
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Post by AntennaMagnet on Jun 3, 2007 17:48:01 GMT -5
With current technology I'm sure a solution to minimize human error (intentional and unintentional) would be pretty easy to install. I just hate it when the ball is 2 feet from the line and the line judge calls it "in". I've never seen a ref call a replay on these either.
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Post by morkfromork on Jun 3, 2007 22:11:53 GMT -5
That's exactly why the Up refs need to earn their money, overrule the linesman and call what they see. They need to be instructed to do this and not listen to some snotty nose kid, when they saw the play. Heck, he's way up on that stand. Most of the time u don't need the linespeople. College Tennis uses 1 ref and the AVP uses 2 refs many times to call everything.
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Post by Ye Olde Dawg on Jun 3, 2007 23:17:45 GMT -5
Well, the AVP doesn't count; they use the sand as a line judge. You can see the mark that the ball made, and if it's on the rope, [the theory goes,] it's in.
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Post by donneyp on Jun 4, 2007 8:24:36 GMT -5
The subject is Cinderella teams and as one of the initial posts shows, 10 programs have shared the 27 or whatever titles. Cinderella COULD be teams outside those 10, or Washington and Penn State only have 1, so they could still be on the outside.
At the same time, nobody expects Long Beach or Pacific to Contend so you pretty much have 6 schools on the inside. Outside teams that could win the national title, we have suggestions for Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida. I'd say Penn State and Washington would still be cinderellas.
Florida should be loaded and they bring in more talent than they lose. They are always in the hunt and just need to get hot at the right time of year once before that program can take the next step. Doesn't hurt that Florida athletics as a whole have had a golden tough lately.
Penn State lost 3 matches last year... at Wisconsin, at Ohio State, and at Washington. They don't graduate anybody really so I think they are likely to be in the mix.
One real darkhorse would be Ohio. They play at Diet Coke Tournament at Minnesota with Stanford and San Diego. IF they have what it takes, we'll know that weekend.
The favorites are of course Nebraska and Stanford with Texas a close third, but we won't know how that shakes out until mid-december.
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Post by rocket on Jun 4, 2007 10:40:41 GMT -5
Ohio is not going to be a factor. Give them credit, they play a rigorous schedule, but when you know you will skate through your conference and win easily, it does not matter how many you drop in the pre-conference slate. I like Cal Poly and Hawaii as sleepers this year.
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Post by soothsayer on Jun 5, 2007 15:03:36 GMT -5
Purdue, California and Missouri.
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Post by OverAndUnder on Jun 5, 2007 15:23:04 GMT -5
Purdue, Cal, Hawai'i, Minnesota.
Although only Purdue and Hawai'i would really count as "Cinderella" teams in my opinion. The other two would just be "everything came together at the right time and all the hard work paid off" teams.
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Post by doc on Jun 5, 2007 22:27:05 GMT -5
Purdue, California and Missouri. Missouri won't finish in the top 3 of the Big 12 this year. No way they go deep in the tournament.
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Post by ESTRELLA on Jun 6, 2007 9:34:12 GMT -5
Dudes, Ohio is it. Not many programs like to see them in their bracket. Other team will be Dayton (sorry that is a joke)! ESTRELLA
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Post by soothsayer on Jun 6, 2007 10:59:12 GMT -5
For Ohio to have cracked the Top 25 is amazing. That, however, is their ceiling, I'm afraid. They will never get the athletes to move higher.
Closest thing the sport has ever had to TRUE Cinderellas are: Tennessee, Santa Clara and Missouri. Maybe Minnesota in 2003. But the only REAL Cinderella was UNI -- and they fell short of the Final 4.
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