|
Post by The Bofa on the Sofa on Sept 29, 2007 11:03:14 GMT -5
Yeah, but how does that differ from Florida or Cal or Dayton?
And what hype? I haven't seen it, I guess.
|
|
|
Post by Keystonekid on Sept 29, 2007 11:03:18 GMT -5
It warranted the hype at the time. In hindsight it was way overblown. Pdub, Michigan will have to prove people wrong who predicted they would crumble. At this point they are looking pretty right.
|
|
|
Post by The Bofa on the Sofa on Sept 29, 2007 11:08:27 GMT -5
In what way was the hype overblown? I still think that they deserve credit for beating Hawaii in Hawaii along with Colorado St and Oregon St. That performance is nothing to sneeze at all!
If this were a question of "Don't put too much emphasis on the first weekend performance" it would be one thing. But to pretend that the first weekend's performance wasn't very good is silly.
|
|
|
Post by Keystonekid on Sept 29, 2007 11:35:07 GMT -5
There is a helluva difference between "nothing to sneeze at" and launching a team to top 10 status. I take nothing away from Michigan's performance in Hawaii, I agree it would be silly to say their performance in Hawaii wasn't very good, the problem is, nobody is saying that. It was good, just not as good as it appeared at the time based on what people thought Hawaii was.
|
|
|
Post by The Bofa on the Sofa on Sept 29, 2007 12:02:50 GMT -5
As I reminded Ruffda yesterday, it was not the win at Hawaii that launched them into the top ten. That happened because of the way AVCA polls work.
And you know, if you goofballs would quit over-worrying about what the AVCA says, it would be a good start. We know that the AVCA is not the best approach for ranking teams, and that teams get into their positions for reasons quite unrelated to how good they really are.
When I see Michigan ranked #10 by the AVCA, I attribute to a failing of AVCA polling process. I certainly don't see it as any claim they are the tenth best team in the country. That's not what the polls tell us.
Dude, that was the same weekend that Hawaii got swept by friggin Oregon St! Were people really thinking they were all that good after that? Since then, Hawaii hasn't been that bad at all. They did beat good teams in Kansas St and Louisville, and they had a nice win on the road last week. No, they aren't a top ten team, but after that first weekend, no one was deluded to think they were, were they?
|
|
|
Post by bomber on Sept 29, 2007 14:57:52 GMT -5
I think this loss is not good news for the Gophers. Michigan's going to be fired up on Sunday, plus they have last year's win as a confidence-builder. I think the knock against Michigan's schedule is not that it was incredibly easy -- it wasn't -- but that it did not warrant the hype. Hype we hear almost every year. I think Ruffda sums it up best....and maybe I was a bit off the mark criticizing Michigan's non conference schedule. But it seems like every year they start out like a house on fire, and it's generally because of the level of competition they play that's non conference. And predictably, once the conference schedule begins, Michigan's sun sets. And there was some hype...Michigan continued to climb up the rankings week by week, when it most assuredly wasn't warranted. I'm not surprised at all by their fall from grace. They are pretty much the same team they were last year, except they have a frosh setter at the helm. Their biggest problem is that PSU is the same as last year, so is Wisconsin, and so is Purdue.
|
|
|
Post by smiley on Sept 29, 2007 17:33:05 GMT -5
Going undefeated pre conference is impressive no matter who you're playing. And the schedule wasn't any softer than most teams.
BUT taking 5 games at home to beat an Illinois team picked for ninth in the B10. Then losing rather badley in 3 to Wisconsin at home. Then losing to IOWA who was picked LAST after being up 2-0 and you wonder why some are doubting Michigan?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 19:42:49 GMT -5
Just so we're clear: I understand p-dub's point that Michigan's AVCA ranking was justified, given the AVCA's modus operandi.
There's several different points being made here and most of them are valid. I'd like to stress another one. I think Michigan played below their potential last year. It looks like they may do so again this year, but they are capable of beating any team in the conference, with the possible exception of Penn State.
But I still think they were being given way too much credit for that opening weekend, in terms of expectations for the Big10 season. They have simply never proven that they can meet those expectations.
|
|
|
Post by bucky415 on Sept 30, 2007 1:57:51 GMT -5
The fact remains that the Wolverines blew a 2-0 lead in a not too intimidating arena for volleyball against a team that has lost two of its best hitters and wasn't expected to be that great. That isn't a good sign for them. I guess the good thing is that they can redeem the weekend at Minnesota. I think the day off to regroup might help them. They really need to improve the blocking, though, and I don't know if that will come quickly. They should have the size and experience to be okay in that regard.
|
|
|
Post by The Bofa on the Sofa on Sept 30, 2007 10:58:05 GMT -5
But I still think they were being given way too much credit for that opening weekend, in terms of expectations for the Big10 season. Wait a minute - there were people who took BiK's claims that they would finish in the top half of the Big Ten seriously?
|
|
|
Post by bomber on Sept 30, 2007 11:27:42 GMT -5
But I still think they were being given way too much credit for that opening weekend, in terms of expectations for the Big10 season. Wait a minute - there were people who took BiK's claims that they would finish in the top half of the Big Ten seriously? Bik is fairly (understatement) unknowledgeable when it comes to the affairs in the Big Ten, and when Michigan beat his Wahine in Hawaii naturally assumed that the Wolverines must be one of the best the Big Ten had to offer. This depite my protestation that Michigan would probably finish no better than 5th of 6th in the conference. When I suggested that Hawaii was fortunate to not being the Big Ten (or the Pac 10, considering the Wahine's Oregan Stae debacle), where they would constantly be relegated to at best a middle of the conference team, he would hear non of that.....though it appears my observations were probably more accurate than his. At this point the Wahine should consider themselves fortunate not to have Iowa on their schedule as well.........
|
|
|
Post by The Bofa on the Sofa on Sept 30, 2007 11:51:42 GMT -5
To be fair, Bomber is not the most objective observer when it comes to BiK.
|
|
|
Post by bomber on Sept 30, 2007 13:36:11 GMT -5
To be fair, Bomber is not the most objective observer when it comes to BiK. That's true......I love Bik. Disregard my avatar.......
|
|
|
Post by BigTenVball on Sept 30, 2007 17:57:55 GMT -5
I understand piling on Michigan, but can we at least please give a LITTLE props to Iowa for winning this one??!
|
|
|
Post by smiley on Sept 30, 2007 18:19:52 GMT -5
Iowa played Minn. pretty tough even though they lost.
|
|