FINALIZED 2017 Bracketology (11/26)

[c4ndlelight]

Oct 17, 2017 12:24:03 GMT -5 Babar said:

Oct 17, 2017 7:54:04 GMT -5 bluepenquin said:

Last 4 IN: LSU, Maryland, Miami-FL, Notre Dame
First 4 OUT: Iowa, Auburn, North Carolina, Hawaii
Next 4 OUT: Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas

If we add Texas A&M and Ohio State (overall record issues) to this list of bubble teams - very interesting list. And then the possibility of Western Kentucky or Wichita State losing their conference tournament.

Other Bubble teams to this list (IMO) - Florida State, Michigan, UNI/Mo State 2nd place, Missouri (if Crow misses more matches), Washington State.

Florida not eager to see Florida State as an at large. Not that Florida isn't the much stronger team but it will require more energy than usual for a first-round match.

UF will still get a SWAC/SoCon team in the first round. FSU would be a pretty favorable draw in the 2nd round (though not based on recent history, I guess).

[trojansc]

Oct 17, 2017 7:36:12 GMT -5 gobruins said:

Interesting that you have 29 of the 32 at-large spots going to Power 5 conference schools. And, not much chance of that changing, as 7 of the first 8 out are Power 5 schools.

With all the football money available to the Power 5 conference schools, does anyone see any path for this to change going forward?

This is a strange year. Mid majors are down (WCC, MAC, MVC, AAC, MWC). Even ASun had an at large recently.

[ay2013]

re seeding, the early look for the top 4 is interesting. the nitty gritty favors some teams and not others, depending on the category. futures says that Florida loses two more matches....meh, I guess, but likely just 1, if that, to Kentucky. The PROBLEM with Florida's resume is the lack of top 25 wins. They currently sit at just 2 top 25 wins, with probably only one other chance get one (at Kentucky). Meanwhile the top Big 10 and Pac-12 teams have far more and have the opportunity to pick up more. BUT, is the committee going to punish Florida for something they cannot control which is the strength of the SEC? Florida has arguably the best two wins against Texas and Nebraska, which really helps the in the "record against teams also in consideration" category. But, it was the first week of the season, at home. Penn State can hold two wins over Stanford over the committee's head, but it's still just 1 team rather than Florida's two wins against two teams in consideration for top seeds. Minnesota has the win against Texas. Texas doesn't have a win against anyone OOC in the top seed conversation and neither does Kentucky or Stanford. Stanford's claim to a top seed will be it's dominance within conference. It didn't work out well for Washington last year, but the Pac-12 DOES have more top 25 rpi teams this year. I think it's going to really come down to the committee balancing the sheer number of top 25 wins versus OOC wins against teams also in consideration. and perhaps the subjective regional rankings/polls plays a bigger role this year. I think Wisconsin is in a bit of a bind as they have no good OOC wins, despite having a really strong non-conference RPI. My early crystal ball would probably say.....


My early seeds/regionals would be

1- Penn State (Good mixture of a record against other teams in consideration non conference and lots of top 25 wins in conference)
16- Creighton
9-Kansas
8- Wisconsin

2- Florida (Best record of teams in consideration for a top seed)
15- Wichita State
10- Washington
7- Kentucky

3- Stanford (Best chance to run with the fewest losses against what looks to be a steady top heavy rpi top 25 gamut of Washington, Utah, Oregon, UCLA, USC by season end)
14- Oregon
11- BYU
6- Texas

4- Nebraska (the record against UCLA helps, but it's just not quality like against Stanford or against Texas or Florida....losses to UNI and to a smaller extent Oregon come into play here)
13- Michigan State
12- Utah
5- Minnesota

[trojansc]

Noo way that USC/UCLA both dont host, especially if Wichita is seeded. Also, not sure about UW at 10 (but I am not up to date on their injury issues)

[ay2013]

Oct 17, 2017 13:02:31 GMT -5 trojansc said:

Noo way that USC/UCLA both dont host, especially if Wichita is seeded. Also, not sure about UW at 10 (but I am not up to date on their injury issues)

yeah agreed it's weird....those last couple seeds, and the Pac-12 placement in general is REALLY fluid. Here is what I see re Wichita State... non conference wins over Creighton and Marquette, probably will finish with just 3 losses, and, more importantly, all of their losses will be to teams inside the top 25. The issue I have with USC is their LOSSES....UNI didn't look that bad at first, but they are falling, and fast, Maryland may not make the tournament....ARIZONA! and these were like all sweeps. Plus USC will have a ton of losses compared to Wichita State. and re UCLA, their non conference record reads similar to to Wichita State, and they don't have the losses like USC, BUT, their good conference wins to dangle over Witchita state hasn't happened yet....and they Gotta go play @ Stanford, @ USC, @ Washington to try and get those seed worthy wins....I dunno.....in flux, for sure. the lack of a Southern California host would be an interesting proposition, that's for sure.

I think the jury is still out for Washington. But they have yet to pick up losses to non-tournament teams, the Cal Poly win is looking better and better...Pitt will flirt with possibly being another non conference top 25 RPI win, if Missouri State and Maryland make it into the tournament, that's 4 non-conference wins against tournament teams...what other teams seeded below them can say that? Of course their future lay in conference. the home stand against the LA schools is critical. They already have wins against Oregon, @ UCLA, which are valuable, not sure if they can knock of Stanford...a win @ Utah to even that series would surely help..we'll see though.

[Deleted]

Oct 17, 2017 12:53:27 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

re seeding, the early look for the top 4 is interesting. the nitty gritty favors some teams and not others, depending on the category. futures says that Florida loses two more matches....meh, I guess, but likely just 1, if that, to Kentucky. The PROBLEM with Florida's resume is the lack of top 25 wins. They currently sit at just 2 top 25 wins, with probably only one other chance get one (at Kentucky). Meanwhile the top Big 10 and Pac-12 teams have far more and have the opportunity to pick up more. BUT, is the committee going to punish Florida for something they cannot control which is the strength of the SEC? Florida has arguably the best two wins against Texas and Nebraska, which really helps the in the "record against teams also in consideration" category. But, it was the first week of the season, at home. Penn State can hold two wins over Stanford over the committee's head, but it's still just 1 team rather than Florida's two wins against two teams in consideration for top seeds. Minnesota has the win against Texas. Texas doesn't have a win against anyone OOC in the top seed conversation and neither does Kentucky or Stanford. Stanford's claim to a top seed will be it's dominance within conference. It didn't work out well for Washington last year, but the Pac-12 DOES have more top 25 rpi teams this year. I think it's going to really come down to the committee balancing the sheer number of top 25 wins versus OOC wins against teams also in consideration. and perhaps the subjective regional rankings/polls plays a bigger role this year. I think Wisconsin is in a bit of a bind as they have no good OOC wins, despite having a really strong non-conference RPI. My early crystal ball would probably say.....


My early seeds/regionals would be

1- Penn State (Good mixture of a record against other teams in consideration non conference and lots of top 25 wins in conference)
16- Creighton
9-Kansas
8- Wisconsin

2- Florida (Best record of teams in consideration for a top seed)
15- Wichita State
10- Washington
7- Kentucky

3- Stanford (Best chance to run with the fewest losses against what looks to be a steady top heavy rpi top 25 gamut of Washington, Utah, Oregon, UCLA, USC by season end)
14- Oregon
11- BYU
6- Texas

4- Nebraska (the record against UCLA helps, but it's just not quality like against Stanford or against Texas or Florida....losses to UNI and to a smaller extent Oregon come into play here)
13- Michigan State
12- Utah
5- Minnesota

TWO regionals without a B1G seed? K.

And Michigan State had a #15 RPI last season, but was seeded 9th, and didn't have the wins they have this season. I don't think this early prediction is anything close to what we'll see.

[ay2013]

Oct 17, 2017 13:17:27 GMT -5 @allamerican11 said:

Oct 17, 2017 12:53:27 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

re seeding, the early look for the top 4 is interesting. the nitty gritty favors some teams and not others, depending on the category. futures says that Florida loses two more matches....meh, I guess, but likely just 1, if that, to Kentucky. The PROBLEM with Florida's resume is the lack of top 25 wins. They currently sit at just 2 top 25 wins, with probably only one other chance get one (at Kentucky). Meanwhile the top Big 10 and Pac-12 teams have far more and have the opportunity to pick up more. BUT, is the committee going to punish Florida for something they cannot control which is the strength of the SEC? Florida has arguably the best two wins against Texas and Nebraska, which really helps the in the "record against teams also in consideration" category. But, it was the first week of the season, at home. Penn State can hold two wins over Stanford over the committee's head, but it's still just 1 team rather than Florida's two wins against two teams in consideration for top seeds. Minnesota has the win against Texas. Texas doesn't have a win against anyone OOC in the top seed conversation and neither does Kentucky or Stanford. Stanford's claim to a top seed will be it's dominance within conference. It didn't work out well for Washington last year, but the Pac-12 DOES have more top 25 rpi teams this year. I think it's going to really come down to the committee balancing the sheer number of top 25 wins versus OOC wins against teams also in consideration. and perhaps the subjective regional rankings/polls plays a bigger role this year. I think Wisconsin is in a bit of a bind as they have no good OOC wins, despite having a really strong non-conference RPI. My early crystal ball would probably say.....


My early seeds/regionals would be

1- Penn State (Good mixture of a record against other teams in consideration non conference and lots of top 25 wins in conference)
16- Creighton
9-Kansas
8- Wisconsin

2- Florida (Best record of teams in consideration for a top seed)
15- Wichita State
10- Washington
7- Kentucky

3- Stanford (Best chance to run with the fewest losses against what looks to be a steady top heavy rpi top 25 gamut of Washington, Utah, Oregon, UCLA, USC by season end)
14- Oregon
11- BYU
6- Texas

4- Nebraska (the record against UCLA helps, but it's just not quality like against Stanford or against Texas or Florida....losses to UNI and to a smaller extent Oregon come into play here)
13- Michigan State
12- Utah
5- Minnesota

TWO regionals without a B1G seed? K.

And Michigan State had a #15 RPI last season, but was seeded 9th, and didn't have the wins they have this season. I don't think this early prediction is anything close to what we'll see.

yeah, a seed change here or there could certainly change that....but, as we've seen time and time again, conference affiliation and the possibility of conference matchups is NOT a criteria. It's about what can or cannot be justified based on the criteria.

Also, it's "early" for a reason, plenty of volleyball left to be played, just a point of discussion. What is more constructive is who you think should be above or below a team here, based on the criteria and futures prediction, not saying that the bracket is unbalanced based on conference teams.

RE MSU this year, I think if they continue to do well in the Big 10 they will surely rise, but saying they were X in the RPI last year and received X as seed and using it as reasoning this year IMO misses a lot of in between. MSU royally screwed up their preseason this year with a BAD loss to Georgia Tech, who is projected to finish outside of the top 100, and going 1-1 non-conference against teams likely in, with the best win being a home win against Auburn. Ask Washington how a good conference record but lackluster non-conference record works out.

[Deleted]

Oct 17, 2017 13:20:49 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

Oct 17, 2017 13:17:27 GMT -5 @allamerican11 said:

TWO regionals without a B1G seed? K.

And Michigan State had a #15 RPI last season, but was seeded 9th, and didn't have the wins they have this season. I don't think this early prediction is anything close to what we'll see.

yeah, a seed change here or there could certainly change that....but, as we've seen time and time again, conference affiliation and the possibility of conference matchups is NOT a criteria. It's about what can or cannot be justified based on the criteria.

Also, it's "early" for a reason, plenty of volleyball left to be played, just a point of discussion. What is more constructive is who you think should be above or below a team here, based on the criteria and futures prediction, not saying that the bracket is unbalanced based on conference teams.

Why are we discussing your bracket prediction that is obviously biased and that doesn't take into account the creativity of the seeding committee? It doesn't matter where I think a team should be because the committee has proven every year that they do what they want. But, I can't remember the last time there were two regionals without a seeded B1G team. It just hasn't happened.

[ay2013]

Oct 17, 2017 13:30:35 GMT -5 @allamerican11 said:

Oct 17, 2017 13:20:49 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

yeah, a seed change here or there could certainly change that....but, as we've seen time and time again, conference affiliation and the possibility of conference matchups is NOT a criteria. It's about what can or cannot be justified based on the criteria.

Also, it's "early" for a reason, plenty of volleyball left to be played, just a point of discussion. What is more constructive is who you think should be above or below a team here, based on the criteria and futures prediction, not saying that the bracket is unbalanced based on conference teams.

Why are we discussing your bracket prediction that is obviously biased and that doesn't take into account the creativity of the seeding committee? It doesn't matter where I think a team should be because the committee has proven every year that they do what they want. But, I can't remember the last time there were two regionals without a seeded B1G team. It just hasn't happened.

well, it's happened in 2012, and two more times in the last 5 years it was literally just 1 seed difference of having two regionals without a seeded Big 10 team, so lets not say never. We also got Wisconsin and Penn State in the same subregional at 4 and 5 over an FSU team with a better RPI and Nitty gritty than both of those teams, so lets not pretend the committee is trying to do the Big 10 huge favors here. Also, it doesn't help the Big 10's cause that they are likely only getting 5 seeds this year, have a strong case for #1, and two others are in a good mix for 2-5....all it really takes is 1, 4, 5, and all of a sudden you are left with just two more opportunities to be in the other two quads.

[nutty]

Oct 17, 2017 13:30:35 GMT -5 @allamerican11 said:

Oct 17, 2017 13:20:49 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

yeah, a seed change here or there could certainly change that....but, as we've seen time and time again, conference affiliation and the possibility of conference matchups is NOT a criteria. It's about what can or cannot be justified based on the criteria.

Also, it's "early" for a reason, plenty of volleyball left to be played, just a point of discussion. What is more constructive is who you think should be above or below a team here, based on the criteria and futures prediction, not saying that the bracket is unbalanced based on conference teams.

Why are we discussing your bracket prediction that is obviously biased and that doesn't take into account the creativity of the seeding committee? It doesn't matter where I think a team should be because the committee has proven every year that they do what they want. But, I can't remember the last time there were two regionals without a seeded B1G team. It just hasn't happened.

Famous last words of a fool, perhaps.  But as a Badgers fan, all I want is another shot at Stanford

[firedup]

Oct 17, 2017 12:53:27 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

re seeding, the early look for the top 4 is interesting. the nitty gritty favors some teams and not others, depending on the category. futures says that Florida loses two more matches....meh, I guess, but likely just 1, if that, to Kentucky. The PROBLEM with Florida's resume is the lack of top 25 wins. They currently sit at just 2 top 25 wins, with probably only one other chance get one (at Kentucky). Meanwhile the top Big 10 and Pac-12 teams have far more and have the opportunity to pick up more. BUT, is the committee going to punish Florida for something they cannot control which is the strength of the SEC? Florida has arguably the best two wins against Texas and Nebraska, which really helps the in the "record against teams also in consideration" category. But, it was the first week of the season, at home. Penn State can hold two wins over Stanford over the committee's head, but it's still just 1 team rather than Florida's two wins against two teams in consideration for top seeds. Minnesota has the win against Texas. Texas doesn't have a win against anyone OOC in the top seed conversation and neither does Kentucky or Stanford. Stanford's claim to a top seed will be it's dominance within conference. It didn't work out well for Washington last year, but the Pac-12 DOES have more top 25 rpi teams this year. I think it's going to really come down to the committee balancing the sheer number of top 25 wins versus OOC wins against teams also in consideration. and perhaps the subjective regional rankings/polls plays a bigger role this year. I think Wisconsin is in a bit of a bind as they have no good OOC wins, despite having a really strong non-conference RPI. My early crystal ball would probably say.....


My early seeds/regionals would be

1- Penn State (Good mixture of a record against other teams in consideration non conference and lots of top 25 wins in conference)
16- Creighton
9-Kansas
8- Wisconsin

2- Florida (Best record of teams in consideration for a top seed)
15- Wichita State
10- Washington
7- Kentucky

3- Stanford (Best chance to run with the fewest losses against what looks to be a steady top heavy rpi top 25 gamut of Washington, Utah, Oregon, UCLA, USC by season end)
14- Oregon
11- BYU
6- Texas

4- Nebraska (the record against UCLA helps, but it's just not quality like against Stanford or against Texas or Florida....losses to UNI and to a smaller extent Oregon come into play here)
13- Michigan State
12- Utah
5- Minnesota

This is simply not true.  In addition to beating pre-season #1 Texas (3-1) and #5 Nebraska (3-2) the opening weekend, the Gators swept then ranked #16 UNC in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the second weekend of the season and destroyed then #19 Florida State in 3 in Exactech Arena.  Their only other scheduled Top 25 opponent (other than Kentucky), then #21 Michigan State, flew into Gainesville, but due to concerns about the potential impact of Hurricane Irma, the Spartans flew home without playing that match.  For those with short-term memory issues, the Gators thumped the Spartans 3-0, with scores of -13, -16, -19 in East Lansing in 2016. 


So, the Gators are 4-1 against Top 25 teams in 2017, having one other mission scrubbed.  For all of you out there that want to doubt or hate on the Gators, please pile on.  It's absolutely amazing to me to see how many celebrate a team's "failure".  You know who you are, who were just waiting to pounce, once someone knocked them off the three week perch that they were on.  Wow, it's so disheartening to follow a 14-1 team.


Listen, the Gators didn't ask to be ranked number 1.  Give Kentucky their due.  They were the better team that day, and are playing better at this point of the season.  But for those that want to suggest that the Gators were a paper tiger without real merit of being at the top of the poll, I simply ask you to have your team lineup and play them.  The beautiful thing is that NOTHING that is said on this blog, one way or another, is going to make an ounce of difference as to how the season plays out.  The Gators, and every other team, don't have to take on the critics, nor more than one team at a time.


Kentucky, right now, presents a challenging matchup.  I'm not sure how many other teams present the same challenges to the Gators.  I'm also not sure who would want to play Kentucky right now.  Ok, I'll say it and take the requisite heat.  There is no setter, IN THE COUNTRY, running a better offense right now, then Madison Lilley.  If the season were to end today, she should be named the setter of the year.  Yes, better than SSS, Hunter, Grey, Sponcil, Poulter, Havili, you name it.  She is tremendous and this is an opinion formed well before Sunday. 

As for the Gators, perhaps one of the greatest opportunities that they still have is fulfilling their goal of playing a complete match.  Outside of perhaps the Florida State match, I'm not sure that they have truly hit on all cylinders in a contest.  Instead of being critical of that, or somehow suggesting that they don't improve as the season goes along, I'd think that other teams might look at that and be concerned.  The Gators have a TON of upside.  Again, like everyone, they get to play one opponent at time.  So keep piling on, remind all VTers how shaky they are, that they never improve, that they pass poorly, that they play in a weak conference, that they haven't been to the Final Four forever, etc. etc. 


They know who they are and what they are capable of.  Whether you believe that or not is frankly irrelevant.  Thankfully the only measuring stick that truly matters is whether they can score 75 points faster than the team they are playing does.  Something tells me that they are ok with this and will be up for the challenge, through the balance of the SEC and into the tournament.  Here's to hoping for a great seed, and more importantly, playing loose and up to their ability.  It's significant. 

[ay2013]

Oct 17, 2017 14:03:26 GMT -5 firedup said:

Oct 17, 2017 12:53:27 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

re seeding, the early look for the top 4 is interesting. the nitty gritty favors some teams and not others, depending on the category. futures says that Florida loses two more matches....meh, I guess, but likely just 1, if that, to Kentucky. The PROBLEM with Florida's resume is the lack of top 25 wins. They currently sit at just 2 top 25 wins, with probably only one other chance get one (at Kentucky). Meanwhile the top Big 10 and Pac-12 teams have far more and have the opportunity to pick up more. BUT, is the committee going to punish Florida for something they cannot control which is the strength of the SEC? Florida has arguably the best two wins against Texas and Nebraska, which really helps the in the "record against teams also in consideration" category. But, it was the first week of the season, at home. Penn State can hold two wins over Stanford over the committee's head, but it's still just 1 team rather than Florida's two wins against two teams in consideration for top seeds. Minnesota has the win against Texas. Texas doesn't have a win against anyone OOC in the top seed conversation and neither does Kentucky or Stanford. Stanford's claim to a top seed will be it's dominance within conference. It didn't work out well for Washington last year, but the Pac-12 DOES have more top 25 rpi teams this year. I think it's going to really come down to the committee balancing the sheer number of top 25 wins versus OOC wins against teams also in consideration. and perhaps the subjective regional rankings/polls plays a bigger role this year. I think Wisconsin is in a bit of a bind as they have no good OOC wins, despite having a really strong non-conference RPI. My early crystal ball would probably say.....


My early seeds/regionals would be

1- Penn State (Good mixture of a record against other teams in consideration non conference and lots of top 25 wins in conference)
16- Creighton
9-Kansas
8- Wisconsin

2- Florida (Best record of teams in consideration for a top seed)
15- Wichita State
10- Washington
7- Kentucky

3- Stanford (Best chance to run with the fewest losses against what looks to be a steady top heavy rpi top 25 gamut of Washington, Utah, Oregon, UCLA, USC by season end)
14- Oregon
11- BYU
6- Texas

4- Nebraska (the record against UCLA helps, but it's just not quality like against Stanford or against Texas or Florida....losses to UNI and to a smaller extent Oregon come into play here)
13- Michigan State
12- Utah
5- Minnesota

This is simply not true.  In addition to beating pre-season #1 Texas (3-1) and #5 Nebraska (3-2) the opening weekend, the Gators swept then ranked #16 UNC in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the second weekend of the season and destroyed then #19 Florida State in 3 in Exactech Arena.  Their only other scheduled Top 25 opponent (other than Kentucky), then #21 Michigan State, flew into Gainesville, but due to concerns about the potential impact of Hurricane Irma, the Spartans flew home without playing that match.  For those with short-term memory issues, the Gators thumped the Spartans 3-0, with scores of -13, -16, -19 in East Lansing in 2016. 


So, the Gators are 4-1 against Top 25 teams in 2017, having one other mission scrubbed.  For all of you out there that want to doubt or hate on the Gators, please pile on.  It's absolutely amazing to me to see how many celebrate a team's "failure".  You know who you are, who were just waiting to pounce, once someone knocked them off the three week perch that they were on.  Wow, it's so disheartening to follow a 14-1 team.


Listen, the Gators didn't ask to be ranked number 1.  Give Kentucky their due.  They were the better team that day, and are playing better at this point of the season.  But for those that want to suggest that the Gators were a paper tiger without real merit of being at the top of the poll, I simply ask you to have your team lineup and play them.  The beautiful thing is that NOTHING that is said on this blog, one way or another, is going to make an ounce of difference as to how the season plays out.  The Gators, and every other team, don't have to take on the critics, nor more than one team at a time.


Kentucky, right now, presents a challenging matchup.  I'm not sure how many other teams present the same challenges to the Gators.  I'm also not sure who would want to play Kentucky right now.  Ok, I'll say it and take the requisite heat.  There is no setter, IN THE COUNTRY, running a better offense right now, then Madison Lilley.  If the season were to end today, she should be named the setter of the year.  Yes, better than SSS, Hunter, Grey, Sponcil, Poulter, Havili, you name it.  She is tremendous and this is an opinion formed well before Sunday. 

As for the Gators, perhaps one of the greatest opportunities that they still have is fulfilling their goal of playing a complete match.  Outside of perhaps the Florida State match, I'm not sure that they have truly hit on all cylinders in a contest.  Instead of being critical of that, or somehow suggesting that they don't improve as the season goes along, I'd think that other teams might look at that and be concerned.  The Gators have a TON of upside.  Again, like everyone, they get to play one opponent at time.  So keep piling on, remind all VTers how shaky they are, that they never improve, that they pass poorly, that they play in a weak conference, that they haven't been to the Final Four forever, etc. etc. 


They know who they are and what they are capable of.  Whether you believe that or not is frankly irrelevant.  Thankfully the only measuring stick that truly matters is whether they can score 75 points faster than the team they are playing does.  Something tells me that they are ok with this and will be up for the challenge, through the balance of the SEC and into the tournament.  Here's to hoping for a great seed, and more importantly, playing loose and up to their ability.  It's significant. 

no offense but I stopped reading after paragraph 1. It's clear you and I are discussing different things.

[Fight On!]

RPI| Team | Conf|RpiPct| W-L |Top25|Top50|Conf |NConf|OppRcrd|SosPct|Rnk|Home |Away |Neut |Tp100|100-2|200- |SetsWon|GdW|BdL|
3 Florida SEC 0.7369 14-1 2-1 7-1 6-1 8-0 173-95 0.6769 8 10-1 2-0 2-0 12-1 1-0 1-0 43-10 4 5
5 Kentucky SEC 0.7304 16-2 3-2 10-2 7-0 9-2 219-123 0.6751 10 9-0 4-2 3-0 12-2 3-0 1-0 48-17 2 14
27 Texas A&M SEC 0.6363 6-8 0-6 2-8 3-4 3-4 192-72 0.7471 1 4-4 1-4 1-0 4-8 1-0 1-0 22-26 29 43
31 Auburn SEC 0.6303 11-6 0-2 2-6 4-4 7-2 200-119 0.6399 17 4-2 4-3 3-1 8-6 1-0 2-0 39-25 39 43
32 LSU SEC 0.6282 15-4 0-3 4-3 6-2 9-2 197-161 0.5733 67 5-0 5-4 5-0 6-4 5-0 4-0 47-22 28 51
40 Arkansas SEC 0.6138 13-6 0-3 0-6 3-4 10-2 212-152 0.6094 34 7-1 3-3 3-2 5-6 4-0 4-0 47-27 53 46
42 Missouri SEC 0.6100 12-8 0-4 3-4 5-2 7-6 249-156 0.6290 22 2-1 4-4 6-3 4-8 5-0 3-0 43-35 28 80
47 Alabama SEC 0.6022 14-7 0-2 1-4 2-5 12-2 251-174 0.6076 36 7-1 4-5 3-1 3-6 6-1 5-0 45-34 39 145
53 Mississippi SEC 0.5888 13-8 0-1 1-4 4-4 9-4 246-175 0.5985 44 9-4 3-3 1-1 4-7 5-1 4-0 48-34 46 109
58 Tennessee SEC 0.5833 10-7 0-2 1-6 3-5 7-2 193-144 0.5907 49 8-2 1-4 1-1 2-6 5-1 3-0 35-30 43 136
77 Georgia SEC 0.5666 13-8 0-1 1-3 3-5 10-3 216-188 0.5469 86 7-3 4-3 2-2 3-7 6-1 4-0 46-29 46 160
136 South Carolina SEC 0.5172 9-9 0-0 0-2 2-4 7-5 188-178 0.5218 126 5-5 3-1 1-3 2-8 1-1 6-0 37-31 58 196
182 Mississippi State SEC 0.4888 9-14 0-1 0-4 0-8 9-6 239-211 0.5210 129 5-7 1-5 3-2 1-11 3-2 5-1 32-49 68 232

[firedup]

Oct 17, 2017 14:09:11 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

Oct 17, 2017 14:03:26 GMT -5 firedup said:

This is simply not true.  In addition to beating pre-season #1 Texas (3-1) and #5 Nebraska (3-2) the opening weekend, the Gators swept then ranked #16 UNC in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the second weekend of the season and destroyed then #19 Florida State in 3 in Exactech Arena.  Their only other scheduled Top 25 opponent (other than Kentucky), then #21 Michigan State, flew into Gainesville, but due to concerns about the potential impact of Hurricane Irma, the Spartans flew home without playing that match.  For those with short-term memory issues, the Gators thumped the Spartans 3-0, with scores of -13, -16, -19 in East Lansing in 2016. 


So, the Gators are 4-1 against Top 25 teams in 2017, having one other mission scrubbed.  For all of you out there that want to doubt or hate on the Gators, please pile on.  It's absolutely amazing to me to see how many celebrate a team's "failure".  You know who you are, who were just waiting to pounce, once someone knocked them off the three week perch that they were on.  Wow, it's so disheartening to follow a 14-1 team.


Listen, the Gators didn't ask to be ranked number 1.  Give Kentucky their due.  They were the better team that day, and are playing better at this point of the season.  But for those that want to suggest that the Gators were a paper tiger without real merit of being at the top of the poll, I simply ask you to have your team lineup and play them.  The beautiful thing is that NOTHING that is said on this blog, one way or another, is going to make an ounce of difference as to how the season plays out.  The Gators, and every other team, don't have to take on the critics, nor more than one team at a time.


Kentucky, right now, presents a challenging matchup.  I'm not sure how many other teams present the same challenges to the Gators.  I'm also not sure who would want to play Kentucky right now.  Ok, I'll say it and take the requisite heat.  There is no setter, IN THE COUNTRY, running a better offense right now, then Madison Lilley.  If the season were to end today, she should be named the setter of the year.  Yes, better than SSS, Hunter, Grey, Sponcil, Poulter, Havili, you name it.  She is tremendous and this is an opinion formed well before Sunday. 

As for the Gators, perhaps one of the greatest opportunities that they still have is fulfilling their goal of playing a complete match.  Outside of perhaps the Florida State match, I'm not sure that they have truly hit on all cylinders in a contest.  Instead of being critical of that, or somehow suggesting that they don't improve as the season goes along, I'd think that other teams might look at that and be concerned.  The Gators have a TON of upside.  Again, like everyone, they get to play one opponent at time.  So keep piling on, remind all VTers how shaky they are, that they never improve, that they pass poorly, that they play in a weak conference, that they haven't been to the Final Four forever, etc. etc. 


They know who they are and what they are capable of.  Whether you believe that or not is frankly irrelevant.  Thankfully the only measuring stick that truly matters is whether they can score 75 points faster than the team they are playing does.  Something tells me that they are ok with this and will be up for the challenge, through the balance of the SEC and into the tournament.  Here's to hoping for a great seed, and more importantly, playing loose and up to their ability.  It's significant. 

no offense but I stopped reading after paragraph 1. It's clear you and I are discussing different things.

I'll make it short and sweet for you.  The Gators have 4, FOUR, Top 25 wins.  #1 Texas, #5 Nebraska, #16 UNC and #19 FSU.  

[eotexas5]

Oct 17, 2017 14:03:26 GMT -5 firedup said:

Oct 17, 2017 12:53:27 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

re seeding, the early look for the top 4 is interesting. the nitty gritty favors some teams and not others, depending on the category. futures says that Florida loses two more matches....meh, I guess, but likely just 1, if that, to Kentucky. The PROBLEM with Florida's resume is the lack of top 25 wins. They currently sit at just 2 top 25 wins, with probably only one other chance get one (at Kentucky). Meanwhile the top Big 10 and Pac-12 teams have far more and have the opportunity to pick up more. BUT, is the committee going to punish Florida for something they cannot control which is the strength of the SEC? Florida has arguably the best two wins against Texas and Nebraska, which really helps the in the "record against teams also in consideration" category. But, it was the first week of the season, at home. Penn State can hold two wins over Stanford over the committee's head, but it's still just 1 team rather than Florida's two wins against two teams in consideration for top seeds. Minnesota has the win against Texas. Texas doesn't have a win against anyone OOC in the top seed conversation and neither does Kentucky or Stanford. Stanford's claim to a top seed will be it's dominance within conference. It didn't work out well for Washington last year, but the Pac-12 DOES have more top 25 rpi teams this year. I think it's going to really come down to the committee balancing the sheer number of top 25 wins versus OOC wins against teams also in consideration. and perhaps the subjective regional rankings/polls plays a bigger role this year. I think Wisconsin is in a bit of a bind as they have no good OOC wins, despite having a really strong non-conference RPI. My early crystal ball would probably say.....


My early seeds/regionals would be

1- Penn State (Good mixture of a record against other teams in consideration non conference and lots of top 25 wins in conference)
16- Creighton
9-Kansas
8- Wisconsin

2- Florida (Best record of teams in consideration for a top seed)
15- Wichita State
10- Washington
7- Kentucky

3- Stanford (Best chance to run with the fewest losses against what looks to be a steady top heavy rpi top 25 gamut of Washington, Utah, Oregon, UCLA, USC by season end)
14- Oregon
11- BYU
6- Texas

4- Nebraska (the record against UCLA helps, but it's just not quality like against Stanford or against Texas or Florida....losses to UNI and to a smaller extent Oregon come into play here)
13- Michigan State
12- Utah
5- Minnesota

This is simply not true.  In addition to beating pre-season #1 Texas (3-1) and #5 Nebraska (3-2) the opening weekend, the Gators swept then ranked #16 UNC in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the second weekend of the season and destroyed then #19 Florida State in 3 in Exactech Arena.  Their only other scheduled Top 25 opponent (other than Kentucky), then #21 Michigan State, flew into Gainesville, but due to concerns about the potential impact of Hurricane Irma, the Spartans flew home without playing that match.  For those with short-term memory issues, the Gators thumped the Spartans 3-0, with scores of -13, -16, -19 in East Lansing in 2016. 


So, the Gators are 4-1 against Top 25 teams in 2017, having one other mission scrubbed.  For all of you out there that want to doubt or hate on the Gators, please pile on.  It's absolutely amazing to me to see how many celebrate a team's "failure".  You know who you are, who were just waiting to pounce, once someone knocked them off the three week perch that they were on.  Wow, it's so disheartening to follow a 14-1 team.


Listen, the Gators didn't ask to be ranked number 1.  Give Kentucky their due.  They were the better team that day, and are playing better at this point of the season.  But for those that want to suggest that the Gators were a paper tiger without real merit of being at the top of the poll, I simply ask you to have your team lineup and play them.  The beautiful thing is that NOTHING that is said on this blog, one way or another, is going to make an ounce of difference as to how the season plays out.  The Gators, and every other team, don't have to take on the critics, nor more than one team at a time.


Kentucky, right now, presents a challenging matchup.  I'm not sure how many other teams present the same challenges to the Gators.  I'm also not sure who would want to play Kentucky right now.  Ok, I'll say it and take the requisite heat.  There is no setter, IN THE COUNTRY, running a better offense right now, then Madison Lilley.  If the season were to end today, she should be named the setter of the year.  Yes, better than SSS, Hunter, Grey, Sponcil, Poulter, Havili, you name it.  She is tremendous and this is an opinion formed well before Sunday. 

As for the Gators, perhaps one of the greatest opportunities that they still have is fulfilling their goal of playing a complete match.  Outside of perhaps the Florida State match, I'm not sure that they have truly hit on all cylinders in a contest.  Instead of being critical of that, or somehow suggesting that they don't improve as the season goes along, I'd think that other teams might look at that and be concerned.  The Gators have a TON of upside.  Again, like everyone, they get to play one opponent at time.  So keep piling on, remind all VTers how shaky they are, that they never improve, that they pass poorly, that they play in a weak conference, that they haven't been to the Final Four forever, etc. etc. 


They know who they are and what they are capable of.  Whether you believe that or not is frankly irrelevant.  Thankfully the only measuring stick that truly matters is whether they can score 75 points faster than the team they are playing does.  Something tells me that they are ok with this and will be up for the challenge, through the balance of the SEC and into the tournament.  Here's to hoping for a great seed, and more importantly, playing loose and up to their ability.  It's significant. 

Lilley has only faced one of the setters you listed (Havili) and Havili setting all over Kentucky. Hence, the 3-0 sweep.