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Post by badgerbyproxy on Apr 14, 2024 15:19:31 GMT -5
Again, it’s my (apparently “flawed”) opinion, but I don’t think questioning the roster management and coaching micromanagement is an overtly flawed way of assessing a team’s abilities. When people talk about Wisconsin, they’ll question how they’ll handle the depth of the middle/opposite and how one of CC/Smrek/Robinson/Booth will react to being benched. Nebraska has 5 stud pin-hitters, and unless they run a 6-2, at least 2 will be on the bench. Everyone will always say that they’re up for competing for a spot, but in their heads, the spot is already their’s (just based on human nature). How will the benched athletes react to being benched and how will the starters react to being pulled is a valid question when a roster’s that deep. Cool earned coach of the year last year - he took a team with four freshman to a National championship match with only one in-season loss. However, just based on watching Nebraska the last few years, I do have questions about his roster management style and his micromanagement of the his athletes - especially with his setters. At multiple post-match press conferences, he’s call out Reilly for “not following the gameplam (aka his Batenhorst agenda), and the decline of Kennedi Orr isn’t something that just happens with a knee injury. Nebraska will be many people’s preseason pick to take the Big 10 title, but they’re not my pick. I agree with you in many ways with concerns about the culture and with roster management at NE. I think the issue is with that as a standalone argument as to why a team is below another. Even with said culture issues and Cook’s questionable decision making (I was extremely disappointed by some of his choices throughout the season), they got to the natty. They have fewer question marks than a team like Wisconsin, which had issues of its own last season. Wisconsin brings with them many of the problems they had last year. Of course, there’s room for improvement. There always is. Same on the NE side. It just seems that if the problems on one side are as ambiguous as roster management, coaching, and ego, that should indicate fewer tangible chinks in the armor than a team which lost their captains, struggled in passing, might be changing their system, and has a group of unproven setters. Of course, NE’s natty performance indicated some pretty substantial chinks in their armor, as it were. This rivalry will be a big storyline this season and it can’t get here fast enough. Completely valid points. Passing, system change, and a freshman setter are all reasonable things to question. To address them below: 1. Passing - Wisconsin’s passing took a step in the right direction after 2022. Franklin’s passing took a big step forward and Orzol did a very good job in the libero jersey. Throw in one of the DSs (Damrow or Schumacher) and things are looking up. 2. System change - Wisconsin played a few games in a 5-1 last year and they always looked fine. The 6-2 offers a stronger block, but the 5-1 provides better passing and setter chemistry so it’s a fine change. There may be some bumps, but it’s a shift that addresses a lot of the issues from the last two seasons. 3. Unproven Setter - Fuerbringer is one of the top setters in her class and has a good amount of NT experience, so the adjustment will be smoother than with a standard freshman setter. There’s also now an additional week of preseason practice, so more time for her to hold connections before the Texas-revenge match on September 1. Let’s also not forget that Nebraska went through a system change and freshman setter last year. They did pretty well considering 😉
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Post by knapplc on Apr 14, 2024 15:20:34 GMT -5
Sorry I wasn't more clear. That was kind of the point. "Nebraska looked bad in the second half of the Big Ten" when they had the same record in the second half of the B1G isn't much of an argument. Record doesn’t indicate level of play or quality of opponent, but go off I guess. Record is a more objective metric than your biases.
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Post by badgerbyproxy on Apr 14, 2024 15:23:47 GMT -5
(*1-18 picks trimmed for scrolling ease)
Thanks for the full rundown, badgerbyproxy!
Anytime, glad you found my late-night ramblings amusing 😆 Crossing my fingers the Illini make it back to the tournament this season!
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Post by badgerbyproxy on Apr 14, 2024 15:25:05 GMT -5
Record doesn’t indicate level of play or quality of opponent, but go off I guess. Record is a more objective metric than your biases. Not when that record has Rutgers x2 😜
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Post by exit237a on Apr 14, 2024 15:31:55 GMT -5
Thanks for the full rundown, badgerbyproxy!
Anytime, glad you found my late-night ramblings amusing 😆 Crossing my fingers the Illini make it back to the tournament this season!
^You and me both, friend! And best wishes to Bucky this season- can't wait to see Fuerbringer in action : )
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Post by babyhusker on Apr 14, 2024 15:50:38 GMT -5
I just assumed Orzol would stay at libero and Wisconsin would find another solution at outside. Agreed, depending on how GG improves in serve receive. I think they’ll play around with it
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Post by ay2013 on Apr 14, 2024 16:05:59 GMT -5
1. Nebraska 2. Wisconsin 3. Penn State 4. Purdue 5. Oregon 6. Minnesota 7. Washington 8. Ohio State 9. Indiana 10. USC 11. Illinois 12. UCLA 13. Maryland 14. Michigan State 15. Michigan 16. Northwestern 17. Iowa 18. Rutgers
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Post by c4ndlelight on Apr 14, 2024 16:12:29 GMT -5
Finally, a sane USC placement.
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bborr
Sophomore
Posts: 228
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Post by bborr on Apr 14, 2024 16:13:21 GMT -5
Regarding 1 v 2, I don’t see chinks in either’s armor, and that there is separation between them and the P schools. Nebraska should be much better with Reilly in her second year, and Wisconsin should be improved at setter and has the best pins and middle combinations. I think the pick is the Badgers, but if each prevails at home, both could finish 19-1.
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Post by photos1 on Apr 14, 2024 16:58:39 GMT -5
Per badgerbyproxy
1. Wisconsin - there is some bias based on Wisconsin being my fav team, but I do think they have a good chance of taking the title back. They return the NPOY along with three other All-Americans. While they are losing both setters/captains, Fuerbringer is a big upgrade, and having an extra week of pre-season training will help build the connections with the Badger giantesses. Not much depth at OH, but we won a natty and three conference titles with Loberg so it’s realistic.
2. Nebraska - bring back nearly all of their starters and bring in some great transfers, but I have concerns with 1) ego and 2) Cook getting in his own way. Nebraska looked rough during the second half of Big 10 play this year, and a lot of teams are making upgrades this year.
3. Penn State - massive upgrade at setter and raided the Nebraska bench.
4. Purdue - one of the best OH duos and a great blocking team, but concerns at opposite and who can fill Schermerhorn’s jersey.
… by badgerbyproxy
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Have you been diagnosed? Let me be the first. You have CDS (Cook Derangement Syndrome). First a few words about Wisconsin. They will be good…but it’s difficult to keep track of all the 5th 6th and 7th year players and where the foreign players will play, so I’ll just discuss the setter. In the Wisconsin thread there seems to be a great deal of consternation about running a 5-1 or 6-2; I see no scenario where they won’t run a 5-1 with Fuerbringer at the controls. If Sheffield has fallen in love with the 6-2 and uses it, I have only one word, “portal”-the place where Fuerbringer will be, so just to clear that up-Wisconsin will be in a 5-1. And I agree it’s probably an upgrade, but not instantly. Wisconsin is a team that has run a 6-2 for a couple years now and they have become accustomed to having 3 front row hitters and blocking strength on every point; that will not be the case with Fuerbringer playing half of her rotations in the front row, so it’s going to make them different offensively than they have been for a couple years. What kind of block will Fuerbringer put up-I expect considering the height of the Wisconsin’s block she’s gonna be targeted often early-on so that will be revealing. Wisconsin will be good, but going from a 6-2 to a 5-1 won’t be without challenges and a change in their block.
As for this CDS, it’s all rather silly. What teams are making all of these “up grades” this year? You seem to believe Penn State replacing a former B1G SoY with the freshman Izzy Starck is a “massive up-grade”, but I don’t see that. She’s a good prospect, but a year ago she got beat out for a place on U19 team by Fuerbringer and the still in high school, Campbell Flynn. That in combination with 2 transfers who were tired of sitting on the bench at Nebraska, doesn’t make me believe they are gaining on Nebraska, Wisconsin, Purdue or Oregon…and quite probably USC. So we’ll see.
As for “ego”, what are you talking about? They started 4 freshman last fall and didn’t have a senior and the only weak link was the back-up, Batenhorst, who has since portaled to USC and will be replaced by the return of Krause or the 2022 B1G PotY, Taylor Landfair. Again, where is the “ego”? To say Nebraska looked “rough” during the second half of B1G play is a statement without reality. I guess if going 9-1, and winning 27 of the 35 sets they played (as oppose to 30 of 37 during the first half) was looking “rough”, I have to laugh. Why would “Cook getting his way” concern you? That’s just a bizarre statement. He always gets his way, and it seems to be working out rather well for him. Could Wisconsin win the conference? Of course they could, anything can happen, but looking at these rosters, the probability isn’t great. You say that others have made up-grades-as has Nebraska-and those 4 freshman all appear poised to make substantial gains, as most freshman do….
Where is the “ego” that concerns you?
So we’ll see, but based on the rosters as they are today, Nebraska has the best roster-best setter, best libero, two AA OH, an AA on the right, improved themselves in the middle and were the best passing team in the B1G. In addition, they won the B1G in 2023 and were in the National Championship match. So picking someone else to win the conference who is going to have a freshman setter seems a reach. Looking forward to it.
🏐
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Post by hanmertime on Apr 14, 2024 17:17:09 GMT -5
Minnesota to Washington mainly built I’ll take them all if you feel like it 💀 The middle is definitely a mess but here’s my thought process: 1. Wisconsin - there is some bias based on Wisconsin being my fav team, but I do think they have a good chance of taking the title back. They return the NPOY along with three other All-Americans. While they are losing both setters/captains, Fuerbringer is a big upgrade, and having an extra week of pre-season training will help build the connections with the Badger giantesses. Not much depth at OH, but we won a natty and three conference titles with Loberg so it’s realistic. 2. Nebraska - bring back nearly all of their starters and bring in some great transfers, but I have concerns with 1) ego and 2) Cook getting in his own way. Nebraska looked rough during the second half of Big 10 play this year, and a lot of teams are making upgrades this year. 3. Penn State - massive upgrade at setter and raided the Nebraska bench. 4. Purdue - one of the best OH duos and a great blocking team, but concerns at opposite and who can fill Schermerhorn’s jersey. 5. Minnesota - their roster’s thin in a lot of places (middle & L/DS), but based on their spring play so far and K Cook’s familiarity with the PAC 12 teams, I think they’ll be in good shape (especially if they run Swenson at setter). 6. USC - I don’t know as much about their roster, but I think they’ll perform the best of the PAC 12 schools. If they are bringing in Kahahawai as rumor has it, they could be a top 5 threat. 7. Oregon - great team last year, but pretty much all their starters save Colyer graduated. They’re supposed to have good talent on the bench and I’ll trust that, but I don’t see them being as much of a powerhouse as last year. 8. Indiana - they’ve been on an upward trajectory the last few years, and I think they’re going to work as hard as they can to get Haworth to an NCAA tournament in her final year. I think they’ll win the matches they should, but I don’t see them causing too many upsets. 9. Ohio State - last year’s roster was very young and went through some major growing pains, but a year of experience plus having Londot and Rader back will be a boon to their chances. And hopefully JFO schedules a smarter pre-conference. 10. Illinois - Terry’s gonna carry, but I don’t see them doing better than middle of the pack if they don’t figure out their passing woes. 11. Michigan State - I liked last year’s team and think Leah Johnson had them on the right track, but I don’t know if they’ll have the talent to break out of the middle. 12. UCLA - I don’t follow them as closely, but only being in their second year under a new coach, I think it’ll take a bit of time to climb up the ranks. 13. Washington - see UCLA, but I put UCLA above Washington based on their head-to-head from last year. 14. Maryland - Glad that Csire and Dowler are returning cuz otherwise they’d be closer to Iowa. 15. Michigan - they’ll have their coach there for all their matches and Jacobs will be back for her final year. They’ll certainly be better than last year at least. 16. Rutgers - I don’t think Rutgers will ever fully climb out of the basement, but Schweihofer has moved them up from the bottom of the Big 10 barrel. 17. Iowa - would be last but Northwestern’s off-season has been tragic. 18. Northwestern - bless this mess. I somewhat agree with this prediction. Minn is way too high. So is USC. Move Oregon and Ohio state up. Move Washington a little back. Northwestern has talent so don’t know if they finish last. Agree Iowa starting from scratch with mostly new players is actually a bonus. They could leap some schools.
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Post by jwvolley on Apr 14, 2024 17:22:25 GMT -5
The middle is definitely a mess but here’s my thought process: 1. Wisconsin - there is some bias based on Wisconsin being my fav team, but I do think they have a good chance of taking the title back. They return the NPOY along with three other All-Americans. While they are losing both setters/captains, Fuerbringer is a big upgrade, and having an extra week of pre-season training will help build the connections with the Badger giantesses. Not much depth at OH, but we won a natty and three conference titles with Loberg so it’s realistic. 2. Nebraska - bring back nearly all of their starters and bring in some great transfers, but I have concerns with 1) ego and 2) Cook getting in his own way. Nebraska looked rough during the second half of Big 10 play this year, and a lot of teams are making upgrades this year. 3. Penn State - massive upgrade at setter and raided the Nebraska bench. 4. Purdue - one of the best OH duos and a great blocking team, but concerns at opposite and who can fill Schermerhorn’s jersey. 5. Minnesota - their roster’s thin in a lot of places (middle & L/DS), but based on their spring play so far and K Cook’s familiarity with the PAC 12 teams, I think they’ll be in good shape (especially if they run Swenson at setter). 6. USC - I don’t know as much about their roster, but I think they’ll perform the best of the PAC 12 schools. If they are bringing in Kahahawai as rumor has it, they could be a top 5 threat. 7. Oregon - great team last year, but pretty much all their starters save Colyer graduated. They’re supposed to have good talent on the bench and I’ll trust that, but I don’t see them being as much of a powerhouse as last year. 8. Indiana - they’ve been on an upward trajectory the last few years, and I think they’re going to work as hard as they can to get Haworth to an NCAA tournament in her final year. I think they’ll win the matches they should, but I don’t see them causing too many upsets. 9. Ohio State - last year’s roster was very young and went through some major growing pains, but a year of experience plus having Londot and Rader back will be a boon to their chances. And hopefully JFO schedules a smarter pre-conference. 10. Illinois - Terry’s gonna carry, but I don’t see them doing better than middle of the pack if they don’t figure out their passing woes. 11. Michigan State - I liked last year’s team and think Leah Johnson had them on the right track, but I don’t know if they’ll have the talent to break out of the middle. 12. UCLA - I don’t follow them as closely, but only being in their second year under a new coach, I think it’ll take a bit of time to climb up the ranks. 13. Washington - see UCLA, but I put UCLA above Washington based on their head-to-head from last year. 14. Maryland - Glad that Csire and Dowler are returning cuz otherwise they’d be closer to Iowa. 15. Michigan - they’ll have their coach there for all their matches and Jacobs will be back for her final year. They’ll certainly be better than last year at least. 16. Rutgers - I don’t think Rutgers will ever fully climb out of the basement, but Schweihofer has moved them up from the bottom of the Big 10 barrel. 17. Iowa - would be last but Northwestern’s off-season has been tragic. 18. Northwestern - bless this mess. I somewhat agree with this prediction. Minn is way too high. So is USC. Move Oregon and Ohio state up. Move Washington a little back. Northwestern has talent so don’t know if they finish last. Agree Iowa starting from scratch with mostly new players is actually a bonus. They could leap some schools. Why move Washington back?
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Post by hornshouse23 on Apr 14, 2024 17:39:10 GMT -5
I was very vocally more bullish on Nebraska last year than most, and pointed to stretches of sketchy play even whilst winning. I don’t have those doubts about them going into this next season. Even though I’m not a fan, objectively my prediction for 1, 2, 3 is Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State/Purdue (can’t decide. Tie?)
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Post by ay2013 on Apr 14, 2024 17:41:54 GMT -5
Re Wisconsin, IMO, their biggest issues the last couple seasons hasn't been the setting, it's been passing and defense, at the margins. Not really sure where Charlie F. helps there, but whatever.
Also, I find it rather hilarious that people are using the phrase "big/massive upgrade" when talking about players who have NEVER PLAYED IN COLLEGE BEFORE. I'm not saying Starck and Fuerbringer can't or won't be good, but just "expecting" them to be great in their first year just seems kind of silly, especially in a conference as strong as the Big 10.
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Post by hornshouse23 on Apr 14, 2024 17:45:41 GMT -5
Re Wisconsin, IMO, their biggest issues the last couple seasons hasn't been the setting, it's been passing and defense, at the margins. Not really sure where Charlie F. helps there, but whatever. Also, I find it rather hilarious that people are using the phrase "big/massive upgrade" when talking about players who have NEVER PLAYED IN COLLEGE BEFORE. I'm not saying Starck and Fuerbringer can't or won't be good, but just "expecting" them to be great in their first year just seems kind of silly, especially in a conference as strong as the Big 10. I agree with this take on Wisconsin.
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