09-18-2014, 02:44 PM
This goes back to why I said in the other thread that there's a much smaller pool to work with in WBB. In WBB there tends to be a big dropoff between the top 10 or so (maybe even less) and players beyond that. Rankings are far from an exact science, and injuries happen, so sometimes top 10 players don't pan out and sometimes lower ranked players end up being superstars. But regardless of the exactitude of rankings, you really do need some superstars to make a national championship run, and there are very few of them, even fewer who have the academic ability and willingness to do the hard work to get into Stanford.
It may be that things are actually somewhat the same in MBB, with a big dropoff after the top 10 or so. Maybe they only look different to me because Stanford doesn't aspire to national championships in MBB. We just expect to make the tourney and make a good showing. Still I do get the feeling that there's a faster dropoff in talent and skill as you move down the rankings in WBB than there is in MBB.
It may be that things are actually somewhat the same in MBB, with a big dropoff after the top 10 or so. Maybe they only look different to me because Stanford doesn't aspire to national championships in MBB. We just expect to make the tourney and make a good showing. Still I do get the feeling that there's a faster dropoff in talent and skill as you move down the rankings in WBB than there is in MBB.