01-21-2011, 11:53 AM
Another addendum: RPI-wise, there is a substantial gap between the top-6 (Duke, UConn, Tennessee, Stanford, TAMU and Baylor) and the next set of teams.
Duke has benefitted from a lopsided schedule: they\'ve played 5 of their 6 games against the RPI top-25 at home, the sole exception being Florida State in their last game. Â We\'ll see how they fare at UConn Jan. 31. Â That being said, they are undefeated against the top-rated SOS.
TAMU and Baylor also play one another in College Station on the 31st.
Stanford\'s SOS jumped from #7 (after playing UW and WSU back to back) back up to #2 after the UCLA win. Â We\'ll see what happens after we play RPI #22 SC on Saturday.
More generally, I think the big difference this year in WBB is which teams can score (which is why I\'m somewhat skeptical of Duke and VERY skeptical of Xavier - I\'m not sure either of them have enough offensive firepower and options if their defense isn\'t generating transition). Â UCLA and ASU are good teams, but when they run into teams that don\'t allow their defense to provide them easy offense, they really struggle. Â Stanford (with their balance), UConn (with Maya Moore) and Baylor (with the sheer physical advantage of Griner) all have offensive options that are nearly impossible to completely take away.
VG
Duke has benefitted from a lopsided schedule: they\'ve played 5 of their 6 games against the RPI top-25 at home, the sole exception being Florida State in their last game. Â We\'ll see how they fare at UConn Jan. 31. Â That being said, they are undefeated against the top-rated SOS.
TAMU and Baylor also play one another in College Station on the 31st.
Stanford\'s SOS jumped from #7 (after playing UW and WSU back to back) back up to #2 after the UCLA win. Â We\'ll see what happens after we play RPI #22 SC on Saturday.
More generally, I think the big difference this year in WBB is which teams can score (which is why I\'m somewhat skeptical of Duke and VERY skeptical of Xavier - I\'m not sure either of them have enough offensive firepower and options if their defense isn\'t generating transition). Â UCLA and ASU are good teams, but when they run into teams that don\'t allow their defense to provide them easy offense, they really struggle. Â Stanford (with their balance), UConn (with Maya Moore) and Baylor (with the sheer physical advantage of Griner) all have offensive options that are nearly impossible to completely take away.
VG