Why is LA Tech ranked so high?

[Bball Girl]

At least Stanford's RPI is 5th. I disagree with most of you...I follow the PAC 10 and there have been some tough games in that conference this year. ASU beat KSU...and Stanford destroyed ASU.

But why in the world in LA Tech ranked 7th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. LA Tech's RPI is 26th after New Mexico with an SOS of 42?

[Jennifer]

Reputation. They're La Tech. Right or wrong, that's the way it is.

To 'hear' some of the La Tech fans whine on the ESPN board, you'd think they were unranked and unrespected.

[dem]

A very important factor is that Louisiana Tech almost always does well in the NCAA tournament. They always play a very weak conference schedule but they always play well in the tournament, and so they get a very big benefit of the doubt in pre-tournament rankings. It's hard to argue with that, but it certainly has to drive you crazy when a team with an RPI of 26, Strength of Schedule #79 [collegerpi.com], whose biggest win of the season is against Michigan (3-7 in the Big 10), is ranked 6th in the country.

The only top teams they scheduled in the pre-confernce were UConn, Tennessee and Duke. Probably figured that losing to UConn and/or Tennessee would cost them nothing, and that they had a good chance to beat Duke. Lucky for them, it turns out that losing to Duke also cost them almost nothing. Now they're practically invulnerable -- they're virtually unbeatable in their conference and no ranked team will get another shot at them until the NCAA tournament. I would like to think that they won't be able to steal a Top 4 seed, but most likely they will -- and maybe deprive a Big 12 team of that same spot. Only solution: beat them in March.

[dem]

Come to think of it, I wonder if the reason Coach Kim M-R had such a weak pre-conference schedule is because that strategy worked so well when she was at La Tech. Of course, now she has to schedule the softies BEFORE the conference season, but the net result is pretty much the same. What I don't understand is that (1) even without a whole lot of reputation (beyond her own), Baylor has also not been hurt in the polls this year by that strategy, and (2) Baylor really is playing like a top-ranked team! I thought that playing a very weak pre-conference schedule would really leave them unprepared for this Big 12 season (and it was a REALLY weak schedule), but darned if she hasn't made it pay off! How does that work? Maybe somebody else should try it out . . .

[schooner2]

Originally posted by dem:
Come to think of it, I wonder if the reason Coach Kim M-R had such a weak pre-conference schedule is because that strategy worked so well when she was at La Tech. Of course, now she has to schedule the softies BEFORE the conference season, but the net result is pretty much the same. What I don't understand is that (1) even without a whole lot of reputation (beyond her own), Baylor has also not been hurt in the polls this year by that strategy, and (2) Baylor really is playing like a top-ranked team! I thought that playing a very weak pre-conference schedule would really leave them unprepared for this Big 12 season (and it was a REALLY weak schedule), but darned if she hasn't made it pay off! How does that work? Maybe somebody else should try it out . . .

BUT, say Baylor did play a tough non-conference slate. Who says Baylor wouldn't have been able to hold Oklahoma off down the stretch and win that one at home? And what about the game at Lubbock? Maybe Baylor would have actually made a game of that one.

[BEAR SKIN]

One advantage of a "soft" early schedule:
Development of the bench -- Kim was able to observe her six through twelve players in legitimate game situations and has learned she can depend on most in a given situation.

For example; last night, Blackmon had 3 early fouls, KMR put her back in in 2nd half and told her to play with full intensity, don't worry about fouling out -- because she knew Kelly Sords could capably fill in when needed.

I'd place $ on BU to sweep the tournament IF every team's first five were disqualified. The subs are a confident lot. They do not enter games timidly like so many others do.



[This message has been edited by BEAR SKIN (edited 02-03-2002).]

[metromaniac]

Excellent point, although I do really believe some other team would prevail with their first 6-7 against Baylor, even in the tournament setting in KC. They seem too reliant on just two main players.

Interesting note to follow as the Big 12 seasons winds down.
Even though OU is now in the driver's seat for the Big 12 regular season championship, or at worst a co-champ with KSU, Rosalind Ross is 20-66 since the first OSU game. Just hope and pray that using her 35-37 min's a game, and several 40's, with her knee, hasn't adversely effected her shot and offensive output as the season and wars of the Big 12 roll on. Hope we are keeping our eye on the Big prize.

Ros has been the silent killer hitting big shot or three for the last two years. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/ou.gif needs her to be able to do that for the rest of the time.

Go Sooner Women.!!!!