AP poll - SU #11

[RF2044]

It doesn't really matter at this point but it's kind of amazing that a 4 loss ACC team is ranked outside the top 10. I can't believe I'm actually typing this but I think the ACC is underrated; there are 4 teams in the conference who can easily make the final 4. It blew my mind hearing the announcer for the UMD - UVA game saying that Maryland is headed to the best basketball conference next year. Seriously?! I think he said something along the lines of the Big Ten being the best conference the last 4 or 5 years... yeah, OK. This is the same conference that hasn't won an NCAA title since 2000.

That kind of talk about the Big 10 drives me nuts [I live in Big 10 country]. They are the "best" conference only if you are willing to look past how wildly overrated several of their teams were. MSU won't be ranked after losing yesterday. Ohio State isn't currently ranked. Both of them were top 5-caliber rated teams in the preseason. Wisconsin is rated highly, but had a disastrous stretch during the middle of the season. They are the best of a sorry lot.

The conference is so mediocre, in fact, that a rebuilding Michigan team took home the regular season crown.

Yes, I know that Iowa is decent--blah blah blah. Indiana--meh. But anyone who labels the Big 10 as the "best" conference hasn't updated their thinking from the preseason.

 

[NashvilleOrange]

It's too bad we did not beat Michigan last year. That would have put a nail in the coffin of that argument.

True. I still think 2 Big East teams in the final 4 along with the national champion should be pretty clear cut.

 

[Madbiker]

That kind of talk about the Big 10 drives me nuts [I live in Big 10 country]. They are the "best" conference only if you are willing to look past how wildly overrated several of their teams were. MSU won't be ranked after losing yesterday. Ohio State isn't currently ranked. Both of them were top 5-caliber rated teams in the preseason. Wisconsin is rated highly, but had a disastrous stretch during the middle of the season. They are the best of a sorry lot.

The conference is so mediocre, in fact, that a rebuilding Michigan team took home the regular season crown.

Yes, I know that Iowa is decent--blah blah blah. Indiana--meh. But anyone who labels the Big 10 as the "best" conference hasn't updated their thinking from the preseason.

How many losses does Iowa get before the consensus is they aren't good?

 

[We Are Syracuse]

I wouldn't whipe my ass with this poll... Just terrible

 

[SmilinBob]

I hate rankings with a passion when some think it's something written in stone. This is when I like college hoops better...the NCAA's, it's put up or shut up time and you get to prove it in the court. 27-4 and ranked 11...seriously skewed thinking here. Go kick some ass Cuse.

 

[TheCusian]

I was more worried when we were #1. I like being under the radar - seems our best runs in the tourney always come from this spot. Outside the top 5, chip on our shoulders, overrated B1G and Big12 teams.

 

[HOFCeluck]

I'm amused by the thinking that we needed our backup center to beat Boston College at home.

 

[Dave85]

I'm amused by the thinking that we needed our backup center to beat Boston College at home.

I wonder if Coleman's career will always be plagued and limited by knee issues.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I wonder if Coleman's career will always be plagued and limited by knee issues.

He's talking about Baye

 

[NineOneSeven]

Not a single was given that day

 

[Dave85]

He's talking about Baye

It's too bad DC is out for the season. It's like AO's knee. I think it really has hurt this team.

 

[BuffOrange]

I disagree that tacking on weight to different losses is dumb; you don't think losing to a bad team is worse than losing to a good team and should be treated as such? Just like beating a good team is better than beating a bad team.

Agreed insomuch as it's silly to argue that Kansas or anyone should be punished for losing @Florida.

But it's almost as silly that we don't seem to get any credit for going undefeated vs Bubble/NIT type teams. I don't think anyone else besides Florida & Nova can say that (L'ville hasn't but they haven't really played any). Just about everyone else loses two of their FSU/Maryland/Maui equivalents - those are good wins all away from home, especially MD on the road w/out Grant.
A home loss to a dreadful BC team negating some of that is fine; but the fact that it's negating all of it and then some? Geez Louise, that seems awfully harsh.

The 31 game reg. season is over. We didn't play appreciably better at home vs any of our 4 duplicate opponents and both of our 1.5 losses away from home were to top10 teams. Maybe that's a big enough sample size to say homecourt doesn't matter as much to us as others?
Of course that's also an argument for not caring where we play, so...

Edit: Forgot UNC didn't lose to anyone in that Bubble/NIT group either. Their resume is obviously a bit unusual.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Agreed insomuch as it's silly to argue that Kansas or anyone should be punished for losing @Florida.

But it's almost as silly that we don't seem to get any credit for going undefeated vs Bubble/NIT type teams. I don't think anyone else besides Florida & Nova can say that (L'ville hasn't but they haven't really played any). Just about everyone else loses two of their FSU/Maryland/Maui equivalents - those are good wins all away from home, especially MD on the road w/out Grant.
A home loss to a dreadful BC team negating some of that is fine; but the fact that it's negating all of it and then some? Geez Louise, that seems awfully harsh.

The 31 game reg. season is over. We didn't play appreciably better at home vs any of our 4 duplicate opponents and both of our 1.5 losses away from home were to top10 teams. Maybe that's a big enough sample size to say homecourt doesn't matter as much to us as others?
Of course that's also an argument for not caring where we play, so...

Edit: Forgot UNC didn't lose to anyone in that Bubble/NIT group either. Their resume is obviously a bit unusual.

Thats true, we didn't. But when you have two home losses to teams with sub-500 records, and a 20 point blowout loss thrown in there, in the span of two weeks, you're going to get hit hard.

Fortunately we have a great opportunity to undo the damage.

 

[Cowtown]

Not a big deal - team just went 2-4 to end the season with home losses to a pitiful BC team and a bad GTech. Easy way to get back to the top 5 or 6 is make a run to the ACC tourney finals. Team dug themselves a hole, now they have an opportunity to climb back out.

^^ Someone gets it.

 

[BuffOrange]

Thats true, we didn't. But when you have two home losses to teams with sub-500 records, and a 20 point blowout loss thrown in there, in the span of two weeks, you're going to get hit hard.

Fortunately we have a great opportunity to undo the damage.

Ya I'm really talking about these bracket projections more than the polls (even though it's supposed to be a thread about polls). Don't really care about AP voters who have the memory of a goldfish.

 

[Oakland]

Coaches Poll (USA Today):

Arizona 1-1 drops 1
Duke 1-1 drops 2
Virginia 0-1 drops 3
Kansas 1-1 drops 2
Syracuse 1-1 drops 4 loses without Grant and wins with Grant and is still treated worse than 12 other teams in the rankings is fishy.
Wisc 1-1 drops 2
Creighton 1-1 drops 1
UNC 1-1 drops 1
Iowa St 1-1 drops 1
Memphis 1-1 drops 1
New Mexico 1-1 drops 1
UConn 1-1 drops 1
Mich St 1-1 drops 0

That 5 teams are ahead of us with between 5-8 loses is another fishy matter.

Don't really care that much but I do know how the polls usually work and don't seem to be working like normal when it comes to Syracuse this week.