[Baez87]

Also of note - Stanford and Arizona are the only P12 teams in the top 25. Colorado is 26. Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA are not even among those also receiving votes. Injuries really seem to be taking a toll on the teams expected to be nationally competitive.

So, if the No. 2 loses to the No. 1, do you think we will drop?  It would be hard to stay at 2 with three losses I think even though the loss would be to a higher ranked team. 

If the No. 2 beats the No. 1, it is pretty clear we will move up.

Massey has us at 6, moving up from 8.  It has UConn at 8, Texas 5, N Carolina 4, Arizona 3, NC State 21, S Carolina 1.

It’s hard to give much credibility to Massey's algorithm when it rates N Carolina at #4, a team that has no substantial wins against teams that most polls regard as top talent. The two major polls have them rated at #25 and #20, so what’s with the undeserved high ranking?
As for tomorrow's game, I would keep Stanford at #2 if they lose and move them up to #1 if they win. 
I find it interesting how very good teams with great talent can have a cold streak during a game and recover, or how some lose by a considerable margin one night and come back to win the next night. Call it st** happens or the "whimsical basketball gods at work." Some fans might just call it "playing the game" without expectation. And its not just young college talent that expose their humanness on the court, the pros do it as well. I am eager to see what transpires with our game against S Carolina. Let’s hope we can use our skill and poise and avoid those unpredictable pitfalls such as the scoring drought that happened in the Tennessee game.

Massey has been criticized a lot for the algorithm.  At this stage of the season it is less reliable for the very point you raised--relying too heavily on wins and losses such that North Carolina can still be highly ranked.  However, it gets more and more accurate as the season goes along and more and more teams play each other.  By the end, it is often (in my mind) better than the polls, but for now the polls are better than Massey.  Massey, for example, doesn't suffer from an East Coast bias or an ESPN bias as the polls frequently have.

An alternative to Massey is the RPI, which is still available even if not used.  Here it is.  Texas is noticeable absent:  it is 46th in RPI.  For all its faults, I think Massey is usually better than the RPI.

1. South Carolina
2. Tennessee
3. N C State
4. Stanford
5. UConn
6. Louisville
7. Missouri State
8. Arizona
9. Oklahoma
10. N Carolina

Thanks for your perspective '81. And, by the way, I really appreciated what you wrote the other day about civility and our WBB thread. The respect that is shown on this board is, for the most part, very heartening.

[Baez87]

Also of note - Stanford and Arizona are the only P12 teams in the top 25. Colorado is 26. Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA are not even among those also receiving votes. Injuries really seem to be taking a toll on the teams expected to be nationally competitive.

So, if the No. 2 loses to the No. 1, do you think we will drop?  It would be hard to stay at 2 with three losses I think even though the loss would be to a higher ranked team. 

If the No. 2 beats the No. 1, it is pretty clear we will move up.

Massey has us at 6, moving up from 8.  It has UConn at 8, Texas 5, N Carolina 4, Arizona 3, NC State 21, S Carolina 1.

It’s hard to give much credibility to Massey's algorithm when it rates N Carolina at #4, a team that has no substantial wins against teams that most polls regard as top talent. The two major polls have them rated at #25 and #20, so what’s with the undeserved high ranking?
As for tomorrow's game, I would keep Stanford at #2 if they lose and move them up to #1 if they win. 
I find it interesting how very good teams with great talent can have a cold streak during a game and recover, or how some lose by a considerable margin one night and come back to win the next night. Call it st** happens or the "whimsical basketball gods at work." Some fans might just call it "playing the game" without expectation. And its not just young college talent that expose their humanness on the court, the pros do it as well. I am eager to see what transpires with our game against S Carolina. Let’s hope we can use our skill and poise and avoid those unpredictable pitfalls such as the scoring drought that happened in the Tennessee game.

Massey has been criticized a lot for the algorithm.  At this stage of the season it is less reliable for the very point you raised--relying too heavily on wins and losses such that North Carolina can still be highly ranked.  However, it gets more and more accurate as the season goes along and more and more teams play each other.  By the end, it is often (in my mind) better than the polls, but for now the polls are better than Massey.  Massey, for example, doesn't suffer from an East Coast bias or an ESPN bias as the polls frequently have.

An alternative to Massey is the RPI, which is still available even if not used.  Here it is.  Texas is noticeable absent:  it is 46th in RPI.  For all its faults, I think Massey is usually better than the RPI.

1. South Carolina
2. Tennessee
3. N C State
4. Stanford
5. UConn
6. Louisville
7. Missouri State
8. Arizona
9. Oklahoma
10. N Carolina

Thanks for your perspective '81. And, by the way, I really appreciated what you wrote the other day about civility and our WBB thread. The respect that is shown on this board is, for the most part, very heartening.