[81alum]

Rather interesting.  The only team in the top 20 with even a single loss, and we have 2.  We were punished by dropping to 14.  Ohio State drops to 9 after their loss to Louisville.  I imagine we would have dropped a little less if Ohio State had  won over Louisville. 
UCLA is 8
Oregon is 10
Tennessee is 13

[81alum]

Rather interesting.  The only team in the top 20 with even a single loss, and we have 2.  We were punished by dropping to 14.  Ohio State drops to 9 after their loss to Louisville.  I imagine we would have dropped a little less if Ohio State had  won over Louisville. 
UCLA is 8
Oregon is 10
Tennessee is 13

[TheFarm07]

We only dropped 4 spots after 2 losses, I was half expecting us to take a deeper plunge considering the lopsided nature of our defeats and starting the season 0-2. But it seems like the voters recognized that we are still developing and played against two elite and veteran teams.

We have plenty of opportunities to climb back up the rankings not just with conference play, but with Baylor, Tennessee and a possible Ohio State rematch still coming up.

[TheFarm07]

We only dropped 4 spots after 2 losses, I was half expecting us to take a deeper plunge considering the lopsided nature of our defeats and starting the season 0-2. But it seems like the voters recognized that we are still developing and played against two elite and veteran teams.

We have plenty of opportunities to climb back up the rankings not just with conference play, but with Baylor, Tennessee and a possible Ohio State rematch still coming up.

[qwerty49]

It's more fun to go relatively under the radar and sneak up on everybody after winning the conference.

[qwerty49]

It's more fun to go relatively under the radar and sneak up on everybody after winning the conference.

[81alum]

All true, but starting out with a couple of losses against elite teams reduces the margin for error down the line.  We can't afford losses like we have had in recent years to the like of Santa Clara, Gonzaga, Chattanooga, etc. 

We will almost certainly get another chance at Ohio State if we can beat Kent State and Gonzaga at the upcoming Play for Kay tournament.  I expect you will see a better performance, although I think it is still too soon to expect a win.  Not long after we have Baylor and Tennessee, and we open Pac 12 play in the dead of winter break with UCLA at home.  Since Tennessee and UCLA are at home and we have a little more time to improve, I have some hope for those two games. 

Come January 1, I could see us somewhere between 8-6 and (optimistically) 10-4.  Anything better would exceed my wildest dreams, and would involve beating Baylor or tOSU early in the year.  The important point is to improve rapidly.

As for winning the conference--that is probably more likely for experienced teams that start off conference play with their players at peak performance.  I imagine we will continue to improve and so, like recent years, we may be more likely to win the conference tournament.  I would think UCLA will have the odds for the regular season conference title at this point.  If we knock them off at home on December 29, then I will change my thinking.  But can we get our young team operating at that level by the end of December? 

We will just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, I am really looking forward to seeing some growth and development against Riverside and Bakersfield this weekend.  I don't want to see shaky performances against them.

[81alum]

All true, but starting out with a couple of losses against elite teams reduces the margin for error down the line.  We can't afford losses like we have had in recent years to the like of Santa Clara, Gonzaga, Chattanooga, etc. 

We will almost certainly get another chance at Ohio State if we can beat Kent State and Gonzaga at the upcoming Play for Kay tournament.  I expect you will see a better performance, although I think it is still too soon to expect a win.  Not long after we have Baylor and Tennessee, and we open Pac 12 play in the dead of winter break with UCLA at home.  Since Tennessee and UCLA are at home and we have a little more time to improve, I have some hope for those two games. 

Come January 1, I could see us somewhere between 8-6 and (optimistically) 10-4.  Anything better would exceed my wildest dreams, and would involve beating Baylor or tOSU early in the year.  The important point is to improve rapidly.

As for winning the conference--that is probably more likely for experienced teams that start off conference play with their players at peak performance.  I imagine we will continue to improve and so, like recent years, we may be more likely to win the conference tournament.  I would think UCLA will have the odds for the regular season conference title at this point.  If we knock them off at home on December 29, then I will change my thinking.  But can we get our young team operating at that level by the end of December? 

We will just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, I am really looking forward to seeing some growth and development against Riverside and Bakersfield this weekend.  I don't want to see shaky performances against them.

[TheFarm07]

With our non-conference schedule structured the way it is, we get our home opener weekend against Riverside and Bakersfield, which should be comfortable wins, allowing us to gain confidence, and to get on the win column.

The Vegas tourney will get progressively tougher with Kent State, then Gonzaga (who we lost to last year) and then the Buckeyes rematch, which I think is a good arc.

Then, a relatively easy matchup at San Francisco before heading to Waco for a tough game against Baylor. That will show us whether we've learned and progressed anything over the first month, if we can acquit ourselves better against them than we did this past weekend.

After Baylor is our finals break before our last 3 non-conference games. UNLV and Western Illinois shouldn't provide much resistance as we shake off the rust before facing Tennessee (sans DeShields as she decided to skip her senior year and play overseas) for our final marquee non-conference game.

We open conference play on a of exceedingly large proportions matchup with UCLA just a week later to end 2017.

So there will be chances for the underclassmen to get their feet wet and comfortable in easier games, but then tough matchups sprinkled in there to measure their progress against Ohio State, Baylor and Tennessee.

[TheFarm07]

With our non-conference schedule structured the way it is, we get our home opener weekend against Riverside and Bakersfield, which should be comfortable wins, allowing us to gain confidence, and to get on the win column.

The Vegas tourney will get progressively tougher with Kent State, then Gonzaga (who we lost to last year) and then the Buckeyes rematch, which I think is a good arc.

Then, a relatively easy matchup at San Francisco before heading to Waco for a tough game against Baylor. That will show us whether we've learned and progressed anything over the first month, if we can acquit ourselves better against them than we did this past weekend.

After Baylor is our finals break before our last 3 non-conference games. UNLV and Western Illinois shouldn't provide much resistance as we shake off the rust before facing Tennessee (sans DeShields as she decided to skip her senior year and play overseas) for our final marquee non-conference game.

We open conference play on a of exceedingly large proportions matchup with UCLA just a week later to end 2017.

So there will be chances for the underclassmen to get their feet wet and comfortable in easier games, but then tough matchups sprinkled in there to measure their progress against Ohio State, Baylor and Tennessee.

[BobK]

USF game is in the City

[BobK]

USF game is in the City

[Jskass]

I'm being realistic in that the challenge will be to remain in the top 16 (as I am presuming they again host the first two rounds).

[Jskass]

I'm being realistic in that the challenge will be to remain in the top 16 (as I am presuming they again host the first two rounds).

[CompSci87]

Yes afaik, but of course it's the committee's top 16, not either of the polls'.

[CompSci87]

Yes afaik, but of course it's the committee's top 16, not either of the polls'.

[Jskass]

in other news which i'm hoping could be a positive for the WNBA in the Bay area:

http://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/2141...berty-wnba

[Jskass]

in other news which i'm hoping could be a positive for the WNBA in the Bay area:

http://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/2141...berty-wnba