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Just three matches left on the regular season schedule, and all three are on the road. #3 Stanford (16-1, 7-0 Pac-12) travels to Salt Lake City for a match against #46 Utah on Friday at 12:30pm before heading to Boulder to face Colorado on Sunday at 9:00am.
Seasons so far
Stanford looks to be in great shape for the regular-season conference title, the #1 seed in the conference tournament, and a likely top 8 seed in the NCAAs, with the resulting ability to host both a regional and the new super regionals.
Utah (11-8, 2-5) has shown some solid improvement this year, currently ranked #46 and projected to just barely miss out on the NCAA tournament (slam.tennis has them as the very first team out right now). Utah's best wins are over #42 Wazzu and #46 Wisconsin, though the most impressive match might be the Utes' 4-3 loss to a very good Washington team. Based on what's left (losses to Stanford and Cal, a win over Colorado, and then probably a 1-1 record in the Pac-12 tournament, with a win over Arizona and a loss to USC (if my seeding guesses are right)), I think Utah will just barely sneak in, but it'll be close. Just making the NCAA tournament would be a of immense proportions step for this program, though. Utah has no ranked singles players or doubles teams, but its best player is senior Brianna Chisholm at #1, who beat UW's Stacey Fung 7-5, 7-6 when those two teams matched up. She suffered some close losses to now-#8 Anna Rogers of NC State (10-6 in a third-set match tiebreaker), and pushed WSU's Bayerlova to a third set as well.
Colorado (10-10, 3-4) has also weathered the storm of losing their head coach and best player (Linda Huang transferred to Rice) after last season to assemble a respectable spring campaign. Senior Annabelle Andrinopolous has seemed to elevate her play, and two newcomers--freshman Sara Nayar and transfer Monica Malinen--have proven to be tough outs in the top half of the Buffs' lineup. No longer a doormat, CU has registered conference wins not just over Oregon, but also over #50 Arizona and #42 Washington State, suggesting there is danger here. But a NCAA berth isn't in the cards this year absent some big upsets in the Pac-12 tournament. No ranked singles players, but Andrinopolous/Malinen are the #50 doubles team, so they could complicate the doubles point.
Analysis
Stanford should win both matches by 4-0 scores, but what I'll be watching for is how well Gordon does against Utah's Chisholm, how well our back courts do against lesser opponents (I'm particularly interested in whether Shin continues to struggle a little bit or takes care of business quickly), and what Cal's results against the same two teams says about our regular season finale in Berkeley next weekend.
Two wins will clinch the #1 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, as we'll own tiebreakers over every other team except for Cal (who we haven't yet played), and Cal already has more than 1 conference loss.
How to watch
Utah has live streaming of its courts, and each court feed should have that match's stats as well: https://utahutes.com/sports/2018/2/16/te...aming.aspx
The Colorado match doesn't appear to have live video, but there should be live stats at this link: https://cubuffs.com/sports/2017/1/19/col...dates.aspx. I'd like to give you live match updates from Boulder, but 10am local time on a Sunday morning is prime hiking time if the weather is good, so I'm highly likely to get overruled by Mrs. Tree as to what our Sunday morning will entail.
I posted this week's schedule on the last thread, but it probably makes more sense here:
Pac-12 schedule this week:
* UCLA and USC travel to Seattle and Pullman
* Stanford and Cal travel to Salt Lake City and Boulder
* ASU and Arizona host Oregon
National schedule this week:
Tuesday, April 9:
#8 Pepperdine d. #13 USC 4-1
Wednesday, April 10:
#4 Duke d. #9 N.C. State 5-2 (Duke clinched at 4-0 behind doubles and wins at 1, 4, and 5; the other three matches were in third sets and Duke went 1 for 3 in those)
Friday, April 12:
#5 Stanford at #46 Utah
#7 Vanderbilt at #18 Tennessee
#1 UNC at #33 Georgia Tech
#4 Duke vs. #31 Syracuse
#2 Georgia vs. #24 Kentucky
#10 UCLA at #42 Washington State
#13 USC at #15 Washington
Saturday, April 13:
#3 South Carolina at #23 Florida
Sunday, April 14:
#6 Vanderbilt at #1 Georgia
#4 Duke vs. #41 Boston College
#10 UCLA at #15 Washington
#13 USC at #42 Washington State
#19 Cal at #46 Utah
FYI, if results go as I suspect, Georgia would return to #1 in next week's rankings, Stanford would slip back to #4 behind Duke (Duke has a tougher weekend than we do) and would only be a sliver ahead of South Carolina at #5, Pepperdine would be #6, Texas would be #7, and Vanderbilt would be #8. I think UCLA and USC are better than UW, but the match is in Seattle, so if UW wins both of those matches, it would climb to #9, dropping UCLA to #12 and USC to #16 (Cal would be #15). If UCLA and USC both win, UCLA would be #9, USC would be #12, and UW would be #16 (with Cal at #15). If UCLA wins but USC loses, it would be #9 UCLA, #14 UW, #15 Cal, and #16 USC; if UCLA loses but USC wins, it would be #11 UCLA, #12 USC, #15 UW, and #16 Cal. (All of that assumes other results nationwide break as rankings would dictate, with these matches as the only variables.)
It seems highly likely that Georgia, UNC, Duke, Stanford, and South Carolina will get top 8 seeds. Currently, Pepperdine, Texas, and Vanderbilt occupy the other three slots. Of course, we don't want Texas and Vanderbilt to do poorly in their respective conference tournaments because it would impact our ranking, but probably only at the margins, though getting the #3 national seed (and thus avoiding an early matchup with either UNC or Georgia) will require all the help we can get, so I'll be rooting for Vandy and Texas to win their conference tournaments. Pepperdine, however, has basically maxed out its ranking right now, as it won't face another really tough team until NCAAs, so as it closes out its WCC slate and tournament, it won't gain many points, while one of UCLA, USC, or UW could get up there and grab the #8 seed and potentially host a super regional. It's possible, but I think it requires one of those three teams to win out over the other 2 and make the Pac-12 final, while we root against NC State, Florida State, Michigan, and Oklahoma State as the primary competition for that spot. (Vanderbilt is also vulnerable, so if they're, say, the 3 seed in the SEC tournament, beat the 6, but lose to #2 South Carolina, they might drop out of the top 8 as well. But I want our win over them to be as valuable as possible.)
Quote:"After several discussions with my family and my coaches, I have decided to declare for the NBA Draft," Okpala said. "The NBA is a dream and certainly a goal of mine. I am truly blessed to continue to learn from so many people here at Stanford as I grow as a person and a player. It's exciting to apply what I have learned so far as I begin this journey and see where it takes me."
The Cardinal sophomore has submitted his name to the NBA's Undergraduate Advisory Committee for evaluation. Under NCAA policy established within the past year, undergraduates can submit paperwork to the NBA to be evaluated, attend the NBA Draft Combine, conduct workouts with NBA teams and sign with NBPA-certified agents, while remaining NCAA eligible. Okpala has until May 29 to decide to either remain in the NBA Draft or withdraw his name to retain his NCAA eligibility.
https://gostanford.com/news/2019/4/11/me...rpd_prof__
I wish he was coming back, but if he's leaving, then here's hoping he's a lottery pick and lands on a team where he can get some playing time early.
Just saw this on McCovey Chronicles:
Words don't exist to describe how dumb this is. Limit access to your product and make cultivating future fans harder.
I've heard less about Stanford Spring Football this year than any year in the last decade. After learning 1/3 of the roster was out due to injury, any interest I may have had was kind of snuffed out.
But now that the final practice is Saturday, I'm wondering what, if anything can be learned from this Spring?
First of all, did anyone of note come back to participate in the second Spring session that was held out of the first? Some names I'm curious about are Walker Little, Andres Fox, and Davis Mills.
Has Bo Peek been back? I'm thinking the 2019 DL is going to be the strength of the defense, with DWP, M. Williams, Swann, Booker, Johnson, Fox, Schaffer, and potentially Peek who looked pretty good last Spring. And I wouldn't be surprised if Josh Pakola got some reps as a Frosh.
What is the OL projection? I've got Little, Sarell, and Hattis as the primary Tackles and due to lack of depth, True Frosh Rouse may get in the 2-deep. But I really have no idea who the Guards are. The roster lists Hamilton as a Tackle, but he played Guard in 2018, however at 6-7 and listed at 287, I can't see him playing there and not being pushed around. Dalman played Guard in 2018, but might he have to play Center? I'm going to assume True Frosh Bragg will be forced to play because there just aren't enough bodies.
The chirping birds on TV? In four days I never heard a tweet.
Listen closely: It’s the continuous loop of an audio tape.
In person, the dazzling azaleas and dogwoods look less spectacular.
To achieve that vivid color, the tv producers tweak the color saturation from the camera feeds.
What is understated on your television, however, is the mountainous terrain.
(TV flattens golf courses.) The tenth hole drops ten stories and before you ascend eight and 18, order oxygen.
While it deserves its reputation for beauty, Augusta features some remarkably forgettable holes.
The second green lacks background, and I’ve walked three through nine twice
and can remember only the gimmicky eighth.
The left hump flanking the green looks like the burial site of a Goodyear Blimp.
It's two golf courses: a merely good front nine and then all heaven breaks out, with 10, 11, 12, and 13.
The amphitheater of the 16th,
the site of Tiger Wood’s unforgettable “Have You Ever?!” chip-in,
suggests a cathedral in the woods.
Sitting outside the clubhouse late in the final round in 2004,
a roar from 16 climbed the hills to us--the farthest-most spot from that spot.
“What happened?” I asked a CEO-type near the tv.
“Harrington aced sixteen.”
Ten minutes later, and even louder roar.
“Now what?”
“Kirk Triplett aced it too!”
Yet 16 is no patsy; Corey Pavin’s hole-in-one there in 1992 was its first Master’s ace since 1968.
Before the final round in 2016, I told my hosts at least two golfers would ace 16 that day.
Shane Lowry, Davis Love, and Louis Oosthuizen made it three.
Amen Corner looks prettier in person and is unmatched for spectating.
From 20 yards behind the 12th tee, you can watch the tee shots and putts on 12,
turn left to see the approach shots and putts on 11,
then turn your glance slightly right and watch the rifle shot drives echoing off the thirteenth tee.
Your shot to the green on the 12 looks like you have to land your shot on a Post It note.
Forget margin for error; there is no apparent margin for success.
Augusta’s turf is beyond imagining.
On my first hike back from Amen Corner and up to the clubhouse,
I glanced over to the tenth green and called ahead to my date,
“You ever seen a green that perfect?”
“Look again,” she said. “That’s the fairway.”
Which it was.
That said, few experts consider Augusta the world’s best golf course.
My son Will’s choice, Royal County Down, won the recent vote of Golf Digest.
Cypress Point (CA) gets more votes.
To many students of course design and architecture,
Augusta looks the Mona Lisa in a sequined red gown and lots of eyeliner.
Magnolia Lane is not very long and the clubhouse is not opulent.
Think a really big and immaculate beach house.
(The first time he saw it, Tiger Woods commented “it’s not as big as it looks on t.v.”).
But it is spotless and looks like it was painted that morning.
At Augusta National, tidiness is next to Godliness.
Speaking of aesthetics: Fortune 500 executives should not wear shorts.
But dozens apparently think it's a fine look,
or simply don't care what others of us think of their fish belly white legs.
(No wonder most people turn off the lights before having sex.)
I didn’t play the 12th, but spent four mornings admiring a version of it.
Right outside our kitchen window, the home’s owners had built a replica of the hole, complete with a pond.
Even though it’s mid April in Augusta, it’s the South—so you can’t escape SEC football.
Our upstairs den was lined with ten framed photos of the various bulldogs who had served as Uga,
the University of Georgia’s official mascot.
Ten.
Of a dog the home owners did not own.
Ten.
(Note: Uga appears in the movie, Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil.)
As some of yiou reading this know, SEC football is a whole ‘nother deal.
Almost forgot: Our next door neighbors that week:
Arnold Palmer and his family.
(P.S. When I picture Arnie drinking, he is not holding an Arnold Palmer.)
Yes, there are golf groupies. (The pros call them the Party Groupies Association.)
Seve Ballesteros, alas, died before he could write the definitive expose on it.
(His caddie kept half a dozen note cards in Seve’s bag, each of which read,
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
On a couple occasions, the Spaniard’s caddie handed out too many and,
outside Seve’s hotel room, major congestion problems soon followed.
John Daly tried to write a similarly salacious report on golf groupies, but his publishers talked him out of it.
P.S. Working the groupies is part of many caddies’ jobs.
P.P.S. There are far more groupies at LPGA events. Coincidentally, this past week’s ANA Inspiration Event for women is widely referred to as Lesbian Spring Break.
P.P.P.S: The mascot for John Daly’s favorite college football team is a pig.
Walk the first three days and by Sunday you are walked-out.
So we hit the souvenir tents, mingled with members over pimento sandwich lunches on the porch,
then walked into a small, second-floor room to watch on TV.
As I neared the set I nodded to a group to my left, four CPAs from Akron, Ohio, I figured.
After I’d watched for couple minutes I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“Sorry, sir, “ a white coated waiter whispered. “You cannot sit here.”
“I can’t?”
“Sorry, this the Champions’ Section.”
”What about those accountants?”
“That’s Mike Weir and some friends. The defending champion.”
Mike Weir comes up to my nose.
And looks like an actuary.
Great guys: Curtis Strange, Brandt Snedeker, Nick Faldo, and Adam Scott.
Vijay Singh has a lovely dry wit.
But my votes for the most engaging pro golfers are four women: Beth Daniel, Michelle McGann, Judy Dickinson, and Nancy Lopez.
Oh, yes: Go.
There is no place on earth like it.
Stanford plays Brigham Young at Maples in the first round of the MPSF playoffs at 7 p.m. this Saturday night. You can livestream it on www.mpsports.org.
Stanford got the #4 overall seed in the seven-team playoff, and is the #8 ranked team nationally.
The teams are evenly matched, though I think Stanford is a bit better. Stanford is 1-1 against BYU, with a road 2-3 loss and a home 3-1 victory. And BYU has lost its last five matches in a row.
Stanford's last postseason volleyball win was in 2014. Hope the next one is on Saturday.
https://gostanford.com/news/2019/4/9/men...ath=mvball
In the second inning Stanford up 3-0
I can't get the video to stream but the stats are updating. We're up 11-1 (B6)!
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=232627
Quote:Tiger Woods was underwhelmed by his first glimpse of Augusta National.
The unmistakable canopy of blooming Magnolia trees that guides golf's finest names along the 300-metre driveway to the Founders Circle and iconic clubhouse failed to capture his imagination.
"Magnolia Lane, is that it?" a 19-year-old Woods asked reporters. "It was a pretty short drive. From what everyone says, it's majestic."
Woods felt comfortable from the moment he arrived at his first Masters in April 1995, having qualified as the US amateur champion.
He had been building towards this since the moment his father Earl handed him a club before his first birthday, captivated by this tournament since first watching it on TV in 1980 at the age of four.
Competing at Augusta was always the dream and, despite remarking that the clubhouse was "a lot smaller than it looks on TV", Woods would in private tell close friend Mark Soltau how he ventured out of his bedroom in the Crow's Nest to wander around the historic building at night.
He spent the daytime practising relentlessly. With his parents staying in
http://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/47833176