[M T]

Call me not at all disappointed If like the 2017 WVB  we make the F 4

The point is that the 2016 WVB national champions looked good to repeat in 2017.  But, as good as a team may seem, the results of a season may turn on a game or two.  I will be thrilled if 2018 WBB makes the Final Four and I think there's a decent chance of that. 

I think the PAC-12 conference championship will be an interesting race.  I know I'm getting way ahead of things here, but I further expect that we'll all be really unhappy if Oregon (currently #5/5/3) and Stanford (currently #6/6/4) get put into the same region in the tournament.  I think the top 2 or 3 PAC-12  teams will deserve a shot to earn their ways into the Final Four without geography being an excuse to squeeze one out automatically.  If Oregon and Stanford manage a season without any more defeats other than to each other, one will be top seed in the Western region, while I'm afraid the other might get stuck in the same region.  (Managing to do so is not going to be easy.  Other than Oregon & Stanford, conference opponents that have to be beaten (often multiple times) are Cal (RPI #6), Oregon State (AP #11) , Arizona State (RPI #19), plus another two schools with RPI in the 30s.  One off night and the season gets a whole lot bleaker.)

USC is coming up quickly  (Jan 4).  At RPI #33 and 10-1, they could be good.  (But they got drubbed by Texas A&M.)

[M T]

Call me not at all disappointed If like the 2017 WVB  we make the F 4

The point is that the 2016 WVB national champions looked good to repeat in 2017.  But, as good as a team may seem, the results of a season may turn on a game or two.  I will be thrilled if 2018 WBB makes the Final Four and I think there's a decent chance of that. 

I think the PAC-12 conference championship will be an interesting race.  I know I'm getting way ahead of things here, but I further expect that we'll all be really unhappy if Oregon (currently #5/5/3) and Stanford (currently #6/6/4) get put into the same region in the tournament.  I think the top 2 or 3 PAC-12  teams will deserve a shot to earn their ways into the Final Four without geography being an excuse to squeeze one out automatically.  If Oregon and Stanford manage a season without any more defeats other than to each other, one will be top seed in the Western region, while I'm afraid the other might get stuck in the same region.  (Managing to do so is not going to be easy.  Other than Oregon & Stanford, conference opponents that have to be beaten (often multiple times) are Cal (RPI #6), Oregon State (AP #11) , Arizona State (RPI #19), plus another two schools with RPI in the 30s.  One off night and the season gets a whole lot bleaker.)

USC is coming up quickly  (Jan 4).  At RPI #33 and 10-1, they could be good.  (But they got drubbed by Texas A&M.)