MWP -- STAN 17 vs CAL 10

[martyup]

Beat the Weenies!

https://pac-12.com/live/stanford-university-2

[martyup]

We've got a 3-1 lead!

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We're up 5-3 after 1.  Somehow the Weenies are ranked #1 in the country.  I guess the voters don't know that CAL SUCKS!

[Treefence]

Offense seems to be on some kind of roll, they've been scoring almost at will.

[martyup]

Abramson with his 4th goal.  This Pac-12 WP announcer is clueless.  I don't totally understand the game, but I know more then him.

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Cardinal on fire.  We scored 12 goals in the first half!  We lead 12-6.

[BobK]

Stanford up 12-6 after 2

[martyup]

13-6 with a little more than 3 min to go in the 3rd.  Is there a mercy rule in WP?

I just wish the announcer would explain what the heck is going on in the pool.  There have been a rash of offensive fouls causing turnovers.  How do you get called for that?

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14-7 after 3 quarters.  :•}

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14-8 with 4:30 to play.  We're turtling and it's unlikely there is enough time for the Weenies to catch up.  We need a volunteer to take over the announcing of water polo matches.

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Chun was awesome in the goal tonight.  If we can play like this in the tourney, we could win it all.

We win 17-10 against the #1 ranked team.  Wonderful.

[Phogge]

Marty, it’s obvious that the Announcer sucks!

[martyup]

Marty, it’s obvious that the Announcer sucks!

Yeah, he must have been from Cal. :•}

[Spiny_Norman]

I hope that the team's result beating USC and especially Cal (convincingly) is showing the impact of more practice time. You can more or less throw a blanket over UCLA, Cal and Stanford with the results so far and the MPSF tournament is in 2 weeks. The conference champ probably advances to the NCAAs. No assurance that any other MPSF teams will make it.

[BobK]

Info on the league tournament

[martyup]

It would be a travesty if only the winner of the MPSF qualified for the NCAAs.  The top 4 ranked teams are Cal, UCLA, Stanford, and USC.  We beat Cal and USC. Cal and USC beat UCLA.  UCLA beat us and USC.  It's crazy, but it shows that any of these 4 teams are capable of winning it all. The NCAA water polo NC is only a 6 team bracket.  I'm not sure how they fill the bracket, but you can rest assured that at least one, and probably 2, of the top 4 ranked water polo teams are going to be left out.  

Let's just hope that our last two matches are the start of an upward trajectory in the quality of our play.   In the last 2 matches we have outscored our opponents 32-19.  

[Farm93]

It would be a travesty if only the winner of the MPSF qualified for the NCAAs.  The top 4 ranked teams are Cal, UCLA, Stanford, and USC.  We beat Cal and USC. Cal and USC beat UCLA.  UCLA beat us and USC.  It's crazy, but it shows that any of these 4 teams are capable of winning it all. The NCAA water polo NC is only a 6 team bracket.  I'm not sure how they fill the bracket, but you can rest assured that at least one, and probably 2, of the top 4 ranked water polo teams are going to be left out.  

Let's just hope that our last two matches are the start of an upward trajectory in the quality of our play.   In the last 2 matches we have outscored our opponents 32-19.  

And yet the championship structure is very clear....No at-large bids.
So unless a conference elects not to send an AQ, there will only be one MPSF representative.

https://collegiatewaterpolo.org/national...20Stanford

https://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2...ips-spring

Men’s water polo
The finals site is scheduled for March 20-21, with a six-team bracket. All six teams will be automatic qualifiers.

[martyup]

I guess the silver lining is that the winner of our conference will not have to face another conference team at the NCAAs.  That should make the NCAAs a cake walk for the MPSF champion.

[Treefence]

It would be a travesty if only the winner of the MPSF qualified for the NCAAs.  The top 4 ranked teams are Cal, UCLA, Stanford, and USC.  We beat Cal and USC. Cal and USC beat UCLA.  UCLA beat us and USC.  It's crazy, but it shows that any of these 4 teams are capable of winning it all. The NCAA water polo NC is only a 6 team bracket.  I'm not sure how they fill the bracket, but you can rest assured that at least one, and probably 2, of the top 4 ranked water polo teams are going to be left out.  

Let's just hope that our last two matches are the start of an upward trajectory in the quality of our play.   In the last 2 matches we have outscored our opponents 32-19.  

And yet the championship structure is very clear....No at-large bids.
So unless a conference elects not to send an AQ, there will only be one MPSF representative.

https://collegiatewaterpolo.org/national...20Stanford

https://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2...ips-spring

Men’s water polo
The finals site is scheduled for March 20-21, with a six-team bracket. All six teams will be automatic qualifiers.

I could be wrong on this, but it seems in men's water polo particularly, they really try to screw the MPSF.  Last season, having USC and Stanford in the semis was ridiculous, even with the sport being more balanced than usual. Only 3 times in the entire history has a school not named Stanford, UCLA, USC, or UC Berkley won the tournament, and it hasn't happened since 1997 when Pepperdine won in OT.  I get striving for balance in a sport, but synthetically trying to create balance by rigging the tournament format, is not the way...

[M T]

You didn't read the fine print.  There will be at least one at-large team.

The NCAA Championship will consist of six automatic qualifiers and zero at-large berths.  Automatic qualifying conferences are the Golden Coast Conference, Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC), Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC), Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and Western Water Polo Association (WWPA).  If a conference foregoes their AQ, similar to the SCIAC’s election in 2019, the NCAA Championship field will adjust to five automatic qualifiers and one at-large berth. 

The SCIAC cancelled their winter sports[/url], including MWP, on Dec. 1.  I see no indication there's been any change on the SCIAC site.