Tracking the polls

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Duke has played every other team in the top 5 (one of them twice). Seems like something that doesn't happen often.

I believe UNC has?

/didn't double check
//I still think it is rare
///Soon we will have played two of them twice
////So will they.

[Natty_B]

I believe UNC has?

/didn't double check
//I still think it is rare
///Soon we will have played two of them twice
////So will they.

Yeah I realized that after posting. Guess Duke will play one more against those teams.

[CDu]

Yeah I realized that after posting. Guess Duke will play one more against those teams.

True, though there's a chance that not all of them will be top-5 by the time we play UNC again.

[brevity]

New polls (AP here, Coaches here), new talking points.

Who is the more shocking newcomer to the Top 25: Wofford, or Washington?

There was talk (in the NET thread, I think) about whether a mid-major team like Buffalo or Wofford should deserve an at-large bid over a middling power conference team. Obviously, each team stays ranked if it wins out, and would by definition get an automatic bid. But let's say one or both of them lost their conference tournament final. Has any team ranked that late in the season ever missed the tournament?

[Utley]

Tre and Zion’s injuries both came when we were ranked #1. I am fining with not being #1 again until the final poll.

[Wander]

Has any team ranked that late in the season ever missed the tournament?

Utah State and SMU have been ranked on selection sunday and missed the tournament.

[Rich]

USA Today's take on the current seeding situation, FWIW

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...rts-topstories

The top two No. 1 seeds, the ACC's Virginia and Duke, are relatively safe, though the Blue Devils' Zion Williamson injury situation could sway the selection committee.

North Carolina and Kentucky sit at the No. 2 line. The Tar Heels are about as close to a top seed as a No. 2 can get, having won 12 of their last 13. The Wildcats were at the No. 1 line last week but fell back as a result of Saturday's loss to Tennessee, which came without one of their best players in Reid Travis. Keep in mind, UK beat UNC on a head-to-head matchup on a neutral court. And ultimately, the Tar Heels' clash with Duke on March 9 could determine their top-seed fate.

[wavedukefan70s]

While I do not wish duke ti play in columbia and have Kentucky as the 2 .columbia is 1.5 hrs away .

[duke2x]

While I do not wish duke ti play in columbia and have Kentucky as the 2 .columbia is 1.5 hrs away .

USA Today has (incorrectly) sent UVA to Columbus for a couple weeks now. UVA, as the overall #1, would choose Columbia over Columbus and would be placed there based on distance if not. It's going to be UVA/Duke or UVA/UNC in Columbia--much like Charlotte last year.

UK has the same injury problem we have, which means they probably are a #1 unless TN outperforms them in the SEC Tournament. Even if UK is our #2, I still think they move Duke-UK to KC and TN-UNC in Louisville. There's precedent for that in 2016.

[DarkstarWahoo]

New polls (AP here, Coaches here), new talking points.

Who is the more shocking newcomer to the Top 25: Wofford, or Washington?

There was talk (in the NET thread, I think) about whether a mid-major team like Buffalo or Wofford should deserve an at-large bid over a middling power conference team. Obviously, each team stays ranked if it wins out, and would by definition get an automatic bid. But let's say one or both of them lost their conference tournament final. Has any team ranked that late in the season ever missed the tournament?

According to Jerry Palm, Washington isn't even safely in after the Cal loss: https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/03/...s-gain-ground/

Their best OOC win was against Western Kentucky, which is second in CUSA. They're roughly equivalent to a MAC or MWC regular-season champion, and when those teams lose in their conference tournament, they tend not to make the NCAAs.

[Kfanarmy]

One of those rare occurrences when I think the Coaches Poll is less right than the AP. Think the coaches are voting on a bet that

1) Duke would have beat UNC if ZW was playing
2) Duke gets Zion back and
3) That the team can adjust quickly to his return.

None of which are unreasonable nor are they given. I don't necessarily think this team is #2 in the nation as they stand now.

[ElliottHoo]

According to Jerry Palm, Washington isn't even safely in after the Cal loss: https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/03/...s-gain-ground/

Their best OOC win was against Western Kentucky, which is second in CUSA. They're roughly equivalent to a MAC or MWC regular-season champion, and when those teams lose in their conference tournament, they tend not to make the NCAAs.

Yeah, its kind of astounding that the best win, of any kind, for the regular season champion of a "power conference" was by 5 at 17-12 Oregon. And not only is it their best win, its their best win by a pretty decent margin. Its just about locked in that they're going to end their season winless against NCAA tournament teams (and in only 3 chances). Its sort of weird they managed to do that while still having the #92 OCC SOS, and the #72 SOS overall. Seems like those should have been lower.

edit - I take it back. Posting the #72 overall SOS is worse than I'd realized. That's worse than any member of any non-Pac12 "power conference". DePaul is the closest at #67 and the Big East is no prize this year itself. NC State is the closest of the non-Big East/Pac12 conferences and they still managed #60 for SOS even with an OOC SOS so soft Charmin had to lower its eyes in defeat (of course, it was nowhere near as soft as Georgetown's OOC SOS last year, which might have been the softest OOC SOS I've ever seen. It made the angelic tufts of fuzz on a newborn's head feel like sandpaper in comparison).

[Wahoo2000]

One of those rare occurrences when I think the Coaches Poll is less right than the AP. Think the coaches are voting on a bet that

1) Duke would have beat UNC if ZW was playing
2) Duke gets Zion back and
3) That the team can adjust quickly to his return.

None of which are unreasonable nor are they given. I don't necessarily think this team is #2 in the nation as they stand now.

Huh? Duke is #4 in both polls, and trails UNC at #3 by a similar percentage over the overall vote. Polls are both remarkably similar at the top. Chance you're looking at an old coaches poll maybe?