Posters' Poll

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Yeah, I was amazed at how little credit I was able to give F&M for their Final Four run.  They didn't really have to play an impressive opponent until Richard Stockton.  That was the same reason I just couldn't justify putting DeSales in there either.

If anything, even losing to a good team on the left side of the bracket improved position in my mind.  I moved Lawrence up ten slots for their game against WashU.

[D.B. Cooper]

HF: Didn't DeSales win a game at Ithaca? Plus if nothing else F&M opening up a 20 point lead on Brandeis & holding on to win & leading Stockton for much of the game until the last 90 seconds should count for both teams at least being considered as potential top 20 teams. Discount F&M now, but next year their Freshman & Sophomore line up will be a year older may not falter if they get back to Salem.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

HF: Didn't DeSales win a game at Ithaca? Plus if nothing else F&M opening up a 20 point lead on Brandeis & holding on to win & leading Stockton for much of the game until the last 90 seconds should count for both teams at least being considered as potential top 20 teams. Discount F&M now, but next year their Freshman & Sophomore line up will be a year older may not falter if they get back to Salem.

I put F&M at #20.  They were flirting with the top 20 most of the year; they're tourney run proved their value.

I never really had Ithaca above #15 and that was when I was overestimating the region.

The problem comes when comparing really good teams that lost the wrong games (Brandeis, Centre, etc) with the teams that have solid records, but the right wins at the right time (DeSales, Farmingdale, Bridgewater, etc).

[sac]

HF: Didn't DeSales win a game at Ithaca? Plus if nothing else F&M opening up a 20 point lead on Brandeis & holding on to win & leading Stockton for much of the game until the last 90 seconds should count for both teams at least being considered as potential top 20 teams. Discount F&M now, but next year their Freshman & Sophomore line up will be a year older may not falter if they get back to Salem.

F&M was and probably will be hurt in the poll/polls a bit by their late regular season slide.  That slide left them out of my final reg. season poll, so their hill was higher to climb to get back on my good graces.  I think I had them around #13 to #15.

[Ralph Turner]

The "left" bracket was just too strong for me this year.  As much as I tried to "fight" the "Bracket of Death" "group-think", I just could not displace them too far from the higher rankings that I gave them.  I did come away with a greater perception of the advantage of travel and of regional styles and how thin the difference is between #12 and #40. 

If you are not flying regularly in your schedule (as the UAA does), then that is a great disruptor!  Home court advantage for teams greater than 350 miles away from their opponent can be a big factor that we cannot solve.

I don't see how St Lawrence could play five guys 32+ minutes and only go 7 deep (as they did in the RSNJ game) in the ASC.  Now SLU will never play a meaningful game versus an ASC team, but the tempo and intensity in the ASC is much faster.

How much did losing Isham Poe in the SLU game hurt RSNJ?  Last season Poe gave them 14 starts and 15 minutes per game, 6 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 spg and 0.6 bpg.  What is his is the hot hand in the Final Four?

Video streaming really hit the next level in penetration.  I was able to get into conference games that I had not seen...MWC, E8, CCC, SCIAC, IIAC.  This should be really fun next year!

Just thoughts...more later when the bracket is released. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

HF: Didn't DeSales win a game at Ithaca? Plus if nothing else F&M opening up a 20 point lead on Brandeis & holding on to win & leading Stockton for much of the game until the last 90 seconds should count for both teams at least being considered as potential top 20 teams. Discount F&M now, but next year their Freshman & Sophomore line up will be a year older may not falter if they get back to Salem.

F&M was and probably will be hurt in the poll/polls a bit by their late regular season slide.  That slide left them out of my final reg. season poll, so their hill was higher to climb to get back on my good graces.  I think I had them around #13 to #15.

#12, actually (which is the highest of any voter so far - otherwise they're #13-20).  I never 'out' a voter, but you 'outed' yourself, so I corrected.

So far, the top six are pretty solid (not necessarily in the same order, but they have all but two of the top six votes), but after that it is chaos.

[usee]

My poll is in.

[sac]

HF: Didn't DeSales win a game at Ithaca? Plus if nothing else F&M opening up a 20 point lead on Brandeis & holding on to win & leading Stockton for much of the game until the last 90 seconds should count for both teams at least being considered as potential top 20 teams. Discount F&M now, but next year their Freshman & Sophomore line up will be a year older may not falter if they get back to Salem.

F&M was and probably will be hurt in the poll/polls a bit by their late regular season slide.  That slide left them out of my final reg. season poll, so their hill was higher to climb to get back on my good graces.  I think I had them around #13 to #15.

#12, actually (which is the highest of any voter so far - otherwise they're #13-20).  I never 'out' a voter, but you 'outed' yourself, so I corrected.

all I could think was this..............http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtvFbXG-7Mw&feature=related

[Mr. Ypsi]

HF: Didn't DeSales win a game at Ithaca? Plus if nothing else F&M opening up a 20 point lead on Brandeis & holding on to win & leading Stockton for much of the game until the last 90 seconds should count for both teams at least being considered as potential top 20 teams. Discount F&M now, but next year their Freshman & Sophomore line up will be a year older may not falter if they get back to Salem.

F&M was and probably will be hurt in the poll/polls a bit by their late regular season slide.  That slide left them out of my final reg. season poll, so their hill was higher to climb to get back on my good graces.  I think I had them around #13 to #15.

#12, actually (which is the highest of any voter so far - otherwise they're #13-20).  I never 'out' a voter, but you 'outed' yourself, so I corrected.

all I could think was this..............http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtvFbXG-7Mw&feature=related

LOL!  +k

[Mr. Ypsi]

We're now at seven ballots.  There's no urgency (no more games for almost 8 months ), but I'll probably post the poll this evening unless anyone informs me they still want to vote.  Anyone?  Bueller?

[Mr. Ypsi]

FINAL POSTERS' POOL FOR 2008-09:

1.  Wash U       175 (unanimous)
2.  Wheaton     164 (2,2,2,2,3,3,4)
3.  St. Thomas  155 (2,2,3,3,4,5,8)
4.  UWP            151 (3,3,4,5,5,5,6)
5.  UWSP          146 (4,4,4,5,6,6,7)
6.  UWW           144 (3,4,6,6,6,6,7)
7.  R. Stockton   134 (5,5,7,7,7,8,9)
8.  Guilford        122 (8,8,8,8,9,9,10)
9.  UPS              112 (7,7,9,9,10,13,15)
10 TX Dallas      108 (9,9,10,11,11,11,13)
11 Elmhurst       101 (8,10,10,12,13,14,14)
12 JCU                 98 (10,10,11,12,12,13,16)
13 Capital            88 (11,12,12,14,14,14,17)
t14 F&M               80 (11.12.13.14,15,17,20)
t14 Lawrence      80 (2,11,12,13,15,23,-)
16 Trinity TX         55 (15,16,17,17,18,19,25)
17 Buena V          42 (17,17,18,19,20,23,-)
t18 Ithaca            33 (16,18,19,21,23,-,-)
t18 Middlebury     33 (15,16,22.23.23.24,-)
t18 Transy            33 (15,16,21,23,24,24,-)
21 UMD                 30 (13,14,22,25,-,-,-)
22 DeSales           29 (15,18,19,24,25,-,-)
23 CMU                 26 (16,18,18,-,-,-,-)
24 St. Lawrence   23 19,19,21,22,-,-,-)
25 Augie               20 (17,18,23,-,-,-,-)

26 Wooster           19 (19,20,20)
27 Centre              14 (20,22,22)
t28 Salem St          10 (20,22)
t28 Thomas More   10 (16)
30 Gwynned-M        8 (20,24)
t31 Farmingdale      6 (21,25)
t31 Whitworth        6 (22,25,25)
t33 Averett             5 (21)
t33 Elms                 5 (21)
t33 Miss Col            5 (21)
t36 Brandeis           2 (24)
t36 WPI                   2 (24)
38  RIC                    1

[magicman]

Good job Mr Y.

I thought you missed a 2nd place vote as I scoured the top 10 and couldn't find it.   

[Mr. Ypsi]

Good job Mr Y.

I thought you missed a 2nd place vote as I scoured the top 10 and couldn't find it.   

Check Lawrence - not a typo.

[magicman]

Good job Mr Y.

I thought you missed a 2nd place vote as I scoured the top 10 and couldn't find it.   

Check Lawrence - not a typo.

That's why I said I thought you missed a 2nd place vote. I meant to add that I knew you wouldn't make that mistake and I just needed to look harder. I can understand that with their close loss to Wash U someone wants to give them some love but that's a "Whole Lotta Love". 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Good job Mr Y.

I thought you missed a 2nd place vote as I scoured the top 10 and couldn't find it.   

Check Lawrence - not a typo.

That's why I said I thought you missed a 2nd place vote. I meant to add that I knew you wouldn't make that mistake and I just needed to look harder. I can understand that with their close loss to Wash U someone wants to give them some love but that's a "Whole Lotta Love". 

I thought so too, but it's one of our most respected voters.  Last year I questioned him on whether he was putting way too much weight on just tourney results and he sent in a revised ballot.  This year I thought that was the only 'over the top' placement, so I let it go.  We all have out quirks, and in retrospect I have a couple of placements I'm not sure I can defend!

Lawrence was by far the most 'up in the air' team - four voters were reasonably consistent at 11-15, but there was the 2 and there was also the 23 and completely out.  They went one-and-done, but it was to the eventual national champ (by the closest margin of the tourney) and finished the season very strong.  Tough call.