WBB: Landmark Conference

[Rofrog]

No but they did beat a team that is in Amherst.So if Scranton losing to a team 9-7is bad then losing to a team that is 12-6 that lost to a 6-11 and 9-9 is also bad.

[Rofrog]

So you win two games and still drop.You go one and one to mediocre teams and drop from 5th to 8th or 7th to 10th.I would love to meet the voters and actually see what schools they represent.Regional Ranking will be out and hopefully they tell a different story.

[Pat Coleman]

Each voter only has 4% of the vote -- if you are hanging your argument on "voters be biased for their schools" then you're kind of ignoring the facts.

Regional rankings can still have Scranton as No. 1 in the region and we can have them No. 16 in the country -- and both can be accurate. Our Top 25 poll has Scranton as the top team from its region. The Northeast Regional poll in two weeks could have Amherst as the No. 3 team in the region, but that doesn't say anything about where they are in the country.

You are way missing the point.

[Rofrog]

Pat I truly understand that but Scranton lost to No 9 then GF,They lost to a 9-7 team Etown and a13-3 Cathoic team and they went from 597 down to 221Amherst lost to Emmanuel12-6 who also had some bad losses,No 1 Tufts and Hamilton at 12-6  who had some ugly loses also and went from 600 to 402 how do you explain that!So why did one team drop say 350why the other dropped by 198?This is not a hit but how do you justify and on top one team wins 2 games and drops in the polls instead of climbing  because some team lost in front while the other teams went 1-1 on the week and barely nudged even though they have 3 losses?

[saratoga]

Ro:

Stanky's Fish Fry & Beer Garden in Nescopeck has the Lady Royal's 8th this week in their weekly poll.

You can subscribe to their poll with 4 easy clicks.

It's been around for years and they've picked the Final Four teams in 8 out of the last 10 years.

For what it's worth to you, at the very least I think you'll find it far less frustrating than trying to make sense of some of the other ones out there.

By the way, they have Hope at number 1, Tufts 2 & Bowdoin at 3.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Ryan are you telling me a loss means nothing.Maybe in your poll but in Regionals it means alot!

I'm saying a loss doesn't mean any one thing.  Losses mean something, but what they mean is entirely dependent on circumstance.

To me, the best example is the Mt Union - Marrietta men's game that happened last week.  Marietta shot like 30% from the field and UMU shot 70% - it was a huge blowout in a conference game and it does affect how we view both teams, but not as much as the score would indicate.  If you play that game 100 times, there's not a single other time the outcome looks like it did - those are fluky numbers both ways.

I'd say the two unusual Amherst losses are properly reflected in their current #8 ranking.  It's a team with #1 talent and a couple head-scratching performances.  No one is going to fault them much for an OT loss to Tufts, because Tufts is Tufts.  That loss certainly means something different than the other two - even you have to agree with that!

[Pat Coleman]

Amherst will certainly lose a lot of votes. But UW-Whitewater, Wartburg and Loras, all right beneath Amherst, also lost this week, and that will affect where they all land.

Rofrog, I've pulled this sentence out of one of my previous posts. It definitely impacts what happened with Amherst this week.

[Rofrog]

Question Ryan how many games have you watched of Scranton women and Amherst?How many more games have you watched in the nescac compared to the landmark men and women?I'm just curious because everytime Amherst loses it is oh its not your  average basketball year or it was a fluke.I can say that about Scranton I except that they lost I dont make excuses, this is the second time I heard you defend Amherst losing!Personally I hope you dont vote because you show your bias everytime! I question such a fact about Amherst dropping because they have 3 losses,Wartburg 3 losses Chicago which
has3 losses Teams went 1-1 Scranton went 2-0 why did Scranton drop three weeks ago 597today 221why?Amherst 600 today 401 why did 3 teams not drop much but one slid 376 points while Amherst dropped a whopping 198 and Wartburg Why?Just explain 398 compared to 198 and winning two games not picking up points but losing more and other teams losing and dropping 3 pts why is that?I always hear about the points I'm focused on the points,I would like to know what warrants one team to drop almost 400 pts in 3 weeks why other drop198 or less?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

How many games have you watched of Amherst? Of the rest of the NESCAC? Of Wartburg, or Loras, or UWW, or the rest of the nation?

[Roundball999]

This may have something to do with it: strength of schedule, games played to date, 1st number Massey Sos rating, 2nd number NCAA SoS rating:

Wartburg 7, 64
Amherst 21, 1
Chicago 30, 53
Scranton 141, 114

Some disparities between the two methods but trend is pretty clear.  Most importantly, it is the 2nd number that is one of the NCAA's primary selection criteria for the tournament.  But regional considerations are also very important.

[Rofrog]

Ryan I watch alot I've been following the game since 1978.Ive been following the Royals men and women since then I missed one final four of the mens and one of the womens.I guess you couldn't answer the question so you asked me.Yes I watch alot of games thanks to d3hoops see back in the days we would have to look at the paper just to get scores so yes we are spoiled with Pat's d3hoops program!

[Rofrog]

I doubt they use sos!If that was the case why was Scranton ranked 3rd?Nobody explained it yet why one team has 3 losses and drops 400 pts but team b,c loses 195 and they have 3 losses also why is the two team s superior over an other.You think Scranton would get the nod because they went to the final four last year and brought 4 of 5 starters back.It is every year you give Amherst the upper hand and your afraid to move them out.

[Pat Coleman]

I doubt they use sos!If that was the case why was Scranton ranked 3rd?Nobody explained it yet why one team has 3 losses and drops 400 pts but team b,c loses 195 and they have 3 losses also why is the two team s superior over an other.You think Scranton would get the nod because they went to the final four last year and brought 4 of 5 starters back.It is every year you give Amherst the upper hand and your afraid to move them out.

Hi, Rofrog -- this will be my last attempt to try to get you to read my comment, so I hope you do pay attention.

Nobody explained it yet why one team has 3 losses and drops 400 pts but team b,c loses 195 and they have 3 losses also why is the two team s superior over an other.

1. Scranton's three losses and Amherst's three losses are not the same. Not all losses are the same -- just because they have the same total of losses, doesn't mean they are the same losses.

2. Amherst lost, but so did UW-Whitewater, Loras and Wartburg, all in the same part of the poll. You can't just look at one team's results and determine where they will end up in the next poll, because that is also affected by all the teams around them and their results as well.

You think Scranton would get the nod because they went to the final four last year and brought 4 of 5 starters back.

They didn't bring back the coach, though. That is also a significant factor that the voters do not gloss over as easily as you do.

It is every year you give Amherst the upper hand and your afraid to move them out.

Every year, other than last year, the voters are proven right by this. Scranton has been to one Final Four in 10 years, while Amherst has been to seven and has won three titles. Which of those two teams should voters have more general confidence in, especially considering that G.P. Gromacki is still at Amherst?

[gordonmann]

Stanky's Fish Fry & Beer Garden in Nescopeck has the Lady Royal's 8th this week in their weekly poll.

You can subscribe to their poll with 4 easy clicks.

It's been around for years and they've picked the Final Four teams in 8 out of the last 10 years.

You can also subscribe to get the poll via fax machine, like I did. Comes with coupons for half-off deals on French Fry Fridays 

Here's what the Stanky Top 25 looks like this week

1. Scranton
2. King's
3. Misericordia
4. Lackawanna Junior  College
5. Marywood
6. Keystone
7. Wilkes
8. Clarks Summitt
9. Penn State-Scranton
10. Penn State-Wilkes Barre
11. Penn State-Hazleton
12. Penn State-Hazle Barre
13. Scranton JV
14. King's JV
15. Misericordia JV
16. Tufts
17. Luzerne County Community College - Nanticoke Branch
18. Scranton Varsity (this time only shooting with off hand)
19. King's Varsity (this time playing blind folded)
20. Misericordia Varsity (this time playing while wearing roller skates)
21. <Can't read this one -- Fax machines are kind of old technology>
22. Thomas More
23. Royals with Cheese (Top Women's Intramural team at Scranton)
24. Long live the Queen (Top Women's Intramural team at King's)
25. Misery loves Three's Company (Top Women's Intramural team at Misericordia

Also receiving votes: Amherst; George Fox

[Rofrog]

Well Pat if it had to do with new coach why rank them 3rd .Cmon them excuses do not hold water for the question I asked because Tufts also has a  new Head Coach.My question is why did one team with 3 losses lose 387 or so points for 3 losses mind you them teams behind Amherst lost while Scranton won and still dropped but back to the question Scranton loses 387 or more points while Amherst,Wartburg only lost 197 or so points how do you configure that?Why is it that lopsided? Scranton lost to GF still ranked Amherst lost to Emmanuel not ranked,Scranton losses to Etown 9-7 Amherst lost to No.1 Tufts Scranton losses to Catholic 13-3 and Amherst lost to Hamilton 12-6 another bad loss.So if your saying because they held in tight with the number one team we shouldn't punish them(Okay I give you a little lead way on that) But losing to Emmanuel and Hamilton is not a good loss just like Scranton losing to Etown is not a good loss.