Showing posts with label NCAA tournament. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA tournament. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
ISU Basketball Rankings for 2/27/12
Well, who could have envisioned this? Iowa State knocking on the door of the NCAA tournament, a chance at single-digit losses, Scotty and Melvin stepping up, Royce exceeding expectations, Fred can coach. It's truly incredible. It's rare the season that satisfies everyone, but this has to be it. I can't imagine anyone expecting a trip to the big dance when this season started. Let's just enjoy the ride.
Ken Pomeroy rankings
Rank - 30 (6th out of 10 in the Big XII)
Record by projected wins and losses - 22-9 (12-6 in Big XII)
Aggregate projected record - 21-10 (11-7 in Big XII)
Sagarin rankings
Rank - 33 (6th out of 10 in the Big XII)
Record by projected wins and losses - 21-10 (11-7 in Big XII)
There's not much to point out now. The record really speaks for itself. Any wins from here on out should be considered icing on the cake. The Cyclones offense always had the possibility of being explosive, what's surprising is the defense is starting to get stingy now. Babb has advanced from being a lockdown defender to more active in forcing turnovers. He's an important asset. What's most impressive is Royce's improvement on the defensive end. He's spent most of the season avoiding fouls but has been more imposing over the last few games. He'll need to be more agressive for this team to be successful in the Big XII tournament and NCAAs.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Turning Point for ISU Athletics?
With the recent success of ISU men's basketball I couldn't help but take a step back and look at how this 2011-2012 academic year is progressing.
Football
It started with a football season that was destined for at best mediocrity and a below .500 record. What turned out doesn't appear to be much better with the final record reading 6-7. However, for a team that was favored it just TWO games all year long this is monumental. Add in a thrilling victory over Iowa, some domination over Texas Tech and a victory over the #2 team in the nation and ISU football now has several monkeys off their back.
Maybe more important for future success was the publicity ISU got throughout the end of the season because of Paul Rhoads. As with any successful coach, other schools will come calling. Rhoads answered those calls with a 10-year extension. An almost unheard of length for a college football coach. ISU has had consistency before at the head coach position in Dan McCarney. He brought ISU from the dead to having a pulse. It looks like Rhoads is now primed to take this program to being recognized nationally. If you have any doubts check out some of the offer lists of this recruiting class. This kid, Gary Simon, will choose on National Signing Day between Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa State. That is significant. Sure, ISU is still going to arm wrestle with some MAC schools over a few recruits. Almost every BCS program does. However, athletes are beginning to take notice of what is going on in Ames. They see a passionate coach that doesn't appear to be leaving any time soon, possibility of early playing time and a chance to take down the big boys on ESPN. ISU hasn't got this much publicity since the year of Seneca. Even then, their publicity was short lived. The key for ISU going forward is consistency. This means making bowl games every year, knocking off an upset a year and periodically sneaking up to 8 or 9 wins. ISU has consistency in the coaching staff, a very, very young offense and a wizard calling the shots on defense. Football may never look back.
Basketball
Pollard took a calculated risk in hiring Fred Hoiberg just a season ago. As an ISU legend he was a popular hire with the fan base. If anyone would get the support of the fan base it would be Freddy. Fred had ZERO coaching experience when he was hired. Although at times it has reared its ugly head, Fred has also shown, in my opinion, what is even more important: the ability to recruit talent.
Many were skeptical of Hoiberg bringing in transfer players. Afterall, there was a reason that they were leaving their former schools. That didn't stop Hoiberg from bringing in a former 19th ranked recruit, a player with two Final Fours under his belt and two other significant contributors. As if that wasn't enough for him he brought in the point guard from a Final Four team and the second leading scorer in the Mountain West behind Jimmer Fredette. According to multiple Hoiberg quotes Clyburn has the most NBA potential out of anyone on the team.
It does appear as though he has slowed down on the transfer front, but he is competing with the big boys for the diaper-dandies now. Hoiberg has a stigma to him that is hard to ignore. The guy has the looks and style to steal any mom's heart. He has the NBA contacts and sales pitch to steal an 18 year olds heart. There is just something to be said for having a plethora of NBA scouts in the stands every home conference game.
Young basketball players are selfish now. They want to shoot, they want to score the want to get into the league. Hoiberg is offering every kid this opportunity. I am a firm believer in the thought that the smartest coach on the floor is the one with the best players. Hoiberg is growing as a coach, but his knack for recruiting is hard to ignore.
As we sit here six games into the conference season, ISU has hope once again of making it into the NCAA tournament. This is how it is supposed to be at ISU right? Even the last time ISU made the tournament they started 0-5 in the conference. ISU is 4-2 with close losses to two separate top-10 teams. The point of the matter is that once again ISU is looking toward post-season play. Hilton Magic is coming back slowly and recruits are looking towards Ames, Iowa as place to spend their collegiate career.
I realize there is more to ISU than just football and men's basketball. Let's be real. Those two sports run the athletic department at a majority of universities. What I enjoy most about these teams is they put a product on the field and court that I can be proud of. Their style of play is fun to watch and I am filled with optimism once again. I am not asking for a National Championship (give it a year or two), but I enjoy watching every game knowing there is a chance to win, not just cover the spread. ISU has long been the underdog and for the first time in a while it appears they are biting back.
Football
It started with a football season that was destined for at best mediocrity and a below .500 record. What turned out doesn't appear to be much better with the final record reading 6-7. However, for a team that was favored it just TWO games all year long this is monumental. Add in a thrilling victory over Iowa, some domination over Texas Tech and a victory over the #2 team in the nation and ISU football now has several monkeys off their back.
Maybe more important for future success was the publicity ISU got throughout the end of the season because of Paul Rhoads. As with any successful coach, other schools will come calling. Rhoads answered those calls with a 10-year extension. An almost unheard of length for a college football coach. ISU has had consistency before at the head coach position in Dan McCarney. He brought ISU from the dead to having a pulse. It looks like Rhoads is now primed to take this program to being recognized nationally. If you have any doubts check out some of the offer lists of this recruiting class. This kid, Gary Simon, will choose on National Signing Day between Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa State. That is significant. Sure, ISU is still going to arm wrestle with some MAC schools over a few recruits. Almost every BCS program does. However, athletes are beginning to take notice of what is going on in Ames. They see a passionate coach that doesn't appear to be leaving any time soon, possibility of early playing time and a chance to take down the big boys on ESPN. ISU hasn't got this much publicity since the year of Seneca. Even then, their publicity was short lived. The key for ISU going forward is consistency. This means making bowl games every year, knocking off an upset a year and periodically sneaking up to 8 or 9 wins. ISU has consistency in the coaching staff, a very, very young offense and a wizard calling the shots on defense. Football may never look back.
Basketball
Pollard took a calculated risk in hiring Fred Hoiberg just a season ago. As an ISU legend he was a popular hire with the fan base. If anyone would get the support of the fan base it would be Freddy. Fred had ZERO coaching experience when he was hired. Although at times it has reared its ugly head, Fred has also shown, in my opinion, what is even more important: the ability to recruit talent.
Many were skeptical of Hoiberg bringing in transfer players. Afterall, there was a reason that they were leaving their former schools. That didn't stop Hoiberg from bringing in a former 19th ranked recruit, a player with two Final Fours under his belt and two other significant contributors. As if that wasn't enough for him he brought in the point guard from a Final Four team and the second leading scorer in the Mountain West behind Jimmer Fredette. According to multiple Hoiberg quotes Clyburn has the most NBA potential out of anyone on the team.
It does appear as though he has slowed down on the transfer front, but he is competing with the big boys for the diaper-dandies now. Hoiberg has a stigma to him that is hard to ignore. The guy has the looks and style to steal any mom's heart. He has the NBA contacts and sales pitch to steal an 18 year olds heart. There is just something to be said for having a plethora of NBA scouts in the stands every home conference game.
Young basketball players are selfish now. They want to shoot, they want to score the want to get into the league. Hoiberg is offering every kid this opportunity. I am a firm believer in the thought that the smartest coach on the floor is the one with the best players. Hoiberg is growing as a coach, but his knack for recruiting is hard to ignore.
As we sit here six games into the conference season, ISU has hope once again of making it into the NCAA tournament. This is how it is supposed to be at ISU right? Even the last time ISU made the tournament they started 0-5 in the conference. ISU is 4-2 with close losses to two separate top-10 teams. The point of the matter is that once again ISU is looking toward post-season play. Hilton Magic is coming back slowly and recruits are looking towards Ames, Iowa as place to spend their collegiate career.
I realize there is more to ISU than just football and men's basketball. Let's be real. Those two sports run the athletic department at a majority of universities. What I enjoy most about these teams is they put a product on the field and court that I can be proud of. Their style of play is fun to watch and I am filled with optimism once again. I am not asking for a National Championship (give it a year or two), but I enjoy watching every game knowing there is a chance to win, not just cover the spread. ISU has long been the underdog and for the first time in a while it appears they are biting back.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
NCAA Tournament Selection Process
I caught this on kenpom.com. It describes the NCAA tournament selection process. It's a lot more democratic than I expected it to be. Committee members who are affiliated with a team participate in the discussion but remove themselves from the voting. Most teams are voted on many, many times before they are selected for the tournament and then again when they are seeded. Here's the write-up on the process:
http://www.midmajority.com/p/1296
It looks like the big names probably have an edge, especially early in the process. The further it goes along, the more it's up to the numbers. How exactly, is up to the individual voter, but conference affiliation or actual game play gets clouded by the numbers. The committee makes extensive use of the following selection sheet:
http://www.bbstate.com/schools/DUKE/sheet
Assuming the committee members are knowledgable about college basketball and don't have unconscious biases, they probably come up with the best tournament possible. Between the last four in and the first four out it's likely a pickem, but it looks like at that point it's so close that one more quality win would be enough to take a team off the bubble. So ultimately, it's up to the team to prove that it belongs.
At the end of the article, the placement of teams is discussed. I still don't like the home-court feel that the top seeds get, but I get that the NCAA wants people to show up to the games without spending a ton of money.
After reading these, there isn't much to argue about with the system. Even if there are biases coming into the selection process, they're likely pounded out of the members over the 5 days. If a team is good enough, it'll make it. If it's on the bubble and makes it, it's lucky. If a team just missed, it should have won another game or two.
http://www.midmajority.com/p/1296
It looks like the big names probably have an edge, especially early in the process. The further it goes along, the more it's up to the numbers. How exactly, is up to the individual voter, but conference affiliation or actual game play gets clouded by the numbers. The committee makes extensive use of the following selection sheet:
http://www.bbstate.com/schools/DUKE/sheet
Assuming the committee members are knowledgable about college basketball and don't have unconscious biases, they probably come up with the best tournament possible. Between the last four in and the first four out it's likely a pickem, but it looks like at that point it's so close that one more quality win would be enough to take a team off the bubble. So ultimately, it's up to the team to prove that it belongs.
At the end of the article, the placement of teams is discussed. I still don't like the home-court feel that the top seeds get, but I get that the NCAA wants people to show up to the games without spending a ton of money.
After reading these, there isn't much to argue about with the system. Even if there are biases coming into the selection process, they're likely pounded out of the members over the 5 days. If a team is good enough, it'll make it. If it's on the bubble and makes it, it's lucky. If a team just missed, it should have won another game or two.
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