|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 20, 2022 18:02:42 GMT -5
Those exact words were said 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago . Still waiting, Soccer continues to grow in popularity in the U.S. For example, the MLS had a higher average attendance in 2022 for the regular season than the NBA had for the 2021–22 season. Ratings in the U.S. for the English Premier league are strong and continue to go up. Etc. The US versus England World Cup game last week produced a TV audience in this country of over 20 million people. And World Cup ratings in total are up dramatically. The U.S. TV audience for the championship game was about 26 million. That's more than twice what the average was for the NBA finals. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 20, 2022 17:10:58 GMT -5
I am an eternal optimist and LS makes me look like a pessimist! I may be wrong but there may not be a team in the PL as strong as VT was today. I may be wrong, but I will be surprised if there aren't at least two PL teams ranked ahead of Vermont when the season ends. Likely more than two. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 16, 2022 17:51:49 GMT -5
Though facing a relatively easy schedule, Fordham is 11-1 You are being generous. Their OOC schedule presently ranks # 363. That is dead last of all D1 programs in the nation. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 13, 2022 20:21:17 GMT -5
I wish all the pundits in that crowd talking about CD would just give Geno his due. He's the best coach ever in women's hoops. Is there another head coach out there that media/commentators/announcers single out and points to the lead assistant as the key reason for the success? Or make the suggestion that the success doesn't happen without the assistant? Nope. Just for Geno. ESPN is probably the most responsible for UConn Basketball success. that’s beyond silly. There are a lot of factors, but the coaches are clearly at the top of the list. When it comes to women's basketball, Auriemma had won multiple national championships before ESPN even knew the UConn program existed. But there is one TV network that does deserve part of the credit, i.e. CPTV. CPTV televised virtually every UConn women's game to the entire state of CT for decades, as well as Auriemma's own show and many specials about the program. It produced their biggest ratings and their largest donations, and created a following all over a state that had no pro teams. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 13, 2022 17:20:33 GMT -5
Geno and Bill Belichick. The aura of invincibility is gone but who in their right mind walks away from those salaries and national acclaim if they don't have to? I think Geno has slipped less than Bill. The debate over whether it was Bill or Tom has been settled for now but one more ring for Bill and it will be reignited. A debate of whether it was Geno or CD is an interesting one. There is no way to prove any national championships would have been won if it was Geno and Sue or Geno and Mary instead of Geno and Chris Dailey as Head Coach and Associate HC. I don't think Geno has slipped much, if at all. With a healthy roster, they would be no worse than #2 in the nation. Next year they will be a strong contender for the national championship if they stay healthy. And he has a very good recruiting class arriving in the fall. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 12, 2022 18:15:59 GMT -5
Got it. So the purpose of the post was to highlight HC not having any games on CBS Sports Network (basically on the same level or below ESPN+), rather than pointing out BU having three games on this network. Thank you for your transparency. Highlight the difference in having a program that has the support of the school and not on their fourth coach since BU started their program. Highlight the difference between having a massive enrollment and no football, allowing 12.6 lacrosse scholarships - as opposed to being a small school with football, and only a few lax scholarships. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 12, 2022 12:16:21 GMT -5
As we head into the exam break, the league is struggling with HC (8-2) and BU (5-4) the only teams with a winning record the bottom 5 teams, Leh, AWP, Laf, AU and Navy have a combined 5-40 record vs.D.1 schools - WOW - reminds me of the ineptitude with PL football after HC and Fordham Yes, Lehigh is a bottom five if viewed strictly by record - but they are a top four if strength of schedule is factored in. Their schedule ranks as the third most difficult in the PL, after American and Bucknell. I will be surprised if they aren't a contender. Current Massey rankings: 165 Holy Cross 186 Bucknell 202 Boston Univ 222 Lehigh 288 Colgate 302 Loyola MD 308 Lafayette 309 American Univ 314 Army 353 Navy |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 10, 2022 19:55:47 GMT -5
Does UNH have the academic gravitas to be in the PL? Wouldn't PL standards & rules such as AI, 5th year players, number of scholarships present a problem? State schools offer a wide range of academic choices to a wide range of students. They are an integral, important part of the landscape of higher education. Would think Richmond, W&M (public) and Villanova would be a better fit for the PL. But, doubt if any would want to adopt PL standards & rules. More likely UNH might have been trying to add HC to the CAA. We wouldbring a lot of academic prestige. Personally, It appears HC has found the correct landing place in the PL. The majority of the UNH recruits would not make it in under the AI. Also the rule barring redshirts would be a big deal to UNH. Unless the PL decides to abandon its principles, there’s no chance of UNH even being discussed. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 10, 2022 19:39:47 GMT -5
Does UNH have the academic gravitas to be in the PL? Wouldn't PL standards & rules such as AI, 5th year players, number of scholarships present a problem? State schools offer a wide range of academic choices to a wide range of students. They are an integral, important part of the landscape of higher education. Would think Richmond, W&M (public) and Villanova would be a better fit for the PL. But, doubt if any would want to adopt PL standards & rules. More likely UNH might have been trying to add HC to the CAA. We wouldbring a lot of academic prestige. Personally, It appears HC has found the correct landing place in the PL. The majority of the UNH recruits would not make it in under the AI. Also the rule barring redshirts would be a big deal to UNH. Unless the PL decides to abandon its principles, there’s no chance of UNH even being discussed. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 9, 2022 11:44:08 GMT -5
I was going to ask if UMass was having any. UMass Lowell is 10-1; only loss by 8 to Rutgers. They now rank 113th nationally (Pomeroy). . UMass ranks number 131. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 8, 2022 22:44:10 GMT -5
...and Stonehill beat the spread anyway. Vegas must be going crazy ! does anyone know what the Vegas spread was? if there was one. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 8, 2022 20:21:03 GMT -5
Poor defensive effort from what I have seen. Don't know why people thought this was an easy game. Both teams beat UNH by the same margin. Sounded like a tossup to me. But Stonehill also was blown out by Lehigh, blown out by Fairfield, blown out by Oakland, and blown out by Vermont. Massey had HC as a 15 point favorite and HerHoopStats had HS as a 16 point favorite. Based on their bodies of work, that sounds about right. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 8, 2022 1:07:51 GMT -5
You make a very important point. And beyond the quality of the first round opponent is the women's tournament format. The top 16 teams host four-team pods the first weekend while the bottom 16 have to play a top four seed on their home court in the opener. So if you get a 13-16 seed, as PL teams usually do, you play a very strong team on their home court. But if you can get a 12 seed or better, you play your first game on a neutral court vs a somewhat weaker team (likely a 5 or 6 seed). As an example, look at the Bucknell teams of 2017 and 2019. In 2017, they went 27-5 (16-2 in the PL) and won the PL tournament. Didn't get much respect from the NCAA committee and ended up as a 14 seed playing at Maryland, who at the time was #4 in the nation and should have been better than a 3 seed (34-2 record and Big Ten champs, with only losses to UConn and at OSU). Bucknell got blown out by 30+ points. Two years later, they had a similar team: 28-5 (16-2 in PL) and again won the PL tournament. They got a lot more respect this time, maybe because their schedule was slightly harder, maybe because they had put together four really good seasons in a row. Anyway, they ended up as a 12 seed, facing #5 Florida State on a neutral court. Could easily have won and had two open threes to tie the game in the final five seconds. Unfortunately were outrebounded 44-23 or they might have been an easy winner. In any event, playing a #5 seed on a neutral court was a MUCH easier task than to have been playing a 4 seed in their own building. Had they been a 13 seed in the same bracket, they would have opened with powerhouse South Carolina on their home court. If Bucknell had beat Florida State, they would have had to face four seed on the home court in the round of 32. Still a tough task. Yes, I referred to that out in my post. But it’s a big difference winning a first round game and then facing a top seed in the second round - as opposed to being beaten badly in round one and immediately heading home. There would’ve been celebrations all over the patriot league had Bucknell ended up winning that game, as no PL team has ever won an NCAA tournament game in women’s basketball since they stopped giving byes to the top 16 teams in the early 90’s. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 7, 2022 19:03:13 GMT -5
Every contending team should have an interest in the success of the league's out of conference schedule. The champion of a weak league could end up a 15- or 16-seed in the ncaa tournament instead of a 14. That's a huge difference for a PL team looking to pull a big upset. I realize not every team in the league is a consistent contender for the league championship, but fans of the Bucknells, Lehighs, Boston Univs and Crusaders of the world should be rooting for these other schools. Because a poor OOC performance means that our league representative is going to have to play a UConn type team instead of a Marquette. We're in it together as far as the OOC goes. You make a very important point. And beyond the quality of the first round opponent is the women's tournament format. The top 16 teams host four-team pods the first weekend while the bottom 16 have to play a top four seed on their home court in the opener. So if you get a 13-16 seed, as PL teams usually do, you play a very strong team on their home court. But if you can get a 12 seed or better, you play your first game on a neutral court vs a somewhat weaker team (likely a 5 or 6 seed). As an example, look at the Bucknell teams of 2017 and 2019. In 2017, they went 27-5 (16-2 in the PL) and won the PL tournament. Didn't get much respect from the NCAA committee and ended up as a 14 seed playing at Maryland, who at the time was #4 in the nation and should have been better than a 3 seed (34-2 record and Big Ten champs, with only losses to UConn and at OSU). Bucknell got blown out by 30+ points. Two years later, they had a similar team: 28-5 (16-2 in PL) and again won the PL tournament. They got a lot more respect this time, maybe because their schedule was slightly harder, maybe because they had put together four really good seasons in a row. Anyway, they ended up as a 12 seed, facing #5 Florida State on a neutral court. Could easily have won and had two open threes to tie the game in the final five seconds. Unfortunately were outrebounded 44-23 or they might have been an easy winner. In any event, playing a #5 seed on a neutral court was a MUCH easier task than to have been playing a 4 seed in their own building. Had they been a 13 seed in the same bracket, they would have opened with powerhouse South Carolina on their home court. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 7, 2022 13:55:35 GMT -5
Lafayette is off to a 1-9 start but against a much tougher schedule than we have played and it doesn’t appear anyone has blown them out. LC's SOS currently is ranked #53 (Pomeroy). Their schedule is the toughest of any PL team by a wide margin. Right now LC ranks as the 7th best PL team. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 4, 2022 19:49:31 GMT -5
Should be a tough one against the undefeated Bobcats. They lost to Hofstra a week ago and then lost at home today to Niagara. Pomeroy makes Q a 9-point favorite at HC. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 3, 2022 20:47:31 GMT -5
Today Navy dropped to 0-9, American to 0-7, and Lafayette got crushed/embarrassed as noted above. Lehigh also took a beating from LaSalle and Loyola lost to a weak Mount saint Mary's team. The Crusaders are holding the flag for the league right now. That's fine by me. But it was a rough day today for the league. Fwiw, Bucknell did beat Stony Brook by six points today, so there are two hoisting the flag right now. SB was ranked #178 by Massey, so it was expected to be a close game. Boston U plays at BC tomorrow afternoon. It will be interesting to see if they keep it close. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 3, 2022 0:21:25 GMT -5
Soccer is the sport of the future in the United States. And it always will be. Those exact words were said 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago . Still waiting, Soccer continues to grow in popularity in the U.S. For example, the MLS had a higher average attendance in 2022 for the regular season than the NBA had for the 2021–22 season. Ratings in the U.S. for the English Premier league are strong and continue to go up. Etc. The US versus England World Cup game last week produced a TV audience in this country of over 20 million people. And World Cup ratings in total are up dramatically. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 2, 2022 13:13:43 GMT -5
I’d put Loyola Maryland as a dark horse for a top 4 finish. Therien is a beast and I believe O’Banion brought in some transfers. Looks like they are on the up and up. Bucknell’s challenges are not particularly surprising, Woodruff had success the previous 3 seasons with the previous coach’s roster, last season there were already some cracks forming in the foundation. I think it will be a rough season for them, considering they are playing a comparable OOC to last season and underperforming. Lehigh has a new coach, Troyan stepped down, but they have a lot of established talent that should make them an easy top 4 team. HC is perennial as well, Magarity is such a fantastic coach, the loss of AL will be compensated for. However, Boston really is the team to beat. Therien is definitely a great player, and O'Banion has likely been a coaching upgrade - but I'd be surprised to see Loyola push into the top four. There's a big gap right now, based on performance thus far this year. As for transfers, I think Loyola only has one (Sims), who was a benchwarmer last year at Albany. Good rebounder but not a game changer. As for Bucknell, they have played a MUCH tougher schedule than Loyola, which is why they are ranked way ahead of them in every credible ranking system. They may be "underperforming" but they are still ranked as the #2 team in the PL. Bucknell's schedule through seven games this year is unquestionably harder than their schedule was last year btw. As for Woodruff's recruits, his current freshman and sophomore classes are at the same level as Roussell's good classes. Actually had more and better offers than most Roussell recruits. It just took Woodruff and staff a year to figure it out, as his first class (three of the four current juniors) was not good. I think Lehigh is one of the two most talented teams and could easily win the title. Losing Sue Troyan is bound to be a plus as far as actual coaching goes. She was a very good recruiter but a negative on the bench. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 2, 2022 0:36:53 GMT -5
Massey rankings for PL teams thus far are as follows:
179 HC
184 Bucknell
197 Boston U
209 Lehigh
287 American
288 Colgate
302 Loyola
306 Lafayette
315 Army
351 Navy
As mentioned above, a down year so far. Definitely looks like it may be a four team fight. I wonder what Navy thinks about the decision to fire their winningest all-time coach, Stephanie Pemper, 2.5 years ago. It’s still too early to tell, but so far it doesn’t look good.
Bucknell’s worst ranking in the past eight years was number 150. Woodruff will have a lot of work to do to get them up to that ranking by year end.
|
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 2, 2022 0:17:04 GMT -5
Unless we get a nice check from the Cuse, why are we subjecting our kids to the kind of shellacking we receive vs them ? Our OOC schedule should have more MAAC schools which is a lower level than the PL There can’t be much of a check because Syracuse will draw about 2400 for this game, with the season ticket holders paying $10 each and students getting in for free. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 2, 2022 0:10:59 GMT -5
For what it’s worth, the high temperature in Providence that day was 23° and the low was 9°. So figure it was probably high teens at the start of the game. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 2, 2022 0:00:33 GMT -5
Too bad O'Brien was not out there too. That would be fun for them I imagine. As you probably know, O’Brien has been out with a leg injury, possibly a high ankle sprain. Prior to that, she was leading Florida State in minutes played per game (35 mpg) and was averaging 16.5 PPG. Florida state has surprise some people by starting out the season with an 8–1 record. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Dec 1, 2022 23:20:31 GMT -5
Bucknell is playing a tough OOC schedule. And they have A LOT of young players. They are going to be pretty tough when playoffs arrive. And I'd put Lehigh in the upper tier. They have a frosh...Lily Fandre, who is a stud. If Kramer and Hottinger and Fandre are healthy, they'll be in every game they play. As you say, Bucknell is a very young team and is suffering through some growing pains. Also the entire team over the last few weeks had RSV, which obviously did not help. Their current starting team consists of one senior, three sophomores, and one freshman. But the way things are developing, it is possible that a freshman center may take a lot of the minutes away from the senior at some point And one of the first two subs off the bench is another freshman, so the team has some very good potential for the next few years. |
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Nov 29, 2022 15:23:23 GMT -5
Comment from an Iranian human rights activist:
“ “The U.S. took a huge stand here by removing the emblem from the fraudulent Islamic Republic’s flag that has become for Iranians a symbol of torture, suffering, and oppression. This is NOT our flag. Thank you thank you thank you.”
|
|
