Ranking Conferences

[visitingcock]

With the Release of NET rankings yesterday, the NET ranks the conferences as:
1. PAC
2. ACC
3. SEC
4. Big 12
5. Big 10
6. Big East
(See All conferences at Conference NET Ranking - 2023 Women's College Basketball | WarrenNolan.com )

However, that seems to be a won/loss formula only and does not take into account SOS. The PAC teams have played dreadful schedules and have fared very ooorly against OOC ranked teams. As of November 30, the conference was only 1-6 against ranked teams. ( Pac-12 WBB power ratings: Few changes as conference struggles against ranked opponents )

Stanford is only 1-1 against Quad 1 teams and has an SOS ranking of only 69. Others such as Arizona are worse.

So, what conference is REALLY the best?

Big10 followed by the ACC is the best in my eyeballs but I’m too lazy to do a deep analysis.

Your opinions?

 

[MainefanSC]

Just a thought; The "P-5" MUST be ranked 1 - 5. Otherwise a different conference would be included in the "P-5" and one of the annointed ones would be dropped out. So, with that in mind, BE is doing quite well to be the 1st also ran conference.
I didn't vote because I really don't watch any conference performance outside ours.

 

[GamecockFam]

The Big10, ACC and Big East are having good seasons as conferences. The SEC, PAC and Big12 seem to be top heavy. That's how I view it. I don't know about ranking them all, but those are the groupings in my head.

 

[visitingcock]

Just a thought; The "P-5" MUST be ranked 1 - 5. Otherwise a different conference would be included in the "P-5" and one of the annointed ones would be dropped out. So, with that in mind, BE is doing quite well to be the 1st also ran conference.
I didn't vote because I really don't watch any conference performance outside ours.

I would say that wbb has a P-6. The Big East is probably not the sixth best conference. It looks better than at least aa couple of p-5s against ranked teams. What has the PAC proven? What has the SEC (other than SCar) proven?

 

[SCGamecock]

The Big 10 teams look great to me… and I wouldn’t have said that’d be the case 6 weeks ago.

 

[visitingcock]

Four votes for the PAC. I wish the voters would comment for those votes. Other than win/loss percentage, I just don't get it. Yes, two PAC teams have played well against my team, but . . .

 

[TheFarmFan]

Four votes for the PAC. I wish the voters would comment for those votes. Other than win/loss percentage, I just don't get it. Yes, two PAC teams have played well against my team, but . . .

Since the Pac-12 is ranked number one by NET, Massey, and ELO, isn't the burden on others to justify why all three of those ranking systems are wrong?

 

[cancontent]

The Big 10 teams look great to me… and I wouldn’t have said that’d be the case 6 weeks ago.

The Big 10 is going to be a slug fest based on what I've seen so far. It's early in conference play but we've already seen two overtime games (one that was double OT) and the marquee match ups haven't happened yet. Gotta love conference play.

 

[triaddukefan]

The ACC.

That Commonwealth/Triangle Pod is gonna be a steel cage battle royal. Hopefully Duke brings some brass knuckles.

 

[visitingcock]

Since the Pac-12 is ranked number one by NET, Massey, and ELO, isn't the burden on others to justify why all three of those ranking systems are wrong?

Show me a list of the 5 best teams that have fallen victim to the PAC. Show me the average strength of schedule of PAC teams. They play a bunch of cream puffs and run up a great OOC win loss percentage. It’s like a conference of Kim Mulkeys.

And if you say the SEC is number 6, I won’t argue.

 

[dabears17]

I grew up cheering for the OG Big East, so I’m the Big East vote. Moved to PAC land a year after UConn’s first championship, so Big East is my 2nd league.

Typically Stanford plays 2 to 3 strong teams in the pre-season. This year it was suppose to be South Carolina and Tenn. Being on the West Coast it can be difficult to schedule strong opponents. Note the article that quoted Tara, Dawn, and Barnes about scheduling difficulties.

Props to Creighton for being willing to play Stanford. What strong programs besides the PAC teams don’t require a trip from the west coast to a state that borders the Mississippi or is east of the Mississippi?

Stanford played Gonzaga twice last year and once this year. Stanford has already played 11 games.

Cal played Notre Dame.

UCLA scheduled South Carolina and Tenn. Oregon State played Iowa and North Carolina.

In December Arizona plays Kansas and Baylor- Massey 25 and 22, two highest ranked Big 12 teams.

Utah played Alabama and Oklahoma.

The PAC has 5 teams in the Massey top 15 and 3 in the top 10 Massey projected season long strength of schedule.


.

 

[genzhusk]

I grew up cheering for the OG Big East, so I’m the Big East vote. Moved to PAC land a year after UConn’s first championship, so Big East is my 2nd league.

Typically Stanford plays 2 to 3 strong teams in the pre-season. This year it was suppose to be South Carolina and Tenn. Being on the West Coast it can be difficult to schedule strong opponents. Note the article that quoted Tara, Dawn, and Barnes about scheduling difficulties.

Props to Creighton for being willing to play Stanford. What strong programs besides the PAC teams don’t require a trip from the west coast to a state that borders the Mississippi or is east of the Mississippi?

Stanford played Gonzaga twice last year and once this year. Stanford has already played 11 games.

Cal played Notre Dame.

UCLA scheduled South Carolina and Tenn. Oregon State played Iowa and North Carolina.

In December Arizona plays Kansas and Baylor- Massey 25 and 22, two highest ranked Big 12 teams.

Utah played Alabama and Oklahoma.

The PAC has 5 teams in the Massey top 15 and 3 in the top 10 Massey projected season long strength of schedule.


.

Tara also refuses to play UConn in a home and home. She can point fingers at others but she is also the problem herself. Stanford ended the last series between UConn before completion which is a shame because it is a decades long rivalry between two blue bloods. Tara is her own team’s problem because she’s afraid of Ls.

 

[genzhusk]

My opinion:

#1- I voted Big 10 because they seem to show out more in tournament time, and have a lot of returners from their top teams.

#2 - ACC is very solid this year as well as every year. They would have my second vote.

#3 - PAC. Stanford, Arizona, UCLA solid teams with inside and outside game.

#4 - BigEast largest win % over top teams this far. That can change since it’s early in the season. My biggest concern is not a lot of inside-outside balance aside from UConn. But they have proven themselves last year and this year so far.

#5/#6 - SEC has not been competitive the past two years when it came to tournament time so they would definitely not have my vote until maybe around #5 or #6. The SEC style of play is ehh. I honestly haven’t paid attention to Big 12 teams this year so who knows.

 

[jdote33]

Four votes for the PAC. I wish the voters would comment for those votes. Other than win/loss percentage, I just don't get it. Yes, two PAC teams have played well against my team, but . . .

Its very early. But I think Stanford and UCLA have looked good, UCLA did beat some good teams in the Bahamas. Utah really dominated Oklahoma and beat a couple SEC teams. Oregon has played well, and competed well against North Carolina.
So UCLA, Stanford, Utah, and Oregon all meet the eye test.
Then I think Arizona is the big wildcard. I think they are really talented but just haven't played anyone yet.

 

[dabears17]

Tara also refuses to play UConn in a home and home. She can point fingers at others but she is also the problem herself. Stanford ended the last series between UConn before completion which is a shame because it is a decades long rivalry between two blue bloods. Tara is her own team’s problem because she’s afraid of Ls.

Looking at schedules and results so far, strongest league is Big 10 or ACC, with PAC-12 depending on how Arizona does against Baylor and Kansas. Big 10 should be interesting in 2014 when UCLA and USC join the Big 10.

I'm disappointed that Stanford doesn't play UConn during the regular season, but a coach's job is to prepare their team for success for 6 weeks starting in mid-March. The Pac-12 has been a fairly strong league since 2015 (Washington and Oregon State made the Final Four in 2016), making it less necessary to play several strong teams pre-season.

Realistically Stanford is typically somewhere between the 2nd and 5th best team most years. In 2021 Pretchel got hot against Louisville in the Elite 8, and the last two games came down to the last shot. Pretchel doesn't get hot, and Stanford loses in the Elite 8. In 2010 Final Four Jayne Appel goes 0 for 12 playing on a broken foot. If one or two of those drop in, Stanford likely wins their 3rd championship in 2010. I definitely sympathize with UConn's injuries the past two years.

As a Big East fan growing up, I'm glad to see Big East basketball getting stronger. UConn has had to play a stronger OOC schedule because of being in a weaker conference.

 

[visitingcock]

Its very early. But I think Stanford and UCLA have looked good, UCLA did beat some good teams in the Bahamas. Utah really dominated Oklahoma and beat a couple SEC teams. Oregon has played well, and competed well against North Carolina.
So UCLA, Stanford, Utah, and Oregon all meet the eye test.
Then I think Arizona is the big wildcard. I think they are really talented but just haven't played anyone yet.

I also think Arizona is talented but haven't played anyone. Then, again, I thought Tennessee was very talented . . ..

 

[cancontent]

I also think Arizona is talented but haven't played anyone. Then, again, I thought Tennessee was very talented . . ..

Fair, but at least Tennessee has played a competitive group of teams as part of their non-conference schedule. Talented or not, they've challenged the team.

 

[jdote33]

I also think Arizona is talented but haven't played anyone. Then, again, I thought Tennessee was very talented . . ..

Lol I mean they do play Kansas Thursday and I think Baylor in less than two weeks. Who was ur pick for top conference, if you don't mind sharing.

 

[SECbbfan24]

I also think Arizona is talented but haven't played anyone. Then, again, I thought Tennessee was very talented . . ..

TN is talented, that said they have lost all their meaningful games so far. But to their credit they have challenged themselves with a very strong schedule. Ohio St, Indiana, UCLA, Gonzaga, and VT are very strong respectable teams. Their losses aren't due to lack of talent IMO. I simply think Indiana and Ohio St are just straight up better teams, which isn't a bad thing because both are quite literally top 5/6 teams in the country.

I like Arizona. The game against Baylor should be a good tool to better assess them.

 

[jonson]

I also think that it's worthy noting that over the past nine tournaments 6 different teams in the Pac 12 have made the Final Four: Stanford, Cal, Washington, Arizona, Oregon State, Oregon. That's half the conference.

 

[visitingcock]

Lol I mean they do play Kansas Thursday and I think Baylor in less than two weeks. Who was ur pick for top conference, if you don't mind sharing.

Big 10 and/or ACC. Good teams. PAC might be third. Free good wind with nearly excusable loses. big East 4th SEC 5th with Big East because of SCar’s wins. big 12 last though an Iowa State win might help them Tonight.

 

[triaddukefan]

I also think that it's worthy noting that over the past nine tournaments 6 different teams in the Pac 12 have made the Final Four: Stanford, Cal, Washington, Arizona, Oregon State, Oregon. That's half the conference.

That is remarkable. Unfortunately 2 of those schools haven almost fallen off the face of the earth, and another is on more gradual downhill slope.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Tara is her own team’s problem because she’s afraid of Ls.

Well, they've played a home and home with South Carolina, and lost both. Kinda hard to take your point seriously based on that series.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Well, they've played a home and home with South Carolina, and lost both. Kinda hard to take your point seriously based on that series.

Exactly. I'm a really big Geno fan, unlike most of my fellow Stanford faithful, and my sense is that Tara is not, and that has more to do with it than avoiding UConn or any top team, per se. (How many years did we lose to Tennessee during the Pat era?)

We generally only make 0-2 trips back east per non-conference season, and most are to give upperclassmen from east coast states a "home" game, or to play "old friends" like Dawn. (and we get so many players from Texas that home and aways with Baylor or Texas have become pretty routine for that reason alone.)

Tara is very intentional about her scheduling of away games and it's generally not about avoiding Ls.

 

[genzhusk]

Well, they've played a home and home with South Carolina, and lost both. Kinda hard to take your point seriously based on that series.

Yet Tara does turn down top teams. So thus, yes she does contribute to her own problem.