Pre-Season AP Poll

2,983 Views | 36 Replies | Last: 9 days ago by bobinator
Snowball12
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll

A&M at 13th
Complete Idiot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Thanks.

9 SEC teams ranked, 3 above us.
greg.w.h
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
With no evidence, we could be anything!!!
miller0926
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
When's the last time Kentucky had this low of a preseason ranking?
bobinator
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
miller0926 said:

When's the last time Kentucky had this low of a preseason ranking?
They were unranked in the 2009 preseason poll under BCG.

But them being ranked at all is a testament to the power of their jerseys. This is an entirely new roster with a new coach.

(Note: read the graphic wrong)
bobinator
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
13th is about what I expected for us. This is going to be an awesome season.

13th ties our all-time high preseason ranking with the 2007-08 team in Turgeon's first season.
Complete Idiot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Can we play consistently strong throughout a season?

No slow non con start and having to save the season in conference play?

No good non con start only to have bad conference start or conference losing streak?

Or is that just the nature of this staff's teams and as long as we finish on an upswing that's good enough?
Know Your Enemy
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Did we start slow last season? My memory sucks these days.
bobinator
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
This team should be deeper and with more options than other teams we've had recently that should keep us from being quite so volatile. It's basketball and every season is gonna have rough patches for most teams, but I think this team will a) be able to win some games even when not playing that well and b) be able to adjust and pull out of funks faster
Complete Idiot
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Know Your Enemy said:

Did we start slow last season? My memory sucks these days.
2 years ago started 6-5 in non con - not good.

Last year we were ranked 12th after 7 games - good. Then lost 3 of 4 (UVA, Memphis, UH - only 1 "bad" loss). But also started 6-9 in conference.

It moves around within the season but there seem to be stretches where the teams struggle.
greg.w.h
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I think Buzz is like Cal in the sense he does actively coach and adjust, but he wants the players to regulate their own application of the game plan and decisions in the floor. The difference is that Cal usually has better athletes than Buzz does. But it might be that Buzz builds to a more consistent high if he can start groups that have the experience this team has and then reload.

Not to say this has been as good as Turgeon but I think Buzz teams have a higher ceiling if they can stay consistent.

Can they? Not yet at least not here.
mikesyracuse1
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Here's the cbs sport's preseason rankings. A&M is 13th

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-kansas-earns-no-1-spot-in-preseason-ap-top-25-poll-ahead-of-alabama-uconn/

Mikesyracuse1
frenchtoast
How long do you want to ignore this user?
13th sounds pretty fair. Can't wait for the season to start!
JJxvi
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Are we really ranked high enough compered to Buzz's salary, though?
AggieNattie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Ranked above Purdue to start the season is certainly something.
Method Man
How long do you want to ignore this user?
bobinator
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Once we lost Marble, last year's team was always going to be really volatile offensively. We just had to rely way too much on perimeter shooting (which we're bad at) because we didn't have anyone who could create in the past, and for most of the season only two players who were any sort of threat off the dribble and they weren't great threats.

What absolutely killed us is that we were also volatile defensively. Having Wade and Boots on the floor already put us in a hole athletically on defense, but then we had to choose between three guys at the three spot that couldn't pass and also either couldn't do anything offensively (Manny) or two guys who were sometimes defensive liabilities and ALSO sometimes couldn't do anything offensively (Carter & Hefner).

Maybe I'm just too optimistic right now, but if Payne can be any sort of threat in the post, Phelps can just be a decent passer and Manny looks at all like he did at the end of the season I think we look completely different. Now you can play Wade off the ball more which will up his efficiency, Phelps is a better defender than Boots and now you've got Manny on the court, plus if Phelps and Wade are efficient and Payne can score you can play Solo at the three in certain matchups. There's just a lot more flexibility in playing styles that should keep us from being quite so up and down.
AggByMarriage
How long do you want to ignore this user?
greg.w.h said:

I think Buzz is like Cal in the sense he does actively coach and adjust, but he wants the players to regulate their own application of the game plan and decisions in the floor. The difference is that Cal usually has better athletes than Buzz does. But it might be that Buzz builds to a more consistent high if he can start groups that have the experience this team has and then reload.

Not to say this has been as good as Turgeon but I think Buzz teams have a higher ceiling if they can stay consistent.

Can they? Not yet at least not here.


Are you saying Calipari actively coaches? He has a record of doing the exact opposite choosing to keep lineups in place to make certain players (and their handlers) happy at the detriment of the team.

The guys on Rupp Rafters call him C3 Cal Can't Coach.

Buzz is NOT like Calipari. Thankfully.
bobinator
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I think what the gregbot meant, in a rare moment of actual clarity, is that they both tend to let players play through mistakes and try to find their own way on the court. I actually agree with that, they're both on the high end of the "how long does it take for them to call a timeout when things are going the other way" spectrum.

I think they both also spend a lot more time than most coaches trying to build team chemistry, though why they do it isn't the same. Buzz is trying to build a team that's bigger than the sum of its parts. Cal is trying to do it because they have so much roster turnover each season that he has to build team accountability from scratch practically every season so he's trying to figure out in a hurry who his leaders are and which buttons to push.

I think the idea that Cal can't coach is ridiculous. He's not some kind of X's and O's mastermind, but when you consider every aspect of coaching he's been one of the best in the game for a very long time.
AggByMarriage
How long do you want to ignore this user?
bobinator said:

I think what the gregbot meant, in a rare moment of actual clarity, is that they both tend to let players play through mistakes and try to find their own way on the court. I actually agree with that, they're both on the high end of the "how long does it take for them to call a timeout when things are going the other way" spectrum.

I think they both also spend a lot more time than most coaches trying to build team chemistry, though why they do it isn't the same. Buzz is trying to build a team that's bigger than the sum of its parts. Cal is trying to do it because they have so much roster turnover each season that he has to build team accountability from scratch practically every season so he's trying to figure out in a hurry who his leaders are and which buttons to push.

I think the idea that Cal can't coach is ridiculous. He's not some kind of X's and O's mastermind, but when you consider every aspect of coaching he's been one of the best in the game for a very long time.


I guess I'm thinking of the last years of Calipari at UK. There are numerous articles on his players' minutes distributions being determined by handlers. That kills any kind of chemistry.

And Calipari is not a good coach. He is an EXCELLENT recruiter. You could say that Coach Fisher created the potential of the one-and-done with the Fab 5. However, Calipari institutionalized the OAD strategy at Kentucky. That advantage lasted a few years, then others adopted it and Calipari lost the recruiting battles.

Once he lost on the top recruits, he had to actually coach to win. I think his last Final Four was 2015.

Buzz is the opposite of Calipari. He is a (much) better coach, then a recruiter. I can't think of a bigger adjustment then having to come up with a new game plan after Julius Marbles screwed up… and he made it to the Sweet 16.

Calipari? Good recruiter. Williams? Good coach. Similar? I guess they both wear a whistle around their neck at practice.
BuzzFan24
How long do you want to ignore this user?
JJxvi said:

Are we really ranked high enough compered to Buzz's salary, though?
I mean obviously we should be ranked #1 since Buzz has a salary that pays him as the 5th highest paid coach in the conference.
Snowball12
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
BuzzFan24 said:

JJxvi said:

Are we really ranked high enough compered to Buzz's salary, though?
I mean obviously we should be ranked #1 since Buzz has a salary that pays him as the 5th highest paid coach in the conference.
Picked to finish 5th in conference though so does that mean his salary is meeting expectations? Or do we need to pay him more so we can get that 1st place preseason ranking?
bobinator
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
We didn't make the Sweet 16, but that aside… Calipari hasn't been good in the NCAA Tournament. I'm not debating that. But here's Kentucky's seeds in the recent tournaments:

3, 6, 2, (didn't make it the weird Covid year,) N/A but projected 4, 2, 5, 2, 4, 1.

I don't care where you're coaching, you're not putting up those kinds of seasons year in and year out by just rolling the ball out on the floor or letting handlers pick your rotations.
St Hedwig Aggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Amazing UConn going for a three peat
AggByMarriage
How long do you want to ignore this user?
bobinator said:

We didn't make the Sweet 16, but that aside… Calipari hasn't been good in the NCAA Tournament. I'm not debating that. But here's Kentucky's seeds in the recent tournaments:

3, 6, 2, (didn't make it the weird Covid year,) N/A but projected 4, 2, 5, 2, 4, 1.

I don't care where you're coaching, you're not putting up those kinds of seasons year in and year out by just rolling the ball out on the floor or letting handlers pick your rotations.


My bad on Sweet 16. And I'll be the first to admit that I'm too salty on Calipari… but taking the emotion out of it, he's not very good.
BuzzFan24
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Snowball12 said:

BuzzFan24 said:

JJxvi said:

Are we really ranked high enough compered to Buzz's salary, though?
I mean obviously we should be ranked #1 since Buzz has a salary that pays him as the 5th highest paid coach in the conference.
Picked to finish 5th in conference though so does that mean his salary is meeting expectations? Or do we need to pay him more so we can get that 1st place preseason ranking?
I mean you get what you pay for right? And by the noise on this board, A&M doesn't want to put anymore money into MBB so I guess this is what you get - so might as well be a big buzzfan and hope they do well.
greg.w.h
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
More NIL isn't in the cards until you get a truly interested, very wealthy partisan to drive growth. Keep in mind how Gary Blair and Pat Henry came in and grew programs from zippo.

But MBB should be a significant revenue source but at A&M likely will "suck hind teat" to football forever. Is what it is.
taylorswift13_
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Was looking more into the AP poll, 3 voters had us at number 9 and 4 more at number 10. That's 7 out of 60 votes in the AP top 10! Our highest number of votes was in 12th whereas the average was 13 because one person voted us 21st and another 20th. Only 14 teams were unanimously ranked!

This link shows you who voted and where they ranked us https://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/team/texas-am-aggies/2024
frenchtoast
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Bob Ballou can go to hell
Snowball12
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here's a complete visual for all Voters' ballots



Link to Image
bobinator
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I'm skeptical of Iowa State this year.
taylorswift13_
How long do you want to ignore this user?
No A&M affiliate worth having a vote??? Hop? Olin?
bobinator
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
It's pretty ridiculous that the state of Texas only has three voters and one of them is in El Paso. At least now theoretically the one in Austin is covering an SEC team, but still.

Travis Brown of KBTX would be a good voter. Cessna of the Eagle votes in the football poll.
greg.w.h
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
High praise from Hess, Hlas, and Holland with 9 votes!!! Only people with last names beginning with H might vote for us.

Hlas reported for the Cedar Rapids homed Gazette when we lived up there. I enjoyed his columns. But for him to pick us that high is intriguing…
taylorswift13_
How long do you want to ignore this user?
More voters associated with Duke than total voters in Texas lol
Page 1 of 2
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.