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Post by kiyoat on Sept 17, 2020 9:34:12 GMT -6
Great News! Here's an interesting piece from that article:
If we assume 16 conference regular season games again (minus PFW, plus UMKC), that leaves seven non-conference plus a tournament, or nine non-conference games. Last year we played 11 non-con games plus a two-game Thanksgiving tourney.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 17, 2020 16:42:04 GMT -6
Hopefully those non conference games will be of the likes of power conferences and the regional powers such as Drake, UNI, Creighton etc. The Yotes have to get in at least 3 or 4 games that will move the meter if they are in a position to need to try to gain an at large big. I think I read somewhere that Duke (or something) was proposing a men's tourney where every team makes the bracket on the men's side. Do that on the Women's side as well. Everything is so messed up anyway, why not do something a bit fun at the end of it to make up for the non fun at the end of last year.
I imagine now we will be seeing the new basketball schedule posted very soon.
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 1, 2020 10:03:46 GMT -6
Not sure where to put this, but I don't think we need several threads yet for WBB:
We aren't mentioned in the top 25 yet, not a huge surprise. After graduating Duffy, and a few other seniors, I'm sure most national pundits assume we will take a few steps back. I'm not sure where we will end up, but I think we still have the edge on State for the Summit, and could still make some waves with non-con or tournament upsets.
1. South Carolina Gamecocks 2. Stanford Cardinal 3. Baylor Lady Bears 4. UConn Huskies 5. Louisville Cardinals 6. Mississippi State Bulldogs 7. NC State Wolfpack 8. Arizona Wildcats 9. UCLA Bruins 10. Oregon Ducks 11. Kentucky Wildcats 12. Maryland Terrapins 13. Arkansas Razorbacks 14. Texas A&M Aggies 15. Oregon State Beavers 16. Northwestern Wildcats 17. Indiana Hoosiers 18. Iowa State Cyclones 19. DePaul Blue Demons 20. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 21. Ohio State Buckeyes 22. Missouri State Lady Bears 23. Syracuse Orange 24. Gonzaga Bulldogs 25. Michigan Wolverines
Good to see some mid-majors getting love on this list, though.
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Post by usdguy99 on Oct 14, 2020 15:11:34 GMT -6
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Post by Yotes on Oct 14, 2020 17:26:29 GMT -6
Yeah...me neither. It minimizes travel and exposure between teams, but it would stink as a fan. I'll take whatever I can get though.
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Post by elcoyote on Oct 14, 2020 22:36:10 GMT -6
This could really open up some cans of worms. Try explaining to fans why either USD/SDSU or UND/NDSU should host both games, especially given the short distance between schools. No matter what one school is going to be pissed both from a competitive and gate receipts standpoint. I think those two are probably the two biggest rivalries in the Summit.
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 16, 2020 10:13:50 GMT -6
So, I just did a comparison of returning players on Summit League WBB teams. I was planning on doing a "returning points" or "returning minutes", .... but that was going to be too much number crunching. Instead I looked at five stats: 1. # seniors 2. # returning starters (10+ starts in 2021) 3. # returning players with significant playing time in 2021 (ave 15+ min) 4. # returning All-conference players (1st team, 2nd, and honorable mention) 5. # departing All-conference players The 10+ starts is roughly 1/3 of the season, and is not a standard stat. Just my invention. The 15+ minutes is also not a standard stat. Just had to draw a line somewhere. 2020
Conf Rank | Conf
record | team | 2021
Seniors | Return Starters | Return Significant Minutes | Return All-Conf | Depart All-Conf | 1 | 16-0 | USD | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 13-3 | SDSU | 2 | 4* | 7 | 1* | 1 | 3 | 9-7 | DENVER | 4 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9-7 | ORU | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9-7 | WIU | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7-9 | NDSU | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 6-10 | UND | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2-14 | OMAHA | 4 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13-3 | UMKC | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
* Myah Selland started 9 games before sitting out with injury. She will start in 2021, and will likely be an All-Conference type player if she stays healthy.
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 16, 2020 10:34:12 GMT -6
My takeaways (mostly on returning players, not newcomers):
USD - has the most senior-laden squad, and all are experienced in Dawn's system. With departing senior POY Duffy (And McKeever and Frederick), goes lots and lots of minutes, points, assists, and leadership... With that having been said, I still like the Yotes' chances of besting the Jacks and winning the conference again. It won't be easy, and they might split the series, but there is returning firepower with All-conference players Lamb and Sjerven, and team defense should still be at an elite level.
SDSU - Only two seniors on the team, but there is still an astounding number of players on this team that played significant minutes last year. Burckard, Selland, and Theisen should lead a deep and talented all-conference front court (once again). I can't help but think they might struggle again from the arc, though. AJ has brought in a grad-transfer to replace Riley C-J at PG, so that should be a positive. Once again, I don't see any non-SD Summit teams that will challenge for the top 2 spots. It's just a question of which team flinches, or stumbles.
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 16, 2020 10:49:02 GMT -6
Middle-pack teams:
Denver: Coaching turnover is rarely a positive in the first season, and Turgeon was a good coach. Based on that, and the loss of all-conference players Madison Nelson and Lauren Loven, I'll guess they take a step back in the rankings. Not far, though. They did not have any player turnover in the coaching transition. So the returning team is still quite experienced, led by senior Claire Gritt. I'll say they finish 4rth behind....
Western Illinois: Loses their only all-conference player in Olivia Kaufman to graduation, but just like Denver they still have loads of experienced role-players, led by juniors Dani Nichols and Evan Zars. The coaching stability will make the difference, and WIU should reclaim the 3-seed.
Oral Roberts: I was surprised to learn that all-conference Kenni Jo Lippe did NOT graduate last year. She was only a Junior. That might just be the only good news for this team, though. They lost tons of minutes and points to both graduation and transfers out. I haven't done much research into the incoming players, but I have to assume that turnover of that level will wreak havok on the team. It will be interesting to see how Cussins and Lippe are able to pull the team together. For now, I'll predict a fall from grace. Maybe 7th place? 8th?
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 16, 2020 11:20:50 GMT -6
The other teams...
NDSU: First year coach Jory Collins pulled a rabbit out of his hat in finishing 6th in the conference last year. I really think he will get this team competitive in the Summit...... next year. Don't get me wrong, returning your best player in all-conference Gaislerova will help keep games competitive again, but he still has a way to go in order to get more athleticism and skill on the roster. He was handed an empty kitchen, and the remodel will take some time. (will the countertops be granite, or quartz? backsplash? flooring? etc.) My biggest question is will he stay and have a sandwich, or move on to the next remodel job? I'll guess he ends up battling for 5th, but loses to their bitter rivals.....
UND: I've been unimpressed with Brewster for the two years I have payed attention to that team. Buying out the last year of his contract was a bold move, and the right one IMO. Surprisingly, they didn't do a hiring search, and simply promoted Associate HC Mallory Bernhard on a temporary basis. This may have been a financial decision,... but after doing this analysis I am now thinking this was a great idea. There was no roster turnover, and not only do they return all-conference player Julia Fleecs, they return almost all of their starters and contributing players. By keeping the staff intact they may have salvaged a great season. I believe they have good size and athleticism to go with that experience. The only question is how good of a coach is Bernhard? It would be hard to be worse IMO. I'll say they move up from 7th to 5th, and Bernhard gets the contract.
Omaha: In a common theme, this team retains their all-conference player in Mariah Murdy, retains many starters and minutes, and endures a coaching change. This team is still looking for an outside scoring threat, but should be better than last year. I'll say they challenge ORU for 7th place, and might just beat them.
UMKC: Lots of unknowns here. Like USD, they are their conference's 2020 champion, and was lead by a conference COY and conference POY that has since graduated. Unfortunately for them, they also lost several key contributors to graduation and transfer. They now have confidence, but can they reload? Can they compete in a tougher mid-major conference? "Roo" and I will have to wait and see.....
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Post by grandpanorm on Oct 18, 2020 9:03:13 GMT -6
Terrific analysis by KIYOAT - Thanks
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Post by announcerbob on Oct 18, 2020 14:36:00 GMT -6
Excellent analysis Kiyoat as usual! Just how successful the Yotes will be will really depend on who steps up and takes the leadership role. (From last year's graduating class). I have my gut feelings, but let's see it materialize on the court.
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Post by easmus on Oct 18, 2020 16:28:35 GMT -6
It’ll be interesting too see if a coaching change for UND causes a stylistic change or if they’ll still be playing a version of hockey and football on the hardwood.
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 18, 2020 20:57:25 GMT -6
It’ll be interesting too see if a coaching change for UND causes a stylistic change or if they’ll still be playing a version of hockey and football on the hardwood. I have to think that she is smart enough to try a different approach than the coach that was just canned, but who knows? I could be totally wrong in my analysis, but I see more talent on that roster than their recent accomplishments Would imply. Brew made some head-scratching coaching decisions. I think he recruited well.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2020 14:10:38 GMT -6
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