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bucks4now
Joined: 28 Feb 2006 Posts: 723
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Posted: 10/22/14 7:31 am ::: |
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It just confirms how weak the big 10 is.
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ripleydc
Joined: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 4778 Location: Washington, DC
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Posted: 10/22/14 7:39 am ::: |
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bucks4now wrote: |
It just confirms how weak the big 10 is. |
As a MD fan, I confess I haven't paid much attention to the B1G conf until now. A weak year would be a good time for MD and Rutgers to experience their growing pains. I hope you're right.
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purduefanatic
Joined: 10 Aug 2011 Posts: 2819 Location: Indiana
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Posted: 10/22/14 8:53 am ::: |
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It's funny...Maryland graduated a ton and is very young, graduated a lot of leadership and scoring yet people want to anoint them the favorites but Penn State gets crapped on for being the very same thing.
The Big Ten really isn't that weak. They haven't had an elite squad for a while but there are 8-10 teams that are pretty darn good and can beat almost anybody on a given night.
I don't think the travel is really that big of a deal TBH. I mean, in the ACC, they were traveling to Miami, Tallahassee, Atlanta and then to South Bend as well as Boston. Sure it may add a little more travel time but I don't think it will be too bad, especially considering all flights are charter and travel is MUCH, MUCH easier and nicer than commercial.
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geeceem
Joined: 10 Mar 2014 Posts: 123
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Posted: 10/22/14 9:45 am ::: |
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ripleydc wrote: |
Terps are very young. Starting lineup could possibly be 3 sophs, 2 freshman and a RS freshman. At practice on Sunday, Coach B was using all different combinations. I doubt she knows yet who will be starting. |
I'd expect the starters will be Brionna (Soph.), Malina (Jr.), Tierney (Jr.), Laurin (Red shirt Senior), and Lexie (Soph). First sub will be Aja (Fr.) for Brionna, among whose gifts speed is not. She gets gassed pretty quickly. I wasn't focused enough on Aja on Sunday, as it was hard to get past the freshman mistakes in the back.
Still, a very young team. Without Alyssa, we get to see if Coach B has got X and O skills and if this young team can execute.
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ripleydc
Joined: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 4778 Location: Washington, DC
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Posted: 10/22/14 10:39 am ::: |
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geeceem, I don't know if we'll see Malina and Bri playing a lot of minutes together. They are MD's only two centers and though they are both looking in good shape, they will need breathers. I wouldn't be surprised to see them share playing time.
Good chance Mincy could start, but I think the Jury's still out on Tierney. She looks great sometimes and not so good other times.
Last edited by ripleydc on 10/22/14 11:02 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ripleydc
Joined: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 4778 Location: Washington, DC
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Posted: 10/22/14 11:00 am ::: |
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purduefanatic wrote: |
It's funny...Maryland graduated a ton and is very young, graduated a lot of leadership and scoring yet people want to anoint them the favorites but Penn State gets crapped on for being the very same thing. |
That's kind of my point. The preseason rankings are being influenced by last year's FF team, without seriously recognizing this is a transition year for the Terps.
purduefanatic wrote: |
I don't think the travel is really that big of a deal TBH. I mean, in the ACC, they were traveling to Miami, Tallahassee, Atlanta and then to South Bend as well as Boston. Sure it may add a little more travel time but I don't think it will be too bad, especially considering all flights are charter and travel is MUCH, MUCH easier and nicer than commercial. |
I don't know what the plan is this year, but MD has never traveled to all their games by charter. And flying in the winter to Nebraska vs flying in the winter to sunny Florida with warm temps and waving palm trees . . . oh yeah, the change in travel is dramatic! There was an article in today's WashPost about the Volleyball team and how they've gone from traveling about 3500 miles last season to 9000 miles this year, now that they are part of the B1G. I still think travel is going to be an issue for MD this year.
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geeceem
Joined: 10 Mar 2014 Posts: 123
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Posted: 10/22/14 12:09 pm ::: |
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ripleydc wrote: |
geeceem, I don't know if we'll see Malina and Bri playing a lot of minutes together. They are MD's only two centers and though they are both looking in good shape, they will need breathers. I wouldn't be surprised to see them share playing time.
Good chance Mincy could start, but I think the Jury's still out on Tierney. She looks great sometimes and not so good other times. |
You're probably right. Playing Brionna and Malina together means that we've got next to nothing underneath if they both have to rest at the same time.
Still, one of the trademarks of Brenda's teams is pounding the boards, which requires beef under the bucket. If Brionna and Malina are spelling each other, we're going to need a lot from our forwards, Tierney and ..... who?
I'm hoping that Tierney's tentativeness last year was fall-out from her knee problem.
I like Laurin because she gives us a genuine inside/outside scoring threat.
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ripleydc
Joined: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 4778 Location: Washington, DC
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Posted: 10/22/14 12:50 pm ::: |
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geeceem wrote: |
I'm hoping that Tierney's tentativeness last year was fall-out from her knee problem. |
I really hope that Tierney has a break out season. She's a big strong girl and could provide some of that "beef" on the boards we need.
Playing behind a workhorse like AT, definitely limited Tierney's minutes, even when she was healthy. If she can get comfortable, and stay focused, she could be an impact player. And if she becomes dependable, that would buy more time for the freshmen to develop.
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Howee
Joined: 27 Nov 2009 Posts: 15754 Location: OREGON (in my heart)
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Posted: 10/22/14 1:30 pm ::: |
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ripleydc wrote: |
bullsky wrote: |
The Big Ten is YOUNG. I think it's a battle between Iowa and Maryland. Rutgers could play spoiler. |
I'm surprised that the Terps are considered a favorite or co-favorite. Not only did they lose nearly half their scoring and rebounding to graduation, but also their senior leadership, and that really hurts.
Terps are very young. |
I'd been thinking the same thing for a while now....I don't really follow MD that closely, but I was thinking with all they lost, they'll be doing well to be in the top half of the Big Ten.
_________________ Oregon: Go Ducks!
"Inévitablement, les canards voleront"
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geeceem
Joined: 10 Mar 2014 Posts: 123
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Posted: 10/22/14 2:39 pm ::: |
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ripleydc wrote: |
geeceem wrote: |
I'm hoping that Tierney's tentativeness last year was fall-out from her knee problem. |
I really hope that Tierney has a break out season. She's a big strong girl and could provide some of that "beef" on the boards we need.
Playing behind a workhorse like AT, definitely limited Tierney's minutes, even when she was healthy. If she can get comfortable, and stay focused, she could be an impact player. And if she becomes dependable, that would buy more time for the freshmen to develop. |
Just got around to looking at last year's stats. Tierney was 4th in rebounding on the team behind Alyssa, Alicia, and Brionna. Malina was only 6th, following Shatori. Looks like we need even more of a break-out year from Malina.
Shatori was also our third leading scorer and shot almost 48%. So I'll revise my starting line-up to put her as a starting forward.
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summertime blues
Joined: 16 Apr 2013 Posts: 7860 Location: Shenandoah Valley
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Posted: 10/22/14 4:48 pm ::: |
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ripleydc wrote: |
bullsky wrote: |
The Big Ten is YOUNG. I think it's a battle between Iowa and Maryland. Rutgers could play spoiler. |
I'm surprised that the Terps are considered a favorite or co-favorite. Not only did they lose nearly half their scoring and rebounding to graduation, but also their senior leadership, and that really hurts.
Terps are very young. Starting lineup could possibly be 3 sophs, 2 freshman and a RS freshman. At practice on Sunday, Coach B was using all different combinations. I doubt she knows yet who will be starting.
Plus the "B1G" questionmark in my mind is how the demanding travel schedule will impact team performance. Trips to Nebraska and Minnesota are a whole lot more time consuming and exhausting than short hops around the ACC. Until the team gets used to this travel schedule -- and the larger crowds in many of the B1G arena -- It could very well take its toll. |
Really? Are you serious? Most teams travel by chartered plane now, unless the distance is very short. In Maryland's case, they'll be traveling in a different direction, and the only REALLY long trip will be to Nebraska. I very much doubt the crowds are much bigger for women's games than in the ACC, either. And any players that can cope with the Cameron Crazies can certainly cope with the Big 10 fans. This is not men's basketball, after all.
_________________ Don't take life so serious. It ain't nohows permanent.
It takes 3 years to build a team and 7 to build a program.--Conventional Wisdom
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RP
Joined: 17 Jul 2010 Posts: 1299
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Posted: 10/22/14 5:28 pm ::: |
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Does Penn State return a point guard like Brown, or a wing that can score like Walker-Kimbrough, or a center like Jones? The only similarity I see between Maryland and Penn State is that both will be without its top scorer for the last four years.
I expect Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska and Iowa to all be within a couple of games of each other. Hard to predict what order.
Last edited by RP on 10/22/14 5:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Colerr
Joined: 16 Mar 2012 Posts: 569 Location: Missouri
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Posted: 10/22/14 5:39 pm ::: |
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RP wrote: |
Does Penn State return a point guard like Brown, or a wing that can score like Kimbrough-Walker, or a center like Jones? The only similarity I see between Maryland and Penn State is that both will be without its top scorer for the last four years.
I expect Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska and Iowa to all be within a couple of games of each other. Hard to predict what order. |
I wouldn't sleep on Rutgers, as a lot of people seem to be overlooking them, and in my opinion that's a big mistake.
RU returns everybody but one bench player from last year, also they add two JuCo 3-point shooters that Cviv seems to be very high on.
Also we have Kahleah Copper & Tyler Scaife. For those of you guys who haven't heard about or seen these two, your in for a treat.
Also CViv has said that Briyona Canty is healthy and back to looking like the player that she was when RU recruited her. Which makes me very happy to hear.
For those two to be left off the preseason All-B1G team is somewhat of a mystery to me. I'm sure Cviv will use that in the locker room this year for those two players.
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beknighted
Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 11050 Location: Lost in D.C.
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Posted: 10/22/14 10:24 pm ::: |
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ripleydc wrote: |
bullsky wrote: |
The Big Ten is YOUNG. I think it's a battle between Iowa and Maryland. Rutgers could play spoiler. |
I'm surprised that the Terps are considered a favorite or co-favorite. Not only did they lose nearly half their scoring and rebounding to graduation, but also their senior leadership, and that really hurts.
Terps are very young. Starting lineup could possibly be 3 sophs, 2 freshman and a RS freshman. At practice on Sunday, Coach B was using all different combinations. I doubt she knows yet who will be starting.
Plus the "B1G" questionmark in my mind is how the demanding travel schedule will impact team performance. Trips to Nebraska and Minnesota are a whole lot more time consuming and exhausting than short hops around the ACC. Until the team gets used to this travel schedule -- and the larger crowds in many of the B1G arena -- It could very well take its toll. |
I'm thinking, in general, that the Terps are being rated so highly pretty much on the strength of last year's results. I don't have any good way to judge how the B1G will turn out, though - I don't know enough about the conference yet.
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 11186
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Posted: 10/23/14 9:25 am ::: |
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Colerr wrote: |
RP wrote: |
Does Penn State return a point guard like Brown, or a wing that can score like Kimbrough-Walker, or a center like Jones? The only similarity I see between Maryland and Penn State is that both will be without its top scorer for the last four years.
I expect Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska and Iowa to all be within a couple of games of each other. Hard to predict what order. |
I wouldn't sleep on Rutgers, as a lot of people seem to be overlooking them, and in my opinion that's a big mistake.
RU returns everybody but one bench player from last year, also they add two JuCo 3-point shooters that Cviv seems to be very high on.
Also we have Kahleah Copper & Tyler Scaife. For those of you guys who haven't heard about or seen these two, your in for a treat.
Also CViv has said that Briyona Canty is healthy and back to looking like the player that she was when RU recruited her. Which makes me very happy to hear.
For those two to be left off the preseason All-B1G team is somewhat of a mystery to me. I'm sure Cviv will use that in the locker room this year for those two players. |
As is almost always the case, Rutgers has a lot of talent -- I think the uncertainty always revolves around what CViv will do with that talent. If the Knights have an actual offense, they could be very good ...
_________________ Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā
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purduefanatic
Joined: 10 Aug 2011 Posts: 2819 Location: Indiana
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Posted: 10/23/14 12:27 pm ::: |
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ripleydc wrote: |
I don't know what the plan is this year, but MD has never traveled to all their games by charter. And flying in the winter to Nebraska vs flying in the winter to sunny Florida with warm temps and waving palm trees . . . oh yeah, the change in travel is dramatic! There was an article in today's WashPost about the Volleyball team and how they've gone from traveling about 3500 miles last season to 9000 miles this year, now that they are part of the B1G. I still think travel is going to be an issue for MD this year. |
They aren't playing beach volleyball or golf...the weather outside means absolutely nothing. It's also not like they are going to those games and will have a bunch of free time to explore anyway. Fly out the day of the game, play the next day/night & then fly home right after the game. They will be playing an indoor game on a court that measures 94' x 50' with hoops 10' high. Wind, rain, sun, snow...none of that matters.
Regarding the travel, I have no idea but I'm assuming that Maryland may have bused to VA Tech, UVa and a few others. VA Tech is about a 4 hour drive. The flight from Lincoln, NE to Baltimore, MD is about 2 1/2 hours. And on a charter plane, that flight is easy and a piece of cake. Players can spread out, eat, sleep, study...do anything they could do on a bus and probably find it a little easier as the plane isn't turning around corners, hitting bumps in the road, stopping at lights, etc. Travel for the Power 5 Conference teams is so much different than what anyone is used to...I mean, not having to go through security, the bus driving you out to your plane, and so many other things make the travel extremely easy and a lot less time consuming.
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NoDakSt
Joined: 26 Oct 2005 Posts: 4929
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mzonefan
Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 4878 Location: Ann Arbor, MI
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summertime blues
Joined: 16 Apr 2013 Posts: 7860 Location: Shenandoah Valley
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mzonefan
Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 4878 Location: Ann Arbor, MI
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Posted: 11/04/14 7:26 pm ::: |
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It's time for him to "get real".
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mzonefan
Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 4878 Location: Ann Arbor, MI
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myrtle
Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 32341
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Posted: 11/06/14 12:07 pm ::: |
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Creme's projection looks pretty accurate to me.
_________________ For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
- Amanda Gorman
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purduefanatic
Joined: 10 Aug 2011 Posts: 2819 Location: Indiana
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Posted: 11/06/14 12:38 pm ::: |
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myrtle wrote: |
Creme's projection looks pretty accurate to me. |
I agree for the most part but with all the ACL injuries to Ohio State, I would drop them down to 11th and bump Penn State & Northwestern up a notch each.
Honestly, this has been as indecisive as I have ever been when looking at all the teams and ranking them. I can see scenarios where this order is vastly different with the exception of the bottom 3. I think 4 or 5 teams are capable of winning the regular season title and then another 7 or 8 that are capable of finishing anywhere from 2nd - 11th.
The Big Ten Tourney has always been fun (when held in Indy) and wide open and I think this year's version could be the best yet. I highly doubt the same team that wins the regular season will win the tournament.
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myrtle
Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 32341
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Posted: 11/06/14 4:12 pm ::: |
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Bollant did get some recruits in and he can clearly coach. It will be interesting to see if he can move Illinois out of the basement.
_________________ For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
- Amanda Gorman
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mzonefan
Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 4878 Location: Ann Arbor, MI
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