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tag3
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
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 Posted: 11/25/06 12:40 pm ::: Re: Oklahoma State Stays Unbeaten |
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How can that be? Budke was the only thing keeping LATech from being back in the Top 5.
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tag3
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
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| Posted: 11/25/06 12:41 pm ::: |
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| I can't explain 'em, Matty; I just post 'em. With all that the poor Cowgirls have been through during the last several seasons, an undefeated early season is plenty to celebrate.
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KatValeska
Joined: 04 Oct 2004
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Location: Colorado
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| Posted: 11/25/06 12:51 pm ::: Re: Oklahoma State Stays Unbeaten |
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| PUmatty wrote: |
How can that be? Budke was the only thing keeping LATech from being back in the Top 5. |
Have you looked at that non-conference schedule? There's a good chance they'll still be undefeated entering in to Big 12 play. But, power of confidence notwithstanding, I aint so sure that schedule is going to help OSU when the quality of the foes shifts gears from first to fifth.
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 11/25/06 1:32 pm ::: Re: Oklahoma State Stays Unbeaten |
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| My post was tongue in cheek, given the things that LaTech fans were saying about Budke and what they would do now that he is gone.
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umbeta1455
Joined: 18 Apr 2005
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Location: Maine
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| Posted: 11/25/06 1:39 pm ::: |
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| I do miss the days when schools like Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech could be a national power from a mid major conference.
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tag3
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
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| Posted: 11/25/06 1:40 pm ::: |
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I think of the early season as preemptive morale boosting for O-State. They lost every conference game last year, though they came close in a couple. And I'm hoping for the best. But if nothing else, maybe the Cowgirls can remember how good they felt during those wins in the early season.
This group of seniors has taken many terrible drubbings, then-conference-scoring-leader Trisha Skibbe quitting the team right before Big 12 tourney her senior year, and endured an in-over-her-head Julie Goodenough's short OSU tenure. They deserve some happiness.
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tag3
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
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| Posted: 11/25/06 1:43 pm ::: |
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| umbeta1455 wrote: |
| I do miss the days when schools like Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech could be a national power from a mid major conference. |
Me too.
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
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Location: Chicago
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| Posted: 11/25/06 1:49 pm ::: |
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| tag3 wrote: |
| umbeta1455 wrote: |
| I do miss the days when schools like Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech could be a national power from a mid major conference. |
Me too. |
Not me.
The reason those those teams could be a national power was becuase bigger, richer schools weren't paying any attention to or putting any money toward WBB. If the "mid-majors" were still national powers it would mean that other schools still didn't care.
That is bad for the sport. The lesser prominence of mid-majors is actually a syptom of the growth of the sport, which is a good thing.
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tag3
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
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| Posted: 11/25/06 1:58 pm ::: |
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Makes sense, Matty.
I'm, admittedly, probably one of the least-knowledgable bb fans on this board. My opinions are often based on emotion, and not on facts. I went to a small school, and like seeing smaller programs (in this case, relatively speaking) succeed. Simple as that.
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accommodatingly
Joined: 21 Nov 2004
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Location: Saint Paul, MN
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| Posted: 11/25/06 4:39 pm ::: |
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| tag3 wrote: |
Makes sense, Matty.
I'm, admittedly, probably one of the least-knowledgable bb fans on this board. My opinions are often based on emotion, and not on facts. I went to a small school, and like seeing smaller programs (in this case, relatively speaking) succeed. Simple as that. |
Don't knock yourself down, tag3. Emotionally you are right. Practically, Matty is also right. And as the high school talent pool expands, we will get to a point where smaller programs will succeed (again) because there will be more overlooked talent, people who bloomed late or didn't get noticed at the right time, or who just want to stay close to home, making (briefly) national powers out of schools you wouldn't expect, even from non-BCS conferences. Someone's going to be, and someone's going to find, the next Jackie Stiles. (And look at last year's men's final four: George Mason???)
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Taciturnus
Joined: 27 Dec 2005
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| Posted: 11/25/06 9:57 pm ::: |
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| Great start for OSU. Unfortunately, they play in the Big 12 South, arguably the single toughest division around with OU, Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, and A&M. Lots of confidence will serve them well going into conference play, and don't be surprised if they sneak up on some teams.
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tag3
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
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| Posted: 11/26/06 10:49 am ::: |
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Thanks for the support, y'all. It is appreciated!
Taciturnus, you are so right about the Big 12 South. It's brutal competition, a grind week in and week out. You can't take any of those teams for granted, or they'll jump up and bite you, or at least, scare and embarrass you.
UConn fans, a rising star on the Cowgirls' roster this year is Rashidat Sadiq, a UConn transfer. Remember her?
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fancy_daniel
Joined: 12 Oct 2005
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Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: 11/26/06 11:10 pm ::: |
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| Taciturnus wrote: |
| Great start for OSU. Unfortunately, they play in the Big 12 South, arguably the single toughest division around with OU, Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, and A&M. Lots of confidence will serve them well going into conference play, and don't be surprised if they sneak up on some teams. |
They haven't played the quality of opponents they will face in their division in Big-12 play, but from the sounds of it, winning is a great thing for a teams confidence. Perhaps they can translate that into a stronger season this year.
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fancy_daniel
Joined: 12 Oct 2005
Posts: 4489
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: 11/27/06 12:48 am ::: |
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| PUmatty wrote: |
| tag3 wrote: |
| umbeta1455 wrote: |
| I do miss the days when schools like Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech could be a national power from a mid major conference. |
Me too. |
Not me.
The reason those those teams could be a national power was becuase bigger, richer schools weren't paying any attention to or putting any money toward WBB. If the "mid-majors" were still national powers it would mean that other schools still didn't care.
That is bad for the sport. The lesser prominence of mid-majors is actually a syptom of the growth of the sport, which is a good thing. |
I think some of those mid-majors could be powers again. As the women's game gets filled with more parity, undoubtedly, you will see better mid-major teams. There is no reason a school like Old Dominion or La. Tech could come back again. Look at Gonzaga on the men's side. All you need is a school that is firmly behind a program and a great coach.
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
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Location: Chicago
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| Posted: 11/27/06 1:29 am ::: |
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| fancy_daniel wrote: |
| PUmatty wrote: |
| tag3 wrote: |
| umbeta1455 wrote: |
| I do miss the days when schools like Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech could be a national power from a mid major conference. |
Me too. |
Not me.
The reason those those teams could be a national power was becuase bigger, richer schools weren't paying any attention to or putting any money toward WBB. If the "mid-majors" were still national powers it would mean that other schools still didn't care.
That is bad for the sport. The lesser prominence of mid-majors is actually a syptom of the growth of the sport, which is a good thing. |
I think some of those mid-majors could be powers again. As the women's game gets filled with more parity, undoubtedly, you will see better mid-major teams. There is no reason a school like Old Dominion or La. Tech could come back again. Look at Gonzaga on the men's side. All you need is a school that is firmly behind a program and a great coach. |
There are a couple problems with that at this point that make it different than the men's side.
1. The talent hasn't developed as much yet. More and more high school girls are playing at a higher level, but there is just too big of a difference between the tiers right now.
2. And this is the big one. Players don't leave early. What do the mid-majors almost always have in common? They have their players together for four years, longer than the major programs keep theirs. In the men's game, players like Candace Parker, Erlana Larkins, Jessica Davenport, Courtney Paris, etc., etc., would never stay at their school's for four years. They would be off of the NBA. But that doesn't happen on the women's side, for a host of reasons. That keeps the talent and experience level high enough on the top teams to keep a Gonzaga or two from joining ranks -- at least with the current environment.
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