Texas Basketball Rankings: February 4th

by awiggo on Feb 4, 2008 10:25 PM CST in Texas Longhorns Basketball

After a 1-1 week, the Horns slip some in our weekly look at the rankings.

Associated Press: 12th (10th last week)
Coaches' Poll: 12th (10th last week)
Ken Pomeroy RPI: 11th (14th last week)
Ken Pomeroy Ratings: 21st (19th last week)
ESPN Bracketology: #4 seed (#3 seed last week)
Sagarin: 13th in Elo Chess (11th last week) (winning margin doesn’t matter) and 26th Predictor (23rd last week) (pure points and best indicator).

The Horns currently stand at 17-4 overall and 4-2 in conference but three of their next four are on the road, including both games this week. 3-1 would be fantastic over the next two weeks. 2-2 would be acceptable.

--AW--

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RPI should increase now

St. Mary's just knocked off Gonzaga in OT in a hell of a ballgame. That was basketball in its purest form: in an old-fashioned gym, with fans who actually care, and with players who play for the love of the game more than anything else.

atsmahboy Kelson

by BigTexBD on Feb 5, 2008 12:57 AM CST reply actions

High touch KOs high tech.

After the KU-Mizzou game I didn't go back to Big Monday. Damn. I would have watched St.Mary's/Gonzaga.

Sounds great. That's why I still go to high school basketball games; there's just a fine level of enjoyment there.

Our local girls team has two committed 1A players (SMU, NC-Charlotte), so we're very lucky. Two more underclassmen will probably go 1A. It's our golden age and a pleasure to watch.

by whills on Feb 5, 2008 1:12 AM CST up reply actions

Not bad, considering...

how we felt after the A&M game, slipping toward #20 wasn't out of the question, and the future looked dim, our early optimism completely over the top. The Baylor game seemed to have changed the general point of view.

I think there was a comparable time during the regular football season when we reassessed, several times really, but in retrospect, football had many more variables. And it didn't make a lot of difference until the bowl interlude following the A&M debacle (ironically enough).

Obviously, during the football season, not one person was really riding herd on the team the way Barnes does; his level of interaction seems really much deeper, his understanding of what makes the players tick much stronger, his relationship to this team much more direct. Some of that is the nature of the scale of basketball, of course, but I think he's got some of that 'Boom M*th*rf*ck*r' in him and to get that Boom from your team, you must be deeply involved at the emotional level. Some coaches just can't make that investment.

Those ratings seem about right for now. The Horns are a maturing work in progress. I think we have things to learn from Kansas. They are really the hump we can't seem to get over.

by whills on Feb 5, 2008 12:59 AM CST reply actions

I think

What we can see is the amount a coach allows the public to see their attachment, and therefore the inner workings of the team.

I think it is had to judge the actual level of emotional involvement a coach has with his players by this.

by Wells on Feb 5, 2008 5:47 AM CST up reply actions

Some coaches show little on the floor

Coach K comes to mind; by game time the coach's mind is on the floor, making decisions. But Barnes' comments and actions all seem like well considered and in-depth emotional decisions, gauged to how much the player can take and how far he needs to go. And, to me, that takes emotional clarity and understanding. How much is revealed to the public varies coach by coach, but Barnes shows both affection and discipline, with a lot of humor. Because of the humor, I do think we see more, and it highlights his disciplinary and motivational moves.

I like the various human dramas nearly as much as the play on the court, so I look for it, even if some my well be my own speculation and projection.

by whills on Feb 5, 2008 11:12 AM CST up reply actions