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| Delaware 80, No 11 Penn State 71 |
That would be Delaware, fresh off a nine-point victory over last week's No. 11 Penn State. The Lions, by the way, dropped to No. 17.
I used to be an AP poll voter and I know how this works. It's Sunday night. The poll is due. Unless you're the super organized type who keeps a list of results and studies each of the teams during the week, you're scrambling. Maybe you're driving back from a road game. Maybe you have desk duty. Maybe you're doing something that has nothing to do with women's basketball, as fewer and fewer newspapers are dedicating resources to that sport.
So you need teams. The first 10 are easy. The first 15 take a little more thought. You get to 20. The last five? Um, Texas, UCLA.....Sounds good.
What's your process? Do you even have one? I used to wonder if I needed to justify the picks I made the week before. For example, if I ranked Georgetown in the top 10 last week, can the Hoyas suddenly disappear because they lost two games? I mean, they're going to be good, right? Ah, says that little voice inside my head, the co-producer of this blog. It's a weekly poll. Don't make it like figure skating where the thinking is the better results come later in the program. Evaluate each team on its merits, its results. Forget tomorrow. What have you done for me lately?
Do that and Texas doesn't belong.UCLA doesn't either. No. 23 DePaul? They have a loss to San Diego State, which just fell to Portland.
But Delaware? Remember the 2-0 Blue Hens behind Elena Delle Donne, who is making a case to be the top player in the country. You're not throwing a mid-major a bone here.This team doesn't have a blemish, and unlike Texas didn't get wins over SE Louisiana and Alcorn State last week.
I know many of my colleagues are stretched.I don't mean to call them out. Let's call it a gentle reminder. It's a weekly poll, folks.And the Blue Hens are one of the top 25 teams nationally this week.
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