Top Freshman in the Field of 64

[Sweetest OU Girl]

You will find some familiar names here. Who is your favorite?

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-comme...top-freshmen-ready-make-ncaa-tournament-debut

 

[SoonerNorm]

A'ja Wilson. If she wore Crimson & Creme, we would most certainly be a better team.

 

[euphguy]

A'ja Wilson. If she wore Crimson & Creme, we would most certainly be a better team.

+1. I don't think Staley used her very well this year. I'm sure next year she will dominate as the starting 4 - she could possibly move to the 3.

 

[sybarite]

Well, my favorite is Gabbi. Without her, we don't finish second in the Big Twelve.

I saw several of the players. I thought Turner and Nurse were the most effective, although I think Wilson may have been the most talented. I don't know yet if she'll get the coaching to be what she can be at SC. We have to wait to see what she does with this talent.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

Thanks Syb.

She is my favorite too!

It's nice she received some recognition from ESPN, don't you agree? And those are some excellent players she has been included with.

 

[euphguy]

I love Gabbi. She does all the little things, and doesn't make many mistakes. I cannot wait to see what she will be like her senior year. We are in for a treat.

At first, I was surprised to see her on the list. Then, as I began to think about it, I should have known she would be there.

 

[Mac]

I really like Stevens from Duke... she could play any and everywhere for us..

 

[scrybe]

I love Gabbi. She does all the little things, and doesn't make many mistakes. I cannot wait to see what she will be like her senior year. We are in for a treat.

At first, I was surprised to see her on the list. Then, as I began to think about it, I should have known she would be there.

I agree, but I predict Gabbi will treat us to great play long before she becomes a senior.

 

[womenssports]

Of course, I like the Sooner.

OT: noticed when I went to the link that there was an article by 538. "FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver's newly launched website at ESPN, uses statistical analysis — hard numbers — to tell compelling stories about politics, science, ."

Did not know he was with ESPN. He is brilliant at picking the correct data for predictions and using it correctly to make those predictions. (well, in politics, do not know about sports) I check his polls for upcoming elections. It was a smart move for ESPN to bring him on board. Anyway, for those of you who have not seen it, the following is a link to 538's predictions for the women. You can also get the men's here.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/march-madness-predictions-2015/#womens

 

[euphguy]

I agree, but I predict Gabbi will treat us to great play long before she becomes a senior.

I hear ya, and I see how you might have interpreted my statement. I meant that she will be a top-notch player as a senior, not that we will have to wait until she is a senior for us to be in for a treat (hence the period and start of a new sentence).

I'm looking forward to seeing how she does in her first NCAA tourney.

 

[sybarite]

Of course, I like the Sooner.

OT: noticed when I went to the link that there was an article by 538. "FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver's newly launched website at ESPN, uses statistical analysis — hard numbers — to tell compelling stories about politics, science, ."

Did not know he was with ESPN. He is brilliant at picking the correct data for predictions and using it correctly to make those predictions. (well, in politics, do not know about sports) I check his polls for upcoming elections. It was a smart move for ESPN to bring him on board. Anyway, for those of you who have not seen it, the following is a link to 538's predictions for the women. You can also get the men's here.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/march-madness-predictions-2015/#womens

Nate was originally into sports statistics. He moved into the political polls in 2008, I think.

 

[SoonerNorm]

He sure doesn't like our chances of reaching the SS.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

He sure doesn't like our chances of reaching the SS.

No doubt about it Norm.

But he is basing it all exactly on seeds, rankings, home court advantage, etc. And with all that fed in, a mathematical system would tell you Stanford defeats us.

I am hoping some of the seeding, rankings, etc. are not accurate. Or that we just play an excellent game and they do not.

 

[womenssports]

No doubt about it Norm.

But he is basing it all exactly on seeds, rankings, home court advantage, etc. And with all that fed in, a mathematical system would tell you Stanford defeats us.

I am hoping some of the seeding, rankings, etc. are not accurate. Or that we just play an excellent game and they do not.

Yes, like I said he is excellent at political polls but I believe sports is more difficult to predict. I have never seen his predictions on anything but politics. I actually think we have a much better chance against Stanford than what he gives us.

At least they consider player injuries and geography but it does not appear that they consider how teams
match-up, which I think is critical. I mean some of the data they use would address that in a general way but not specifically.

 

[womenssports]

Nate was originally into sports statistics. He moved into the political polls in 2008, I think.

Yes, I didn't realize that. Wikipedia quote: Nathaniel Read "Nate" Silver (born January 13, 1978) is an American statistician and writer who analyzes baseball (see sabermetrics) and elections (see psephology). He is currently the editor-in-chief of ESPN's FiveThirtyEight blog and a Special Correspondent for ABC News. Silver first gained public recognition for developing PECOTA,[3] a system for forecasting the performance and career development of Major League Baseball players, which he sold to and then managed for Baseball Prospectus from 2003 to 2009.[4]

In 2007, writing under the pseudonym "Poblano", Silver began to publish analyses and predictions related to the 2008 United States presidential election. At first this work appeared on the political blog Daily Kos, but in March 2008 Silver established his own website, FiveThirtyEight.com. By summer of that year, after he revealed his identity to his readers, he began to appear as an electoral and political analyst in national print, online, and cable news media.

The forecast on the baseball players sounds familiar. Actually, believe that would be easier to predict than a basketball tournament.

 

[sybarite]

I thought I remembered Nate in an interview in which he indicated that he preferred baseball to other sports or politics because the law of averages had time to work. In 162 games, you aren't likely to get a special performance as you might get in one. Villanova can shoot 78% from the field and beat Georgetown.

I don't even think that he makes a pretense of knowing a lot about what his statistics are about, like baseball or politics. He is simply performing statistical analysis of something for which he hopes there is a lot of data.