#16 Arizona LOSES exhibition game to D-II Seattle Pacific

[valporun]

I just saw on a Mid Majority Twitter Re-Tweet that Arizona lost to Seattle Pacific, 69-68, in an exhibition game. This might not play a huge factor in what we do against the Wildcats to open the season, but it was worth pointing out that ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

[valpofan56]

Unfortunately, my guess is that this hurts our chances.  One thing Valpo could have had going for them was overconfidence from Arizona, that possibility is no longer a hope.

[agibson]

I suppose there will be another national poll before we play them.  I'm sure Arizona will recover, but this won't help their ranking.

[agibson]

Oh, and what are we supposed to say with our TMMJ hats on? 

A Stendahl?

[valporun]

I suppose there will be another national poll before we play them.  I'm sure Arizona will recover, but this won't help their ranking.

The exhibition games have no impact on the rankings, since they don't count in the overall record.

[agibson]

But, the "main" rankings (coaches' and AP polls) are just polls, straight popularity contests.  They don't have to look at an exhibition.  Maybe they're even instructed not to.  But, I'm sure it'll have an impact.

[swiftmutiny]

Wow, I wasn't expecting that. Hopefully that's used as a reminder to our guys to not take our own exhibition games lightly.

[valpofan56]

But, the "main" rankings (coaches' and AP polls) are just polls, straight popularity contests.  They don't have to look at an exhibition.  Maybe they're even instructed not to.  But, I'm sure it'll have an impact.

I could very well be wrong, but I'm pretty sure there isn't another poll until after the first week of the regular season.

[agibson]

Yeah, that sounds right.  So, at least Arizona will still be nationally ranked when we play them!  (OK, I don't really know that an exhibition loss would drop them out of the rankings... like a loss to us might.  But, I bet they'd take a hit.)

[valporun]

Yeah, that sounds right.  So, at least Arizona will still be nationally ranked when we play them!  (OK, I don't really know that an exhibition loss would drop them out of the rankings... like a loss to us might.  But, I bet they'd take a hit.)

No rankings will change after exhibition games. If Arizona takes a hit after playing us, it will mean they lost to us.

[valpopal]

Arizona's coach about the loss to a Division II team:

"No one wanted to lose, but in a funny way I think it'll help us," Miller said on Sunday night. "We've got to earn it all over."

http://eye-on-college-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/33049946?source=rss_blogs_NCAAB

[lowposter]

There is a tendancy on this board to downplay the D2 schools....note the references to 40 point blowouts predicted against Hillsdale. 

These are very good basketball teams whose talent is usually just a touch below mid majors.  Often these players are slower in developing and are still growing in college.

The Hillsdale game shouldnt have been a big surprise...this team went 20-6 last year and is returning several key players.  The difference between a D2 school and IUNW or PNC is just about as big as VU and those schools.

lowposter

[mp91]

Arizona will be more prepared, but you have to remember this will be televised and last year we played really well when televised... but after losing to a Division II school how nervous will they be to get embarrassed on national TV??

[valpotx]

AZ will be prepared to pepper us, I am sure.  While we may play them close for much of the first half, I imagine that they will pull away in the second half, as tends to happen when was have played a national power over the last few years.  The only time it felt different when playing the big boys was in 2001-2002....

[rlh]

I didn't see the end, but they only led Humboldt State 63-60 with about 11 minutes to go in the second exhibition game

[valpopal]

I didn't see the end, but they only led Humboldt State 63-60 with about 11 minutes to go in the second exhibition game

That doesn't seem correct. The Arizona website reports the final score as a win at 60-51. Still, Arizona beat this D-II team by only 9 after losing their first game to a D-II team.

It is a curious situation, as are the stats for the second game: Arizona won by just 9 points despite the fact Humboldt St. only shot 32% overall (26% from 3-point line) and was out-rebounded by Arizona 49-23. Humboldt also committed 31 fouls to Arizona's 12. Part of the explanation may be that Arizona made only 2 3-pointers and shot 58% from the free throw line, though they did take 26 more free throws.

I fear that Arizona is set for an outburst of scoring and Valpo will be the victim.