Polls are Merely Window Dressing

The "Basketball for Thought" is a commentary by Kris Gardner.

November 1998

The pre season college basketball polls have been released by most, if not all, the major publications. The consensus is the Duke Blue Devils are the top team in the country this season. Big deal. Why does anyone care? College sports polls are one of the most subjective items in all of sports. I can honestly say I could not care less who has been tabbed as the top team in the land as of November 1st or even March 1st.

In no particular order the top teams in Men's Division I are Stanford, Duke, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Maryland. It doesn't matter how I ranked them because the champion will be determined on the court not in a room or by a computer.

Releasing a top 25 list is merely for show to peak interest and conversation. Nothing more. A pre-season ranking, obviously, holds more importance to a school which has never been ranked previously; however, beyond those schools, rankings mean nothing.

A pre season poll is based on a team's returning as well as incoming talent. As a result, speculation plays a key role in a pre season poll. No one can be certain how the new talent will mesh with the current players. Another factor in the polls is how can anyone make an accurate assessment on a team without seeing the team perform in a competitive situation? Watching a team practice provides only a glimpse of the team's ability, not the complete picture. Games provide the best judge of performance. Clearly, a pre season poll cannot take games into account because none have yet to be played!

At the National Association of Black Coaches Tourney held in Indianapolis which kicked off the season, Valparaiso defeated South Carolina. Despite both teams being unranked, Valpo's victory was called an upset. How could that be? It was the first game for both clubs and neither team was ranked.! Valpo has a young team and South Carolina was missing a key player or two. Valpo's win was not an upset -- it was a win. Nothing more, nothing less.

Personally, I think basketball polls are a waste of time. If a ranked club loses a game on the road in its conference to a lower ranked club, the loss will not be an upset. It's very difficult to win on the road in almost any sport especially in a quality conference against a quality opponent. For example, if Duke loses at Maryland, it won't be an upset. It will be: Maryland beat Duke. Period.

Polls are voted on by members of the national media. Therefore, how can a member of the national media make an accurate vote on a team he or she hasn't seen all season or doesn't cover. The voter can't make an accurate judgment; yet, voters vote on teams across the country they may never see until Tournament time allowing for far too much subjectivity.

Polls also play a limited role in how teams are selected and ranked for March Madness. A team may be ranked in the Top 25 all season and miss the Tournament entirely or be seeded very low because the Selection Committee places more emphasis on the team's losses to non conference opponents than the team's in conference record. Conversely, a team which has been unranked all season does not mean the club won't be selected to the Big Dance. Last year's Western Michigan team is a perfect example.

Polls are merely window dressing on the season, not the main course. Fortunately, basketball has the sense to determine its champion on the playing field and not with some ridiculous formula like its football counterpart.