Designated for Assignment

As a youngster, Sunday night meant a post-church trip to McDonald’s for a tasty treat, typically a strawberry sundae.
For the past few years, the Golden Arches have missed my coinage. Instead, I have spent the winter months stuck surfing the Web to submit my weekly AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll. As most on the poll do, I take it rather serious. In my opinion, it’s a reflection of those I work with and for.
My most recent search to discover the nation’s best, a tough art early in the season, led me to pan the strength of schedules for the team’s battling for my vote.
In doing so, this keyboard slapper noticed something that ACC fans would take notice of: Virginia has played the hardest schedule - among league members - in the eyes of the computer system operated by hoops guru Jerry Palm.
The Cavaliers (6-4) have played six teams ranked among the Top 50 in RPI. Those are as follows: UConn (No. 2), George Washington (No. 27), Hartford (No. 32), Minnesota (No. 33), South Carolina (No. 47) and Wisconsin (No. 50). Virginia, ranked 10th in the nation in strength of schedule, won only two of its games over those foes, but wins over Richmond and Texas, ranked 88th and 89th, helped jump Debbie Ryan’s program into a prime RPI position, a factor in determining the NCAA field.
In case you care, here are the ACC rankings nationally in terms of schedule strength: Virginia (No. 10), Duke (No. 15), Maryland (No. 20), Clemson (No. 33), Georgia Tech (No. 37), Wake Forest (No. 75), Virginia Tech (No. 119), Florida State (No. 120), North Carolina (No. 152), Boston College (No. 231) and N.C. State (No. 238).
Virginia does have a few cupcakes coming soon, but congrats to the coaching staff for scheduling well. Of course, a loss in the opening game of the three-day, eight-team tournament in Hawaii would have thrust the Cavs down quite a ways as they would have played lower-tiered teams.