Same old, same old in 2015-2016

[mudcat]

Here's the final Coaches Poll from last season:
USA Today Coaches Poll
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Connecticut (32) 38-1 800
2 Notre Dame 36-3 768
3 South Carolina 34-3 726
4 Maryland 34-3 714
5 Baylor 33-4 641
6 Tennessee 30-6 637
7 Florida State 32-5 635
8 Arizona State 29-6 533
9 North Carolina 26-9 516
10 Louisville 27-7 504
11 Iowa 26-8 388
12 Duke 23-11 382
13 Oregon State 27-5 371
14 Stanford 26-10 346
15 Princeton 31-1 334

IMHO, the top of this list will look strikingly similar at this time next year. Tennessee and Baylor may move up a little, MD down a little, but it will look very much the same. Only big moves possible are NC (down), and Louisville, Duke and Ohio State (up). Princeton will drop out of top 20, Arizona State will surprise again by staying in the top 15. That's what I'm seeing- Anyone think differently?

 

[triaddukefan]

No way Iowa will finish in the top 15. UNC might be lucky to finish in the top 9........... of the ACC.

 

[mudcat]

No way Iowa will finish in the top 15. UNC might be lucky to finish in the top 9...... of the ACC.

I think IA will be almost as good as they were last season, but it won't look that way because the Big 10 will be much improved. I look for big improvements from OSU, MSU, NB, and NW. I think MD wins it again. As far as UNC goes, I don't think they will be within sniffing range of being ranked.

 

[HGN]

No way Iowa will finish in the top 15. UNC might be lucky to finish in the top 9...... of the ACC.

Now now now Triad.......Be nice to your fellow ACC member.

 

[triaddukefan]

Now now now Triad..Be nice to your fellow ACC member.

Notre Dame, Florida State, Duke, Louisville, Syracuse, Miami all should be better than the sheep down I-40 East. Perhaps NC State, UVA as well.

 

[CBus13]

Iowa will be much worse than they were this year. They lose their all everything point guard in Sam Logic, there Iowa 3 point record holder in Dixon and a second team all-big ten forward in Doolittle.

Unless Erica McCall and Kailee Johnson live up to their high school rankings I can't see Stanford being that high.
Lili Thompson is a tenacious player but she seems to fade away in some games and no one else is there to pick up the slack. Alanna Smith may be a strong player for them this season but I don't know much about her other than her recent U-19 all tournament team nod.

I would expect Kentucky to find a way into the top 15 with Akhator and when Chrishae Rowe (former Oregon guard) becomes available. Really depends on the play of Harper and Epps with Thompson out and Goss graduated.

I also think Texas will be in the Top 15. Ariel Atkins will be (hopefully healthy) and the additions of Lashann Higgs and Jordan Hosey that should help carry the load off of Atkins and McGee-Stafford.

If Anigwe is able to mix into Cal's system fluidly I think she, Cowling, and Green can really make noise.

If everyone can stay healthy, I'd expect Ohio State to be in there too. Mitchell and Alston are a formidable backcourt and if Hart keeps improving on limiting her fouling and with more help from Cooper and Waterman it could be exciting.

 

[geneticrex]

1. UCONN
2. South Carolina
3. Tenn
4. Baylor
5. ND
6. Duke
7. Louisville
8. Florida State
9. Ohio State
10. Maryland

Is my top 10......

 

[jdubct]

1. UCONN
2. South Carolina
3. Tenn
4. Baylor
5. ND
6. Duke
7. Louisville
8. Florida State
9. Ohio State
10. Maryland

Is my top 10.

I like your pre-season top 10. By the end of the season, I expect Notre Dame to move up at least two spots.

 

[Sonny44]

Here's the final Coaches Poll from last season:
USA Today Coaches Poll
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Connecticut (32) 38-1 800
2 Notre Dame 36-3 768
3 South Carolina 34-3 726
4 Maryland 34-3 714
5 Baylor 33-4 641
6 Tennessee 30-6 637
7 Florida State 32-5 635
8 Arizona State 29-6 533
9 North Carolina 26-9 516
10 Louisville 27-7 504
11 Iowa 26-8 388
12 Duke 23-11 382
13 Oregon State 27-5 371
14 Stanford 26-10 346
15 Princeton 31-1 334

IMHO, the top of this list will look strikingly similar at this time next year. Tennessee and Baylor may move up a little, MD down a little, but it will look very much the same. Only big moves possible are NC (down), and Louisville, Duke and Ohio State (up). Princeton will drop out of top 20, Arizona State will surprise again by staying in the top 15. That's what I'm seeing- Anyone think differently?

Luckily the same old same old never gets old at UCONN.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I'm staying on my Ohio State Bandwagon until they prove I'm wrong. Look for them to be in the Top 5 by year end and one of the favorites to make the Final Four. Their home opener is against UConn on November 15th and that should be a great game.

 

[HGN]

Notre Dame, Florida State, Duke, Louisville, Syracuse, Miami all should be better than the sheep down I-40 East. Perhaps NC State, UVA as well.

Triad, Triad..... am I sensing hostility towards dem Tarheels? A fellow ACC member and academic giant? Winners of the #1 Class recruits from 2 years ago? Are you referring to those same ACC members?
Now you know they should be no lower than 5th at the end of the season. However , they may not make the Big Dance though after losing so many starters and potential recruits.

 

[Nuyoika]

We are talking Coaches poll here, to be honest; the coaches poll makes some real interesting choices at times. Texas was in the the Top 25 coaches poll last year way and I mean waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay longer than they should have been.

 

[iamcbs]

I think IA will be almost as good as they were last season, but it won't look that way because the Big 10 will be much improved. I look for big improvements from OSU, MSU, NB, and NW. I think MD wins it again. As far as UNC goes, I don't think they will be within sniffing range of being ranked.

Iowa lost way too much. Logic, Dixon, and Doolittle are all gone, from a team that couldn't beat tOSU down the stretch or UMD on any day. I don't understand what your assessment is based on?

 

[iamcbs]

I'm staying on my Ohio State Bandwagon until they prove I'm wrong. Look for them to be in the Top 5 by year end and one of the favorites to make the Final Four. Their home opener is against UConn on November 15th and that should be a great game.

I'm in complete agreement!!

 

[iamcbs]

Iowa will be much worse than they were this year. They lose their all everything point guard in Sam Logic, there Iowa 3 point record holder in Dixon and a second team all-big ten forward in Doolittle.

Unless Erica McCall and Kailee Johnson live up to their high school rankings I can't see Stanford being that high.
Lili Thompson is a tenacious player but she seems to fade away in some games and no one else is there to pick up the slack. Alanna Smith may be a strong player for them this season but I don't know much about her other than her recent U-19 all tournament team nod.

I would expect Kentucky to find a way into the top 15 with Akhator and when Chrishae Rowe (former Oregon guard) becomes available. Really depends on the play of Harper and Epps with Thompson out and Goss graduated.

I also think Texas will be in the Top 15. Ariel Atkins will be (hopefully healthy) and the additions of Lashann Higgs and Jordan Hosey that should help carry the load off of Atkins and McGee-Stafford.

If Anigwe is able to mix into Cal's system fluidly I think she, Cowling, and Green can really make noise.

If everyone can stay healthy, I'd expect Ohio State to be in there too. Mitchell and Alston are a formidable backcourt and if Hart keeps improving on limiting her fouling and with more help from Cooper and Waterman it could be exciting.

Don't forget Kalpana Beach is back as well...

 

[geneticrex]

I like your pre-season top 10. By the end of the season, I expect Notre Dame to move up at least two spots.

Very possible.....especially if Turner progresses nicely.

 

[jsloanjr]

WCBB is getting so much better every year with new players stepping up and leading their teams.......Outside the top 5 schools, the next 20 schools are very evenly matched. USC will be loaded and will be waiting for the rematch with UCONN in Columbia.......UCONN's 4 new players this year will be in mid season form and more than ready for the big game.

 

[Sonny44]

Happily, the same old same old never gets old for the UCONN women fans.

 

[PhillyCoach]

I'm staying on my Ohio State Bandwagon until they prove I'm wrong. Look for them to be in the Top 5 by year end and one of the favorites to make the Final Four. Their home opener is against UConn on November 15th and that should be a great game.

I like Ohio State a lot--top 15 for sure-- maybe top ten. NO way top 5 unless they come up with a team concept that includes a 4th and 5th starter who can make a difference. Let's see what the coach can put on the floor.

 

[JoePgh]

1. UCONN
2. South Carolina
3. Tenn
4. Baylor
5. ND
6. Duke
7. Louisville
8. Florida State
9. Ohio State
10. Maryland

Is my top 10.

I would move Notre Dame up to 3rd on that list, especially considering that they will have Ali Patberg coming in, who looked quite good in somewhat limited minutes in the U19 games. I think they will beat Tennessee, since they have been doing that with great consistency over the last few years, despite arguably equal or lesser talent.

I expect Tennessee to be very talented but not very functional. Diamond Deshields may put up big numbers (except in shooting percentage), but I am not sure she will make the team better when she is on the court. She looks to me like the A-Rod of WCBB.

 

[CocoHusky]

I would move Notre Dame up to 3rd on that list, especially considering that they will have Ali Patberg coming in, who looked quite good in somewhat limited minutes in the U19 games. I think they will beat Tennessee, since they have been doing that with great consistency over the last few years, despite arguably equal or lesser talent.

I expect Tennessee to be very talented but not very functional. Diamond Deshields may put up big numbers (except in shooting percentage), but I am not sure she will make the team better when she is on the court. She looks to me like the A-Rod of WCBB.

ND has a trio (Ogunbowale, Patberg, Mabrey) of highly ranked guards coming in but I'm not sure any of the three will contend for a starting spot. Also not sure Patberg is the best of the three. ND has plenty of guards returning (Cable, Hoffman, Allen, Mabrey) ND could really use 1 more rotation front court player or go with 3 guard offense but it would be very hard for me to see anyone displacing ND as second best team in the country.

 

[Nuyoika]

I always feel like people leap frog ND. I am in no way a ND fan but given the success they have had against UConn unless you are coached by someone who has won at least 2 National Championships you need to beat ND before you can even think about beating UConn. ND is the only real comparison any other team in WCBB has to UConn. So if you want to beat UConn you need to try and put ND on your schedule first and beat them and then maybe you have a chance of beating UConn. Unless you have other worldly talent that plays full court basketball or you have a coach with some rings that can put together a once in a lifetime set a schemes. I suppose what I'm trying to say is I would have to put ND @ 2. The rest of them I'll worry about when the season actually starts, but until further notice it's UConn 1 and ND 2 until some other team shows any kind of consistency near what UConn and ND have.

 

[geneticrex]

I would move Notre Dame up to 3rd on that list, especially considering that they will have Ali Patberg coming in, who looked quite good in somewhat limited minutes in the U19 games. I think they will beat Tennessee, since they have been doing that with great consistency over the last few years, despite arguably equal or lesser talent.

I expect Tennessee to be very talented but not very functional. Diamond Deshields may put up big numbers (except in shooting percentage), but I am not sure she will make the team better when she is on the court. She looks to me like the A-Rod of WCBB.

It is altogether possible that ND is in the top 3 with UCONN and South Carolina, but I think the infusion of DD and Russell will be an easier transition for Tenn at the beginning than it will be for ND to make up for the loss of Loyd and incorporate their incoming into a cohesive unit.

By the end of the year, that could very well change and ND could be right back in the FF.

 

[Nuyoika]

It is altogether possible that ND is in the top 3 with UCONN and South Carolina, but I think the infusion of DD and Russell will be an easier transition for Tenn at the beginning than it will be for ND to make up for the loss of Loyd and incorporate their incoming into a cohesive unit.

By the end of the year, that could very well change and ND could be right back in the FF.

I think that depends on the coaching really. I would wager that Muffet has much more experience with a loss and transition like that than Warlick would have. She did it when Skylar left. She has actually coached polarizing players before, has Holly?

 

[stwainfan]

Tennessee also has a trip to Italy coming up. I think that will help. Having that before the start of the season.