Which team has the best chance to stop UCONN from four consecutive NC

[mhshuskies]

I think South Carolina would be the most likely?

 

[bballnut90]

I think South Carolina would be the most likely?

Notre Dame, the same team with the only realistic shot from the last two years. They have a great recruiting class, a great coach, and a really solid core group of players led by Brianna Turner who will be a monster as a sophomore. SC has size but their offense and coaching isn't at the level of Notre Dame/UCONN. They were also walloped by UCONN last year and I don't see a different result this year.

 

[JColes]

Notre Dame was also walloped by UCONN last year, and they lost their best player early to the WNBA draft. South Carolina in Columbia, SC is going to be a real tough game.

 

[Carnac]

It's a little early to tell at this point. South Carolina certainly will be one of the top 5 teams in the country. I do believe that SC will return to the final four again this season. They were tough to beat last year. I don't think they'll lose more than 2 games this season. All of their young players now have a year or two under their belts, and the upper classmen are ready to make amends for what they believe was a premature exit from the tournament.

I think Tennessee may be a competitive team, if Diamond Deshields can tap the potential we saw in her as a freshman. Don't look past Baylor. You know Kim Mulkey is going to put a very competitive team on the floor this year. Look for Nina Davis to have another AA type year.

Never count out Notre Dame. Despite Loyd's departure, they'll be led by Sophomore Brianna Turner, who I predict will be an AA by the end of her junior year. Let's not forget, they still feel they've got some "unfinished business". They've still got a bad taste in their mouths from losing the last two national championship games to UConn. They've still got us in their crosshairs.

We'll have a little better lay of the landscape going into the Christmas break. No one (outside of Connecticut) wants to see the huskies win that 4th NC in a row. UConn is going to get everyone's best every game. Every team on UConn's schedule would love to knock them off. Stanford had that distinction last year. Who will it be this year?, or are we possibly looking at yet another undefeated season?

As we all know, most top tier teams pad their early season schedule with "cupcakes" and "twinkies". So we'll have to wait and see how they fare during the first month of the season as they begin to play more competitive teams.

IMHO, I don't think any team wants to play UConn in the NCAA tournament unless it's for the national championship. I'll go so far as to say that no team wants to be in their "bracket" either. Rutgers has had that "luck of the draw" the past several years. I'm sure they'd like to go to any regional and take their chances against a field that does NOT feature UConn. You never know, a "dark horse" may emerge this season that we can't see as yet.

This season is going to be a blast. Can't wait to get it started. The bad thing is, once the season starts, you blink twice, and it's time to start filling out your brackets.

 

[Alydar]

I won't guess who but I will say that if it were to happen it would be in the semi-final game. I have a theory about that. UConn has played in 12 final fours in the last 15 years. They won 8 NC's and lost 4 times. All of the losses came in the semi-final game, three times to Notre Dame and once to Stanford. And as we all know, UConn is undefeated in the NC game. My theory is that to beat UConn a team needs a week to prepare, and a coach who is a great strategist. UConn is never a mystery as to what they will do. Geno is a coach who doesn't come up with novel plays or gimmick defenses. You know what they will do and Geno dares you to stop it. McGraw and Vanderveer have each done it. But in a national final UConn's opponents have essentially one day to get ready and no one has managed to accomplish that trick.

So if you want to beat UConn, catch them in the semi-final but keep in mind that the last 3 teams to do it lost the final.

 

[UconnWBB]

With all that UConn has going for them...coaching; incredible talent; hunger...I think the only team that can stop them from a 4-peat is....UConn themselves! If they play the way they can (and we expect them to), the only team that could stop them is UConn.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Tennessee may make some noise this year... South Carolina will be good as well. ND will miss Jewel

 

[jdubct]

Tennessee may make some noise this year... South Carolina will be good as well. ND will miss Jewel

I agree with you that ND will miss Jewel. I think they will adjust to her loss as the season progresses and make the final four again this year.

 

[meyers7]

With all that UConn has going for them...coaching; incredible talent; hunger...I think the only team that can stop them from a 4-peat is....UConn themselves! If they play the way they can (and we expect them to), the only team that could stop them is UConn.

I agree. UCONN.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Lots of teams would like to beat UConn, but remember there are only 6 shots to do so to stop UConn from winning another championship. The only games that matter are those last 6 in late March and early April.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Golden State Warriors?

 

[Billybonggg]

I think South Carolina would be the most likely?

The next person not named Geno to loft the banner will be Dawn Staley...........but it won't be this season.

 

[iamcbs]

UConn may lose a game this season as they visit some tough venues, especially early but Geno will have the team tournament-ready as he always does. I believe that barring a major injury, it will difficult for any team to stop #11 and 4 in a row.

 

[AnotherVolFan]

I'd have to say South Carolina

 

[TerpWomenFan]

With all that UConn has going for them...coaching; incredible talent; hunger...I think the only team that can stop them from a 4-peat is....UConn themselves! If they play the way they can (and we expect them to), the only team that could stop them is UConn.

This is the correct answer. Hopefully for UConn they can breeze through their schedule and have no major injuries along the way like two years ago. (and they still won).
The next team to raise the banner will be Notre Dame. If they can get Lauren Cox they are my favorites next season. Maryland is my early, early favorite for 2017-18 if we can sign Rellah Boothe. With little to no transfers the team will be ridiculously loaded.

 

[BuckLucas]

Not this year but next year, Ohio State will be interesting....

 

[alexrgct]

Both A'ja Wilson and Brianna Turner showed a lot of promise as freshmen, and could make some very nice sophomore leaps even from there. And you can't ignore Tennessee, as much as I'd like to.

That being said, I feel like Natalie Butler, Stewie, and Tuck, are going to dominate what happens to the basketball around the hoop. On D, they'll keep the ball back, and on O, Mo will get them many opportunities to score in the blocks. We'll have outside shooting threats in Mo and KLS and an X-factor in Kia Nurse who is poised to leap forward. And there are so many other players who are going to become part of a trusted rotation. I just don't see any other program playing for anything better than runner-up.

 

[CocoHusky]

Florida State because UCONN will be amped up for the usual suspects (South Carolina, Notre Dame, MD, Louisville) during the tournament. Florida State might just learn enough from the regular season meeting to surprise UCONN come tournament time.

 

[ochoopsfan]

Oregon State

 

[easttexastrash]

Baylor.

 

[Sonny44]

The next person not named Geno to loft the banner will be Dawn Staley......but it won't be this season.

If there ever is a next person I think it will be LMM.

 

[Bonpland]

I think that we are obviously the team to beat, and I don't see how anyone will beat us. Upsets and setbacks happen and so anything is possible, but unless something drastic happens (we somehow fall apart, another team plays over their heads) we should win the program's 11th NC.

That said, I think that ND, SC, Tenn have talent enough to win it all. I don't think that Baylor, Louisville, Maryland or Duke are there yet, and for all the support Ohio State is getting from some on this site, I'll have to see them win out in the Big 10 before I believe that they can beat a top tier team in the playoffs.

ND's head coach makes them the most likely to upset us this year. A year after graduating Diggins ND wins 37 straight and only loses one game. The following year they lose McBride and still get to the final and give us our toughest game in two years (save the anomaly that took place in Palo Alto). This year they have Turner developing quickly and the usual group of interchangable parts that always seem to play well together and are willing to, every night, leave it all on the court.

I don't think anyone catches us this year but if DD can remember that she is not the only one wearing orange, Wilson makes a giant leap as a sophomore, or Muffet works her usual magic with their high powered recruits, it could become more interesting.

 

[huskeynut]

South Carolina, ND, and maybe Tennessee could pull an upset. I rank SC at the best bet.

But the upset would have to come in the regular season while UCONN is forming their starting line-up and rotations. Our chemistry will not be automatic in the beginning as we saw last year.

Come tournament time, Geno and the staff will have this team ready. Too many weapons for another team to defend. Junk defenses won't work. Any started is capable of going off for big numbers on any given night.

 

[stwainfan]

I think just Based on talent. Tennessee might give UConn the best game. Having Mercedes back adding Diamond and Cooper , Jones also back. If this team stays healthy they can be really good.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

I think that we are obviously the team to beat, and I don't see how anyone will beat us. Upsets and setbacks happen and so anything is possible, but unless something drastic happens (we somehow fall apart, another team plays over their heads) we should win the program's 11th NC.

That said, I think that ND, SC, Tenn have talent enough to win it all. I don't think that Baylor, Louisville, Maryland or Duke are there yet, and for all the support Ohio State is getting from some on this site, I'll have to see them win out in the Big 10 before I believe that they can beat a top tier team in the playoffs.

ND's head coach makes them the most likely to upset us this year. A year after graduating Diggins ND wins 37 straight and only loses one game. The following year they lose McBride and still get to the final and give us our toughest game in two years (save the anomaly that took place in Palo Alto). This year they have Turner developing quickly and the usual group of interchangable parts that always seem to play well together and are willing to, every night, leave it all on the court.

I don't think anyone catches us this year but if DD can remember that she is not the only one wearing orange, Wilson makes a giant leap as a sophomore, or Muffet works her usual magic with their high powered recruits, it could become more interesting.

Don't sleep on Baylor. They have a complete team and a really good coach who have won it all. I still see UConn winning it all but Baylor can beat South Carolina, Notre Dame and Tennessee. Louisville may be one year away and Maryland is two years away. Duke always have talent but they need to get past the Elite 8 for once.