How dominant will UCONN be in 2015-16?

[bballnut90]

Coming into this season, I didn't think there was a chance UCONN lost a game with all of their talent returning. Stanford pulled off a miracle in the game of the year and proved everyone wrong. UCONN then turned back into UCONN and rolled to a 10th title. Next year, they return more talent than they did in 2014-15, and add in the #1 recruiting class. KLS should slide in nicely for KML, Butler for Stokes, add a year of experience and Collier who could be outstanding.

The rest of women's college basketball should be significantly better next year as well. Most top teams return at least 4 starters and have a lot of star freshmen and sophomores returning. Some huge transfers sat out this year and will be impact players at their new programs. That said, I thought the only team with a shot to compete with UConn next year was Notre Dame. That all changed when Loyd declared for the draft, and now I don't see anyone who has the horses to compete with Connecticut. Next year, I really do not see a team that can come remotely close to competing with UCONN. UCONN has one of the nation's best shot blockers in Stewart, Butler who rebounds well, and outstanding perimeter defenders in Nurse and Jefferson. South Carolina doesn't have enough guards who drive the line or ball movement offensively, Florida State does not have the size, Baylor will not have the size to compete inside, Maryland will get dominated inside, and Notre Dame doesn't have a proven All-American coming back. I think the closest an opponent get is maybe 10-15 points if UCONN has a poor night and the opponent has a huge game. How dominant do you think UCONN will be next year?

 

[MilfordHusky]

The scores were crazy this year. The average was slightly more than 89-49. It's hard to think that the team will be MORE dominant than that. They surpassed the MOV record set by the great 2002 team by about 6 ppg, which is a huge difference. In that sense, it seems that being MORE dominant is almost impossible.

On the other hand, Moriah, Stewie, and Morgan will be great. Natalie should be solid. Kia and Gabby will improve. And the frosh will bust their butts to compete for minutes. If they play in garbage time, look for Lou to nail multiple threes and Napheesa to shoot 75%.

In sum, I expect a comparable level of dominance, adjusted perhaps for a tougher schedule. Geno will push them to strive for the perfect game.

 

[Aluminny69]

The only game that could be a problem will be South Carolina at SC. Coates and Wilson will play more than they did this year. Barring injuries, it's hard to see any other difficult games.

 

[mudcat]

The rest of women's college basketball should be significantly better next year as well. Most top teams return at least 4 starters and have a lot of star freshmen and sophomores returning. Some huge transfers sat out this year and will be impact players at their new programs. That said, I thought the only team with a shot to compete with UConn next year was Notre Dame. That all changed when Loyd declared for the draft, and now I don't see anyone who has the horses to compete with Connecticut. Next year, I really do not see a team that can come remotely close to competing with UCONN. UCONN has one of the nation's best shot blockers in Stewart, Butler who rebounds well, and outstanding perimeter defenders in Nurse and Jefferson. South Carolina doesn't have enough guards who drive the line or ball movement offensively, Florida State does not have the size, Baylor will not have the size to compete inside, Maryland will get dominated inside, and Notre Dame doesn't have a proven All-American coming back. I think the closest an opponent get is maybe 10-15 points if UCONN has a poor night and the opponent has a huge game. How dominant do you think UCONN will be next year?

While they're young, Baylor has some really impressive size coming in, and if one of them develops quickly to go along with their mini-PF, they could compete on the inside. Also, FL state should be bigger inside and, even this year, outrebounded almost every team they played. And I would not discount ND just because "they don't have a proven AA coming back"-they did pretty well this year and have some really good guards coming in (especially Ogunbowale (sp?). That said, while I think overall the whole field will be much stronger, I agree that UCONN will also be stronger and maintain the separation from the field as a whole. But I do think next year will be fun, and with some especially competitive conference races (SEC, PAC-12, ACC).

 

[alexrgct]

Here's the thing. There was an excellent NYT column that told the story in retrospect of the Stanford loss and why it happened. Uconn was missing something psychologically. The team thought it could coast. They were proven wrong early, and everything happened as expected from there. I don't think anything like that loss will happen this season. The players returning will know what it takes for a team to come together, the kinds of practices they'll need to have, etc. Geno wasn't very surprised by the Stanford loss, but I bet he'd be completely floored by a loss like that in 2015-16.

I expect this will be a great year for UConn WBB next year, and I don't believe anyone will be able to stop the Huskies.

 

[CocoHusky]

There was an excellent NYT column that told the story in retrospect of the Stanford loss and why it happened. Uconn was missing something psychologically.

Do you happen to have the link to NYT article. I remember reading things about the team lacking leadership but not this psychological angle. Or is that the same thing?

 

[VAMike23]

IMO, it all depends on Natalie Butler and the play she gives us in the post.

The rest of the Huskies can, jointly, lift their game to help compensate for KML's departure. But no one except (potentially) Natalie can give us what Stokes did against key matchups. Of course, Natalie may well give us a lot more scoring than Kiah.

Fingers crossed. As Natalie Butler goes, so goes next year's NC trophy. If she's a beast by March, there's no stopping us.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Actually the MOV for this year was 5.2 ppg more than 2001-02, so really closer to 5. These types of statements tend to get repeated, so best to get it straight now.

Not sure anyone can fruitfully really be speculating at this point about the invincibility of next year's team, as a read through of last April's posts regarding the margin of victory for this year in every game would be a bit sobering. Maybe best to let next year's team find its place in the sun before anointing it with too many superlatives. The post game statements by many players noted how hard they had to work and how tough it was to win this year's NC, and the same will be true next year, maybe to an even greater extent.

 

[HGN]

IMO, it all depends on Natalie Butler and the play she gives us in the post.

The rest of the Huskies can, jointly, lift their game to help compensate for KML's departure. But no one except (potentially) Natalie can give us what Stokes did against key matchups. Of course, Natalie may well give us a lot more scoring than Kiah.

Fingers crossed. As Natalie Butler goes, so goes next year's NC trophy. If she's a beast by March, there's no stopping us.

Mike , I agree completely. Though UConn has an exceptional recruiting class coming in , Butler is the only real size we have. And she will be counted on to fill Stokes's role...... If she can do that , UConn stands a better than even chance of doing what has NEVER, EVER , been done in WCBB. Win 4 NC in a row.

 

[hoophuskee]

I had a back-an-forth disagreement with Meyers (I think it was him?) about when is best to get UConn. For me I had thought ND would be a measuring stick. If they have Loyd - they can compete. Without Loyd they are still very good - but obviously not the same. Loyd is a super super player. I thought in 2015-2016 they could always be a threat and then if a team or two could ever beat them - they'd show an ability to play some super ball. And then that would made them threat. I just thought this year ND was too young to beat us and USC didn't have the capability to score enough.

Now going into next year -- I don't know if teams like MD, Baylor and many others can score enough. And the way ND beat us up on he boards and the threat of USC pounding us inside now with UCONN having Butler - I don't see that as a huge threat. Without ND I just think it would have to be a lot of things need to go wrong or some of the teams -- everything works out super perfect. As of now I don't see it. So I say ---->UCONN goes undefeated 10-plus.

 

[BRS24]

Do you happen to have the link to NYT article. I remember reading things about the team lacking leadership but not this psychological angle. Or is that the same thing?

“I knew what we were doing in October and November wasn’t going to be good enough to get what they wanted, which is what they have tonight,” he continued. “But they didn’t want to listen to me. They didn’t want to hear it.”

They thought they could coast.

“It was never like big, big things; it’s not like they didn’t feel like coming to practice or they were dogging it in games,” Auriemma said, adding, “It was more of, this little detail is really important, and they would tell you by their actions, ‘No, it isn’t.’ ”

LINK

 

[bballnut90]

While they're young, Baylor has some really impressive size coming in, and if one of them develops quickly to go along with their mini-PF, they could compete on the inside. Also, FL state should be bigger inside and, even this year, outrebounded almost every team they played. And I would not discount ND just because "they don't have a proven AA coming back"-they did pretty well this year and have some really good guards coming in (especially Ogunbowale (sp?). That said, while I think overall the whole field will be much stronger, I agree that UCONN will also be stronger and maintain the separation from the field as a whole. But I do think next year will be fun, and with some especially competitive conference races (SEC, PAC-12, ACC).

Baylor is my preseason #2 team next year with so much talent returning and Alexis Jones coming on board. Jones has had a full year to recover from her ACL and gel with her new team. Baylor also returns Nina Davis, Niya Johnson, Imani Wright, Alexis Prince and Cave inside. They bring in some big bodies inside, too. I don't see Baylor being able to compete with UCONN considering how big and physical Butler, Stewart and Tuck will be, but Baylor has exceptional talent at multiple positions which could pose a threat to Connecticut.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Baylor is my preseason #2 team next year with so much talent returning and Alexis Jones coming on board. Jones has had a full year to recover from her ACL and gel with her new team. Baylor also returns Nina Davis, Niya Johnson, Imani Wright, Alexis Prince and Cave inside. They bring in some big bodies inside, too. I don't see Baylor being able to compete with UCONN considering how big and physical Butler, Stewart and Tuck will be, but Baylor has exceptional talent at multiple positions which could pose a threat to Connecticut.

Don't disagree with your assessment. I just wonder how Baylor is going to keep all those players and get adequate playing time. Baylor has as many post players as Duke next season.

 

[Dougie]

Here's the thing. There was an excellent NYT column that told the story in retrospect of the Stanford loss and why it happened. Uconn was missing something psychologically. The team thought it could coast. They were proven wrong early, and everything happened as expected from there. I don't think anything like that loss will happen this season. The players returning will know what it takes for a team to come together, the kinds of practices they'll need to have, etc. Geno wasn't very surprised by the Stanford loss, but I bet he'd be completely floored by a loss like that in 2015-16.

I expect this will be a great year for UConn WBB next year, and I don't believe anyone will be able to stop the Huskies.

The Stanford loss was absolutely the best thing that could have happened to UCONN.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Baylor is my preseason #2 team next year with so much talent returning and Alexis Jones coming on board. Jones has had a full year to recover from her ACL and gel with her new team. Baylor also returns Nina Davis, Niya Johnson, Imani Wright, Alexis Prince and Cave inside. They bring in some big bodies inside, too. I don't see Baylor being able to compete with UCONN considering how big and physical Butler, Stewart and Tuck will be, but Baylor has exceptional talent at multiple positions which could pose a threat to Connecticut.

With Loyd gone, I think I'd agree with Baylor as #2. They have 2 bigs coming in, and Alexis Jones, if healthy, has AA potential. I love the way Nina Davis plays.

 

[HoopsFan21]

I think Stewie/Mo/Tuck finally understood what it takes to win it all "on their own." Next year it will simply be beast-mode for them because it's their last year. Not to take anything away from KML or Kiah, but they just weren't leaders at the end of the day - more like role players which is OK. Having a year older Kia plus Butler just aids in the process.

 

[Dougie]

I think Stewie/Mo/Tuck finally understood what it takes to win it all "on their own." Next year it will simply be beast-mode for them because it's their last year. Not to take anything away from KML or Kiah, but they just weren't leaders at the end of the day - more like role players which is OK. Having a year older Kia plus Butler just aids in the process.

Tuck's last year? Say it ain't so.

 

[Zorro]

Plumb. Plumb dominant. wire to wire.

 

[mhshuskies]

Mike , I agree completely. Though UConn has an exceptional recruiting class coming in , Butler is the only real size we have. And she will be counted on to fill Stokes's role. If she can do that , UConn stands a better than even chance of doing what has NEVER, EVER , been done in WCBB. Win 4 NC in a row.

and I think Butler will improve the defense playing a role similar to Stef and allow Stewie to range further out from the hoop.

 

[cohenzone]

The Stanford loss was absolutely the best thing that could have happened to UCONN.

And probably the worst thing to have happened to the rest of women's hoops. Once the team realized they were human, they got their heads in the right place and got their act together in a hurry.

 

[bballnut90]

Granted this is a UCONN board, but out of 90 votes, over 96% predict Connecticut will win the title next year

 

[Buzzyboy]

Coming into this season, I didn't think there was a chance UCONN lost a game with all of their talent returning. Stanford pulled off a miracle in the game of the year and proved everyone wrong. UCONN then turned back into UCONN and rolled to a 10th title. Next year, they return more talent than they did in 2014-15, and add in the #1 recruiting class. KLS should slide in nicely for KML, Butler for Stokes, add a year of experience and Collier who could be outstanding.

The rest of women's college basketball should be significantly better next year as well. Most top teams return at least 4 starters and have a lot of star freshmen and sophomores returning. Some huge transfers sat out this year and will be impact players at their new programs. That said, I thought the only team with a shot to compete with UConn next year was Notre Dame. That all changed when Loyd declared for the draft, and now I don't see anyone who has the horses to compete with Connecticut. Next year, I really do not see a team that can come remotely close to competing with UCONN. UCONN has one of the nation's best shot blockers in Stewart, Butler who rebounds well, and outstanding perimeter defenders in Nurse and Jefferson. South Carolina doesn't have enough guards who drive the line or ball movement offensively, Florida State does not have the size, Baylor will not have the size to compete inside, Maryland will get dominated inside, and Notre Dame doesn't have a proven All-American coming back. I think the closest an opponent get is maybe 10-15 points if UCONN has a poor night and the opponent has a huge game. How dominant do you think UCONN will be next year?

I think there were many people who thought UConn would lose a few games this year because there wasn't a freshman coming in that was categorized as a superstar of the ilk of Maya or Stewie or Dianna and they had two huge losses in Stef and Bria, two seasoned starters who had earned All-American ratings in their UConn career. Having to adapt to two new starters is difficult, particularly in the early stages of a season due to chemistry and other factors. Then playing a road game early at Stanford with a team implementing a completely new philosophy from the one Stanford has played with for many, many years and the perfect storm arrived. It took them until overtime to pull away a bit from the Huskies and with two significant losses to foul trouble towards games end, our fate was sealed. I had a smidgen of optimism but I feel that I was in the minority and I think if we took a survey where all the Boneyarders wrote in, I think substantially lower than 50% would have felt that they had ANY chance of an undefeated season, much less predict one. Next year will be a different story because we only have one starter leaving and the bench from last year will be more seasoned and we've got two freshman coming in that could contribute in a very big way so I think I'd agree that next year an undefeated season is much more a viable possibility.

 

[connboy77]

The Stanford loss was a blessing because after that game Geno inserted Nurse and Tuck in the starting lineup replacing Chong and Stokes and UCONN was dominant the rest of the year. With four starters returning, a great recruiting class, and the 6'5 Butler, barring injury I don't see UCONN missing a beat. Enjoy the ride to NC #11!

 

[Wbbfan1]

Don't know why most seem to over looking Ohio State as a team that could give UConn problems next year. As of today, I have UConn winning the game, but also see OSU has the talent to beat UConn. Kelsey Mitchell is a dynamic player capable of putting up huge numbers and she has talent surrounding her. Look out for OSU next year. IMHO they're equivalent to South Carolina and I like Kelsey Mitchell over Tiffany Mitchell as a scorer.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Kelsey Mitchell is a dynamic player capable of putting up huge numbers and she has talent surrounding her.

Should be a ton of fun watching Jefferson take her on in what could be the toughest assignment of her career, even over Loyd.

Thing about OSU is they are not a good defensive team yet, and they play a high-paced, high possession game. Those things could play into UConn's hands.