NC Playoff Poll (Round 1 Game 3)

[meyers7]

Last game before the quarters. 2000 vs 2003. Should be one of the closer ones.

Team 2000
Paige Sauer - SR
Stacey Hansmeyer - SR
Shea Ralph - JR
Svet Abrosimova - JR
Kelly Schumacher - JR
Marcy Czel - JR
Christine Rigby - JR
Sue Bird - SO
Tamika Williams - SO
Swin Cash - SO
Ashja Jones - SO
Kennitra Johnson - FR
Kiersten Walters - Inj

Team 2003
Diana Taurasi - JR
Maria Conlon - JR
Morgan Valley - JR
Ashley Battle - SO r/s
Jessica Moore - SO r/s
Ashley Valley - SO
Barbara Turner - FR
Ann Strother - FR
Wilnett Crockett - FR
Nicole Wolff - FR

 

[CocoHusky]

2003 Just does not have enough perimeter defense to guard Sue, Svet, & Shea.

 

[Zorro]

This one is a no-brainer, provided we are talking before the injuries.

 

[EricLA]

This one is a no-brainer, provided we are talking before the injuries.

Agreed. The 2003 class may have been one of the greatest individual efforts ever in leading her team to a NC, but I think 2000 would kill them.

 

[DriveLH]

Simply put, 2000 is one of the greatest and robably the deepest team in NCAA history.

 

[Wally East]

This one is a no-brainer, provided we are talking before the injuries.

What injuries?

 

[Wally East]

I can't imagine that even the staunchest DT die hards will vote for 2003.

 

[Zorro]

2003 is probably my favorite UConn team of all time, simply because they overachieved so spectacularly. But they were a long way from being the strongest team!

 

[Zorro]

What injuries?

Oops; Senior moment. Was thinking 2001.

 

[Frodo]

Simply put, 2000 is one of the greatest and robably the deepest team in NCAA history.

Nope! 2001 had the deepest team ever in NCAA.

2000

Paige Sauer - SR
Stacey Hansmeyer - SR
Shea Ralph - JR
Svet Abrosimova - JR
Kelly Schumacher - JR
Marcy Czel - JR
Christine Rigby - JR
Sue Bird - SO
Tamika Williams - SO
Swin Cash - SO
Ashja Jones - SO
Kennitra Johnson - FR
Kiersten Walters - Inj

2001

Svet Abrosimova - JR
Shea Ralph - JR
Sue Bird - JR
Tamika Williams - JR
Swin Cash - JR
Ashja Jones - JR
Diana Taurasi - FR
Kelly Schumacher - FR
Kennitra Johnson - SO
Maria Conlon - FR
Christine Rigby - SR
Ashley Battle - FR
Marcy Czel - SR
Morgan Valley - FR

In other words, all the best players left over from the 2000 team (one year older and one year better) plus Taurasi, Schumacher, Valley and Battle.

Nine members from that team played professionally. I recall Geno saying in an interview that he agrees that his 2001 team was the most talented team he ever had. If Ralph hadn't injured her knee again and Svet broken her foot they certainly would have won it all

 

[Nuyoika]

I could watch that 2000 championship game over and over and over a million times.....

 

[johnnyc]

Should be one of the closer ones.

Heckuva prediction there meyers!

 

[pacific 44]

At some point i hope you do 2001 with everyone healthy vs.2016.Iwould love to see everyone's opinion on that comparison.2001 is considered by many,(prior to this year), to be the greatest Uconn team ever.I wonder if they would tend to reconsider given the extreme dominance of the 2016 group.

 

[Wally East]

2000

Kelly Schumacher - JR

2001

Kelly Schumacher - FR

In other words, all the best players left over from the 2000 team (one year older and one year better) plus Taurasi, Schumacher, Valley and Battle.

Nine members from that team played professionally. I recall Geno saying in an interview that he agrees that his 2001 team was the most talented team he ever had. If Ralph hadn't injured her knee again and Svet broken her foot they certainly would have won it all

Kelly famously had 9 blocks (or maybe 10) in the 2000 title game

2001 had a great collection of talented players. None were at their peak. They lost at full strength to ND. A title at full strength wasn't a lock. Chemistry wasn't a strong suit for me in high school and I have always thought it was problem for that particular team, too.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Nope! 2001 had the deepest team ever in NCAA.

2000

Paige Sauer - SR
Stacey Hansmeyer - SR
Shea Ralph - JR
Svet Abrosimova - JR
Kelly Schumacher - JR
Marcy Czel - JR
Christine Rigby - JR
Sue Bird - SO
Tamika Williams - SO
Swin Cash - SO
Ashja Jones - SO
Kennitra Johnson - FR
Kiersten Walters - Inj

2001

Svet Abrosimova - JR
Shea Ralph - JR
Sue Bird - JR
Tamika Williams - JR
Swin Cash - JR
Ashja Jones - JR
Diana Taurasi - FR
Kelly Schumacher - FR
Kennitra Johnson - SO
Maria Conlon - FR
Christine Rigby - SR
Ashley Battle - FR
Marcy Czel - SR
Morgan Valley - FR

In other words, all the best players left over from the 2000 team (one year older and one year better) plus Taurasi, Schumacher, Valley and Battle.

Nine members from that team played professionally. I recall Geno saying in an interview that he agrees that his 2001 team was the most talented team he ever had. If Ralph hadn't injured her knee again and Svet broken her foot they certainly would have won it all

I'm a little confused. Wasn't it the 1999-2000 team that lost the national title? Wasn't that the year that Taurasi was a freshman, and that Shea Ralph and Svet were seniors, and both of them went down with injuries in the NCAA tournament, and UConn lost to Notre Dame? I thought it was in spring 2001 that UConn won the NC with Taurasi as a sophomore and with Sue Bird at point, etc. What have I mixed up here?

 

[Nuyoika]

I'm a little confused. Wasn't it the 1999-2000 team that lost the national title? Wasn't that the year that Taurasi was a freshman, and that Shea Ralph and Svet were seniors, and both of them went down with injuries in the NCAA tournament, and UConn lost to Notre Dame? I thought it was in spring 2001 that UConn won the NC with Taurasi as a sophomore and with Sue Bird at point, etc. What have I mixed up here?

All of it.... just... everything.

 

[Vowelguy]

If Ralph hadn't injured her knee again and Svet broken her foot they certainly would have won it all

And yet the UConn team with a healthy Ralph AND Svet got its butts kicked by ND during the season.
2001 had a ton of talent. But it was not a better TEAM than 2000.

 

[hoophuskee]

I'm a little confused. Wasn't it the 1999-2000 team that lost the national title? Wasn't that the year that Taurasi was a freshman, and that Shea Ralph and Svet were seniors, and both of them went down with injuries in the NCAA tournament, and UConn lost to Notre Dame? I thought it was in spring 2001 that UConn won the NC with Taurasi as a sophomore and with Sue Bird at point, etc. What have I mixed up here?

No 2000 team won the 1st year Sue Bird played the full season. Sue was two years ahead of Dt. So as a soph DT still in H/S. In 2001 - that was the year you're thinking.

IMO this 2000 team was a tremendous team. they win decisively.

 

[Nuyoika]

And yet the UConn team with a healthy Ralph AND Svet got its butts kicked by ND during the season.
2001 had a ton of talent. But it was not a better TEAM than 2000.

Whoa whoa whoa vowelguy you shouldn't forget that 2001 UConn team also beat them 4 weeks earlier... let's not get crazy here and act like Bird @ The Buzzer didn't happen. Let's also not pretend UConn didn't have a double digit lead @ the half in the FF.... ND certainly earned that win.

 

[meyers7]

Heckuva prediction there meyers!

Can't help the voters. They must have short memories. 2003 did better last time. But then we only had 8 teams last time I did this. I guess 11 changes things quite a bit.

 

[Milfordfan]

The fact that it is such an easy call that 2000 was the better team, is a testament to what DT, the coaching staff, et al, did in 2003. There really was no way they should have won that NC, and yet they did. That one was really cool. Sometimes the race does not go to the swift...

 

[EricLA]

Can't help the voters. They must have short memories. 2003 did better last time. But then we only had 8 teams last time I did this. I guess 11 changes things quite a bit.

Then we need to get to 16 NC's as quickly as possible so you can have a proper poll!

 

[meyers7]

Well that closes the 1st round, now on to the Quarters.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Whoa whoa whoa vowelguy you shouldn't forget that 2001 UConn team also beat them 4 weeks earlier... let's not get crazy here and act like Bird @ The Buzzer didn't happen. Let's also not pretend UConn didn't have a double digit lead @ the half in the FF.... ND certainly earned that win.

Nuyoika & vowelguy- - - - Yes in 2000-2001 season ND & UCONN split games earlier in the season with Shea and Svet healthy and Bird at the buzzer won Big East Tournament without Svet & Shea!
In the semi's of FF UCONN was up 18 when ND's Ratay hit a 3 at the 1/2 buzzer, bringing it to 15 point lead. Then as Geno discussed with Sue Bird on a Geno Show he apologized to her for his temper tantrum in the locker room throwing chairs, etc. "how can you allow Ratay to make that basket!" Sue said "you have nothing to apologize for, we should have reacted better!" For the full 15 minutes Geno went nuts and the team came out shell-shocked and lost the 15 points lead and the game. But Geno's teams in FF are different than their season play. With both seniors AA's like Svet & Shea's healthy calming influence and their experience, UCONN wouldn't have given up the lead and beaten ND, Geno's theatrics or not! Going on to beat Purdue in the Finals! UCONN & ND in reality was the championship game as either one would beat SMS or Purdue in the Finals!
2000-2001 was WBB & UCONN's greatest and most talented teams with 5AA's ( Asjha & Tamika should have been AA's but "suits" can't pick full team), and 8 WNBA players (Shea's knees stopped her from playing in the pros, which would have had 9 future pros on that team!)
And finally, with a healthy Svet & Shea, Geno wouldn't have had to play DT, with her 1 for 15, for most of the game!
Geno says NCAA title or not, 2001 was his "most purely talented team!"
There was NO WAY in the FF with a healthy Svet & Shea, that UCONN team wouldn't have won the title!

 

[chrissaran]

Shea and Svetlana were seniors not juniors in 2001.