Official 2016-17 rankings thread

[Vowelguy]

Since a few are already talking about this...

Our pal TerpWomenFan has entered the fray with this:

1. Notre Dame
2. UConn
3. Baylor
4. South Carolina
5. Maryland
6. Ohio State
7. Texas
8. Louisville
9. Syracuse
10. Oregon State

And Richard Deitsch from SI has:

1. Notre Dame
2. Baylor
3. UConn
4. Stanford
5. Ohio State

 

[Vowelguy]

I've got research to do, but here are my initial thoughts:

1) Baylor - Return 7 of their top 8 and add 2 of the top HS in the country (HG#1 Cox,#8 Chou)
2) N Dame - A starting 5 of Allen-Arike-Mabrey-Westbeld-Turner is pretty darn good. Add top HS Boley (#5), Young (#11), and injured frosh Patberg
3) Ohio St - Add transfer Mavunga whom I really like, plus HS McCoy (#10)
4) Stanford - Everyone back

 

[TerpWomenFan]

Stanford is going to be an interesting team. I think Tara is tied for 2nd best coach (with Muffet - she has to win it in 2017 to place her above Tara. She have too much talent not to win it all). Stanford doesn't have the Ogwumike type player but have lots of pieces to work with.

 

[dtbtbtb]

I don't see how UConn can be top 3 after losing the greatest class of all time. IMO UConn should be ranked top 10 and by March (when every player completely realized their new roles) to be a top 5 team

 

[SCGamecock]

1. Baylor
2. Notre Dame
3. Ohio State
4. UCONN
5. South Carolina
6. Maryland
7. Texas
8. UCLA
9. Louisville
10. Stanford

 

[Charliebball]

I've got research to do, but here are my initial thoughts:

1) Baylor - Return 7 of their top 8 and add 2 of the top HS in the country (HG#1 Cox,#8 Chou)
2) N Dame - A starting 5 of Allen-Arike-Mabrey-Westbeld-Turner is pretty darn good. Add top HS Boley (#5), Young (#11), and injured frosh Patberg
3) Ohio St - Add transfer Mavunga whom I really like, plus HS McCoy (#10)
4) Stanford - Everyone back

I know that ultimately it's who stays that counts but it is interesting to see who the top teams will be missing next year: Baylor is only losing one player but that player, Niya Johnson led the NCAA in assists I believe....Notre Dame looses Cable, Huffman and M Mabrey, SC looses a lot with Mitchell, Sessions, Roy, Dozier and Imovbioh, Maryland looses Howard, Moseley and Pfirman, Ohio State looses Craft and Alston, Syracuse takes a big hit losing Butler, Fondron, Ford, and Morrison, Oregon State looses Hamblin, Hunter, Siegner and Weisner.

 

[JoePgh]

I think the Carolina Sandlapper has the right list of teams. The order is very much TBD. The order would be very different if it were based on talent alone (Texas might be #1 on that measure, and Baylor #2), but when you add in coaching and experience level, the field levels out and the order becomes unpredictable.

Taking talent / experience / coaching together, I think I would put ND at #1, and very murky after that. I would expect UConn to be a Final Four team, but not to win #12.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Notre Dame and Baylor will be loaded. I think Young may be a superstar. The pressure is on the Irish. Cox is a nice addition for the Bears, but how is their guard play after Jones leaves? And Davis also has just 1 year left.

I like our chances. We have Lou and they don't.

 

[HopJim]

Hard to rank since Geno one of the only coaches to take on most top teams. Several teams will have more talent on paper but since its rare top schools play each other, will likely be the playoffs before an accurate picture emerges. Like our chances against any team but am realistic that there will be some difficult matchups due to our youth and size in certain positions.

 

[Kaizen]

It is too early to discuss this. Let celebrate the 11 NCs and 4 consecutive NCs first.

 

[Suebird10fan]

1. UConn (but by a very thin margin)
T2. ND, Baylor, Texas (no particular order)
5. SC

Not sure after that.

It should be a fantastic year for WCBB. Having UConn somewhere in the mix but clearly vulnerable will make for a very exciting storyline. It will be GREAT for WCBB!

 

[Nuyoika]

It's sad when what's "great for women's basketball" is the best team in the country rebuilding and the other teams basically putting the same crap out on the floor... with the exception of a small few teams who do actually play really good basketball. I expect Muffet to get at least 1 of the next 2 NCs. If she doesn't it would be a darn shame, and I don't even like ND.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

1. Baylor
2. Notre Dame
3. Ohio State
4. UCONN
5. South Carolina
6. Maryland
7. Texas
8. UCLA
9. Louisville
10. Stanford

I really like your list. Too much love for Ohio State. I think they are going to really miss Alston and I don't see a replacement for her on the team. UCLA was a really good selection. They have great potential next season.

 

[Suebird10fan]

1. UConn (but by a very thin margin)
T2. ND, Baylor, Texas (no particular order)
5. SC

Not sure after that.

It should be a fantastic year for WCBB. Having UConn somewhere in the mix but clearly vulnerable will make for a very exciting storyline. It will be GREAT for WCBB!

By the way, given (a) the dramatic changes in personnel, and (b) the fact that Geno coaches for March, not December or January, my expectations are that the first couple of months will be pretty rough. I'd be very surprised if we're #1 in mid-December. But I do think we've got the best chance (by a bit) to end the season #1.

 

[ivrytontusker]

It's sad when what's "great for women's basketball" is the best team in the country rebuilding and the other teams basically putting the same crap out on the floor... with the exception of a small few teams who do actually play really good basketball. I expect Muffet to get at least 1 of the next 2 NCs. If she doesn't it would be a darn shame, and I don't even like ND.

ND's inability to win #2 is very unusual. The losses to us in 2014 and 2015 are obvious easy to understand, and the loss to Baylor in 2012 was too. But the loss to Texas A&M in 2011, after beating us, in a game played in Indianapolis, makes me wonder about Muffet in 'big games.' That was a game ND definitely should have won. I guess I also assume that if you beat UConn you not only can but should beat anybody else.

Also, ND fans do not want to play UConn in the title game, given Geno's extraordinary record in title games. On the other hand, while Muffet is 0-2 against Geno in title games, she is (if I am counting correctly) 3-3 against him if all Final Four semifinal and final games are counted.

 

[Nuyoika]

ND's inability to win #2 is very unusual. The losses to us in 2014 and 2015 are obvious easy to understand, and the loss to Baylor in 2012 was too. But the loss to Texas A&M in 2011, after beating us, in a game played in Indianapolis, makes me wonder about Muffet in 'big games.' That was a game ND definitely should have won. I guess I also assume that if you beat UConn you not only can but should beat anybody else.

Also, ND fans do not want to play UConn in the title game, given Geno's extraordinary record in title games. On the other hand, while Muffet is 0-2 against Geno in title games, she is (if I am counting correctly) 3-3 against him if all Final Four semifinal and final games are counted.

Poor Muffet has lost just about as many championship games as Pat Summitt without the glory of winning multiple NCs. I honestly did not think they were going to lose to Texas A&M but I suppose it was just Gary Blair's time. It has to be really annoying to lose 4 Championship games in 5 years. How unfulfilling that must be.

 

[Orangutan]

Poor Muffet has lost just about as many championship games as Pat Summitt without the glory of winning multiple NCs. I honestly did not think they were going to lose to Texas A&M but I suppose it was just Gary Blair's time. It has to be really annoying to lose 4 Championship games in 5 years. How unfulfilling that must be.

I don't know how other Irish fans feel, but I also root for the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Cubs. I'm well accustomed to being disappointed by sports.

 

[Nuyoika]

I don't know how other Irish fans feel, but I also root for the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Cubs. I'm well accustomed to being disappointed by sports.

Yeah well living in Fairport NY (about 90 minutes from Buffalo) I have attended my share of Bills games and I hear ya. Muffet however is due. I think she wins at least 1 of the next two if not both.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Cox is a great pickup for Baylor, but how much help is she going to add to Baylor. Its not as if Baylor wasn't already loaded in the Front Court, so all Cox does is to take away minutes from already talented players. I would probably have Baylor in my Top 4 and above UConn but its because of their already existing talent, not because of Cox.

 

[PhillyCoach]

Cox is a great pickup for Baylor, but how much help is she going to add to Baylor. Its not as if Baylor wasn't already loaded in the Front Court, so all Cox does is to take away minutes from already talented players. I would probably have Baylor in my Top 4 and above UConn but its because of their already existing talent, not because of Cox.

Hey WBBfan1 -I think Lou helped UConn this year. I would say others might agree. Well, Cox is a Lou kind of kid. A #1, hi BBIQ, and very versatile. She could play the 3-4 or 5. She is a better athlete and smarter than Brown & Montpeiler?. Cox could be the 4 and Davis move to the 3--or vice versa. The biggest question for many of us is--in the early season how does Baylor adapt and learn the new roles and rotation without their super point guard and her 12 assists a game. If UConn plays them early it will be a very close game.

 

[Suebird10fan]

I don't know how other Irish fans feel, but I also root for the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Cubs. I'm well accustomed to being disappointed by sports.

No joke?

If so, you must have character coming out the wazoo!

When I was younger the two teams I really cared about were the Red Sox and the Tar Heels (men's bball). From 1967 until April 1982 that was pretty rough. Things got better once Downtown Freddy Brown passed the ball to James Worthy, improved more when I learned to love Geno in 1995 and got a LOT better on Halloween 2004.

 

[Sky ball]

Don't underestimate what the remaining and new players can accomplish. Their turn to shine is coming.

 

[CocoHusky]

Hey WBBfan1 -I think Lou helped UConn this year. I would say others might agree. Well, Cox is a Lou kind of kid. A #1, hi BBIQ, and very versatile. She could play the 3-4 or 5. She is a better athlete and smarter than Brown & Montpeiler?. Cox could be the 4 and Davis move to the 3--or vice versa. The biggest question for many of us is--in the early season how does Baylor adapt and learn the new roles and rotation without their super point guard and her 12 assists a game. If UConn plays them early it will be a very close game.

Coach neither Cox nor Davis is good enough with ball handling or shooting to play the 3. Cox is a natural 4 and will have to split time at that spot with Davis for 1 year or displace Mompremier as the starting 5 spot.

 

[BuckLucas]

Don't know how good Ohio State will be after UConn humbling. Do know on paper they are loaded. Yes Alston is a loss but with the transfers, the returning players and the three five star frosh they will be talented.

 

[Orangutan]

Coach neither Cox nor Davis is good enough with ball handling or shooting to play the 3. Cox is a natural 4 and will have to split time at that spot with Davis for 1 year or displace Mompremier as the starting 5 spot.

Cox, based on the evidence of the McDonald's Game looks like a 5 to me.

Everyone wants tall players to play outside, which I think is backwards. Look at Golden State. Small ball is in. Heck, look at UConn. Neither Tuck nor Stewart is a true 5. Cox should play 5 in college, no doubt. Just because you can shoot and handle the ball doesn't mean you need to play the 3! It just means you are a highly-skilled 5