Whose feeling confident that our seniors get sent off the right way?

[Huskee11]

Lots of reasons to think that this is the year. Finally.

UConn will go into the season healthy. They all look like they have been working out like crazy. I expect many of them to take a big step forward and I like the first year players a lot, including Ice.

Great depth.

Paige and Azzi, when healthy, are the best guard tandem in the country and it is not even close. Better than many WNBA teams, in fact.

Nika will not have to play anything close to 40 minutes and can play totally unleashed on the defensive end. Aubrey as well.

UConn can do things that it has not been able to do in ages. Mainly, they can press full court. That is a weapon that they have simply been unable to utilize due to the heavy minutes the starters have had to play and the fear of foul trouble.

As part of the great depth, the ability to go small, go big, go somewhere in between. Go offense. Go defense. Geno has to love the options he will have.

Scheduling helps, beginning with the trip to Europe. A tough out of conference schedule will allow them to hone their game. The Big East schedule should be easy since the top teams from last year, such as Villanova and Marquette, but other than Creighton, have taken a step backward; that will allow for rest, feel good games, and bench development.

Boston has moved on to the WNBA.

LSU has the talent to challenge. Let`s see how the chemistry works out. There have been NBA super teams assembled that put it together, and there have been some that did not.

Most importantly, UConn is on a Mission. Capital M. The season will be long but I don`t think it will wear on them like it did in 2022-2023. They will be able to peak in March and they will not let this opportunity pass them by.

 

[ballerfan]

I meant decent in the number of players Geno might use compared with last year, when they barely had a bench. I was referring to the depth. The quality of the bench is amazing.

 

[Bone Dog]

I meant decent in the number of players Geno might use compared with last year, when they barely had a bench. I was referring to the depth. The quality of the bench is amazing.

Totally agree. Our second 5 would probably be ranked in the top 20 of D1

 

[EricLA]

UConn will have to "aggressively" take what they want. Teams no longer fear UConn as in days of yore. Even some conference teams (Marquette, Villanova & St. Johns) no longer fear UConn. Pardon me, but I just can't get excited about the possible fortunes of our team in June. I'm guessing that the other top 10 teams will field competitive teams this year as well, and thus should not be taken lightly.

IMHO that will change this year. The past 2 seasons, especially last year, other teams could "smell the blood in the water", so to speak. UCONN was so injured that teams sensed opportunities they have never had before.

Not to sound over confident, but there's not a single team in the big east that will even come close to a 10 point loss. I suspect even the best teams in the BE will lose by 20+ going away. By the time UCONN has steamrolled over several teams, the fear factor will be back. Sure opposing coaches will do all they can to instill confidence, etc. in their teams, but there is only a small chance, IMHO, that any team is even within 10 by halftime.

Side note - all this assumes a healthy UCONN team this season.

And I'm one of those fans who feels that not only is UCONN #1, it's not particularly close between #1 and #2.

IMHO I think fans are a little gun-shy about UCONN these days. Given all the bad luck, and the ridiculous plethora of injuries, UCONN has not had the seasons anyone wanted or expected. Just my opinion, but that all changes this year.

 

[Bone Dog]

Remember the Stewie teams and how quickly they moved the ball in the half court offense? They were quick in transition, of course. But even in the half court they whipped the ball around the perimeter, into the paint and out again, and very few teams could keep up.

This is what I think we’ll see this year with so many top ball handlers on the floor at any moment. Nika Paige Azzi Aaliyah — this group is simply too well seasoned in the offense. Whoever the fifth starter is — Caroline or Ayanna or Ice or Jana — they’ll be working with a really tight unit.

 

[SEbluebood]

Agree the bench could be a strong bench, but if you assume Bueckers, Fudd, Edwards, Ducharme and Brady as starters, that leaves four freshmen, two sophomores who played inconsistently in less than 10 minutes per game, a junior who has been a disappointment so far and Nika and Aubrey. That group could be fun to watch and a good bench , but is not a profile of a team that could beat just about every team in the country. It would have just too many question marks and unproven players. If you want to place Caroline on the bench instead Aubrey or Nika, the dynamics don’t really change.

 

[Carnac]

 

[Bone Dog]

If the starters are Nika Paige Azzi Ice and Aaliyah, the top of the bench is Aubrey Caroline Ayanna Inês and Jana. It’s clearly a largely untested group other than Caroline and Aubrey, but also bursting with talent. Didn’t SC have a bench like this last season? I’d have said they’d be ranked in the top 20 if they’d been a starting five.

 

[hoophuskee]

UCONN would clearly be the prohibitive favorite if they were healthy. The issue entirely is their health and secodnly Caroline Ducharme's potential growth.

In a healthy Paige and Azzi, UCONN would have two of the best three players on the floor vs anyone more than likely if they were healthy.
And Edwards floor is raised, whether she is "voted" as an A/a or not, because playing with two healthy superstars she will have more freedom/easier looks etc. And as leads expand many teams won't be pounding the ball in the paint as much unless they just give up. Thus raer issues with fouls.

Caroline is the wild card. If she shows like she did as a frosh when she took over the team as the #1 scorer UCON is near unbeatable. Plain and simple.

No one can match this ceiling firepower if UCONN is healthy. And yet any injuries to the above 4 hurts the team exponentially to a degree depending on which player.

And with Nika and Aubrey, UCONN has a tremendous core of 6 players.
Any injuries to these 6 will hurt a consistent pace of play which will always be fast. Not "Arkansas Razorbacks fast," but just consistently fast even vs near all (but not every) top opponents.

Adn as far as 1 or 2 others off the bench; it’s fine. We all heard how impressive Ice was last year. This year she is going to tun into a pumpkin? And last year Patterson’s Defense was decent. Her issue was that she couldn’t hit layups or sore in in any manner. Well, now 1 year under her belt and two superstars along with the other mentioned above, they won't help her at least be able to hit layups? Only the most negative UCONN posters (and there are quite few on here), and the posters not UConn fans that hate UCONN would look to minimize Ice and Patterson. - Among others.

 

[Skeets]

Lots of reasons to think that this is the year. Finally.

UConn will go into the season healthy. They all look like they have been working out like crazy. I expect many of them to take a big step forward and I like the first year players a lot, including Ice.

Great depth.

Paige and Azzi, when healthy, are the best guard tandem in the country and it is not even close. Better than many WNBA teams, in fact.

Nika will not have to play anything close to 40 minutes and can play totally unleashed on the defensive end. Aubrey as well.

UConn can do things that it has not been able to do in ages. Mainly, they can press full court. That is a weapon that they have simply been unable to utilize due to the heavy minutes the starters have had to play and the fear of foul trouble.

As part of the great depth, the ability to go small, go big, go somewhere in between. Go offense. Go defense. Geno has to love the options he will have.

Scheduling helps, beginning with the trip to Europe. A tough out of conference schedule will allow them to hone their game. The Big East schedule should be easy since the top teams from last year, such as Villanova and Marquette, but other than Creighton, have taken a step backward; that will allow for rest, feel good games, and bench development.

Boston has moved on to the WNBA.

LSU has the talent to challenge. Let`s see how the chemistry works out. There have been NBA super teams assembled that put it together, and there have been some that did not.

Most importantly, UConn is on a Mission. Capital M. The season will be long but I don`t think it will wear on them like it did in 2022-2023. They will be able to peak in March and they will not let this opportunity pass them by.

Nika can play totally unleashed? Now that's a scary thought.

 

[Carnac]

Hey, I WANT to be as optimistic as Tonyc. I truly believe this team will do some great things this season. I just want to SEE something "tangible" first. Talking, hoping, or wishing doesn't get it done. SHOW ME that the hype surrounding this team is justified, and then I'll be happy to drive that bandwagon. Remember, I live in So. Cal, but I'm from Missouri.

 

[Carnac]

Nika can play totally unleashed? Now that's a scary thought.

Yes!!! And now Geno has the depth which will allow him to take the leash off of her, and let her play pedal to the metal. She won't always be in foul trouble, but when she is, she has more than adequate backup. Needless to say, her play should inspire her teammates to do likewise. When the ball comes your way, or when there's a play in front of you, make it!!

 

[GoingPostal]

Agree the bench could be a strong bench, but if you assume Bueckers, Fudd, Edwards, Ducharme and Brady as starters, that leaves four freshmen, two sophomores who played inconsistently in less than 10 minutes per game, a junior who has been a disappointment so far and Nika and Aubrey. That group could be fun to watch and a good bench , but is not a profile of a team that could beat just about every team in the country. It would have just too many question marks and unproven players. If you want to place Caroline on the bench instead Aubrey or Nika, the dynamics don’t really change.

Well that certainly reads as "a glass half empty" assessment of this year's team. I'm going to try the "glass half full" picture. Using your projected starting five, which IMO matches up better or at least the same as any other in the country, let's move onto the bench. Nika just set a record for most assists in a season, and game, and played more minutes than projected. Aubrey is a fifth-year senior with the ability to break games open as a starter or coming off the bench. Both would be starting if they played anywhere else. Ayanna and Ines got more playing time than would have been normally expected because of injuries. A plus in my evaluation. So that brings us to 9 players who bring loads of talent and potential to the team. Geno usually has a solid core of 7, 8, or 9 players he relies on each year to carry the bulk of the load. Now we have a quartet of freshmen with tons of potential to bring to the table. That's how I look at this years team.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Caroline is the wild card. If she shows like she did as a frosh when she took over the team as the #1 scorer UCON is near unbeatable. Plain and simple.

She did not take over as the #1 scorer her freshman year. Paige, CW, and Azzi were all ahead of her in scoring.

 

[From France]

It has often been said by WNBA coaches that UCONN players were ready for the next level, so whatever thet might do in the next NCAA Tournament, no matters. And remember they all have at leats on year eligibility left due to COVID.
Perhaps, noone lefts the team at the end of the season, that could cause some other problems with roster issues

 

[hoophuskee]

She did not take over as the #1 scorer her freshman year. Paige, CW, and Azzi were all ahead of her in scoring.

I meant over a stretch of games.

In her frosh year over a stretch of 11 games from 12/11 UCLA to 2/2 Creighton she scored significantly more points, 69 more (the 2nd closest was CWill), than any other player. Over those 11 games, she was UCONN's leading scorer. IMO that's significant.