2015 final 4 -- what teams? | Page 4 | The Boneyard

2015 final 4 -- what teams?

Besides UConn, which teams will be in the final 4?

  • Notre Dame

    Votes: 105 77.8%

  • North Carolina

    Votes: 16 11.9%

  • South Carolina

    Votes: 118 87.4%

  • Tennessee

    Votes: 52 38.5%

  • Texas A&M

    Votes: 34 25.2%

  • Texas

    Votes: 12 8.9%

  • Other

    Votes: 56 41.5%
  • Total voters
    135
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Buzzyboy said:
I really don't know why there's such a presumption that Notre Dame will be in the Final Four. They lost two people that were supremely savvy and integral parts of both the offense and defense of Notre Dame. Outside of their junior All-American Jewel Lloyd and Breanna Turner, their big freshman recruit (who may or may not prove to be special), the rest of the lineup doesn't come across as much more than role players. Maybe I'm underestimating them somewhat but I don't recall anyone returning other than Lloyd who has shown herself to be special. You definitely can't say that for UConn where there's potentially three seasoned potential All-Americans in their lineup. That would be Breanna, Moriah and KML. No one on Notre Dame, on the surface, comes close beyond Ms Lloyd. South Carolina is loaded and North Carolina and Tennessee have potential to be Final Four bound. That means Notre Dame may not be as sure a thing as you suggest. JMHO!
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Heard this all before when SD graduated.
 
DbLadyHusky said:
I am a newbie, but as devoted a Lady Husky/Geno fan as they come. IMHO one thing is certain, even if Morgan is healthy, Uconn cannot continue to have injuries like the past two years at the wrong time and expect to win it all in 2014-15. But if they get by this year, the future is very bright (think about Lou at the 17's, the defense/board work of Boykin and several of the others who may commit + Collier & Butler. In 2015-16, just as a few teams get loaded so will Uconn and Geno puts them over the top.
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welcome to the Boneyard!
 
genosguy said:
I am pleasedl there is one other Kiah Stokes admirer. I've been a fan since her freshman year---. I think the extended playing times in the last games of 13 and all of 14 have made an attitudinal change for Kiah, nothing like playing time to put a skip in your step. I believe Kiah shall return for the 14/15 year with more offensive skills. She can hit the foul line shot, I'm not a fan of 3 pointers for bigs--let KML and Chong make that their shot (along with some drives).
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If you look just a bit harder, you will see that there are a lot more than 2. You are fairly new to the board.
 
tennparker3 said:
UConn, ND, Texas A&M, Tennessee are my early picks.

Holly will come out from the shadows her disaster filled seasons of elite eight and sweet sixteen teams and finally get this team to a final four. (sarcasm notice)
Texas A&M has a 1,2,3 punch that can match anybody
ND gets the best freshman in Turner (I believe she is better than Wilson) to go along with Loyd, Reimer, Mabrey, and Allen. Westbeld is a smart player who will fit in well.
UConn has Stewart and KML. Could say more but no need to.

Tennessee has a great mix of Senior and Junior leadership this year to mix with young big time talent. Diamond is the second best player in the country (I said it long before I ever believed she would be a LV and it's my opinion, does not have to be yours.) and her talent and the fact that she has an already well noted connection with the team will only help make them better. Jones, Nared, Tucker, and Dunbar in particular will gain great experience going up against her everyday in practice. This is a the third year with this staff and finally point guard depth quality and consistent three point threats are not areas of concern. Offensive structure, as anyone will say, and the changes supposedly being made will make or break the Lady Vols this year.
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I picked TN as well, though without the detailed knowledge that a TN fan would have. It just seems to me that after all their troubles and with all this time to develop some good talent, this is the year that TN makes it back to the Final Four.
 
Don't like what Muffet did with Stewie last year at the awards, but she is a great coach, and outside of Geno knows how to put the pieces together in TEAM. By the end of the year she will have Notre Dame ready for the run to the final four, can't say that about anyone else.
 
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tennparker3 said:
\

Tennessee has a great mix of Senior and Junior leadership this year to mix with young big time talent. Diamond is the second best player in the country (I said it long before I ever believed she would be a LV and it's my opinion, does not have to be yours.) and her talent and the fact that she has an already well noted connection with the team will only help make them better. Jones, Nared, Tucker, and Dunbar in particular will gain great experience going up against her everyday in practice. This is a the third year with this staff and finally point guard depth quality and consistent three point threats are not areas of concern. Offensive structure, as anyone will say, and the changes supposedly being made will make or break the Lady Vols this year.
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Tennessee lost in the Sweet 16 to Maryland 73-62 and Maryland was then routed by ND 87-61. In the Maryland loss Simmons scored half of Tennessee's points (31) and was the only LV player willing to take the tough shots. Izzy Harrison made 2 shots and scored 7 points. Tennessee's number 1 objective defensively was to stop Alyssa Thomas and she ended the game with 33 points and 13 rebounds. Holly said after the game that the team played scared, something she also said after the tournament loss to Louisville in 2013.

Tennessee has a lot of ground to make up and will be counting on players who have yet to show they can play big on the biggest stage. The one player who was unafraid to take big shots last year -- Simmons -- will be gone. Most teams need a go-to player to advance to the FF. What will be different next season? Who do you expect to be Tennessee's go-to player next season?
 
UConnCat said:
. . . Who do you expect to be Tennessee's go-to player next season?
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If I were a Tennessee fan, I would hope that Izzy would be that go to player and that the
Tennessee offense be designed to facilitate that.

But I recognize that hoping is not the same thing as expecting.

In the following year it will, almost certainly, be Diamond.
 
Last edited:
ed4ourgirls said:
If I were a Tennessee fan, I would hope that Izzy would be that go to player and that the
Tennessee offense be designed to facilitate that.

But I recognize that hoping is not the same thing as expecting.

In the following year it will, almost certainly, be Diamond.
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Yes, yet who is the go to player this year?

Cat makes a point, 2 points actually - Tennessee plays scared
- who is the go-to player this year?

Simmons was because she was not afraid to create her own shot, and because there wasn't a structured offense built around anyone (else)

I will repeat the oft repeated and say that they must learn and play offense AND - they need to overcome their fear - fear of missing shots, specifically. I have to ask myself "does the coach have confidence in her team?
do the people they recruit have confidence, some swag?

they need that badly this year. to have just the one player to depend upon as we know...doesn't always end well, especially since that person will draw the focus of the defense
 
Harrison was ineffective due foul trouble in their loss to Maryland...IF she works on staying out of foul trouble next year, she could be an option as a "go to" player. Her offensive skill set in the post is pretty good. Defense still needs work. However from what I've been able to see and have heard... the ball will seem to leave Ms Tucker's hands a lot this year. IF healthy she's going to be a handful...reminds me of a KML but a bit quicker. I see why the girl was ranked #8 out of high school despite not playing her senior season. IMO Tenn..and I'm not being biased here, will be very good next year, with Massengale back and (-) Simmons...loved her will and determination but anybody with basketball eyes could see that Meighan was a "hit or miss" type of player....very inefficient from the field.

ND will make the FF regadless of losing Achonwa and McBride...Jewell Llyod is one of the best players in the country and bringing in Brianna Turner, who IMO was the best High School player in the country last year. Taya Reimer showed glimpse of being an exceptional low post player last year. I expect Muffet to put together a well balanced team that'll win the ACC again. And make it to Tampa

The other FF team is a toss up to me...its between SC and UCLA...that freshman class of UCLA's is going to be phenomenal and add another year of experience for Ms Fields and I see a "2013 North Carolina" esqe type of year for them.

For some reason I'm just not sold on South Caroline yet...they lost to Tenn last year, without Massengale and then to Kentucky in the SEC tournament semi-final and they really didn't play anyone spectacular last year. They have a pretty good team and my goodness Ms. Coates was phenomenal as a freshman. BUT that freshman class of theirs is really special. With a frontline rotation of White, Wilson, Coates, Ibiam, and Welch..they'll be scary to play...I look forward to UCONN playing them as well as us.

Next season will be interesting...a lot of teams graduated key players, however UCONN, Tenn and USC are the only teams, IMO, that returned a lot too as well. Going to be fun.....see some of you in Tampa ;)
 
connboy77 said:
No one is saying that Diamond isn't a great player with a lot of talent, but she is also a me player interested more in her own stats then the team. She also doesn't like to be told what to do. It will be interesting to see what is going to happen the first time the first time the Tennessee coaches say no to her. Maybe I'm wrong and she will buy into the team concept. If that happens Tennessee will be a final four team.
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But Diamond cannot play until 2015-2016.....
 
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Or she could destroy her teammates chemistry and keep Tennessee from reaching the final four while she's there.


No one is saying that Diamond isn't a great player with a lot of talent, but she is also a me player interested more in her own stats then the team. She also doesn't like to be told what to do. It will be interesting to see what is going to happen the first time the first time the Tennessee coaches say no to her. Maybe I'm wrong and she will buy into the team concept. If that happens Tennessee will be a final four team.

Internet is sometimes too hard to interpret others posts and intentions sometimes. When you say “No one is saying that Diamond isn't a great player,” yet you also say“she could destroy her team chemistry” and she is “also a me player interested more in her own stats then the team” and “she also doesn't like to be told what to do.”

For me- when I look at a young college player and if she has the characteristics in bold you describe- my definition would be she is not a great player. I think she is-- so I can’t agree with your assessment which is why I said on your first post above “I doubt it.”

IMO Tenn is a near lock (we will be a lock) for final four her 1st year with Tenn. She is too good. So I don’t have any doubts she’ll make team overall beter thus no chance to destroy whatever chemistry they have had.
 
genosguy said:
But no one will have Steff's grin or smile she showed playing for Geno can be great fun..
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True, but Kiah's smile isn't shabby, either!
 
01Neaggrad02 said:
I am going out on a limb.. but I think the Final Four teams in 2015 will be the four teams that win their regionals in the elite 8.
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Gotta give you a like due to your courageous vote, and because it rounds up your like total to 400! :)
 
Kiah... will she get in foul trouble going for those rebounds and block shot, Dolson had a charming relationship with the refs. Will Stokes get the same respect? more time could equal more fouls too
 
genosguy- - -SOME STATISTICIAN should do a chart showing the Illegal screen calls against Dolson and Uconn vs Kentuck, Notre Dame, Stanford, Duke, I could go on and on. Point is I saw lots of leaning in on picks by many teams--syracuse was the worst--ND/Stanford not far behind. Dolson did some, no doubt not as many as were called. Hartley hardly ever dribbled that she wasn't already moving first--bad rule anyway. The behind the back dribble cannot be accomplished without "carrying" the ball (no calls).



99.5% of all screens are illegal! Everyone moves as they screen and the rule says you must be STILL while setting the screen! The refs wouldn't know a good screen if they ran into it! It stinks that with so many illegal screens why refs choose certain times to call it! Several years ago Stef got called for an illegal screen by Dennis DeMayo vs ND (I think BEast finals) with 1 minute left in the tie game, the first illegal screen called ALL GAME! ND won! Why when no screens were called all game do you pick then to call the first one?
WCBB & WNBA refs are the worst refs in any sport in the world!
 
The being scared stuff is bogus. Were they? Absolutely. Why? Who the heck knows. Very frustrating. It's been a tough six years with everything that has happened and this is the first season that I can honestly say I have more hopes than worries. So to me, for myself, that helps me believe that regardless of past failures, this years team is one of the best teams in the country and should (no excuses) be a final four team. Diamond will help by way of practice and she is very vocal... I think her persona is very misunderstood. But yes, I do understand she won't play this year. I think we add a lot more than what we lose and possibly get Ariel back to pre-injury form (she was having a great year). Jannah and Jaime will play big roles IMO and all 4 newcomers are perimeter threats with Jannah, Alexa, and Kortney being the most consistent (Jaime was a high 20's percentage wise from deep her senior year). We had zero consistent perimeter shooters after Ariel went down.

Jordan Reynolds could end up being the biggest key to our success this year. She is very talented and her confidence and on court demeanor is exactly what we need.
 
.-.
Some recent quotes from Holly:

"I think our team needs to have a little bit more togetherness,"
"We have to have a little bit more discipline, a little bit more toughness"
"We were tough at times, but not all the time"
"I thought at times when our back got against the wall, we folded a little bit"
"It's almost like we peaked at the SEC tournament."
"We've got to learn how to compete at the highest level when the game's on the line and you lose, you're out."

That's coaching, which I think Holly understands. She's still maturing as a head coach.

Holly is amassing a lot of talent at Tennessee even though some of the current pieces don't always fit well together offensively. It'll be interesting to see how Holly uses the talent and whether she's able to spread the floor and create the type of match-up problems that make teams tough to defend.
 
So far TN has talent but all the best Div. I teams have talent! They need coaching! The way they played ball under Holly W., it's like 12 players show up at game-time, play a little"ball" then head out after the game! I don't get a sense that TN is a TEAM! There's no cohesion, no organization and that comes from the coaches and TN doesn't have any! And as talented as DD is she is going to be more problems than solution. She went to NoCar because Sylvia Hatchell told her she wouldn't interfere with DD's style of play! Is Holly going to agree to do the same thing? And if not does DD pout?
 
Sluconn Husky said:
The big difference is that there is no Stokes/Dolson combo, either as a pair or successively in a game. Foul trouble or performance issues will be far more magnified, at least in the middle. UConn will likely have to add wrinkles to their game to make up the difference. Chong becoming a consistent playmaker would be a big help.
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Haven't got to the bottom of the thread yet, so I'm sure this is a duplicate answer -- as I pointer out above, Stewie had better assist numbers last year (except for a few less in total) than Steph. There need be no fall-off in the high/low game at all, and I don't think there will be.
 
JRRRJ said:
Haven't got to the bottom of the thread yet, so I'm sure this is a duplicate answer -- as I pointer out above, Stewie had better assist numbers last year (except for a few less in total) than Steph. There need be no fall-off in the high/low game at all, and I don't think there will be.
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I'm not sure how Stewart makes up the difference. You're talking Stewart and Dolson versus just Stewart. Stokes is very talented but she isn't the facilitator that Dolson was, she's not the screener Dolson was, and she's not the shooter Dolson was. I think the offense is going to have to be run a bit differently. You're also replacing Hartley's outside shooting which was prolific the last 2-3 months of the season. This is where having a healthy Tuck would be huge but that's completely up in the air.
 
JRRRJ said:
Haven't got to the bottom of the thread yet, so I'm sure this is a duplicate answer -- as I pointer out above, Stewie had better assist numbers last year (except for a few less in total) than Steph. There need be no fall-off in the high/low game at all, and I don't think there will be.
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Agree, but only if Morgan comes back.
 
RSHERMVIKES said:
She went to NoCar because Sylvia Hatchell told her she wouldn't interfere with DD's style of play! Is Holly going to agree to do the same thing? And if not does DD pout?
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You incorrectly assume that Hatchell was her primary recruiter or the primary reason she went to North Carolina. She was not - Trisha Stafford-Odom was. Once Stafford-Odom left for Concordia, it was speculated in inner circles that DeShields was going to transfer.
 
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CamrnCrz1974- - - If Trisha Stafford-Odom was DD main recruiter from NoCar, she certainly didn't promise anything that head coach Sylvia Hatchell didn't sign off on! So if DD was told no-one would interfere with her style of play no matter who left or was still there at NoCar, DD was given a golden handshake and most likely when she was going to be reigned in she bolted for greener pastures! The question is still out there, when/if someone at TN tells DD how to play TN BB will she seek even greener pastures? Admittedly a GREAT talent but the jury is still out on who's team she's on TN or her own?
 
RSHERMVIKES said:
So far TN has talent but all the best Div. I teams have talent! They need coaching! The way they played ball under Holly W., it's like 12 players show up at game-time, play a little"ball" then head out after the game! I don't get a sense that TN is a TEAM! There's no cohesion, no organization and that comes from the coaches and TN doesn't have any! And as talented as DD is she is going to be more problems than solution. She went to NoCar because Sylvia Hatchell told her she wouldn't interfere with DD's style of play! Is Holly going to agree to do the same thing? And if not does DD pout?
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You don't win an SEC regular season and tourney title along with making it to the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight in the last two years without coaching. Holly, in her first two years has kept Tennessee knocking on the door of the top while collecting more and more talent. Holly has been a head coach for two years and has won a lot of games. She flat out coached both Blair and Staley this year and has numerous other games where her halftime adjustments show a lot of promise. Is she a Pat, Geno, or Tara yet? No. But as a Tennessee fan it is amusing to see how so many want to right her off just because A.) they dislike the program so negative thoughts are natural and/or B.) people have no clue what a head coach looks like outside of their own favorite team's head coach.

As for Diamond, she went to North Carolina because she and her friends all thought is was a great idea at the time and they all had an established relationship with TSO. Do a little digging and you will see that relationship was a big factor. TSO is a family friend of many prominent athletic families in Atlanta and DeShields and Coopers are not excluded. There were tears shed according to TSO when she told them she was leaving. It has been discussed that Diamond wanted out before the season started but Sylvia convinced her to stay and try. She did, was unhappy, and left. She has been very gracious in her comments about UNC and chose to switch schools because she felt she would be happier. As of right now, she seems to be glowing about her decision. I can't stand people suggesting her addition to the team would cause problems. UNC started 3 freshmen by the end of the year and almost made it to the final four in large part because of Diamond... that doesn't seem like she is detrimental to her team. She also helped Norcross win 3 of 4 state tournaments in arguably the best high school girls basketball state.

Ok, rant over! I'll shut up now.
 
tennparker3 said:
You don't win an SEC regular season and tourney title along with making it to the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight in the last two years without coaching. Holly, in her first two years has kept Tennessee knocking on the door of the top while collecting more and more talent. Holly has been a head coach for two years and has won a lot of games. She flat out coached both Blair and Staley this year and has numerous other games where her halftime adjustments show a lot of promise. Is she a Pat, Geno, or Tara yet? No. But as a Tennessee fan it is amusing to see how so many want to right her off just because A.) they dislike the program so negative thoughts are natural and/or B.) people have no clue what a head coach looks like outside of their own favorite team's head coach.

As for Diamond, she went to North Carolina because she and her friends all thought is was a great idea at the time and they all had an established relationship with TSO. Do a little digging and you will see that relationship was a big factor. TSO is a family friend of many prominent athletic families in Atlanta and DeShields and Coopers are not excluded. There were tears shed according to TSO when she told them she was leaving. It has been discussed that Diamond wanted out before the season started but Sylvia convinced her to stay and try. She did, was unhappy, and left. She has been very gracious in her comments about UNC and chose to switch schools because she felt she would be happier. As of right now, she seems to be glowing about her decision. I can't stand people suggesting her addition to the team would cause problems. UNC started 3 freshmen by the end of the year and almost made it to the final four in large part because of Diamond... that doesn't seem like she is detrimental to her team. She also helped Norcross win 3 of 4 state tournaments in arguably the best high school girls basketball state.

Ok, rant over! I'll shut up now.
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Tennessee still has a women's basketball team? :p
 
tennparker3 said:
You don't win an SEC regular season and tourney title along with making it to the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight in the last two years without coaching. Holly, in her first two years has kept Tennessee knocking on the door of the top while collecting more and more talent. Holly has been a head coach for two years and has won a lot of games. She flat out coached both Blair and Staley this year and has numerous other games where her halftime adjustments show a lot of promise. Is she a Pat, Geno, or Tara yet? No. But as a Tennessee fan it is amusing to see how so many want to right her off just because A.) they dislike the program so negative thoughts are natural and/or B.) people have no clue what a head coach looks like outside of their own favorite team's head coach.

As for Diamond, she went to North Carolina because she and her friends all thought is was a great idea at the time and they all had an established relationship with TSO. Do a little digging and you will see that relationship was a big factor. TSO is a family friend of many prominent athletic families in Atlanta and DeShields and Coopers are not excluded. There were tears shed according to TSO when she told them she was leaving. It has been discussed that Diamond wanted out before the season started but Sylvia convinced her to stay and try. She did, was unhappy, and left. She has been very gracious in her comments about UNC and chose to switch schools because she felt she would be happier. As of right now, she seems to be glowing about her decision. I can't stand people suggesting her addition to the team would cause problems. UNC started 3 freshmen by the end of the year and almost made it to the final four in large part because of Diamond... that doesn't seem like she is detrimental to her team. She also helped Norcross win 3 of 4 state tournaments in arguably the best high school girls basketball state.

Ok, rant over! I'll shut up now.
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It's not just fans who dislike the Tennessee program or fans that don't have a clue what a head coach looks like that are down on Holly's coaching. A sizable number of Tennessee fans are also not satisfied with Holly's coaching
and want to "right her off" (sic). You don't have to be on VolNation long to realize this.
Can you explain this statement to me that you made in a previous post ?
"The being scared stuff is bogus. Were they? Absolutely"
You seem to indicate that they weren't "scared" (bogus) and then immediately agreed that they were !
 
rvwsleep said:
It's not just fans who dislike the Tennessee program or fans that don't have a clue what a head coach looks like that are down on Holly's coaching. A sizable number of Tennessee fans are also not satisfied with Holly's coaching
and want to "right her off" (sic). You don't have to be on VolNation long to realize this.
Can you explain this statement to me that you made in a previous post ?
"The being scared stuff is bogus. Were they? Absolutely"
You seem to indicate that they weren't "scared" (bogus) and then immediately agreed that they were !
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The bogus part is me saying there should have been no excuse for them to be scared but admitting that is how they played and that is on both coaches and players. It doesn't make Holly a bad coach, it makes her a second year head coach who simply didn't get it right.

Right should be write... sorry, phone typing...

As for Tennessee fans questioning Holly... I call it being overly dramatic.
 
tennparker3- - - Tn is joining those once elite programs that their fans say, remember when we were the best in the nation! Auburn, La Tech, GA, SoCal, Old Dominion, Immaculata, UVA, Texas (though with their new coach Karen Aston they may be on their way back), NoCar, & TX Tech!
With Holly Warlick as head coach, TN is headed into oblivion, IMHO which stands for nothing, but I get the same feeling watching HW coach that I got watching Gail Goestenkors coach, THE DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS! Totally lost like what's happening to us? What can I do?
Just because she coached with Pat Summitt for 25+ years doesn't make her a PHS clone!
I remember Maria (or whatever the head of THE SUMMITT site's name is) crying on video how terrible her Lady Vols were and how WE had to get rid of certain players, & HW, etc.! Just recently the same lady went on for 8 hrs. or whatever, on how TN was now going to win the next 10 National Championships because Diamond DeShield transferred from NoCar to TN!
 
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