2018-2019 Schedule Nearly Complete

[pinotbear]

Notre Dame can only play five at a time.

based on the officiating in this year's semi-final, I'm not too sure about that...

 

[Vowelguy]

Paradise Jam teams are UConn, North Carolina, Kentucky, Purdue, South Florida, Ole Miss, St. John's, and UCLA.

Ugh. Not a top 25 team in the bunch.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Ugh. Not a top 25 team in the bunch.

Actually, think Purdue should be. Young and talented roster.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Home game against Ohio State will be the season opener.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[bballnut90]

Should be a battle for #1 ranking. Storyline should be how ready are UCONN’s freshmen compared to how ND reintegrates Turner.

Real battle will be in the post season should they meet in the Final Four (which they likely will). Interesting stat—UCONN is 2-0 vs ND in title games, ND is 4-1 vs UCONN in the semis.

 

[JordyG]

Can't wait to get some. Finally ND will learn (I mean not Muffet, she already knows), what it feels like to have a target on their backs. How it feels to have mediocre teams play out of their heads every night, every play. What it feels like to have over expectant fans criticizing close games. They should be well softened up by then.

 

[bballnut90]

Can't wait to get some. Finally ND will learn (I mean not Muffet, she already knows), what it feels like to have a target on their backs. How it feels to have mediocre teams play out of their heads every night, every play. What it feels like to have over expectant fans criticizing close games. They should be well softened up by then.

Very different expectations...I don't think anyone thinks ND is going to run the table next year while most fans predicted UCONN would run the table in 4 of the last 5 seasons (2014, 2015, 2016, 2018.)

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Very different expectations...I don't think anyone thinks ND is going to run the table next year

Why not? They lost three games this past season, two very close games to UConn and Louisville plus the blowout in Louisville. Both those teams should take a step or two back on paper while Notre Dame potentially improves significantly with the return of Turner and the possible leap to stardom of Young.

 

[oldude]

Why not? They lost three games this past season, two very close games to UConn and Louisville plus the blowout in Louisville. Both those teams should take a step or two back on paper while Notre Dame potentially improves significantly with the return of Turner and the possible leap to stardom of Young.

Sometimes less is more. It will be interesting to see how ND integrates Shepard and Turner, who are both more effective in the low post than out on the floor.

As for UConn, I believe Pheesa will have a monster year as the primary low post threat for the Huskies, as she was 2 years ago. This past year, Pheesa was somewhat hamstrung as UConn tried with only partial success to develop Z as a low post threat, forcing Pheesa to find a different role in the offense.

 

[Dillon77]

Can't wait to get some. Finally ND will learn (I mean not Muffet, she already knows), what it feels like to have a target on their backs. How it feels to have mediocre teams play out of their heads every night, every play. What it feels like to have over expectant fans criticizing close games. They should be well softened up by then.

Sometimes less is more. It will be interesting to see how ND integrates Shepard and Turner, who are both more effective in the low post than out on the floor.

As for UConn, I believe Pheesa will have a monster year as the primary low post threat for the Huskies, as she was 2 years ago. This past year, Pheesa was somewhat hamstrung as UConn tried with only partial success to develop Z as a low post threat, forcing Pheesa to find a different role in the offense.

A few points:

- ND has a very interesting weekend, playing Iowa in the B1G/ACC Classic the Thursday before the UConn game. That will bring Megan Gustafson, Kathleen Doyle and crew to the bend. It will also be a good opportunity to see Brianna Turner and/or Mik Vaughn do some one-on-one defense.

- Jordy: While it's not quite the same as having a #1 target on the back, MM does a good job of putting the Irish into tough environments early in the schedule to get them ready for both the ACC schedule and NCAA tournament. They were out on the road in the beginning of the season a lot last year, traveling to Western Kentucky, Oregon State, Michigan and Florida to play South Carolina and others in an early tournament.

- Old Dude: McGraw Benchers have thought about the "less is more" aspect but I'm not sure we agree with the assessment that Shepard is more of a low post. In fact, she only took over at the low post because Turner was out. MM thinks of her as kind of a combo, able to play the high post like the departed Kat Westbeld and then drive to the hoop. Plus, Shepard is a superb passer, so I expect she and Bri T. to work well with each other in the lane.

My question on UConn's offense is a slightly different one than yours:
If I remember correctly, Gabby Williams had the most assists on the team last season so the ball was coming into where she was setting up and then she'd find the next link in the offense. Will UConn become more PG-centric with Dangerfield (who had the second most assists)? Or will someone else fill that portion of the offense? If so, whom? (On another note, Gabby also led the team in rebounding...quite a threat. As I've often said, she was the Husky I always feared most against ND.)

 

[oldude]

A few points:

- ND has a very interesting weekend, playing Iowa in the B1G/ACC Classic the Thursday before the UConn game. That will bring Megan Gustafson, Kathleen Doyle and crew to the bend. It will also be a good opportunity to see Brianna Turner and/or Mik Vaughn do some one-on-one defense.

- Jordy: While it's not quite the same as having a #1 target on the back, MM does a good job of putting the Irish into tough environments early in the schedule to get them ready for both the ACC schedule and NCAA tournament. They were out on the road in the beginning of the season a lot last year, traveling to Western Kentucky, Oregon State, Michigan and Florida to play South Carolina and others in an early tournament.

- Old Dude: McGraw Benchers have thought about the "less is more" aspect but I'm not sure we agree with the assessment that Shepard is more of a low post. In fact, she only took over at the low post because Turner was out. MM thinks of her as kind of a combo, able to play the high post like the departed Kat Westbeld and then drive to the hoop. Plus, Shepard is a superb passer, so I expect she and Bri T. to work well with each other in the lane.

My question on UConn's offense is a slightly different one than yours:
If I remember correctly, Gabby Williams had the most assists on the team last season so the ball was coming into where she was setting up and then she'd find the next link in the offense. Will UConn become more PG-centric with Dangerfield (who had the second most assists)? Or will someone else fill that portion of the offense? If so, whom? (On another note, Gabby also led the team in rebounding...quite a threat. As I've often said, she was the Husky I always feared most against ND.)

Dillon,
I’ve seen Shepard play inside & out and she’s far more effective down low imo. As for replacing Gabby, I agree it will be a challenge, but as I said in another thread, I actually believe Lou is a more effective passer, and that Lou & Pheesa will wear teams out executing pick and rolls from the high post.

As for my belief that “less is more,” if any team proved my point, it was this past season’s Irish team. I’m counting on MM struggling to find an 8-9 player rotation that works.

 

[bballnut90]

Why not? They lost three games this past season, two very close games to UConn and Louisville plus the blowout in Louisville. Both those teams should take a step or two back on paper while Notre Dame potentially improves significantly with the return of Turner and the possible leap to stardom of Young.

Because UCONN has two returning All Americans and has the most talented roster in the country and the best incoming class. Mabrey is a great player but isn’t a PG and has struggled with turnovers. Who knows how effective Turner will be when she’s back, her play could disrupt rhythm found by her teammates. And Notre Dame wasn’t head and shoulders better than most teams this year. They nearly lost to Mississippi State (the no call on Mabrey/William was massive) and were down by 23 to Tennessee at one point. In all the years where UCONN was favored to go undefeated, they either had Stewart (2014-2016) or returned everyone plus Stevens and Walker from their 36-1 team in 2016-17 who lost on a buzzer beater. Notre Dame is expected to be the favorite going into next season, but they’re far from a heavy favorite. If you’re willing to bet on ND going undefeated vs not, I’ll gladly take that bet.

 

[Carnac]

Really? What happened?

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Former McDonald's All-American forward De'Janae Boykin will join the West Virginia women's basketball team, as announced by coach Mike Carey on Wednesday.

After originally signing with UConn, Boykin comes to Morgantown from Penn State. She started 29 games for the Nittany Lions in 2017-18, averaging 7.6 rebounds per contest to lead the Nittany Lions. In addition to averaging 5.8 points per game, the Springdale, Maryland, native accrued 14 steals, 22 blocks and 48 assists on the year. She ranked fourth on the team in minutes per game at 29.4 and was third in blocked shots. The 6-foot-2 Boykin joined the Nittany Lions in the spring of 2016 and played the second half of the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

"De'Janae is a player we recruited out of high school, so we're very familiar with her," Carey said. "She is a player that will have an immediate impact on our team, especially at the three and the four. We look forward to having her on our roster."

[Story]

 

[oldude]

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Former McDonald's All-American forward De'Janae Boykin will join the West Virginia women's basketball team, as announced by coach Mike Carey on Wednesday.

After originally signing with UConn, Boykin comes to Morgantown from Penn State. She started 29 games for the Nittany Lions in 2017-18, averaging 7.6 rebounds per contest to lead the Nittany Lions. In addition to averaging 5.8 points per game, the Springdale, Maryland, native accrued 14 steals, 22 blocks and 48 assists on the year. She ranked fourth on the team in minutes per game at 29.4 and was third in blocked shots. The 6-foot-2 Boykin joined the Nittany Lions in the spring of 2016 and played the second half of the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

"De'Janae is a player we recruited out of high school, so we're very familiar with her," Carey said. "She is a player that will have an immediate impact on our team, especially at the three and the four. We look forward to having her on our roster."

[Story]

So she will sit out a full season and then have 1.5 years of eligibility left. Boykin is something of a WBB nomad.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Because UCONN has two returning All Americans and has the most talented roster in the country and the best incoming class. Mabrey is a great player but isn’t a PG and has struggled with turnovers. Who knows how effective Turner will be when she’s back, her play could disrupt rhythm found by her teammates. And Notre Dame wasn’t head and shoulders better than most teams this year. They nearly lost to Mississippi State (the no call on Mabrey/William was massive) and were down by 23 to Tennessee at one point. In all the years where UCONN was favored to go undefeated, they either had Stewart (2014-2016) or returned everyone plus Stevens and Walker from their 36-1 team in 2016-17 who lost on a buzzer beater. Notre Dame is expected to be the favorite going into next season, but they’re far from a heavy favorite. If you’re willing to bet on ND going undefeated vs not, I’ll gladly take that bet.

I think they have the best shot at it. Mabrey at point didn't seem to hurt them last season. Turner should help their defense immensely if nothing else. They'll have offense galore. They were a terrific rebounding team this past year and they add a 6-5 pogo stick.

UConn had six legit players this past season. At this point you can only count on three this coming year depending on the development of underclassmen and freshmen.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think they have the best shot at it. Mabrey at point didn't seem to hurt them last season. Turner should help their defense immensely if nothing else. They'll have offense galore. They were a terrific rebounding team this past year and they add a 6-5 pogo stick.

UConn had six legit players this past season. At this point you can only count on three this coming year depending on the development of underclassmen and freshmen.

Who's the 6'5" pogo stick?

 

[SCspur]

I think they have the best shot at it. Mabrey at point didn't seem to hurt them last season. Turner should help their defense immensely if nothing else. They'll have offense galore. They were a terrific rebounding team this past year and they add a 6-5 pogo stick.

UConn had six legit players this past season. At this point you can only count on three this coming year depending on the development of underclassmen and freshmen.

I thought Turner was 6’3” ....... if that’s who your referring to?

 

[bballnut90]

I think they have the best shot at it. Mabrey at point didn't seem to hurt them last season. Turner should help their defense immensely if nothing else. They'll have offense galore. They were a terrific rebounding team this past year and they add a 6-5 pogo stick.

UConn had six legit players this past season. At this point you can only count on three this coming year depending on the development of underclassmen and freshmen.

Best shot is one thing, being a UCONN caliber favorite is another. Mabrey had 9 TOs in the title game. Rewatch the Louisville games. She can be stellar but she’s not a top rate PG. She’s a fantastic wing playing out of position for the betterment of her team. Offense galore is there but they were not a good defensive team last year. Turner is 6-3, not 6-5, and she’s coming off an ACL so who knows if she’ll be as much of a pogo stick. She also isn’t a great passer out of the post like Shepard is, so offense might not be as crisp next year. It could be better too, but it’s an unknown.

UCONN played just six but had a HS POY sitting on the bench. This year they bring in 2 top kids and will have 3 HS POY on the roster. The only other team with 1 is Baylor. Regardless of age, talent wise UCONN is the cream of the crop once again. Even if you only have proven results from 3 players, that’s a good number. In 2016-17 you really just had Nurse/KLS as proven commodities coming back, 2015-16 just had 4 with the Big 3 and Nurse coming back, 2014-15 had just 4 proven players returning, 2013-14 had 4 as well. Even if Walker, Ono and Williams aren’t proven, odds are at least 1-2 step up and other returners like Collier/Dangerfield will continue to improve as well.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Best shot is one thing, being a UCONN caliber favorite is another. Mabrey had 9 TOs in the title game. Rewatch the Louisville games. She can be stellar but she’s not a top rate PG. She’s a fantastic wing playing out of position for the betterment of her team. Offense galore is there but they were not a good defensive team last year.

Right, but they still won and beat UConn, Mississippi State, and Oregon along the way. Young has a chance to be an all-american. Everyone else is back. Turner is back. McGraw's an excellent coach. Where's the weakness?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Even if you only have proven results from 3 players, that’s a good number. In 2016-17 you really just had Nurse/KLS as proven commodities coming back, 2015-16 just had 4 with the Big 3 and Nurse coming back, 2014-15 had just 4 proven players returning, 2013-14 had 4 as well. Even if Walker, Ono and Williams aren’t proven, odds are at least 1-2 step up and other returners like Collier/Dangerfield will continue to improve as well.

Nah, in the 2016-2017 team had Gabby returning after a strong sophomore campaign, and she was the best player in the nation. Collier was the one who took the huge leap but many of us wondered why she wasn't better as a freshmen.

If you're comparing to this season, Walker would have to make not just a leap, but a huge one to match what Collier did. Then there is no Gabby Williams on this team. UConn hasn't had a freshmen impact player since KLS. ONO and/or Williams will have to be impact players for UConn to win a title.

The Huskies lost their two best defensive players, their biggest play-maker, one of their two best shooters, their two best rebounders, and their most efficient offensive player. They are replacing them with hopes of Walker and Coombs and two freshmen.

 

[Dillon77]

Best shot is one thing, being a UCONN caliber favorite is another. Mabrey had 9 TOs in the title game. Rewatch the Louisville games. She can be stellar but she’s not a top rate PG. She’s a fantastic wing playing out of position for the betterment of her team. Offense galore is there but they were not a good defensive team last year. Turner is 6-3, not 6-5, and she’s coming off an ACL so who knows if she’ll be as much of a pogo stick. She also isn’t a great passer out of the post like Shepard is, so offense might not be as crisp next year. It could be better too, but it’s an unknown.

UCONN played just six but had a HS POY sitting on the bench. This year they bring in 2 top kids and will have 3 HS POY on the roster. The only other team with 1 is Baylor. Regardless of age, talent wise UCONN is the cream of the crop once again. Even if you only have proven results from 3 players, that’s a good number. In 2016-17 you really just had Nurse/KLS as proven commodities coming back, 2015-16 just had 4 with the Big 3 and Nurse coming back, 2014-15 had just 4 proven players returning, 2013-14 had 4 as well. Even if Walker, Ono and Williams aren’t proven, odds are at least 1-2 step up and other returners like Collier/Dangerfield will continue to improve as well.

In an earlier post on this thread, I acknowledged that it will take awhile for ND to get some aspects of it's game together. Regarding a few of those:

- Turner is listed as 6'3", looks a bit taller depending on the hairstyle she's wearing and, indeed, has good hops and arm extension, making her seem taller.

Will she come back from the ACL? When the season starts, it will be nearly 1 1/2 years since she had the injury in the NCAAs. Reports are good. We can only see how that plays out on the court.

Mik Vaughn is also coming off an ACL and she's another very tall one (6'3") to match up with Turner and Shepard.

- Speaking of playing tall, Jackie Young can play inside very well for a six-footer. If she can start stroking more outside shots with confidence, it will open up the middle even more for the ND posts, both low- and high.

- Mabrey spent the summer of '17 working on her shot, period. She picked up the PG duties in-season/on-the-fly. The plan is for to be the lead guard this season and she is allegedly spending the time this summer working as such. Will she morph into Lindsay Allen? Doubtful. Will she be more efficient against full-court pressure? Depends on who the Irish are playing. Will she be better? Yup.
Given the end result of last season, it wasn't so bad.

BTW, she'll have help with the press: Jordan Nixon has a serious handle and looks pretty calm and collected when I see her.

The best part about this post is I have not had to mention the Irish leading scorer once...

 

[Dillon77]

Dillon,
I’ve seen Shepard play inside & out and she’s far more effective down low imo. As for replacing Gabby, I agree it will be a challenge, but as I said in another thread, I actually believe Lou is a more effective passer, and that Lou & Pheesa will wear teams out executing pick and rolls from the high post.

As for my belief that “less is more,” if any team proved my point, it was this past season’s Irish team. I’m counting on MM struggling to find an 8-9 player rotation that works.

- MM has acknowledged that having to go with so few players last season was a challenge. She simply had to keep them in, fouls and mistakes regardless. As such, she was coaching from a "half-full" approach, rather than a "half-empty, take a seat for awhile" tact.

I personally liked it and find that favors an upper classmen-laden team, like the Irish will be this year. Players don't have to look over their shoulder to see if a mishap will result in a substitution. They can learn from it and move on. (MM did and will always "have a chat" over defensive efforts or lack thereof.)

Will she keep that approach? That will be an interesting take.

- Still, she's got to work in returning players (Patterson, Vaughn) and the frosh (Cosgrove, Prohaska, Gilbert and most noticeably, the point guard Nixon), not just for this year, but for next when only Young returns from the starters.

- I'll be really interested in how much else Geno puts on KLS, given how well she excels at what she's doing.

- As for those pick and rolls and two-person games with KLS and Pheesa, I think that'll work against some teams, but not others. The December game will be interesting in that respect.

 

[bballnut90]

Right, but they still won and beat UConn, Mississippi State, and Oregon along the way. Young has a chance to be an all-american. Everyone else is back. Turner is back. McGraw's an excellent coach. Where's the weakness?

The Mississippi State and UCONN games were essentially ties separated by a shot from Arike. They played their best ball of the year in the NCAA tournament after having some shaky stretches during the regular season. Going from that to having pressure on them to be undefeated just isn’t unrealistic. Pressure to repeat is one thing, expecting a team to go undefeated is another. If you had betting money right now, would you bet on Notre Dame going undefeated next year?

 

[bballnut90]

In an earlier post on this thread, I acknowledged that it will take awhile for ND to get some aspects of it's game together. Regarding a few of those:

- Turner is listed as 6'3", looks a bit taller depending on the hairstyle she's wearing and, indeed, had good hops and arm extension, making her seem taller.

Will she come back from the ACL? When the season starts, it will be nearly 1 1/2 years since she had the injury in the NCAAs. Reports are good. We can only see.

Mik Vaughn is also coming off an ACL and she's another tall one to match up with Turner and Shepard.

- Speaking of playing tall, Jackie Young can play inside very well for a six-footer. If she can start stroking more outside shots with confidence, it will open up the middle even more for the posts.

- Mabrey spent the summer of '17 working on her shot. She picked up the PG duties in season/on the fly. The plan is for to be the lead guard this season and she is allegedly spending the time this summer working as such. Will she morph into Lindsay Allen? Doubtful. Will she be more efficient against full-court pressure? Depends on who we're playing. Will she be better? Yup.
Given the end result of last season, it wasn't so bad.

BTW, she'll have help with the press: Jordan Nixon has a serious handle and looks pretty calm and collected when I see her.

The best part about this post is I have not had to mention the Irish leading scorer once...

Agree with everything you’re saying—ND is going to be a handful and should be the team to beat. The potential is outstanding and they should have a deeper roster (for better or worse). I just don’t think anyone is expecting them to go undefeated like we expected UCONN to go undefeated this year and in previous seasons.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

The Mississippi State and UCONN games were essentially ties separated by a shot from Arike.

They were only one of two teams to give UConn a game all year, and they did it twice including in Hartford. On paper, UConn should never have lost. Now Notre Dame should be a heavy favorite. I think they have a legit shot at undefeated. They've come close before (2014).

 

[bballnut90]

They were only one of two teams to give UConn a game all year, and they did it twice including in Hartford. On paper, UConn should never have lost. Now Notre Dame should be a heavy favorite. I think they have a legit shot at undefeated. They've come close before (2014).

A shot is one thing, being favored to go undefeated like UCONN has in 4 of the last 5 seasons is another.

 

[Carnac]

A shot is one thing, being favored to go undefeated like UCONN has in 4 of the last 5 seasons is another.

No doubt that UConn has spoiled us all with their numerous undefeated seasons recently. They made it look easy, but we all know it wasn't. Without looking it up, can you remember the last team besides UConn to go undefeated wire to wire and win the NC?

 

[oldude]

No doubt that UConn has spoiled us all with their numerous undefeated seasons recently. They made it look easy, but we all know it wasn't. Without looking it up, can you remember the last team besides UConn to go undefeated wire to wire and win the NC?

I think it was Baylor in whatever year Kim won her only championship?

 

[Carnac]

I think it was Baylor in whatever year Kim won her only championship?

Correct. 2012 her team went 40-0. But she also won another championship in 2005.
Note - Before Baylor's 40-0 undefeated season, the last non-uconn team to go undefeated was Tennessee in 1998
that went 39-0.

Mulkey (2005/2012), Tara Van derveer (Stanford 90/92), Muffet McGraw (Notre Dame 2001/2018) and Geno are the only ACTIVE D-1 head basketball coaches to have won MULTIPLE NCAA championships.

Active head coaches that have won a chip are: Silvia Hatchell (UNC 1994), Brenda Frese (Maryland 2006), Gary Blair (Texas A&M 2011), and Dawn Staley (South Carolina 2017).