5 Questions for 2014-15

[hoophuskee]

1. First and foremost, can anyone compete with Connecticut? This year, UCONN had one of, if not the most dominant performances ever. 40 wins by 11+ points, 39 by 15+, 32 by 20+....no one put up a legit fight or proved they could hang with Connecticut. Most top teams are projected to be weaker next year while UCONN projects to be about as good next year (lose 2 studs but gain a strong freshman class, a healthy Tuck, healthy KML and a healthy Banks.)

2. Will North Carolina make the jump from good to great? North Carolina had an up and down season and showed they have potential to be great, but can they play as a team, cut down on turnovers and execute in big games? Some games this year they did, some games they didn't. With more experience and potentially Wilson joining the line up, great things will be expected out of Chapel Hill. Eyes will be on the program to see if they can deliver.

3. Can Tennessee get back to its first final four in 7 years? Talent and personnel wise, I think next year will be Tennessee's best shot provided everyone is healthy. Tennessee is loaded with talent, but can they play good team basketball to get over the hump?

4. What happens to Baylor/Stanford/Louisville? These were 3 teams all in contention for a #1 seed this year and made the Final Four in the last 3 seasons. They are all led by strong coaches and graduated exceptional talent. Baylor loses Sims, Stanford Ogwumike, and Louisville loses Taylor/Schimmel/Slaughter. The cupboards aren't completely bare at these programs (Orrange at Stanford/Davis at Baylor/Hammond at Louisville), but none of these programs will have a game changer in their starting lineup, nor do any of these teams have a great recruiting class coming in. Can these teams hang in the top 10 or will they take a backseat next year?

5. Is the Pac-12 the real deal next year? Lots of talent will be on the west coast next season and the Pac-12 title will be a battle rather than a cake walk for Stanford like it has been the last decade or so. Lots of young talent and good coaching. Will the Pac-12 be able to field multiple Sweet 16 teams next year? Should be interesting to see.

1-- IMO UCONN will be unbeatable as posters such as kibitzer has said - key is Tuck.

2-- Regarding UNC. What does "great" mean? IMO they will be too young to beat us next year. But they will be terrific.

3-- Yes Tenn "can."

 

[UConn990411]

1. I would say Baylor put up a fight, but the point still stands. UConn won't have as complete a starting lineup as they did last year, but they should be a lot deeper if Tuck and Banks are back to full strength and a couple of the freshmen pan out. If Jefferson takes another leap (in which case, she'd be the best PG in the country hands down) and KML rounds back into form (in which case, she'd be First Team All-America), the upside of this team is tremendous.

2. I want to see where A'ja Wilson commits before making any declarations about UNC. She could be a game-changer much like Stewart with her ability to cause matchup problems. I still think they'd be a little too young to knock off UConn, but the talent would certainly be there.

I'm going to throw question #6 out there - next year's projected starting lineup. I'm gonna go with Jefferson, Chong, KML, Stewart and Stokes, with Tuck being the versatile swing-forward off the bench.

 

[hoophuskee]

1. I would say Baylor put up a fight, but the point still stands. UConn won't have as complete a starting lineup as they did last year, but they should be a lot deeper if Tuck and Banks are back to full strength and a couple of the freshmen pan out. If Jefferson takes another leap (in which case, she'd be the best PG in the country hands down) and KML rounds back into form (in which case, she'd be First Team All-America), the upside of this team is tremendous.

2. I want to see where A'ja Wilson commits before making any declarations about UNC. She could be a game-changer much like Stewart with her ability to cause matchup problems. I still think they'd be a little too young to knock off UConn, but the talent would certainly be there.

I'm going to throw question #6 out there - next year's projected starting lineup. I'm gonna go with Jefferson, Chong, KML, Stewart and Stokes, with Tuck being the versatile swing-forward off the bench.

I'll go with Banks ahead of Chong.

 

[mhshuskies]

No way will UConn be as good as this past year - at least not yet. Between Hartley and Dolson, those two were rock solid for UConn and did whatever was needed on the court. The two played a big leadership role on the team - who can step up? KML looks like a solid choice, but you'll never know until next year.

The potential is there for the team to be great for all the reasons you stated. But not just yet.

Stanford won't be as good as this past year. I'll be happy with a Sweet Sixteen appearance. But I think Amber Orrange and Lili Thompson will do great things for us. And the Samuelson sisters, if healthy, will be a key part of the offense. Sophomores Erica McCall and Kailee Johnson will also need to step up and fill the void in the paint. While we'll miss Ogwumike, Mikaela Ruef's contributions will not go unnoticed and she'll be tough to replace as well.

I think Stanford should get beyond the sweet sixteen based on the returning players you mentioned and the quality of coaching. You can make the case that the semi was a tougher game for UCONN than the NC this year.

 

[bballnut90]

1. I would say Baylor put up a fight, but the point still stands. UConn won't have as complete a starting lineup as they did last year, but they should be a lot deeper if Tuck and Banks are back to full strength and a couple of the freshmen pan out. If Jefferson takes another leap (in which case, she'd be the best PG in the country hands down) and KML rounds back into form (in which case, she'd be First Team All-America), the upside of this team is tremendous.

2. I want to see where A'ja Wilson commits before making any declarations about UNC. She could be a game-changer much like Stewart with her ability to cause matchup problems. I still think they'd be a little too young to knock off UConn, but the talent would certainly be there.

I'm going to throw question #6 out there - next year's projected starting lineup. I'm gonna go with Jefferson, Chong, KML, Stewart and Stokes, with Tuck being the versatile swing-forward off the bench.

UCONN loses Hartley and Dolson from the starting 5 and replaces them with Banks (my guess) and Stokes. Hartley really struggled shooting the ball while finishing the season (in her last 4 games, she went 7-28 from long range, 18-55 from the floor, and 9-19 from the free throw line) and those offensive opportunities are going to go to KML, Stewart, Jefferson and Banks.

I also think Stokes will be an upgrade defensively and rebounding wise from Dolson, even if UCONN misses her offensively. I also would expect the returning starters to make big jumps next season. Look for Jefferson to take on a larger scoring role and become an All-American, I'd expect KML to return to All-American form next year, and Stewart will get better with added responsibility. I'd look for improvements similar to how Greene, Hayes and Charles improved from 2009 to 2010 with added responsibilities. Toss in a healthy Banks, healthy Tuck, Stokes and a strong freshman class and you have a team that could be as good as this year, maybe even better by season's end.

From the footage I've seen of A'ja, I don't see her being as versatile as Stewart. She seems more post oriented, and she might make more of an impact her freshman season than Stewart did for most of hers (excluding the post season) but I don't see her coming in and establishing herself as one of the best players in WCBB right off the bat, ala Griner/Parker/Moore. We will see though.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

IMHO The loss of Bria and Stef will hurt early in the season as the team forms a new identity! But along the middle of January into Feb. the greatest coaching staff in WCBB will have the pieces in place to be a dynamic group! The one thing that sets UCONN apart from everyone else is their defense! No one sells out for 40 minutes on defense as the Huskies do! You can take the so-called defensive powers- KY, ND, Baylor, Stanford, TX a&m, PSU, among others and they'll play suffocating defense for 30+ minutes or so, but CT plays "D" for as long as the clock is running! Look at the incident with Moriah Jefferson vs K. McBride with the out-of- bounds play, where MoJeff wouldn't let her move till the ref told her it was a throw-in, and MoJeff had that embarrassed grin on her face! Her job was to GUARD McBride and no one was going to stop her from doing that!
They have, as usual, exceptional human beings as well as talented BB players coming in, you never know until the practices start who is a UCONN style player, think EDD, S. Walker, T. Arnold, K. Johnson, M. Glenney, L. Sherwood, K. Robinson, etc. but if the player lasts 4 years they'll play the suffocating defense UCONN is known for!
UCONN will be a force to be reckoned with come Conference and NCAA Tournament time!