An Early 2019/2020 "Season Record" Poll

[Carnac]

Baylor has a lot of talent, but the Lady Bears are an entirely different team with only one true Big. No free backside cuts to the basket or easy second chance points. The game is in CT. Baylor will go down to the Huskies this season.

I voted for 1 loss. I don't want UConn going into the post season undefeated, too much pressure. I had Baylor in mind when I cast that vote. I agree with your take OD, but I figured if anybody beats UConn in the regular season, it will be Baylor. Even though Kalani Brown is gone, they’re still going to be tougher than a $2 steak.

I don’t see any other team besting UConn, certainly not ND, not THIS year, not with 5 new starters. ND will be good, but not THAT good.

Keep in mind that UConn is almost impossible to beat at home. They haven’t lost a home game in 5-6 years. However, the game with Baylor will not be a cakewalk. I hope the Bears hit town completely healthy, because I don’t want to hear anything about injuries or "ifs" to one of their starters if/when we win.

Because Baylor is the reigning NCAA D1 national champion, this will be the biggest game on our schedule, as it will be on their schedule, because we’re UConn. We’re the biggest game on all of our opponents schedule.............every year. It will be the hottest ticket in town, selling out months in advance, and of course it will be televised on national TV.

To be honest, I’m hoping for a little retribution that evening. I want an resounding statement making 15+ point win. Is that asking too much?

 

[Zorro]

2, and at least make the semi-finals.

 

[Reypl21]

Megan will match up well with Smith imo.

Megan will match up well with Smith imo.

She will match up with her, but I'm not sure about "well." Smith is a special athlete and player. I will say that the people matching up with her were a lot of the time 3's that aren't suitable to box her out. However, Baylor can insert Egbo to move her back to the three. But Smith can rebound and elevate well for her size, and has speed. She will eat up 4's on offense. I'm not sure what it is about her, but when you watch her play it looks effortless. Not many teams will be able to handle Cox and Smith...... Oregon looks like the best candidate

 

[willtalk]

She will match up with her, but I'm not sure about "well." Smith is a special athlete and player. I will say that the people matching up with her were a lot of the time 3's that aren't suitable to box her out. However, Baylor can insert Egbo to move her back to the three. But Smith can rebound and elevate well for her size, and has speed. She will eat up 4's on offense. I'm not sure what it is about her, but when you watch her play it looks effortless. Not many teams will be able to handle Cox and Smith. Oregon looks like the best candidate

I think we probably need to wait to see how the rest of Baylors game is affected by K. Browns absence. You bring up the point of Smith activity on the boards. She was seldom boxed out, but a lot of that had to do with the attention that K. Brown had directed at her. The question remains on how well she and other Baylor players will do when Brown is no longer there. Baylor did pick up another big post via transfer. 6'6" DeGrate. I think that Baylors offense depends on having a big back to the basket scoring threat in the post. They really can not have Cox play there because it will negate what she does best. One also has to consider how well a player will match up defensively with their opposition and not just how well they will match up with them.

All in all, I believe teams will have a harder time matching up with Oregon this coming season than matching up with Baylor. And that would include Uconn. Sabbaly is a far more difficult matchup than Smith. She can knock down 3's, which Smith has yet to show she can do.

 

[mbr33ct]

I picked 0 losses mainly because it was an option in the poll. For those that chose 2 losses, Baylor and Oregon...does that mean UConn will win the NC?

 

[FollowerCT]

I anticipate a dynamic multi-flexible team with different ‘looks’ based on the characteristics of each team played ... Geno as orchestrator ... zero losses ...

 

[oldude]

She will match up with her, but I'm not sure about "well." Smith is a special athlete and player. I will say that the people matching up with her were a lot of the time 3's that aren't suitable to box her out. However, Baylor can insert Egbo to move her back to the three. But Smith can rebound and elevate well for her size, and has speed. She will eat up 4's on offense. I'm not sure what it is about her, but when you watch her play it looks effortless. Not many teams will be able to handle Cox and Smith. Oregon looks like the best candidate

Smith is a very good player, but during the time I watched Baylor, it wasn’t so much that Smith outplayed her defender as that she was scoring and rebounding with no defender on her. There were numerous times when Brown got the ball in the low post, was double-teamed and Smith had a wide open backside cut to the basket for an easy layup or rebound. In addition, with all the attention focused on Cox and Brown, Smith, Jackson, et al got more wide open 10-15’ jumpers than I have ever seen.

When the Huskies play the Lady Bears I’m not really worried about Smith, Egbo and the rest of their g/w/sf’s. My worry is the matchup between Cox and Liv. If Liv can stay out of foul trouble by using her length and athleticism to counter Cox’s size and strength, UConn will be just fine.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Realist.

 

[LoTrader]

1 loss... Between Baylor and Oregon. I think Oregon is the team more likely to be she'll shocked by UConn. Graves will be outcoached by Geno

Don't see Oregon losing to UCONN at any venue. This Oregon Team is far more experienced than UCONN, and, loaded with talent (beyond what UCONN can put on the floor). Geno may outcoach Graves, but the players on the floor for Oregon won't be outplayed.

 

[DaBball]

I think three losses in the regular season is the ABSOLUTE max -- one to Oregon, one to Baylor, and one to South Carolina. I think two is very possible, and may perhaps be the most likely, but I had to go with one -- either Oregon or Baylor.

I can't help but think back to last year, when everyone expected us to get killed by a Notre Dame team that returned four starters and added Bri Turner to a team that just won an NC.
--
As for Baylor, I still think we may see some Cox at the 4 with Egbo/DeGrate at the 5 and Smith at the 3.

 

[southofnorth]

IF UConn plays Oregon, too, then I predict 2 losses realistically. Baylor and Oregon will be the top two teams based on what is known now (I.e. players returning, health, injury status, etc.). I don’t know that UConn has players able to deal with Cox or Ionescu. Cox is great defensively and Ionescu is great offensively and both have good supporting casts around them.

That said, I could see UConn winning both games if they shoot the ball well from 3.

 

[LouS]

Three ----> Baylor, Oregon & Notre Dame (God, bite my tongue on this one)

 

[UConnCat]

Three ----> Baylor, Oregon & Notre Dame (God, bite my tongue on this one)

Notre Dame? Why? The Irish lost 85 ppg to graduation/transfer. The roster consists of inexperienced players and two grad transfers who haven’t played in 1-2 years.

 

[UConnCat]

I think three losses in the regular season is the ABSOLUTE max -- one to Oregon, one to Baylor, and one to South Carolina. I think two is very possible, and may perhaps be the most likely, but I had to go with one -- either Oregon or Baylor.

I can't help but think back to last year, when everyone expected us to get killed by a Notre Dame team that returned four starters and added Bri Turner to a team that just won an NC.
--
As for Baylor, I still think we may see some Cox at the 4 with Egbo/DeGrate at the 5 and Smith at the 3.

Curious why you think this year is the year SC finally beats UConn.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

I picked 0 losses mainly because it was an option in the poll. For those that chose 2 losses, Baylor and Oregon...does that mean UConn will win the NC?

UCONN always "grows" during the season. The majority of the OOC games are early in the season as the Team is learning and melding. I believe if they stumble it will be during that part of the season... but as we have seen time and time again, UCONN is a different team when March rolls around. They will be a fine tuned machine by the time the Conference and NCAA tournament come around and IMHO, will have as good a shot at the NC as anyone.

 

[chrissaran]

For those who said 5 losses . . . keep dreaming.

 

[DaBball]

Curious why you think this year is the year SC finally beats UConn.

I don't think they do -- if I did, I would have guessed three losses, but I put one. I just think that if we are going to lose three regular season games, Baylor, Oregon, and South Carolina are the most likely losses. I don't see us losing to ND after losing all five of their starters (and two more potential starters to transfer), and I don't see a loss to Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ohio State, or DePaul, or USF or an AAC team.

I would guess that a majority of people who checked three would guess South Carolina, Baylor, and Oregon would be the three losses.

I do think this is SC's best chance to beat us in awhile though, but I don't think it will happen.

 

[UConnCat]

I don't think they do -- if I did, I would have guessed three losses, but I put one. I just think that if we are going to lose three regular season games, Baylor, Oregon, and South Carolina are the most likely losses. I don't see us losing to ND after losing all five of their starters (and two more potential starters to transfer), and I don't see a loss to Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ohio State, or DePaul, or USF or an AAC team.

I would guess that a majority of people who checked three would guess South Carolina, Baylor, and Oregon would be the three losses.

I do think this is SC's best chance to beat us in awhile though, but I don't think it will happen.

Ok. I misunderstood.

 

[Drumguy]

I'm going with the optimist's Club. Put me down for 0.

 

[pvdoggy]

I picked 0 losses mainly because it was an option in the poll. For those that chose 2 losses, Baylor and Oregon...does that mean UConn will win the NC?

The poll is for the REGULAR season.

 

[EricLA]

I'm interested to see Cox play at 5. I think they'll be way more mobile. I just can't see UConn losing to both teams. I think that UConn will expose Oregon. UConn does not have a matchup for Nalyssa Smith.

Fair enough, but their PG needs to get her the ball. Baylor does not have a matchup for Crystal Dangerfield. And given that HSG was dismissed from the team, unless they get a grad transfer PG, who runs the team?

 

[Geew1992]

Fair enough, but their PG needs to get her the ball. Baylor does not have a matchup for Crystal Dangerfield. And given that HSG was dismissed from the team, unless they get a grad transfer PG, who runs the team?

They have Cooper. Don’t know how she will effect the team but probably their starting PG

 

[oldude]

They have Cooper. Don’t know how she will effect the team but probably their starting PG

I agree that Cooper will likely fill that role, but she is very much a guard who will likely look for her shot first.

 

[Carnac]

Smith is a very good player, but during the time I watched Baylor, it wasn’t so much that Smith outplayed her defender as that she was scoring and rebounding with no defender on her. There were numerous times when Brown got the ball in the low post, was double-teamed and Smith had a wide open backside cut to the basket for an easy layup or rebound. In addition, with all the attention focused on Cox and Brown, Smith, Jackson, et al got more wide open 10-15’ jumpers than I have ever seen.

When the Huskies play the Lady Bears I’m not really worried about Smith, Egbo and the rest of their g/w/sf’s. My worry is the matchup between Cox and Liv. If Liv can stay out of foul trouble by using her length and athleticism to counter Cox’s size and strength, UConn will be just fine.

Cox is BIG and experienced. She and Ruthy Hebard (Oregon), May be the two most talented and difficult players ONO sees this season. Remember that she played with Hebard this summer, so she’s seen a lot more of her recently that she has of Cox. That might mean something, and it might not.

 

[soxfan23]

Oregon, Baylor, and UConn are by far the best 3 teams in the country! Replacing Collier and Samuelson's production will be tough and UConn may struggle a little bit early in the year, but by the time the tournament rolls around Coach Auriemma should have them clicking like a fine oiled machine.