Another Updated ESPN Way Too Early Top 25

[Fairfield Fan]

I don't really agree. It has not transformed WCCB though it certainly has had a great effect.

Coach Geno has been no more "blind-sided" than Dawn or Tara. Yet, who are probably gonna be the three best teams this coming year? UConn, SCar and Stanford. Geno and the other two are more than "keeping up with the Joneses." The Joneses are trying to catch up to them. Do you seriously think that Tennessee or Notre Dame now have better talent than UConn, SCar or Stanford?

BTW next year will be the last year of the additional year of eligibility. After that, the transfer numbers will drop.

Didn't say they did. But they have dramatically revamped their programs by accepting excellent talent through the portal. Coach Geno himself has opined on how the portal has changed women's basketball. He claimed that far too many athletes are entering it, and that many will not find a new home. But he also did state that UConn has not done what many other teams are doing: assigning an ass't coach full-time to the portal to identify and recruit athletes. If memory serves, he also insinuated that coaches are recruiting athletes secretly who announce they're going to a particular school right after formally putting their names in the portal.

The Way Too Early Top 25 has been roiled by the movements through the portal. So it's pretty clear that WCBB is being transformed. Will that lead to the top three changing? Don't know. But UConn could change by being more proactive in the future.

New world.

 

[UConnCat]

As is often the case, I wouldn't put too much stock in what Geno said about a coach full-time to the portal. That was said tongue in cheek. Geno and his coaches are fully aware of which players enter the portal and aren't going to miss out on a player because they weren't monitoring the portal. SMH

Geno fully explained his approach to transfers which no doubt is different than that of other programs.

 

[Bone Dog]

The portal has made a lot of changes but I don't think it will fundamentally change WCBB. Lots of players have moved about from one also-ran program to another. Geno, Dawn, and Tara depend on the quality of the coaching to keep the best players interested in playing at these schools. Ice and Ayanna, Ashlynn and KK wanted to come to Storrs because of what they understood it to be, a top-notch program with very demanding coaches. You can't get kids like that from the portal. Even to attract them at all, you have to promise them something they think their previous school wasn't giving them. A few good players can be found in the portal, and some programs can be improved by getting them. But you can't build anything this way.

 

[Drew8]

Miami probably deserves to be in the top 20 based on how they ended last season.

I was higher on Texas than anyone else all of last season but they lost a lot of winning players.

 

[HuskyNan]

Kind of surprised that Louisville and NC State are ahead of Notre Dame. Notre Dame returns 4/5 players. Both Louisville and NC State lost some key players, but have transfers. Notre Dame should be a top 10 preseason team FOR SURE—top 5 though—Definitely next season if they can get the recruits they’re pursuing…
This season should be one of the best seasons in WCBB history in my opinion!

ND finished 2021-22 with a 24-9 record that includes losses to BC, Duke, Florida State, and Miami. The Irish may very well end up in the top 10, or 5, but their record last season doesn’t justify putting them there now.

 

[oldude]

I don't really agree. It has not transformed WCCB though it certainly has had a great effect.

Coach Geno has been no more "blind-sided" than Dawn or Tara. Yet, who are probably gonna be the three best teams this coming year? UConn, SCar and Stanford. Geno and the other two are more than "keeping up with the Joneses." The Joneses are trying to catch up to them. Do you seriously think that Tennessee or Notre Dame now have better talent than UConn, SCar or Stanford?

BTW next year will be the last year of the additional year of eligibility. After that, the transfer numbers will drop.

There are still 2 more years of the additional year of eligibility. So we are all counting on Paige coming back in 2024-25.

 

[cacoastfan]

Miami probably deserves to be in the top 20 based on how they ended last season.

I was higher on Texas than anyone else all of last season but they lost a lot of winning players.

I think they (Texas) is the clear #4 team, with a potential core of Harmon+Matharu+Morris+Moore+Jones and Vic running the show. Tennessee still has a lot of questions, although I would have them not far behind Texas, maybe #5-#7

 

[visitingcock]

I think they (Texas) is the clear #4 team, with a potential core of Harmon+Matharu+Morris+Moore+Jones and Vic running the show. Tennessee still has a lot of questions, although I would have them not far behind Texas, maybe #5-#7

Both have talents, but I give Texas the nod because Vic has been to the show and he knows what to do with his players in a deep run. The Horns have made the Elite 8 in each of his two seasons there. Kelli Harper has only one sweet 16 during her tenure with the Vols.

 

[Bone Dog]

I wouldn’t bet against Texas getting to the elite eight again. But Tennessee…

 

[Bald Husky]

Absolutely shocking how the transfer portal has transformed WCBB. And it appears that Coach Geno has been blindsided by this. Every top team has picked up great players from the portal. Will Senechal prove to be an excellent contributor for Connecticut? Possible, but remains to be seen. But so many teams have been transformed by either the loss or gain of truly great players in the portal that UConn can no longer sit on the sidelines. Coach Geno stated that he doesn't have an assistant coach dedicated to watching the portal and scouting potential transfers. But now, perhaps, he needs to take that step to keep up with the Joneses, or the Tennessees, or Notre Dames, etc.

I've never seen WCBB so dramatically changed by transfers before. And I'm guessing that a lot of top coaches are also shocked that so many of their players are so unhappy that they're willing to bail out. Shows how unhappy so many were with the system before, and with their coaches. Earth-shaking.

UConn doesn't spend a lot of time seeking "great" players in the portal because they already have "great" players.
The teams that do it right may pick up one to fill a need, but the big players (Tennessee) have to do it because they cannot field a very competitive team the conventional way. The portal is the only way some teams can improve their team, and to their credit they do a good job. In the portal there are only a handfull of "great" players, very good players yes, but not up to UConn standards. Our recruiting is fine, and eventually this portal thing will slow down to the point that less and less good players will be available, and the schools that continue to do it the right way will end up on top as usual. We don't have to keep up with anyone, they have to keep up with us.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I would still have Texas at number 4 because of Vic. NC State number 5. Okay, then Tennessee at 6. I think Baylor will return to expectations at 7. I'll go with Caitlin Clark to round out my Great 8.

SCar, Stanford and UConn? I don't see SCar going coast to coast number one this year - though they might be there at the end. Road games to Stanford, Uconn, Oregon, Maryland, Tennessee, etc. are gonna be tough

We gotta' watch out for Georgia. With their new coach, they are gonna' take us to a brawl in the gutters. Less talent? Sure, but they aren't gonna' back down on this bus trip rivalry. Wretched, spiteful, straight razor totin' women - Law'd Ha' Mercy.

Sounds like Mr. T's [as Clubber Lang] prediction on the fight [with Rocky], "PAIN!!!!"

 

[oldude]

UConn doesn't spend a lot of time seeking "great" players in the portal because they already have "great" players.
The teams that do it right may pick up one to fill a need, but the big players (Tennessee) have to do it because they cannot field a very competitive team the conventional way. The portal is the only way some teams can improve their team, and to their credit they do a good job. In the portal there are only a handfull of "great" players, very good players yes, but not up to UConn standards. Our recruiting is fine, and eventually this portal thing will slow down to the point that less and less good players will be available, and the schools that continue to do it the right way will end up on top as usual. We don't have to keep up with anyone, they have to keep up with us.

To your point, UConn needed some depth at guard and they picked up a good one in Lou2. Many BY’ers believed UConn should also go after a Big. My position has been there were no true “difference makers” at forward in the portal. The decision to stand pat with Dorka, Aaliyah, Amari, Aubrey, Ayanna & Ice makes all the sense in the world to me.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Uconn is not going to do anything more than supplement their team from the portal any time soon. Tweak the edges. Almost anyone who goes into the portal is not Uconn material. It's no surprise that the only players we have taken recently are grads with an excellent record of accomplishment and probably great coaching referrals as well.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

LSU has a lot of new faces. Talent is way better all around this year but there is still much inexperience and not sure how chemistry is going to be.

Although if Kim could make lemonade from a team that went 9-13 the previous year, I think she’ll do fine with this group.

LSU barely beat UGA twice last year. The brawls this upcoming year should be sensational in a home & home series.....

 

[The CDR-Ret]

The portal has made a lot of changes but I don't think it will fundamentally change WCBB. Lots of players have moved about from one also-ran program to another. Geno, Dawn, and Tara depend on the quality of the coaching to keep the best players interested in playing at these schools. Ice and Ayanna, Ashlynn and KK wanted to come to Storrs because of what they understood it to be, a top-notch program with very demanding coaches. You can't get kids like that from the portal. Even to attract them at all, you have to promise them something they think their previous school wasn't giving them. A few good players can be found in the portal, and some programs can be improved by getting them. But you can't build anything this way.

I believe your logic explains the "revolving door" at Maryland.

Maryland has an excellent regular season but seemed to exit before their expected finish for the past several years....

 

[socal613ws]

To your point, UConn needed some depth at guard and they picked up a good one in Lou2. Many BY’ers believed UConn should also go after a Big. My position has been there were no true “difference makers” at forward in the portal. The decision to stand pat with Dorka, Aaliyah, Amari, Aubrey, Ayanna & Ice makes all the sense in the world to me.

I disagree, I think Ebo would have been a nice add for Uconn + she doesn't have to play a lot of minutes to make an impact.

 

[FormerCTrez]

I would still have Texas at number 4 because of Vic. NC State number 5. Okay, then Tennessee at 6. I think Baylor will return to expectations at 7. I'll go with Caitlin Clark to round out my Great 8.

SCar, Stanford and UConn? I don't see SCar going coast to coast number one this year - though they might be there at the end. Road games to Stanford, Uconn, Oregon, Maryland, Tennessee, etc. are gonna be tough

We gotta' watch out for Georgia. With their new coach, they are gonna' take us to a brawl in the gutters. Less talent? Sure, but they aren't gonna' back down on this bus trip rivalry. Wretched, spiteful, straight razor totin' women - Law'd Ha' Mercy.

@visitingcock, I LOL so hard after reading your last paragraph, as your description is right on point. Also, starting next season, everyone (players and fans) in the SEC will eventually agree with UCONN that Coach Abe’s team plays a very “different” game.

 

[oldude]

I disagree, I think Ebo would have been a nice add for Uconn + she doesn't have to play a lot of minutes to make an impact.

Ebo was decent at TX. But she basically was a big body in the low post who averaged 8 pts and 6.7 rebounds while shooting only 44%. In answer to Geno’s rhetorical question about transfers, “What’s wrong with you?”, Ebo does not run the court particularly well, has extremely limited shooting range and isn’t much of a passer, although she certainly can set screens.

But more to the point, assuming that UConn was interested in Ebo coming to UConn as a reserve to play in UConn’s 4-out motion offense, just who’s minutes would Geno sacrifice so that Ebo gets 15+ mpg? The likely answer to that question might just be that you sacrifice the PT of your 2 incoming freshmen, delaying the development of 2 big, athletic forwards who both posess significantly greater skillets than Ebo.

 

[Mdoggie]

“greater skillets than Ebo” @oldude that made me laugh!

 

[Huskee11]

I would still have Texas at number 4 because of Vic. NC State number 5. Okay, then Tennessee at 6. I think Baylor will return to expectations at 7. I'll go with Caitlin Clark to round out my Great 8.

SCar, Stanford and UConn? I don't see SCar going coast to coast number one this year - though they might be there at the end. Road games to Stanford, Uconn, Oregon, Maryland, Tennessee, etc. are gonna be tough

We gotta' watch out for Georgia. With their new coach, they are gonna' take us to a brawl in the gutters. Less talent? Sure, but they aren't gonna' back down on this bus trip rivalry. Wretched, spiteful, straight razor totin' women - Law'd Ha' Mercy.

You probably thought this reference would slide by, but not by a Tony Joe White fan!

OK, somebody named Elvis did it too.

Louisiana is close enough to Georgia!

Check out around 2:03 below.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

UConn doesn't spend a lot of time seeking "great" players in the portal because they already have "great" players.
The teams that do it right may pick up one to fill a need, but the big players (Tennessee) have to do it because they cannot field a very competitive team the conventional way. The portal is the only way some teams can improve their team, and to their credit they do a good job. In the portal there are only a handfull of "great" players, very good players yes, but not up to UConn standards. Our recruiting is fine, and eventually this portal thing will slow down to the point that less and less good players will be available, and the schools that continue to do it the right way will end up on top as usual. We don't have to keep up with anyone, they have to keep up with us.

Azure Stephens, Dorka Juhasz, Evina Westbrook. Those were excellent talents whom Coach Geno leaped at, and who were integral to UConn's success. We do need top talent sometimes. Those transfer recruits prove it.

 

[HuskyNan]

Azure Stephens, Dorka Juhasz, Evina Westbrook. Those were excellent talents whom Coach Geno leaped at, and who were integral to UConn's success. We do need top talent sometimes. Those transfer recruits prove it.

Don’t forget Brittany Hunter.

However, there was also Tihana Abrlic, Christine Rigby, Rashidat Sadiq, and Jessica MacCormack. Geno swore off transfers after Tihana, saying he didn’t have time to coach them out of their bad habits. But the Dark Years after Diana graduated convinced him to jump into the transfer pool again. It’s does seem he and the staff have been pickier although having more fish in the pool has certainly helped.

 

[Bigboote]

@visitingcock, I LOL so hard after reading your last paragraph, as your description is right on point. Also, starting next season, everyone (players and fans) in the SEC will eventually agree with UCONN that Coach Abe’s team plays a very “different” game.

Yeah, after a few games against Coach Abe &co, Dawn’s gonna think back fondly of the Sophie Cunningham days at Mizzou.

 

[Florida Fan]

No change for UConn

Women's college basketball Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2022-23

Tennessee, NC State and LSU are among the biggest risers, and Georgia enters the top 25, after some big transfers and coaching changes.

www.espn.com

WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY too early, but interesting. Player portal is a gift (to some) that keeps on giving. We are still fragile, but a quality graduate transfer-inside -out scorer could be the difference maker for us. But Ari's progress continues to be a big question mark.

 

[socal613ws]

Ebo was decent at TX. But she basically was a big body in the low post who averaged 8 pts and 6.7 rebounds while shooting only 44%. In answer to Geno’s rhetorical question about transfers, “What’s wrong with you?”, Ebo does not run the court particularly well, has extremely limited shooting range and isn’t much of a passer, although she certainly can set screens.

But more to the point, assuming that UConn was interested in Ebo coming to UConn as a reserve to play in UConn’s 4-out motion offense, just who’s minutes would Geno sacrifice so that Ebo gets 15+ mpg? The likely answer to that question might just be that you sacrifice the PT of your 2 incoming freshmen, delaying the development of 2 big, athletic forwards who both posess significantly greater skillets than Ebo.

there is no delaying of development. The best players play, so I guess Lou is delaying the development of Caroline if she gets more minutes than her right?

 

[Centerstream]

WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY too early, but interesting. Player portal is a gift (to some) that keeps on giving. We are still fragile, but a quality graduate transfer-inside -out scorer could be the difference maker for us. But Ari's progress continues to be a big question mark.

Who is Ari?

 

[oldude]

there is no delaying of development. The best players play, so I guess Lou is delaying the development of Caroline if she gets more minutes than her right?

Lou & Caroline have nothing to do with this. There are 120 mpg that will be readily allocated among 5 guards.

You suggested that Ebo would be a nice addition to UConn. We will see how she does at ND, but I contend that she doesn’t posess the athleticism or skill set to be successful at UConn.

The Huskies have 80 mpg to divide up among 6 talented forwards. Adding Ebo to the mix doesn’t make UConn better. It simply complicates UConn’s rotation by taking minutes away from more talented players.

 

[eebmg]

Who is Ari?

My guess is a shortened version of Amari.

 

[socal613ws]

Lou & Caroline have nothing to do with this. There are 120 mpg that will be readily allocated among 5 guards.

You suggested that Ebo would be a nice addition to UConn. We will see how she does at ND, but I contend that she doesn’t posess the athleticism or skill set to be successful at UConn.

The Huskies have 80 mpg to divide up among 6 talented forwards. Adding Ebo to the mix doesn’t make UConn better. It simply complicates UConn’s rotation by taking minutes away from more talented players.

so am guessing you are banking on a few things: #1 that Annaya Patterson and Brady have huge impacts as rookies which nothing has told me that to be the case. Aubrey Griffin who didn't play a single minute last season to be playing a higher expected rate than before, and to have Lou get 20 min a night. That seems a lot of wishful thinking imo.

 

[Bone Dog]

This is the time for wishful thinking! What's the point of realism in June?