Any question on a 1 seed?

[MilfordHusky]

I thought not.

That was UConn basketball, routing a ranked team by 30+.

Keep it going!

 

[triaddukefan]

There hasnt been a question about the #1 Seeds since probably the middle of february or so. The Big question is who is the last #2 seed after Maryland, Duke, and TN. KY? Miami? Delaware?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Tenn has 8 losses. Despite the SEC title, they earned a 3 seed. I'd give Miami a 2 based on body of work over 30+ games.

 

[ASweet3781]

Tenn has 8 losses. Despite the SEC title, they earned a 3 seed. I'd give Miami a 2 based on body of work over 30+ games.

Tennessee has an RPI of 5 and SOS of 1. They beat Kentucky by over 30 and blew out Miami. Kentucky has a SOS of 26 and an SOS of 9. Miami an RPI has an SOS of 49 and an RPI of 12. Tennessee even with their losses deserves the 2 seed over both of them.

Once again though looking over at bracketology Stanford seems poised for the easiest path simply due to their geography. The mock bracket had Kentucky, Penn St, and Georgia as their top seeds. Laughable. I think the preference to geography should stop at 1 seeds or no brainer 2-3 seeds (IE. Duke going to Raleigh). Stanford always gets such cake walk brackets and I think it's totally undeserved. They beat an 11 seeds in 2011 and a 9 seed in 2009 in the regional final. If only we all back east had it that easy.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Tennessee's good games give them a 2. Their bad games give them a 4 or 5. I think the net is a 3. You need to consider the 8 losses, not just selected games.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

I do think UCONN deserves a #1 seed and I think Tennessee will be a #2 seed (as they should).

Where I would caution people is Stanford having an easy path assuming Kentucky/Penn State/Georgia end up in their bracket per Creme.

I know Kentucky has slid a bit in the last 8 games or so, but I think they are a dangerous team. Especially against teams that aren't familiar with them.

Stanford will be a #1 seed, yes and the O sisters are dynamite, but what Stanford lacks this season is a strong back court. Kentucky and Penn State's back courts could completely upend the Cardinal.

With all the upsets this far I am NOT overlooking anyone in the NCAA this year.

Danger lurks if you do.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Some BYers are very confident if we get a Stanford rematch. I am not. If Nneka stays out of foul trouble, or Kaleena is off, that first game could have been different. Chiney has improved, their frosh have experience, and their coach is excellent. Depending on what happens tomorrow, I may not want to face ND, but Stanford is really, really tough. No easy games against the top 3 in the polls.

 

[ASweet3781]

Not overlooking anyone. But after they lost to a winless SEC team, and after that performance in Knoxville, one of the worst I have seen this year by a top 10 team, I'd take Kentucky in a heartbeat as my 2 seed.

All of the 2 seeds have some question marks and some glaring weaknesses in their armor compared to the 1 seeds. But I do think if they play their A game and play consistent, Tennessee is the strongest 2 and the one I'd most like to avoid. Not to mention I would like to avoid the Pat Vs Geno circus. Maryland? Maybe I should be afraid of them on paper but after the way UConn has handled ACC teams in recent years I'm not so sure I am that fearful.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

See, I think Maryland could take out a #1 before any of the other #2! Anyone else?

 

[ASweet3781]

Some BYers are very confident if we get a Stanford rematch. I am not. If Nneka stays out of foul trouble, or Kaleena is off, that first game could have been different. Chiney has improved, their frosh have experience, and their coach is excellent. Depending on what happens tomorrow, I may not want to face ND, but Stanford is really, really tough. No easy games against the top 3 in the polls.

I don't think anyone is very confident facing a Baylor, ND, or Stanford. They all present very unique tough challenges.

 

[ASweet3781]

See, I think Maryland could take out a #1 before any of the other #2! Anyone else?

We don't know that. They haven't faced Baylor, ND, Stanford, or UConn this year. The Elite 8 is not a good time to get familiar with the type of intensity and defensive pressure those 4 teams can place on you.

Miami beat them 2 times and they split with Duke. Their toughest non conference win was home vs Delaware. And their only real top impressive win of the year was beating Duke at home...by 2.

 

[alexrgct]

Despite what Charlie Creme says, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tennessee end up in Kingston. The selection committee is at least going to have a moment of extreme temptation.

 

[cardfan]

I do think UCONN deserves a #1 seed and I think Tennessee will be a #2 seed (as they should).

Where I would caution people is Stanford having an easy path assuming Kentucky/Penn State/Georgia end up in their bracket per Creme.

I know Kentucky has slid a bit in the last 8 games or so, but I think they are a dangerous team. Especially against teams that aren't familiar with them.

Stanford will be a #1 seed, yes and the O sisters are dynamite, but what Stanford lacks this season is a strong back court. Kentucky and Penn State's back courts could completely upend the Cardinal.

With all the upsets this far I am NOT overlooking anyone in the NCAA this year.

Danger lurks if you do.

Did you see Toni Kokenis play the pg yesterday vs. Cal (or vs. TN in Dec)?

 

[cardfan]

Tennessee has an RPI of 5 and SOS of 1. They beat Kentucky by over 30 and blew out Miami. Kentucky has a SOS of 26 and an SOS of 9. Miami an RPI has an SOS of 49 and an RPI of 12. Tennessee even with their losses deserves the 2 seed over both of them.

Once again though looking over at bracketology Stanford seems poised for the easiest path simply due to their geography. The mock bracket had Kentucky, Penn St, and Georgia as their top seeds. Laughable. I think the preference to geography should stop at 1 seeds or no brainer 2-3 seeds (IE. Duke going to Raleigh). Stanford always gets such cake walk brackets and I think it's totally undeserved. They beat an 11 seeds in 2011 and a 9 seed in 2009 in the regional final. If only we all back east had it that easy.

Assuming Stanford is in the Fresno region (3 hr drive), there is no guarantee we'd make it there as we could be sent to Ames, Nashville, Norman, Baton Rouge, or West Lafayette for the first and second rounds. At least 12 of the 16 sites are expected to have the host teams participating, so Stanford will likely play a team on their home court for its second-round game.
The easier paths are Notre Dame and MD who are host sites for 1st two rounds. UConn doesn't have to travel very far either.

 

[Kibitzer]

I can imagine it now. One guy on the committee will argue that late in the season UConn lost at home to an unranked team. Another will take issue by pointing out that their first two wins in the Big East tournament were over ranked teams. Someone in the room might realize that the same team that beat UConn by 1 is the same one that got whupped by 31 and try to make sense of it.

It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it.

 

[cardfan]

Despite what Charlie Creme says, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tennessee end up in Kingston. The selection committee is at least going to have a moment of extreme temptation.

I agree. If TN is not in your bracket, Delaware will be. Both would be whacked, so it could happen.

 

[speedoo]

I can imagine it now. One guy on the committee will argue that late in the season UConn lost at home to an unranked team. Another will take issue by pointing out that their first two wins in the Big East tournament were over ranked teams. Someone in the room might realize that the same team that beat UConn by 1 is the same one that got whupped by 31 and try to make sense of it.

It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it.

The committee pays no attention to rankings.

 

[cardfan]

Some BYers are very confident if we get a Stanford rematch. I am not. If Nneka stays out of foul trouble, or Kaleena is off, that first game could have been different. Chiney has improved, their frosh have experience, and their coach is excellent. Depending on what happens tomorrow, I may not want to face ND, but Stanford is really, really tough. No easy games against the top 3 in the polls.

Thanks Milford. Agree with yours pts. Chiney is very much improved and is still a monster on the O boards. Nneka is playing with a mission. That said, I worry about our health and lack of depth. Keys to go deep are; keep O sisters out of foul trouble, Toni must be a threat, hit a decent % from 3pt, and take care of the ball. Not asking a lot.

 

[doggydaddy]

Did you see Toni Kokenis play the pg yesterday vs. Cal (or vs. TN in Dec)?

How about vs Seattle? Utah? Colorado? Oregon? Those were the 4 games before the Cal game.

She will be an important part of their possible championship run. But her inconsistancy will be an issue.

 

[VAMike23]

Some BYers are very confident if we get a Stanford rematch. I am not. If Nneka stays out of foul trouble, or Kaleena is off, that first game could have been different. Chiney has improved, their frosh have experience, and their coach is excellent. Depending on what happens tomorrow, I may not want to face ND, but Stanford is really, really tough. No easy games against the top 3 in the polls.

Nneka is playing with a fire and a commitment level that wasn't always there in past years. With CO coming on strong, I think we will not see any hiccups from them on the way to Denver. This year's Nneka won't let that happen IMO.

 

[VAMike23]

Thanks Milford. Agree with yours pts. Chiney is very much improved and is still a monster on the O boards. Nneka is playing with a mission. That said, I worry about our health and lack of depth. Keys to go deep are; keep O sisters out of foul trouble, Toni must be a threat, hit a decent % from 3pt, and take care of the ball. Not asking a lot.

If we can't go all the way this year, there is nothing I would enjoy more than to see Nneka get a ring. Much like Maya, she seems to be such an exceptional individual that you just can't help but pull for her. And the program itself is class. If they were to meet Baylor and somehow pull it off either in the semi or NC, it would be with Nneka exploding for 38/12 in a high-scoring affair where Griner is going to get hers, too. You just do the best you can and don't get in foul trouble against her. Just gotta disrupt Sims' game as much as possible and outscore them at the other end with high efficiency and low turnovers. [Much] easier said than done of course, against an undefeated Baylor squad. But if Nneka and CO both bring their "A" game, it's still possible as long as the Stanford guards can give Sims enough headaches to slow her down.

 

[alexrgct]

If UConn makes the Final Four, a) it will have been a fantastic season, and b) I anticipate anyone we play will be tough to beat. Not even sweating it.

 

[cardfan]

How about vs Seattle? Utah? Colorado? Oregon? Those were the 4 games before the Cal game.

She will be an important part of their possible championship run. But her inconsistancy will be an issue.

per Tara, she was banged up. Don't know the extent of her injury, I think it was thigh bruise. It would be nice if we had Camp and Green (and Ruef), to help in backcourt, but injuries suck.

 

[cardfan]

If we can't go all the way this year, there is nothing I would enjoy more than to see Nneka get a ring. Much like Maya, she seems to be such an exceptional individual that you just can't help but pull for her. And the program itself is class. If they were to meet Baylor and somehow pull it off either in the semi or NC, it would be with Nneka exploding for 38/12 in a high-scoring affair where Griner is going to get hers, too. You just do the best you can and don't get in foul trouble against her. Just gotta disrupt Sims' game as much as possible and outscore them at the other end with high efficiency and low turnovers. [Much] easier said than done of course, against an undefeated Baylor squad. But if Nneka and CO both bring their "A" game, it's still possible as long as the Stanford guards can give Sims enough headaches to slow her down.

Thanks VAMike23. I agree with your pts. Nneka is a lot like Maya, an exceptional bball player and amazing person! We are lucky to have her on our team and will miss her a lot! But hopefully 9 more games before she graduates (early this quarter).

 

[Scotter]

If a #1 seed can't beat a #8 or #9 seed even on the road then they didn't deserve the #1 seed to begin with. The simply reality is that when Stanford is able to earn a #1 seed they get the easiest bracket under the current rules. That is just the way it is. That is Stanford's prize for being the only strong team west of the Central Time Zone.

Assuming Stanford is in the Fresno region (3 hr drive), there is no guarantee we'd make it there as we could be sent to Ames, Nashville, Norman, Baton Rouge, or West Lafayette for the first and second rounds. At least 12 of the 16 sites are expected to have the host teams participating, so Stanford will likely play a team on their home court for its second-round game.
The easier paths are Notre Dame and MD who are host sites for 1st two rounds. UConn doesn't have to travel very far either.