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Message: [QUOTE="jonson, post: 2898241, member: 6034"] Thanks to our rival to the not-very-distant north for these kind words. I'll add some of my own in defense of Oregon. First, I think at this point Oregon has to beat UCONN on the floor to be considered "better." But I also think that's not out of the realm of possibility if, as LOTRADER says, they remain healthy. They were hardly blown out by Notre Dame in the Elite 8 game last year, and this year's starting five should be better for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it's easy to forget that the team leaders last spring (Ionescu and Hebard) were sophomores, with a freshman a third starter. If Satou Sabally makes the proverbial sophomore leap so many on this board talk about, then watch out, because she has a world of talent. Second, Boley will (I think) easily replace the shooting lost with the departure of last year's only starting senior; more important, at 6'2" (and strong) her work on the boards will make much less likely the rebounding deficit that imo was the critical factor in Notre Dame's comeback against Oregon in Spokane. And "hype" is hardly the right word for Ionescu. Does she have flaws and things to learn? Of course. But she does more for her team than anyone I can remember who isn't named Taurasi. I'd admittedly feel a lot better about all of the above if S. Sabally's sister, Nyara, hadn't been injured in the FIBA U18 European Championship last summer, where she was the tournament MVP and basically averaged a double/double. She's a legit 4, who, at 6'4", moves better than most, if not all, of the 6'4'-6'6" wannabe 3's that seem to live in an alternative basketball landscape these days. Many think that she's already better than her sister, but, in any case, she can certainly give the top recruits at her position over the past year or two a run for their money. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach