AP Top 25 Women's Preseason Poll

[Vowelguy]

UConn disrespected at #2. Geno will use this as motivation for his troops.

Bahahahahahaha

 

[Plebe]

How aren’t UConn #1 when they beat SC has everyone from last year coming back and the class we have??

That game was decided by a missed layup and a lucky bounce on a 3-pointer. That result has zero impact on the polls at this point.

SC has everyone back from last year as well, and they're adding a similarly formidable freshman class, AND they're adding the pick of the transfer market in Cardoso.

Why is everyone so wigged out about this? Give the team a chance to win the top spot on the court. Surely that would be more gratifying than a number on paper in the preseason.

 

[jchusky]

I don't think this poll has any relevance to last season or else Stanford would be at least #2. They are basing this poll of teams this season. My only guess for being #1 is their players are more experienced, they got 3 top 4 recruits and they basically could have had another top recruit with the addition of Cardozo.

 

[visitingcock]

Does anybody know how many voters are affiliated with ESPN?

SCar is the flagship for ESPN wbb programming.almost every SCar game will be shown on an ESPN related channel this year - even NCState ACC network is affiliated by ESPN.

I love a good conspiracy theory and ESPN does have a lot of power.

 

[mbr33ct]

Someone has to be #1, they can't all be #2. Frankly Stanford has the bigger gripe here...as for the other two teams it could all be decided on Nov 22nd.

 

[visitingcock]

Well, South Carolina gets a very early test. The visit to NC State is the top matchup of the season’s first week.

 

[ucbart]

haily van lith is not even top 10 sophomore in the country Emily dirty player cheeck her vs uconn vershult she's good but not top 10 freshamn .... Louisville should ranked like 11 or something

I'm a season ticket holder at Syracuse and went to almost every SU home game her freshmen and sophomore years. I've seen her play in person sooooo many times and the last thing Emily should ever be called, is a dirty basketball player. She couldn't be any more different than that.

 

[Purchase1]

SCar also added a player I desperately wanted in Storrs, Ms. Kamilla Cardoso. IMO she is now and will throughout her WCBB career, be better than any post UConn will get in the next 5 years. Unless of course Lauren Betts transfers.

I wouldn’t say that I’ve seen Ice Brady have more post moves than her and shes only a senior in high school.

 

[Shenandoah]

This is totally ridiculous. How can the rankings change, when no games have been played yet?

 

[HuskylnSC]

SCar also added a player I desperately wanted in Storrs, Ms. Kamilla Cardoso. IMO she is now and will throughout her WCBB career, be better than any post UConn will get in the next 5 years. Unless of course Lauren Betts transfers.

I saw Cardosso one time and I thought she was pretty soft and not in good shape. She can score around the hoop and will grab some boards but I was not impressed. Defensively she couldn't handle Liv. I know she now has a better coach, but I didn't see the innate fire necessary to dominate a game with players of similar size. My sample size is small but it left me not caring where she went after cuse.

 

[Vowelguy]

This is totally ridiculous. How can the rankings change, when no games have been played yet?

Change from what?
it’s a new season. New players, new coaches.

 

[Lorcan]

I saw Cardosso one time and I thought she was pretty soft and not in good shape. She can score around the hoop and will grab some boards but I was not impressed. Defensively she couldn't handle Liv. I know she now has a better coach, but I didn't see the innate fire necessary to dominate a game with players of similar size. My sample size is small but it left me not caring where she went after cuse.

While I have no insight on Cardoso’s abilities, I’d have to argue that if it was a big game, it doesn’t take much for Liv to disappear on offense for the Huskies. Liv scored just 19 points combined in games against Arkansas, Baylor, Arizona, South Carolina and Tennessee. So, if I’m reading this right, I’m not sure where the claim that a decent post couldn’t defend Liv comes from as teams like Arkansas don’t really have a well known post.

I think the other thing I need to address on this board is my own bias and how it sometimes comes off given that this is a UConn centric board. I have an immense respect for what the Huskies have done over the years; however, I freely admit that I almost always root for the underdog against the Huskies with the exception of Baylor and possibly South Carolina. With that being said, I try to be fair in my assessment most of the time. That being said, there are times where I feel that (other) boards and the media are so overwhelmingly UConn centric (and not that they haven’t earned it) that I struggle to find an appropriate counterbalance to that. This is something that I welcome conversation on and am continuously unpacking for myself as I recognize my interloper status who provides lunatic votes on the Boneyard Poll.

 

[Stymie]

Change a topic. Is this UConn's starting five from today's Big East Media Day?

Very good question.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Just print the ballots with UConn in the top spot, and leave #2 through 25 blank to be filled in by the voters. Problem solved.

 

[JordyG]

I saw Cardosso one time and I thought she was pretty soft and not in good shape. She can score around the hoop and will grab some boards but I was not impressed. Defensively she couldn't handle Liv. I know she now has a better coach, but I didn't see the innate fire necessary to dominate a game with players of similar size. My sample size is small but it left me not caring where she went after cuse.

I watched that game about 4 times, the last three more from a Syracuse viewpoint. I too saw a freshman that wasn't yet in shape for WCBB. I also saw a 6'7" player that ran the floor better than Liv, that could finish with either hand on either side of the basket unlike Liv, could drop her left leg and finish with her right hand unlike Liv, was a better rebounder, and had good hands. Not as good as Liv's, but good. Now, I couldn't tell if she had a shot outside of 6 feet, nor could I tell what kind of passer she is. I could see that she was a poor screener, was not good at blocking out, and had average footwork, all fixable. I saw a player with average athleticism, and an average basketball IQ. However she is enthusiastic, hard working, is coachable, is a fine teammate, has a great attitude, and plays hard with a lot of "I want it". You say she couldn't handle Liv. I saw a freshman player against UConn that played with foul trouble, was constantly pulled from the lineup, played less minutes than any starter (less minutes that AE played for UConn) and second less on the team, but did well against Lv when she was in there, found it hard to get any rhythm, and played with horrible guards that couldn't get the ball to her in position to score. I guess we saw two different games.

 

[nuna23]

I watched that game about 4 times, the last three more from a Syracuse viewpoint. I too saw a freshman that wasn't yet in shape for WCBB. I also saw a 6'7" player that ran the floor better than Liv, that could finish with either hand on either side of the basket unlike Liv, could drop her left leg and finish with her right hand unlike Liv, was a better rebounder, and had good hands. Not as good as Liv's, but good. Now, I couldn't tell if she had a shot outside of 6 feet, nor could I tell what kind of passer she is. I could see that she was a poor screener, was not good at blocking out, and had average footwork, all fixable. I saw a player with average athleticism, and an average basketball IQ. However she is enthusiastic, hard working, is coachable, is a fine teammate, has a great attitude, and plays hard with a lot of "I want it". You say she couldn't handle Liv. I saw a freshman player against UConn that played with foul trouble, was constantly pulled from the lineup, played less minutes than any starter (less minutes that AE played for UConn) and second less on the team, but did well against Lv when she was in there, found it hard to get any rhythm, and played with horrible guards that couldn't get the ball to her in position to score. I guess we saw two different games.

aliyah Boston for me is the best forward in college the second is Shakira Austin Cameron brink the third if Aliyah was 6,5 she could be number 2 or 1 .... cordoso may be the 9 or 10.....

 

[Stymie]

aliyah Boston for me is the best forward in college the second is Shakira Austin Cameron brink the third if Aliyah was 6,5 she could be number 2 or 1 .... cordoso may be the 9 or 10.....

Aaliyah is going to have a bust out year this season.
Watch.

 

[UConnCat]

I think the other thing I need to address on this board is my own bias and how it sometimes comes off given that this is a UConn centric board. I have an immense respect for what the Huskies have done over the years; however, I freely admit that I almost always root for the underdog against the Huskies with the exception of Baylor and possibly South Carolina. With that being said, I try to be fair in my assessment most of the time. That being said, there are times where I feel that (other) boards and the media are so overwhelmingly UConn centric (and not that they haven’t earned it) that I struggle to find an appropriate counterbalance to that. This is something that I welcome conversation on and am continuously unpacking for myself as I recognize my interloper status who provides lunatic votes on the Boneyard Poll.

Curious why you feel a need to address your bias. We know it exists but your posts, with one notable exception, are typically fair and well-reasoned though admittedly I don’t read them all. The one exception was a post about a month ago in which you said you’d enjoy re-watching all of UConn’s gut-wrenching losses. That post came out of left field and was just a weird thing to post on the Boneyard (or anywhere).

As for other boards being UConn-centric, I’m not sure how that is relevant here. In terms of the media, I’m not sure what to say about that. Which outlet are you talking about? ESPN? I suppose that was true for many years but also not surprising given its location and history/origins with UConn sports. Honestly, I wish ESPN had shown more bias for UConn when it was underwriting conference realignment but that’s a whole other kettle of fish. Now that UConn is in a conference that does not have a media contract with ESPN you may get your wish.

I guess I’m back to where I started. Why? You’re a welcome poster here. We may disagree with what you post but your posts aren’t typically disagreeable.

 

[Kaizen]

Don't forget we have Dorka Juhasz. She is 6'5", and the first team of Big Ten and led Ohio State in scoring and rebounding for the second consecutive year, averaging 13.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

 

[visitingcock]

Aaliyah is going to have a bust out year this season.
Watch.

Aaliya was, in my opinion, out of shape last year. SCar had no conditioning program running during the preceding Spring and Summer due to Covid. This year she is in much better condition and has noticeably lost some "baby fat." Also, she has Kamilla hanging on her throughout practice. She is running WITH the team now instead of merely "running drag" on fast breaks. Plus, Kamilla is going to allow her to play a bit fewer minutes this year.

We'll find out early. She will have her rematch with Elissa Cunane when the Gamecocks go to NC State on November 9. (that game and Stanford in late December might be the only times we get to see "the Twin Towers"). I thought Cunane clearly outplayed her last year, especially in the second half.

Tired legs can cause missed layups late in games. I don't think that will be a problem this year.

 

[hoopsfan22]

How come South Carolina gets to play Stanford every year, but Coach Tara refuses to play UConn?

 

[CTisballers]

That game was decided by a missed layup and a lucky bounce on a 3-pointer. That result has zero impact on the polls at this point.

SC has everyone back from last year as well, and they're adding a similarly formidable freshman class, AND they're adding the pick of the transfer market in Cardoso.

Why is everyone so wigged out about this? Give the team a chance to win the top spot on the court. Surely that would be more gratifying than a number on paper in the preseason.

Don’t fault for Boston for missing a layup and Paige making a Lucky 3. You can’t play what if’s games. What if UConn didn’t blow a 7 point lead in the 4th?? SC fans happy about that one little win and tough lost lol

 

[visitingcock]

How come South Carolina gets to play Stanford every year, but Coach Tara refuses to play UConn?

Every year? Got something to back that up?

4/2/2021	2020-21	Neutral San Antonio, TX	L 65 - 66	Preview Recap Box Score
3/31/2017	2016-17	Neutral Dallas, Texas	W 62 - 53	Recap Box Score
12/19/2012	2012-13	Home Columbia, SC	L 49 - 53	Recap
3/24/2012	2011-12	Neutral Fresno, Calif.	L 60 - 76	Recap
11/26/2010	2010-11	Away Palo Alto, Calif.	L 32 - 70	Recap
12/19/2008	2008-09	Home Columbia, S.C.	L 47 - 78	Recap
1/8/2007	2006-07	Away Palo Alto, Calif.	L 54 - 69	Recap

 

[ConwayGmck]

How come South Carolina gets to play Stanford every year, but Coach Tara refuses to play UConn?

One of those "every year" games was in the NCAAT. They each were forced to play each other. I read reports where both Staley and Van Derveer begged the NCAA to let them not play each other, but they were denied. Wanted to do a dance-off or something, instead. NCAA said nope - something about sold television broadcast time, or something or nother, so they had to......

 

[ConwayGmck]

Aaliya was, in my opinion, out of shape last year. SCar had no conditioning program running during the preceding Spring and Summer due to Covid. This year she is in much better condition and has noticeably lost some "baby fat." Also, she has Kamilla hanging on her throughout practice. She is running WITH the team now instead of merely "running drag" on fast breaks. Plus, Kamilla is going to allow her to play a bit fewer minutes this year.

We'll find out early. She will have her rematch with Elissa Cunane when the Gamecocks go to NC State on November 9. (that game and Stanford in late December might be the only times we get to see "the Twin Towers"). I thought Cunane clearly outplayed her last year, especially in the second half.

Tired legs can cause missed layups late in games. I don't think that will be a problem this year.

Aaliyah = Connecticut

Aliyah = South Carolina

Connecticut is #1 in the local phone book listings, at least......