Athletic ranks UCONN as #13?!

[Geew1992]

It matters because truth matters! If she had ranked us fifth or sixth or even top ten, I would simply think, “well, she’s nuts, but we’ll see” . However, to rank UConn #13 is simply ludicrous! It bespeaks either willful malevolence or an ignorance so great as to make one wonder if she knows anything at all about WCBB!

I just don’t understand. Ya think Uconn cares… nope. Preseason hasn’t even started. It’s all irrelevant

 

[oldhusky]

I don't know if people doing these ratings consider the ability to withstand additional injuries, but from that standpoint, at least at the guard position, we are more vulnerable than most of the top ranked teams. If something happens to a big we are very well protected with 6 talented players to cover PF and C. I know some will disagree, but I consider Aubrey and Ayanna as bigs, that might be able to play some at SF.

But in terms of guards, we have quality but not quantity. Only four to cover all the minutes at three positions. That is a pretty difficult rotation to use if all four guards play in every single game. An injury to any of the four leaves us with no backup guards. We played some games last year without guard backups and I'm not sure we played like a ranked team during that stretch. For that period #13 might have been way too high. We had some players gassed playing way too many minutes when we faded in the fourth quarter, Evina had to play out of position at the point, and Aaliyah tried to be a SF as the only "guard" substitute.

That was a terrible stretch resulting from injuries to three guards. That is pretty unusual, but after Paige's injury we are only one injury to a guard away from a similar situation. The situation with Evina is similar now with Azzi. If Nika gets injured, Azzi is the full time point guard, and even if Nika is healthy Azzi will need to spell her there. If Azzi is injured Caroline or Lou will have to play the point. That is not good for any of them.

As for which big winds up playing guard if one of them is injured, the outlook I think is a little better than last year. Aaliyah struggled a great deal out of position, but I think she might not be the answer this year. Aubrey if healthy could probably do a much better job than Aaliyah did at SF. I feel she would be fine at defense and rebounding there, but would be a difficult fit on the offensive end. Ayanna might be similar in the traits she could bring there. So maybe we have two players this year that could cover SF a little better than our options last year, but it is a pretty significant potential problem.

If everybody is healthy #13 seems ridiculous to me too. But I also think it is unrealistic to assume all four of our guards will play in every game. We could easily have 5-10 games missed in total between those four. If those games are against Big East competition it probably affects the differential but not the outcome. If those games are against the difficult out of conference teams we could be in trouble.

Dorka, Amari, Aaliyah and Ice can't help with this situation. Aubrey and Ayanna might, but they could be far less effective away from their natural position. We have lots of talented players even without Paige, but no insurance at the guard position. Stay healthy we could be right near the top. If we lost another guard for the year, for example, #13 might be wildly optimistic IMO. Hope for health and Aubrey and/or Ayanna to have success at SF.

 

[TeamFirst!]

The Athletic lost $6.8 million in February and March. The site lost $55 million on $65 million in revenue last year, according to the report.

They also sold the company for a valuation of close to $500 per subscriber. It’s all about growth folks.

 

[Bone Dog]

Aubrey and Ayanna can sub in at the 3 — I’ve been thinking about this prospect for awhile. What would it be like having them there? Would any team guard Aubrey on the perimeter? I suspect the answer is no, which means the lane would be effectively packed. Ayanna showed some perimeter shooting ability in high school — but will it translate to a legit threat at D1? I’m skeptical.

This feels a bit like what some folks said last week about how this or that candidate for alternate point guard “can bring the ball up the court,” as if that’s all the position entails. Same for SF — it’s a lot more than just standing out by the 3pt line. It requires being a threat to score from there, which enables slashing to the lane. Aubrey can do the slashing, but without the perimeter shooting threat there won’t be any room to slash.

On D the prospect looks a lot better. Aubrey, and probably Ayanna too, will be able to play lockdown D out there, and rotate back to rebound and offer help D. But on O, I fear this will create a 4 on 5 situation we won’t be able to sustain for more than a few minutes.

And back to the question of the point guard spot, one of the reasons Stanford lost to us was that they didn’t really have one. Wilson and Lexie Hull are almost point guards, but not quite, and it showed. And it was even worse for them when Lexie was out with the nose bleed. Sure, Haley Jones can do anything, so maybe she can run the offense. But there’s a cost to that, too. Late in the game, when we were afraid of fouling, she could bull into the paint and score practically at will. But that lineup was too slow to stop us as well. Their final run was based on 3 pointers, and they came close to a come back with that. But I think the lack of a true point guard is what did them in.

 

[Bone Dog]

Another way to look at it: KK could probably make the team as Nika’s sub at point right now. And judging from the videos of Ashlynn in that recruiting thread, she could probably get minutes at the 2 right now. But I don’t think Ashlynn could play the point for us more effectively than KK.

 

[Inthepaint]

Since the schedule has UCONN facing off with a number of the to teams on this list, fairly early in the season, We should know by The middle of December whether this ranking is incredibly accurate or incredibly foolish.

 

[billybud]

I see that NC State is ranked right behind UConn at #14....

After that double OT ESPY nominated Best Game last season in the Elite 8...the early season rematch game at UConn on November 20 should tell a lot about these two teams.

That should be a fan's game.

 

[Surly1]

There is no doubt that UConn is a better team with Paige than without Paige. But it never ceases to amaze me how some pundits and fans continue to underestimate Geno, his staff and the other players on this roster.

Geno is clearly the best coach in the history of WBB, if not in all of basketball. His coaching staff is incredibly experienced. The ten players remaining on UConn’s roster after Paige’s injury are all exceptionally talented basketball players.

As of right now only SC appears to be a lock for the FF. Every other top team lost key players to graduation. Every coach has a difficult rebuilding job ahead of them. When March rolls around, it is far more likely that the Huskies find themselves playing in a 15th straight FF, than hanging out in the dorms watching the games on tv.

Any ranking is as irrelevant as all the speculation that was generated at this time last year. Remember when everybody was excited about how "deep" UConn was heading into the season, only to experience a season of the walking wounded? So I take the article and anything else written about the upcoming season in terms of rankings with a grain of salt and a shrug of who cares.

I look forward to the season. Of course, like many others, I'm still recovering from the news about Paige. However, like oldude stated, UConn has Geno at the helm. Without Paige, the season's outlook has to be altered, but the cupboard isn't exactly bare. Like others have alluded to, injuries will have its say on the season's prospects.

With the exception of SC and to a certain extent Stanford, most of the other top teams have either an influx of talent, a roster overhaul or the loss of 1 or 2 key players. By December, we'll have a true indication of how UConn and whether other top teams are either contenders or pretenders. But my money is on Geno and the Lady Huskies being in their customary spot.

There is no doubt that UConn is a better team with Paige than without Paige. But it never ceases to amaze me how some pundits and fans continue to underestimate Geno, his staff and the other players on this roster.

Geno is clearly the best coach in the history of WBB, if not in all of basketball. His coaching staff is incredibly experienced. The ten players remaining on UConn’s roster after Paige’s injury are all exceptionally talented basketball players.

As of right now only SC appears to be a lock for the FF. Every other top team lost key players to graduation. Every coach has a difficult rebuilding job ahead of them. When March rolls around, it is far more likely that the Huskies find themselves playing in a 15th straight FF, than hanging out in the dorms watching the games on tv.

 

[Bone Dog]

We won 4 in a row with Stewie, and every one of those years there was at least one key injury, sometimes more than one. The amount of leg braces those girls wore while winning all those titles is a bit sobering.

 

[jdote33]

Virginia Tech and Indiana didn't make the list and I think they could be really good. Oregon got no love but I actually think in their case less may be more this season. I also think they have 2 really good freshman coming in who should be able to contribute right away. I'm sortve surprised how cool ppl are on Baylor. They did bring in two of the better forwards in the SEC. I think they had decent guard play last season and I think if Van Gytenbek gets minutes she will contribute.

I think UConn's depth even though they lost a lot this off season is somewhat underrated. I get it's only ten ppl total but everyone can really play. I think Lou, Amari, and Aubrey (if healthy) are starters. The two freshman r probably that caliber as well

 

[Urshurak]

I mean, if UConn can't win games because of the loss of one player (regardless of who it is) then they should drop in rankings as it would be deserved.

BUT, who says UConn is going to lose games? Sure they may lose a game or two in the non-conference schedule, but to say they start at 13 is a bit much.....

 

[Bone Dog]

I mean, if UConn can't win games because of the loss of one player (regardless of who it is) then they should drop in rankings as it would be deserved.

BUT, who says UConn is going to lose games? Sure they may lose a game or two in the non-conference schedule, but to say they start at 13 is a bit much.....

My thoughts exactly. We’re not that fragile.

 

[WFFL]

After cutting out the text, here is her ranking

1. South Carolina
2. Stanford
3. Iowa
4. Texas
5. Iowa State
6. Tennessee
7. Notre Dame
8. Maryland
9. North Carolina
10. Louisville
11. LSU
12. UCLA
13. UConn
14. NC State
15. Oklahoma

Were Dooooomed !

 

[Bone Dog]

I re-read this article -- why, you may well ask? -- and two things struck me:

1. It's less a ranking than a list "of key questions"

2. The capsule for each team is so superficial as to be laughable. It's not just that there's not case for ay team's position in this list. The descriptions seem not to involve any real experience watching these teams, or BB in general.

The supposed key questions give way to observations like this one about Stanford: they could run a unit with all bigs "...or she can go big (and by big, I mean HUGE) with Jones (6-1), Cam Brink (6-4), Ashten Prectel (6-5), Belibi (6-1) and Lauren Betts (6-7)..... there is always going to be some level of a mismatch on the floor (especially in the bigger lineups)." Yeah sure, like the mismatch of being the slowest team on any court ever.

 

[TeamFirst!]

The obvious conclusion is that this is a dumb list. Maryland way too high. Indiana way to low. UConn not even in the ballpark. We’d have to be devastated with injuries to end #13. No doubt even losing one more guard would hurt a lot.

 

[Waquoit]

You need to consider the source. Chantel Jennings never played basketball or college sports of any kind. Her undergraduate degree from MI is in Spanish & English, not journalism She was the ESPN stringer in MI for several years before they let her go, covering football, MBB & WBB. After ESPN let her go she secured a fellowship at MI, her alma mater. About a year ago, the Athletic hired her to cover the W and college basketball.

Woj used to write Twilight League baseball articles for the Courant. Now he's number 1 in the field. What's your point?

 

[sun]

The obvious conclusion is that this is a dumb list. Maryland way too high. Indiana way to low. UConn not even in the ballpark. We’d have to be devastated with injuries to end #13. No doubt even losing one more guard would hurt a lot.

I think it means that based on the uncertainties, they only expect UConn to make the Sweet Sixteen & not to advance beyond the Elite Eight.
It's a very possible scenario based on NCAAT matchups with the new scheduling format.

 

[oldude]

Woj used to write Twilight League baseball articles for the Courant. Now he's number 1 in the field. What's your point?

My point should be pretty obvious. The author of this article is an inexperienced journalist lacking the requisite knowledge or experience to rank WBB teams.

 

[sun]

It's interesting that despite all of the previous discussion about parity in WCBB when UConn loses, that when sports writers try to predict the degree of parity among women teams, then biased fans will bash the predictors.
If I predict that Tennessee will beat UConn this upcoming season, then UConn fans would probably want to bash me too.
I don't see why The Athletic's pre-season predictions are any worse than anyone else's at this early date.
Either there's a greater amount of parity among top teams or there isn't.
If Caitlin Clark suffered a season ending knee injury then it would certainly alter the pre-season outlook for Iowa.

 

[Bone Dog]

I agree. If Caitlin Clark suffered an injury comparable to what Paige has, Iowa’s season would be ruined. They’d probably end up with a losing record. By contrast, even without Paige, we’ll probably end up with 30 wins or more.

 

[Big12wbbFan]

Virginia Tech and Indiana didn't make the list and I think they could be really good. Oregon got no love but I actually think in their case less may be more this season. I also think they have 2 really good freshman coming in who should be able to contribute right away. I'm sortve surprised how cool ppl are on Baylor. They did bring in two of the better forwards in the SEC. I think they had decent guard play last season and I think if Van Gytenbek gets minutes she will contribute.

I think UConn's depth even though they lost a lot this off season is somewhat underrated. I get it's only ten ppl total but everyone can really play. I think Lou, Amari, and Aubrey (if healthy) are starters. The two freshman r probably that caliber as well

 

[Big12wbbFan]

I am also surprised rankings for Baylor are so low. They are returning some very good players and as you said they got 2 excellent forwards from the portal.

I am also surprised Texas is being ranked so high after losing Allen-Taylor, Ebo, Warren and Matharu. They got some good players in portal but one of them, Taylor, is coming off of major injury. Texas may end up being great but I think there are definitely some unanswered questions about this year’s team.

 

[socal613ws]

I agree. If Caitlin Clark suffered an injury comparable to what Paige has, Iowa’s season would be ruined. They’d probably end up with a losing record. By contrast, even without Paige, we’ll probably end up with 30 wins or more.

yes usually a team that has 5+ top 10 recruits will do well over a team who prob has 0 top 100 recruits on their roster.

 

[jdote33]

This is definitely clickbait. I've seen lists in different categories such as music and movies where someone purposely omit something so they can get clicks on their twitter or Instagram pages

Also, there is no way Maryland is 8th. They have no post players and also trying to incorporate 9 new players on the team.
NC State is way better than #14. UConn will drop some because of Bueckers but not that far.

I was just looking at Maryland's roster and you're right in a lot of ways. In the Big ten, when you have to face Czinano, Holmes, and Markowski, they really are in a need of atleast one traditional big. I also think it is hard to incorporate 9 new players. On the other hand, I think they are super talented. It is the age old question for some of the transfers, how they will adjust from being the focal point on a lesser talented roster to joining a stacked roster in a tougher conference. But they picked up some really versatile players. Kubek from Townson moves like a guard and shoots comfortably from the outside. Then on the flip side Brinae Alexender is sort of like Owusu because she can bring the ball up like a point, but post up when she has a size mismatch. Most of their transfers are upper classmen who really haven't won much (respectfully) so I'd imagine that they will buy in. If they are winning I could see them being a really fun team who plays a lot of players and everyone contributes. If they struggle (and they do have a tough OOC schedule with some heavy hitters early) I can see them being a team with the a lot of players frustrated about their limited opportunities.

 

[TeamFirst!]

I think Texas is for real and Indiana is clearly underated. Indiana might win the big 10 over Iowa.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think Texas is for real and Indiana is clearly underated. Indiana might win the big 10 over Iowa.

I like Indiana too. They lost some important pieces who had been with the team for a long time. They picked up some good ones too. But mainly Terri Moran is an excellent coach. She’s been building a program, not just a team. This is her biggest challenge yet, putting the team together after losing so many key players. If she can pull it off and return to the tournament, it will strengthen her recruiting hand. She could make it a lot harder for Geno to recruit players like Ayanna, KK, and Ashlynn in the future.

As for Texas, Vic has always coached a scrappy style of play, and they still have a core of the scrappiest kids around. They don’t have much size, but with Harmon at the point most teams still have something to fear from them.

 

[Longtime fan]

Why does it matter?? It's not where you start. It's where you end.

"What does it matter??" That is the correct and appropriate answer.

 

[Alydar]

Click bait or total ignorance. Probably some of both.

Hypothetical: Boston is out for the season. Where is SCar ranked at the start? Remember, UConn finished 2nd in the country last year, losing in the final with a heavily damaged roster. I'd guess 2nd or third, behind Stanford & someone else.

UConn is by far the most popular team on social media so anything that has #UConn attached is read a lot. I can see the season's storyline already. How a talent-poor roster of role players rallied behind their fallen champion and over-achieved their way to another FF. The truth is that the UConn roster minus Bueckers is still among the most talented in the country. Talent+motivation+coaching= a title contender.

 

[Bone Dog]

SC without Boston would fall further than that. She's at least as important to them as Paige is to us. Either we shouldn't fall so far, or they would have to fall at least as far.

 

[Alydar]

I doubt the author could list just the transfers in for the top 10. There have to be 100 tranfers in the top 25, so how can anyone rank teams right now? Sure, I can name 30 teams and get 20-24 of the preseason top 25 but where they fall among themselves is guesswork. Look at Creighton. Elite 8, which means they were top 16 in the country. They beat a couple of NCAA regulars from P5 schools and lost to the eventual champs. They get everyone back. They'll get maybe 35 votes at most from the AP while Kentucky will be top 25. I doubt the author ever heard of Creighton.

As far as it being a meaningless exercise I see mine will be post No 60. Every discussion in August is meaningless speculation but when that's all you have to talk about then .....