Biggest gap ever between #1 and #2?

[Suebird10fan]

There was a pretty big gap in '97-'98, too -- probably similar to the others being considered. Just thought it bears mentioning

I did wonder whether one of the Holdsclaw teams might be in the mix. I'm quite certain that post 2000, there are no viable nonUConn candidates. That said, Dobbs's comment seems compelling.

 

[Wally East]

True but 76-68 over Illinois, 73-66 over Alabama, 67-63 over Alabama, and 76-70 over UNC, plus six other wins with margins between 10-19. They won, but the difference wasn't always huge.

Well, the Illinois game was Dec 12, which is a month later than Nov 17, but on the other hand, is a win. (The second Alabama game and the game against UNC came during post-season, which the original question excludes )

Included in there are a January 3 15-point win over #3 UConn and then a February 7 24-point win over #3 Old Dominion. The two teams were #2 and #3 through the whole season.

I'd feel okay calling this gap about the same as the current gap. I remember feeling as if there was simply chance for UConn to beat them (or anyone else for that matter) and going to watch them in the Final Four felt marginally pointless.

 

[mudcat]

Definitely the largest gap ever heading into a post season that I can remember. But think of the mental gap though. Take a player like Jewell Lloyd what must she be thinking. "We had them in our gym down double digits, I dropped 30+ and we still got blown out" in her heart does she really want to play UCONN again?

Not saying the outcome would be any different, but like all accomplished athletes, I suspect Lloyd would love to play UCONN again because they wouldn't be as accomplished if they didn't think they could win if given another chance.

 

[iri10]

This year's UConn team is difficult to peg down, for me.

If we define greatness as a matter heavily influenced by the record books, then by definition this year's team falls behind many other UConn teams...even if it goes on to win a national championship. The undefeated UConn teams (plus any other undefeateds in WCBB history) are all "greater" than this team's maximum potential.

But what if you want to talk about which team is the best? Part of me thinks that this year's team would really push - and perhaps beat - some of those undefeated UConn teams. They lack the precision of some of those teams, but make up for it by being relentless. It's as if Geno said, "That '40 minutes of dread' that Mitchell is always talking about seems interesting. How can I make it better? I know: I'll make sure the dread continues when our team is on offense."

You have to go back quite a few years to find a UConn team that likes to run as much as this one does. The Maya-era superteams were more deliberate in their pacing. Because of this, I find this year's team very, very fun to watch.

Let's look at it again after this year of basketball is done. Even women's basketball can have some shocking results. It remains to be seen if this team can actually win the title, despite the fact that they've already been anointed by so many. If they do (or if they don't), perhaps we'll have more data to figure out where they fit in WCBB history.

 

[Aardvark]

This year's UConn team is difficult to peg down, for me.

If we define greatness as a matter heavily influenced by the record books, then by definition this year's team falls behind many other UConn teams...even if it goes on to win a national championship. The undefeated UConn teams (plus any other undefeateds in WCBB history) are all "greater" than this team's maximum potential.

But what if you want to talk about which team is the best? Part of me thinks that this year's team would really push - and perhaps beat - some of those undefeated UConn teams. They lack the precision of some of those teams, but make up for it by being relentless. It's as if Geno said, "That '40 minutes of dread' that Mitchell is always talking about seems interesting. How can I make it better? I know: I'll make sure the dread continues when our team is on offense."

You have to go back quite a few years to find a UConn team that likes to run as much as this one does. The Maya-era superteams were more deliberate in their pacing. Because of this, I find this year's team very, very fun to watch.

Let's look at it again after this year of basketball is done. Even women's basketball can have some shocking results. It remains to be seen if this team can actually win the title, despite the fact that they've already been anointed by so many. If they do (or if they don't), perhaps we'll have more data to figure out where they fit in WCBB history.

What do they say...the only numbers that count are the W's and L's. Great season!