UCLA's got the talent for sure, but not the coach. Cori choked in big games (PAC-12 Tournament, S16 vs LSU). She flat out looked clueless in the S16 at times, and blew up a a gameplan that was working well in the first half. Supposedly her own players go against her strategy at times. I don't expect them to make the FF unless they end up in a cakewalk bracket.
I'm not all in on ND yet.
They're going to be a deeper team for sure, Liatu and Liza are great substitutes for Westbeld or Koval. I only question the backcourt, because with Miles returning, does that push Hannah out of the PG role and into the off ball 2 guard role? Or is it Miles who's off ball? We've seen team chemistry take weeks to form when players return/players need to switch roles with another. It could be the same case here.
I'm not a huge fan of ND so if someone else has a better perspective, share it with me. I'm just going off of stats and what I saw in the few games I watched of them.
Hopefully, I can fill that perspective.
You correctly state that it sometimes takes time to get chemistry with new players or ones in different perspective. I think one can safely say the same for a lot of the leading teams.
However, the teams have time to work this out since they're all back on campus at summer practices. And, in the case of Olivia Miles, she's been practicing on the scout team against the ND 2023 starters since late winter.
I have no concerns whatsoever that Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron -- all All-Americans on some team -- will mesh well together. I suspect that Miles will take lead in half-court situations, but Hidalgo will have the ball a lot, too, in pick and roll situations.
Why do I think this will be seamless? First, they're all coached by Niele Ivey, who is one of the better guard coaches in Division 1. She's a former point guard who has worked with pass-first and score-first point guards, so she'll help them mesh. Secondly, both Miles and Hidlago work well with Soni Citron, who may be the best wing-person in the sport. Cerebral and athletic, unselfish yet able to score, she'll help these two mesh.
if there's a place that will take time, it's the front court, bringing in a first-year player in Kate Koval, two transfers in Liatu King and Liza Karlen and the return of Maddy Westbeld. That could take some time, but givesn ND options to go big or smaller and faster.
