Hmmm...Saw someone say Lauren Betts was gonna be POY the other day, so what are y’all’s weirdest predictions?
I wouldn't call it weird. She's capable. I just think it's highly unlikely.Saw someone say Lauren Betts was gonna be POY the other day, so what are y’all’s weirdest predictions?
Could see that to be honest. SC had a lot of close calls with Duke, UNC, Tennessee, and OSU last season. No doubt that Texas could give them some trouble in the SEC.South Carolina doesn't make the final 4 - I know this sounds like a shot but I like their team. But the SEC is super tough this year. And if u look at the landscape of wcbb (ND, UCLA, UConn,USC, Texas, NC State, SC) are pretty comparable talent wise, like their top 8. So of course only 4 will make the final 4 and I worry their seeding will be impacted by a tough conference schedule.
Oregon makes the sweet 16 - I think they'll benefit from not being in the juggernaut pac 12. But they cleaned up the portal and have tools to be a good defensive team.
TCU hosts - they are super talented. Big 12 loses some of their top teams.
Yeah Stanford is an interesting one. I like their portal pickups but I agree they don't look like a powerhouse.It's a make-or-break season for Stanford as far as recruiting over the next few years. They don't look like a Sweet 16 level team anymore. Either their style of play is a difference maker in the ACC or they end up in the weeds. All the pressure is on Agara and Demetre and a desperate hope that Umeh can develop quickly.
I feel like I didn't read the fine print. Jk. Idk if any of my predictions were weird enough. But I got a couple. Sedona Prince will be an All American. North Carolina will be a top 16 team despite losing Deja. Alabama is a top 4 team in the SEC.Saw someone say Lauren Betts was gonna be POY the other day, so what are y’all’s weirdest predictions
The Big 12 will be very good this year, even with loss of Texas and OU. Iowa State and Baylor could easily be top 10 teams. Iowa State gave Stanford all they could handle in NCAA tournament and they return Crooks and Emily Ryan. Baylor came within minutes of beating USC in Sweet 16 and their entire back court is returning (including Sarah Andrews). Also they got Vonleh, a very good center from Colorado, from portal. This has been a position of huge need since Nalyssa Smith left .Here’s my hot takes for the 2024-2025 season:
1. My Preseason POY for this year is Ashlyn Watkins. She does EVERYTHING FOR SC. Pass, score, REBOUND. She is the best defender on SC. She can do it all for the Gamecocks. If she isn’t on a preseason All-American team, I’d be shocked. (*But I ultimately think Paige Bueckers will win again—if she’s healthy).
2. ND will be OUTSTANDING this year with Miles back. Hidalgo will move to the 2, and their offense will be unstoppable in my opinion. They basically have 3 AA’s on their team (Miles, HH, and Citron). Their rebounding will be HELLA BETTER than last year with the additions of Karlen and King (and even Miles—she’s a good rebounding guard). Their overall team chemistry is really good this season I do believe. ND SHOULD WIN the ACC pretty handily in my opinion.
3. It’s going to be either SC/Texas for the SEC. I cannot wait for that matchup! 2 FF contenders in my opinion.
4. USC/UCLA will win the Big 10. They both have the talent, rebounding, defense. However, I think Freshman Kennedy Smith for USC will be the x-factor for USC over UCLA. Betts, Rice, Barker, Jones, and Gardiner are a hell of a starting five for UCLA, but I think USC is a MONSTER with Watkins, Marshall, Smith, and Howell is better in my opinion.
5. Iowa State will take a BIG STEP UP. The one-two punch of Brown/Crooks with the three transfers they got—they’ll win the Big 12 over K-State.
6. The teams that I think will make a surprising jump this year: Oregon, Arizona, TCU, & Oklahoma. Only Oklahoma was on ESPN Way-to-Early Top 25 in May, but I think the first 3 will/could be in the Top 25 at the end of the season (and can go far in the tournament).
7. My Final Four Predictions:
-SC
-USC
-ND
-UConn
Cheers to a good 2024-2025 WCBB season with ZERO INJURIES ALL AROUND this year!
Not to worry. Someone took care of them in the next round.Baylor came within minutes of beating USC in Sweet 16
Not to worry. Someone took care of them in the next round.
But seriously, I agree that Baylor should be formidable this season. Vonleh is a great addition, and returning Sarah Andrews is huge.
Not sure about yor conjunctions but I gotta give points based on topic selection. I believe that a new team will win one of those championship. Maybe two. Almost certainly not 3. And 4 is a near imposssibility.Hmmm...
A university new to the SEC (Texas or Oklahoma), Big 10 (Southern Cal. or UCLA), ACC (Stanford) and Big 12 (Arizona, Colorado, or Utah) will win the regular season conference championship?
Is that team named Tennessee?One team outside of the preseason top five will make the FF.
I didn't say what team would make the FF. Just because a team is ranked in top four preseason doesn't guarantee a FF.Is that team named Tennessee?
Yeah, I don't really believe that prediction but it felt fun to say.Not sure about yor conjunctions but I gotta give points based on topic selection. I believe that a new team will win one of those championship. Maybe two. Almost certainly not 3. And 4 is a near imposssibility.
Well this thread is about bold takes. I wouldn't consider this to be a bold take unless you name the team.I didn't say what team would make the FF. Just because a team is ranked in top four preseason doesn't guarantee a FF.
My uncle (who has coached girls high school basketball) for almost 30 years said the exact same thing. He thinks one of them will win NPOY. However, he said if Bueckers is HEALTHY, she can win. This will be the most “question marks” for NPOY in a long while he thought too.2025 has the potential to be one of the wildest tournaments of all time with the number of teams that are just absolutely loaded. South Carolina, UConn, ND, Texas, UCLA, and USC all look championship-caliber and then there’s a ton of other elite rosters in Ohio State, LSU, Iowa State, etc.
My hot take is that Notre Dame is the #1 overall seed and Miles or Hidalgo wins NPOY. Wouldn’t bet on it but absolutely could happen.
Are you expecting that she will not be the frontrunner? Paige will probably be the frontrunner for all of the POY awards now that Clark has graduated.Paige will be the POY of 2024 with the UConn addition of Sarah.
I think it’ll be Watkins. She won the positional shooting guard award over Paige this year even though I think Paige is a markedly better player at this point. UConn also figures to be more balanced at guard this year than USC so Watkins may play a more predominant role.Are you expecting that she will not be the frontrunner? Paige will probably be the frontrunner for all of the POY awards now that Clark has graduated.
I figured that Paige started her campaign for NPOY with the performance she gave in the NCAA tournament, so I feel like it is far from a bold take to suggest that she will win the NPOY awards. She won them her freshman year and the media likes to push a feel-good story, so I think everything is coming to a head in a very destiny-like way for her during her final season. The media will probably be pushing a Bueckers vs. Watkins narrative for the awards.I think it’ll be Watkins. She won the positional shooting guard award over Paige this year even though I think Paige is a markedly better player at this point. UConn also figures to be more balanced at guard this year than USC so Watkins may play a more predominant role.
So now we have one poster picking Ashlyn Watkins and another predicting Juju. This thread will be funI think it’ll be Watkins. She won the positional shooting guard award over Paige this year even though I think Paige is a markedly better player at this point. UConn also figures to be more balanced at guard this year than USC so Watkins may play a more predominant role.