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"Do The Math" Here Comes Notre Dame?

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VolFan said:
Notre Dame will be tremendous as well. Turner and Loyd in their second year together may be the best duo in the country.
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ND will have a powerfull team next year and Turner/Loyd is unquestionably an outstanding pair.

You take those 2 and I'll take Stewart/Jefferson.
 
meyers7 said:
In reality, Notre Dame is a team built for next year. The Irish, who have six McDonald’s All-Americans on the roster now, will have everyone back and will add three McDonald’s All-Americans next season.

Agree, ND will have a really good team next year. However, UCONN brings back 4 starters and not only adds in a better recruiting class (also 3 McD AAs) but also a big post presence in Butler. And beating Stewart and Jefferson as Seniors is gonna be really, really difficult. This is the year to get UCONN, think it will be harder next year.
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Diana Taurasi said exactly the same thing. Per DT next year Stewart becomes an elite player and will be impossible to beat.
 
2 question marks for the LVs. One Russell must be healthy and effective and 2 DeShields must share the ball and be a team player. Either of these dont happen and Tenn will be in for a frustrating year. Next season it will be UConn and then ND and everybody else. If Russell is healthy and effective Tenn could make some noise, but next season no body beats UConn. Pencil it in number 11.
 
I honestly dont see whats so different in Tenn and Duke. Ton of talent but has coaches who can't utilize it consistently.
 
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CocoHusky said:
Turner & Loyd IMO is not even better than Nurse and Tuck.
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Maybe slight exaggeration with Loyd/Nurse :)..... but Tuck is going to be a monster next year. Cancels each other out so your not far off.
 
Best duo for next year in order to begin the season...

Jefferson and Stewart
Loyd and Turner
Mitchell and Wilson

But as the season goes and the more and more they play together Russell and DeShields could become a powerful duo. They have familiarity from USA basketball. I am also hopeful for a smooth transition for Russell from recovery into full go basketball. She has had a lot of one on one time with Dean this year and considering what he did for Izzy, I think we see the 6'6 center we were hoping for.

Fun to speculate but I very excited for 2015 to play out. I want drama and shockers!
 
Returning players usually get better, at least through their junior year, when they are well-coached and assuming no serious injuries.
Incoming freshmen are like a box of chocolates.... you're never sure what you're going to get. Especially posts and point guards who have the biggest transitions, especially if they're expected to contribute right away.
Several important "newcomers" next year, however, won't be newcomers at all. Butler, Russell and DeShields are proven performers. Edge to UConn and Tenn.
But based on returning players you also have to like SC and ND -- and by tourney time UConn, Tenn and ND could have their super-talented freshmen performing like sophomores. Louisville, Baylor and Texas might also be serious 2016 Tourney threats with the talent they will add, and all have good coaches. Duke? Yeah, talent-wise they should certainly be added to this list. But they have underachieved of late. Maybe the new coach will turn that around... LOL!
 
CL82 said:
Diana Taurasi said exactly the same thing. Per DT next year Stewart becomes an elite player and will be impossible to beat.
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I hate to quibble and disagree with the great DT but... Stewie is now and has been an "Elite" player since the BE tournament in her Freshmen year. How do I know this? Beacuse no NCAA team or individual player has been able to adequately defend her or even slow her down since she got out of her own way. Next year she might be "more elite" but right she is ELITE!
 
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VolFan said:
I think next year is definitely all about UConn, Notre Dame, and Tennessee in that order.
UConn will be UConn, especially with Butler. That post presence should allow Stewart to face up and show off her versatility more.
Notre Dame will be tremendous as well. Turner and Loyd in their second year together may be the best duo in the country.
And then Tennessee, I think we'll be the deepest team in the country. Coming off of injury/unavailability will be Jasmine Jones, Diamond DeShields, Mercedes Russell, and Jannah Tucker. Add in the best incoming PG in the country in Te'a Cooper and we'll finally have the balanced team with a superstar that we've needed since '08. If we play D the way we have this year with a way improved roster, we have a shot at the Championship in my mind.
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Remember a few years ago when Massengale was the highest rated PG coming out of high school? Must be unstoppable now that she's a Senior, eh? How about Ann Struthers, the next Diane Taurasi? Both had solid careers but no one would say they had the superstar careers that was projected for them coming out of high school.Could go on and on but till recruits suit up and play in college you just don't know what the future holds.
 
VolFan said:
I think next year is definitely all about UConn, Notre Dame, and Tennessee in that order.
UConn will be UConn, especially with Butler. That post presence should allow Stewart to face up and show off her versatility more.
Notre Dame will be tremendous as well. Turner and Loyd in their second year together may be the best duo in the country.
And then Tennessee, I think we'll be the deepest team in the country. Coming off of injury/unavailability will be Jasmine Jones, Diamond DeShields, Mercedes Russell, and Jannah Tucker. Add in the best incoming PG in the country in Te'a Cooper and we'll finally have the balanced team with a superstar that we've needed since '08. If we play D the way we have this year with a way improved roster, we have a shot at the Championship in my mind.
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So you think Turner and Loyd will be better than Stewart and MoJett? WOW!
 
msf22b said:
Fandom going slightly mad (IMHO) :)
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Not really. Again my opinion. If we were going to have game and you spent you first two picks on Loyd and Turner and I spent mine on Tuck & Nurse I wouldn't be scared to play. Who wins will probably be determined by the rest of the team and who is doing the coaching. But talent wise I don't think I am that far behind.
 
Bgillon said:
So you think Turner and Loyd will be better than Stewart and MoJett? WOW!
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In fairness to Volfan, UConn plays on such a different plane/planet that it's easy to forget they are part of the country. This is the problem with a lot best/greatest discussion on general wbb forums. Almost all need a "besides UConn" disclaimer to be interesting.
 
meyers7 said:
In reality, Notre Dame is a team built for next year. The Irish, who have six McDonald’s All-Americans on the roster now, will have everyone back and will add three McDonald’s All-Americans next season.

Agree, ND will have a really good team next year. However, UCONN brings back 4 starters and not only adds in a better recruiting class (also 3 McD AAs) but also a big post presence in Butler. And beating Stewart and Jefferson as Seniors is gonna be really, really difficult. This is the year to get UCONN, think it will be harder next year.
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I don't agree. I think this is the year we must win. Next year too many potentially terrific teams that are capable of playing out of their minds just once -- just one game at the wrong time -- to beat us. Like when Nova played and beat GTOWN. Or Duke beat UNLV.

The two top teams USC and ND - they require a lot out of their star freshmen. I saw Stewie do great as a frosh but Maya and DT in the NCAA's struggled in their final game. I don't believe their frosh can outplay our expereicned front line. And I don't think their perimeter game can overwhelm us either.

This year imo UCONN will win. Next year there will be a team or to that has the ability to play out of their minds and will have the necessary experience to challenge in that "one moment."
 
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VAUConnFan said:
A very intriguing discussion here as it appears that history is trying to repeat itself. While UConn is surely the prohibitive favorites to threepeat as national champions this year and will be as strong as ever next year, most of us can easily recall a similar scenario back in 2001 when UConn returned a very strong team after its second national championship only to have it thwarted by a very good Notre Dame squad. The only difference for me then and now is that prior to the 2000-2001 season, I never saw Notre Dame coming. Forewarned is forearmed.
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I never saw ND coming the 1st game when they wiped us out. But game 3 was understandable. We had 2 senior all-americans hurt/ couldn't play.
 
VolFan said:
I don't know, Middleton, Carter, Reynolds, Cooper, Jackson, Tucker, DeShields, Dunbar, Jones, Graves, Nared, Moore, Russell is pretty deep.
That's 8 McDonald's AA's, not including Carter and Tucker who would have been if not for injury, and 6 Top 10 HS players.
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DeShields has proven herself at the collegiate level. The others have not yet.
 
BlueDevils said:
I honestly dont see whats so different in Tenn and Duke. Ton of talent but has coaches who can't utilize it consistently.
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Except I think this year we saw improvement in Tennessee's coaching (or at least the player's response to the coaching), whereas in Dukieland, it was same old, same old.
 
Tonyc said:
2 question marks for the LVs. One Russell must be healthy and effective and 2 DeShields must share the ball and be a team player. Either of these dont happen and Tenn will be in for a frustrating year. Next season it will be UConn and then ND and everybody else. If Russell is healthy and effective Tenn could make some noise, but next season no body beats UConn. Pencil it in number 11.
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Right as usual, Tony, but ALSO Holly is going to have to install some sort of organized, disciplined offense. Otherwise DD may be forced to be the new Simmons.
 
There was a pic of Russell. Touching the rim at practice. The tweet said it looks like Russell is getting her legs back.
 
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You nailed it, CocoHusky. Loyd and Turner better than Stewart and Jefferson. Not on this planet. Not in this universe.
 
hoophuskee said:
I don't agree. I think this is the year we must win. Next year too many potentially terrific teams that are capable of playing out of their minds just once -- just one game at the wrong time -- to beat us. Like when Nova played and beat GTOWN. Or Duke beat UNLV.

The two top teams USC and ND - they require a lot out of their star freshmen. I saw Stewie do great as a frosh but Maya and DT in the NCAA's struggled in their final game. I don't believe their frosh can outplay our expereicned front line. And I don't think their perimeter game can overwhelm us either.

This year imo UCONN will win. Next year there will be a team or to that has the ability to play out of their minds and will have the necessary experience to challenge in that "one moment."
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Yea, I know it's your opinion, but it's backwards. This year UCONN lost 2 AA's and it's heart. That's a lot to make up. Luckily they've done well and the competition is down a bit. Next year UCONN loses an AA and a B/U post. But it returns 4 starters, an even better (than this year) recruiting class (and Butler) and keeps it heart/engine. UCONN will be much better next year. Granted other teams will be too. (lot's of good teams next year) But I'd be extremely surprised if they don't go undefeated as Seniors. Moore and DT didn't have the kind of team Stewart will have around her as a Senior. I mean not even close. They won't be compared to Moore and DT's Senior year, but rather to Birds' and Charles' Senior years (those kind of teams).
 
Every team has a number of definitive characteristics that in their aggregate set it apart from all the others, but for me the big overwhelming one with this year's team is the 3-pt shooting, which in the combination of shots taken and accuracy has never been approached at UConn. Having taken 680 3pt-FGAs at a 40.6% accuracy rate, the Huskies are on a pace to shoot 805 with a 39 games schedule. Four other UConn teams shot over 40% and some did a bit better, but they also took far fewer 3s, with only the 2002 team getting even up to 600, at a 40.5% rate. The 2013 team shot more of them, finishing the year at 859, but their rate was at 37.8%

Of course the 2013 and 2015 teams are marked with a season's healthy KML burying the shots from the arc, and that's a nice thought entering the Tourney this year. For both teams the option to give KML the chance to bomb a 3 at a 50% rate is comforting when the defense gets sticky inside. Three-point shooting can always go south in a vital Tourney game, but with KML in the lineup, that's just less of a possibility. We should not underestimate what a huge loss that missing security blanket will be when KML graduates in May. Hopefully the rest of the lineup can combine to fill the gap.
 
VAUConnFan said:
A very intriguing discussion here as it appears that history is trying to repeat itself. While UConn is surely the prohibitive favorites to threepeat as national champions this year and will be as strong as ever next year, most of us can easily recall a similar scenario back in 2001 when UConn returned a very strong team after its second national championship only to have it thwarted by a very good Notre Dame squad. The only difference for me then and now is that prior to the 2000-2001 season, I never saw Notre Dame coming. Forewarned is forearmed.
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Shea Ralph and Abrosimova were both out with injuries and did not play. Thwarted, I think not, lucky yes.
 
meyers7 said:
Yea, I know it's your opinion, but it's backwards. This year UCONN lost 2 AA's and it's heart. That's a lot to make up. Luckily they've done well and the competition is down a bit. Next year UCONN loses an AA and a B/U post. But it returns 4 starters, an even better (than this year) recruiting class (and Butler) and keeps it heart/engine. UCONN will be much better next year. Granted other teams will be too. (lot's of good teams next year) But I'd be extremely surprised if they don't go undefeated as Seniors. Moore and DT didn't have the kind of team Stewart will have around her as a Senior. I mean not even close. They won't be compared to Moore and DT's Senior year, but rather to Birds' and Charles' Senior years (those kind of teams).
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Nah - IMO your opinion is not giving other great basketball teams their due. You say "granted they will be good" but for one thing a team like ND will probably be outstanding not just "good." Same with USC. Thus imo you are marginalizing their ability to play way above their heads. A team like Villanova did that vs GTOWN. In that one game that one day -- our team is still "kids" or another word- "amateurs." Even the best of the best pros such as LeBron James feels pressure.

And I'm wondering why you mentioned to me Maya's and DT's teammates vs Stewie's. Did you think when I first mentioned them to you that I was comparing Stewie next year as a sr. vs DT and Maya as freshmen? I just don't understand why you are comparing sr Stewie vs freshmen Maya and DT. My point was freshman Wilson from USC and freshman Turner from ND - whichever meet UCONN in the finals is much more apt to be like freshman Maya and freshman DT than be like the freshman Stewart. IMO it's absolutely rare to count on a frosh to be so huge when you are facing an experienced juggernaut. USC and ND have to rely a ton on their frosh. That's too much weight on their shoulders in a game with so much pressure. This this year - it's a learning experience for them.

As Lobe said this year - USC has no shot to beat UCONN. They can't beat us because they can't score enough. One more year together -- there is absolutely no reason to completely disregard both kids as being potential big time impact weapons. Nova wasn't close to GTOWN but had experience. Nova wasn't that good of a team while GTOWN was awesome - like UCONN. IMO there is no reason to believe a potential awesome team in ND or USC can't play unreal like Nova did. History in sports teaches us that. Sure frosh could - like our amateurs did play way above their heads and defeated Russia in Hockey. But overall that extra year I think allows the two super frosh a better chance to play that one super super game - and as said throw in the lousy refs - next year they have a better chance.
 
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