Each Program's Best Team in School History

[bballnut90]

It's the off season....kind of an off beat thread, but in your opinion, what's each top program's best team in school history?

Here's my take:
Connecticut-Lots to choose from...I'd go with the 2014 version. They were so dominant defensively and outside of a fluke 10 point at Baylor, no one gave them a good game. 2014 was also a solid year for women's basketball, there were a lot of talented seniors that season and UCONN's starting 5 was so solid.

Tennessee-1998, arguably the most explosive team ever--Tennessee had a three headed monster in the 3 Meeks and a very solid point guard in Jolly. Tennessee created so much chaos with their defense and got to the free throw line at will. They had moments of ups and downs (if you can say that about an undefeated season), but overall they were a nightmare to match up with defensively. I don't think there has ever been a team that has had 2 players with the inside out ability that both Holdsclaw and Catchings possessed.

Baylor-2012, easy pick here. Baylor had solid depth and the most dominant inside force women's college basketball has ever seen in Griner. Sims was outstanding at the point and Baylor was head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in 2012.

Notre Dame-harder pick here, but I'd go with the 2014 squad. 2001 had a sensational starting 5, 2012 or 2013 might have had the most talented roster in school history, but 2014 was outstanding. Loyd came into her own this season, McBride was one of the best players in the nation, and Achonwa established herself as one of the best posts in the nation. Notre Dame was head and shoulders above everyone not named UCONN.

Stanford-I'd go with 2010, but their 1997 squad was very very good. 2010 had such a talented frontline with Appel, Ogwumike and Pederson. Pohlen hadn't fully come into her own yet, but they were also head and shoulders better than everyone not named UCONN that year. They were the only team to give UCONN a fight in 2 seasons. Their 1997 squad was also outstanding. Finished the year with 2 losses, they were led by Kate Starbird and had a plethora of talent with Kristin Folkl, Vanessa Nygaard, Olympia Scott, Jamila Wideman, among other future WNBA players. (Note: I never saw their 1990 or 1992 squads play, so I cannot comment on those teams)

Rutgers-2000. They were so bad offensively but played outstanding defense. They also had a very solid point guard in Tasha Pointer, a good scorer in Shawnetta Stewart and a good post in Tammy Sutton-Brown.

Duke-2007. They were the best team in the nation during the regular season going undefeated, but they couldn't deliver in the post season. Harding was the best point guard in the nation that year, Bales was an absolute beast inside, and Waner was one of the most dangerous threats from deep.

North Carolina-2006. I never saw their 1994 title team win, but in 2006 they looked unstoppable. Latta was arguably the best player that season, Larkins a monster inside and Little was rock solid. All three have gone on to carve out nice WNBA careers. They only lost to Maryland in the regular season (on a miracle 3) and in the NCAA tournament after Latta went down with injury. They played a brutal schedule and dominated Duke's deepest team ever. Great team.

LSU-2005. I thought it was Tennessee or LSU who would take home the crown, and both fell short in the Final Four. LSU had the nation's top point guard (Johnson), wing (Augustus) and a young stud in Sylvia Fowles. They only lost to a streaky Rutgers team and a very good Tennessee team in the SEC Tournament. They played a very good schedule and were rock solid defensively. The wheels came off against Baylor, but of all of their Final Four appearances, this was the only one where LSU was the favorite to win it all.

Maryland-I'd go with their title squad. Their defense was suspect, but they had an outstanding starting 5 and some strong contributors off the bench. Toliver and Doron made a solid backcourt, Coleman was dynamic on the wing, and Langhorne/Harper made for one of the best post combos in the nation. They were a 2 seed and definitely had their ups and downs, but they took care of both UNC and Duke twice, and both of those teams were championship caliber teams. They also gave an immensely talented Tennessee team it's toughest game before Wiley-Gatewood quit the program.

Penn State-2004. They made it one step further in 2000 and had a really strong team both years, but in 2004 they were dealt a bad hand in the NCAA tournament. Mazzante, Wright, Strom, Brungo and Russell made up a really solid starting 5. They would have probably been the favorite to win it all at the Final Four had they gotten past UCONN in the regionals.

Oklahoma-2002. Really good team led by Dales, Ross and Caufield. Could have won it all if it wasn't for UCONN (this seems to be a common theme here..)

Georgia-1996. Never saw Georgia pre-1995, but their 1996 team was incredibly underrated as a #3 seed going in the NCAA tournament. Point guard Roundtree took home several POY awards and dominated in the NCAA tournament, they had so much talent in their lineup with Holland Corn, La'Keisha Frett, Tracy Henderson and I feel like I'm missing another big contributor....but needless to say, they had a really talented lineup that came close to winning it all.

Vanderbilt-1996. They had a great program in the early 2000s with Chantelle Anderson and Klimesova, but in 1996 I think they had their best team. I never saw their 1993 squad, but in 1996 they were led by an outstanding G/F in Sheri Sam and put up a solid fight against UConn in the regional final.

Louisville-This one is hard. They've had teams that found good success, but I feel like most of the success was due to outstanding tournament runs propelled by Walz rather than having really good teams. I'd probably pick 2009 when they were led by Angel and made the title game. 2013 also had a great run but just ridiculously overachieved, beating Baylor, Tennessee and Cal before getting throttled by UCONN. 2014 was tough to read because they didn't beat a single quality opponent, but had a great record.

 

[bbsamjj]

Still not sure you can top the Bird/Taurasi/Cash/Jones/Williams team for UConn. Not a traditional line-up in the post, but Bird and Taurasi are inarguably the greatest backcourt of all time, DT is in the conversation for greatest player of all time, and Cash/Jones/Williams were all terrific. Depth is only issue with this team, but starting 5 was so good.

Hard not to pick a Duke team with Beard but I think I agree with you on that 2007 team, that was solid pretty much everywhere, and Harding at the best season in college ball that year (which makes her FT misses against RU all the more painful).

Speaking of 2007, I think that RU team was better than 2000. They got hot at the right time, but their press was the best in the game, there were 4 WNBA players in that line-up who are all still playing today, all 4 of whom have been WNBA starters, 2 of whom have been all-stars. That was Vaughn's best year overall at RU, and I think she was the better post in college than Sutton-Brown.

With ND, while they have had had more talent in later years, I still think you have to go with 2001 championship team. Those players were not all great WNBA players, but Riley, Ivey, Ratay were an almost unstoppable three-some in college.

 

[Orangutan]

I haven't followed collegiate women's basketball long enough to have a frame of reference, but I love this topic.

Over the last three years, I feel that the '13-14 versions of ND and UConn are the best that I've seen. '12-13 ND is a better assemblage of talent (Diggins, McBride, Loyd, Braker, Achonwa) but '13-14 was better because the improvement of the other 4 (especially Loyd blossoming into an All-American) offset going from Diggins to Allen. Plus, they got to play Reimer instead of Markisha Wright when spelling Braker whose minutes had to be limited because of her knees.

I looked at offensive points per possession minus defensive points per possession to get a reasonable shorthand on each team's performance. By the metric, the best of the last five ND final four teams is the '11-12 squad, though it does back me up on '13-14 being the best of the last three. '13-14 is the best offensive team of ND's last five years but the '11-12 team was much better on defense.

 

[Wally East]

The '94 UNC team was amazing. Really athletic -- quick and strong. When they went through the lay-up line, it seemed as if half of the team dunked. They played reasonably intelligently, too. They handled a very good and #1 seeded UConn team pretty easily.

I'd call the '01 ND team their best if only because they beat a fantastic UConn team twice.

 

[j66kicker]

The '94 UNC team was amazing. Really athletic -- quick and strong. When they went through the lay-up line, it seemed as if half of the team dunked. They played reasonably intelligently, too. They handled a very good and #1 seeded UConn team pretty easily.

I'd call the '01 ND team their best if only because they beat a fantastic UConn team twice.

Agree both - Marion Jones UNC NC team and Ruth Riley ND NC team.

Also UCONN 2002 team was our best. C'mon - every starter was a top 6 overall WNBA draft pic. TWO #1 overall pics (DT & Sue) plus a #2 (Swin), #4 (Tamika) and #6 (Asjha)

 

[Kibitzer]

Jeez, many Boneyarders have already anointed our 2015-2016 edition as immortal. First night is in October; first game will be in November, 2015, only three months from now.

 

[alexrgct]

The 2002 and 2014 teams were pretty much a wash in terms of MOV. In terms of the lowest single-game MOV, 2014 has the edge (11-point win over Baylor versus a nine-point win over VT). 40-0 vs. 39-0. Can't help that because of scheduling, but it certainly happened. The WNBA draft pick issue isn't really fair because 2014 only had two graduating seniors compared to four in 2002. However, 2014 will have had two first-round picks for each graduating class (Bria & Stef in '14, KML and Kiah in '15, Stewie and Mo in '16). In short, the 2014 rotation of six will all be drafted in the first round.

Meanwhile, all five starters from 2015 will have their names on the Huskies of Honor wall versus "only" three from 2002.

Finally, Geno loved his team, especially Bria and Stef, to such an extent that he was in tears after the 2014 team completed its magical season.

Bottom line, some folks have a so-called "recency bias" towards the new 2014 squad, but I'd argue there's a nostalgia bias towards the "older" 2002 squad.

You can make an argument for either season, but I'm not sure that there's a sufficient appreciation for how historically great 2014 was. It's also great to add that 2014 was part of yet ANOTHER dual championship season where both the men's and women's teams brought home the hardware. What a great four days of basketball we experienced in the Final Fours of April 2014.

It's amazing that 1998 is an easy call out of eight championship teams for Tennessee, whereas Uconn is not an easy call at all to name the best of its 10. How fortunate we are to have experienced both 2002 and 2014...not to mention 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2015 as well...

 

[alexrgct]

Jeez, many Boneyarders have already anointed our 2015-2016 edition as immortal. First night is in October; first game will be in November, 2015, only three months from now.

Count me among the list. I can't freaking wait to see the the two-time defending best player in WCBB paired with the game's best PG, the basketball-savvy powerhouse and WBCA AA-caliber Morgan Tuck, the perfect addition of Natalie Butler, the internationally excellent Kia Nurse, the other rising sophomores and junior with a ton of potential, and the sky's-the-limit potential of the incoming class of recruits. Immortal? I won't go out on that limb yet. National treasure? Indubitably.

 

[baggerbob]

Still not sure you can top the Bird/Taurasi/Cash/Jones/Williams team for UConn. Not a traditional line-up in the post, but Bird and Taurasi are inarguably the greatest backcourt of all time, DT is in the conversation for greatest player of all time, and Cash/Jones/Williams were all terrific. Depth is only issue with this team, but starting 5 was so good.

Hard not to pick a Duke team with Beard but I think I agree with you on that 2007 team, that was solid pretty much everywhere, and Harding at the best season in college ball that year (which makes her FT misses against RU all the more painful).

Speaking of 2007, I think that RU team was better than 2000. They got hot at the right time, but their press was the best in the game, there were 4 WNBA players in that line-up who are all still playing today, all 4 of whom have been WNBA starters, 2 of whom have been all-stars. That was Vaughn's best year overall at RU, and I think she was the better post in college than Sutton-Brown.

With ND, while they have had had more talent in later years, I still think you have to go with 2001 championship team. Those players were not all great WNBA players, but Riley, Ivey, Ratay were an almost unstoppable three-some in college.

Stewie, and Moriah are 18-0 in the NCAA tournament, and might be the only 2 to ever win 4 while playing. The starting 5 in 2014 was also very good, and Stokes off the bench is under rated, look at her in the WNBA.

 

[xHunt3r]

Agree both - Marion Jones UNC NC team and Ruth Riley ND NC team.

Also UCONN 2002 team was our best. C'mon - every starter was a top 6 overall WNBA draft pic. TWO #1 overall pics (DT & Sue) plus a #2 (Swin), #4 (Tamika) and #6 (Asjha)

Well the other 4 haven't been drafted yet.. but if Nurse's continues to build on her performance this summer when the remaining 4 are drafted they should all be top 5.

 

[triaddukefan]

The 2007 Duke team probably is the best Duke team ever.... even though Chante Black redshirted that season with an injury. It wasnt the most talented Duke team ever though... that 2004 squad team was loaded.

Well the other 4 haven't been drafted yet.. but if Nurse's continues to build on her performance this summer when the remaining 4 are drafted they should all be top 5.

The 2018 WNBA draft has the potential to be the deepest ever.

 

[UcMiami]

Great thread!

 

[triaddukefan]

As good as that 1998 TN team was...... one can argue that they should have lost in the Regional Finals to UNC. I was actually rooting for UNC and they were up double digits with less than 10 minutes to go in the game. The game was played at Vanderbilt and that wacky gym.... remember some questionable calls down the stretch as well. But credit to the Vols to going on a huge run to win the game.

 

[Phillyconn]

It's the off season....kind of an off beat thread, but in your opinion, what's each top program's best team in school history?

Here's my take:
Connecticut-Lots to choose from...I'd go with the 2014 version. They were so dominant defensively and outside of a fluke 10 point at Baylor, no one gave them a good game. 2014 was also a solid year for women's basketball, there were a lot of talented seniors that season and UCONN's starting 5 was so solid.

Tennessee-1998, arguably the most explosive team ever--Tennessee had a three headed monster in the 3 Meeks and a very solid point guard in Jolly. Tennessee created so much chaos with their defense and got to the free throw line at will. They had moments of ups and downs (if you can say that about an undefeated season), but overall they were a nightmare to match up with defensively. I don't think there has ever been a team that has had 2 players with the inside out ability that both Holdsclaw and Catchings possessed.

Baylor-2012, easy pick here. Baylor had solid depth and the most dominant inside force women's college basketball has ever seen in Griner. Sims was outstanding at the point and Baylor was head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in 2012.

Notre Dame-harder pick here, but I'd go with the 2014 squad. 2001 had a sensational starting 5, 2012 or 2013 might have had the most talented roster in school history, but 2014 was outstanding. Loyd came into her own this season, McBride was one of the best players in the nation, and Achonwa established herself as one of the best posts in the nation. Notre Dame was head and shoulders above everyone not named UCONN.

Stanford-I'd go with 2010, but their 1997 squad was very very good. 2010 had such a talented frontline with Appel, Ogwumike and Pederson. Pohlen hadn't fully come into her own yet, but they were also head and shoulders better than everyone not named UCONN that year. They were the only team to give UCONN a fight in 2 seasons. Their 1997 squad was also outstanding. Finished the year with 2 losses, they were led by Kate Starbird and had a plethora of talent with Kristin Folkl, Vanessa Nygaard, Olympia Scott, Jamila Wideman, among other future WNBA players. (Note: I never saw their 1990 or 1992 squads play, so I cannot comment on those teams)

Rutgers-2000. They were so bad offensively but played outstanding defense. They also had a very solid point guard in Tasha Pointer, a good scorer in Shawnetta Stewart and a good post in Tammy Sutton-Brown.

Duke-2007. They were the best team in the nation during the regular season going undefeated, but they couldn't deliver in the post season. Harding was the best point guard in the nation that year, Bales was an absolute beast inside, and Waner was one of the most dangerous threats from deep.

North Carolina-2006. I never saw their 1994 title team win, but in 2006 they looked unstoppable. Latta was arguably the best player that season, Larkins a monster inside and Little was rock solid. All three have gone on to carve out nice WNBA careers. They only lost to Maryland in the regular season (on a miracle 3) and in the NCAA tournament after Latta went down with injury. They played a brutal schedule and dominated Duke's deepest team ever. Great team.

LSU-2005. I thought it was Tennessee or LSU who would take home the crown, and both fell short in the Final Four. LSU had the nation's top point guard (Johnson), wing (Augustus) and a young stud in Sylvia Fowles. They only lost to a streaky Rutgers team and a very good Tennessee team in the SEC Tournament. They played a very good schedule and were rock solid defensively. The wheels came off against Baylor, but of all of their Final Four appearances, this was the only one where LSU was the favorite to win it all.

Maryland-I'd go with their title squad. Their defense was suspect, but they had an outstanding starting 5 and some strong contributors off the bench. Toliver and Doron made a solid backcourt, Coleman was dynamic on the wing, and Langhorne/Harper made for one of the best post combos in the nation. They were a 2 seed and definitely had their ups and downs, but they took care of both UNC and Duke twice, and both of those teams were championship caliber teams. They also gave an immensely talented Tennessee team it's toughest game before Wiley-Gatewood quit the program.

Penn State-2004. They made it one step further in 2000 and had a really strong team both years, but in 2004 they were dealt a bad hand in the NCAA tournament. Mazzante, Wright, Strom, Brungo and Russell made up a really solid starting 5. They would have probably been the favorite to win it all at the Final Four had they gotten past UCONN in the regionals.

Oklahoma-2002. Really good team led by Dales, Ross and Caufield. Could have won it all if it wasn't for UCONN (this seems to be a common theme here..)

Georgia-1996. Never saw Georgia pre-1995, but their 1996 team was incredibly underrated as a #3 seed going in the NCAA tournament. Point guard Roundtree took home several POY awards and dominated in the NCAA tournament, they had so much talent in their lineup with Holland Corn, La'Keisha Frett, Tracy Henderson and I feel like I'm missing another big contributor....but needless to say, they had a really talented lineup that came close to winning it all.

Vanderbilt-1996. They had a great program in the early 2000s with Chantelle Anderson and Klimesova, but in 1996 I think they had their best team. I never saw their 1993 squad, but in 1996 they were led by an outstanding G/F in Sheri Sam and put up a solid fight against UConn in the regional final.

Louisville-This one is hard. They've had teams that found good success, but I feel like most of the success was due to outstanding tournament runs propelled by Walz rather than having really good teams. I'd probably pick 2009 when they were led by Angel and made the title game. 2013 also had a great run but just ridiculously overachieved, beating Baylor, Tennessee and Cal before getting throttled by UCONN. 2014 was tough to read because they didn't beat a single quality opponent, but had a great record.

What about a all time team, from each school?

 

[ASweet3781]

The '94 UNC team was amazing. Really athletic -- quick and strong. When they went through the lay-up line, it seemed as if half of the team dunked. They played reasonably intelligently, too. They handled a very good and #1 seeded UConn team pretty easily.

I'd call the '01 ND team their best if only because they beat a fantastic UConn team twice.

The 1994 regional final is on Youtube thanks to bballnut. I disagree they handled us easily. We had a 3 pt lead at the half and a 7 pt lead with 17 to go. It was tight throughout the 2nd half until UNC pulled away late.

But I agree they were very athletic and quick. They certainly outclassed us in that department and the fact it was so close is proof of why Geno was on his way to becoming one of the greats. I have absolutely no idea why UNC was a 3 seed that year as they only had 2 losses. Probably Sylvia's weak schedule. The 90s, when UConn was on it's way up, was when we always seemed to get our toughest draws. UNC in '94 and Tennessee in '97 were the only 3 seeds to win the tournament, both coming out of 1 seed UConn's region. We got outclassed in the athlete department back than in some of those matchups. Thankfully that ended in 1999 with the arrival of the TASSK class.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I still think the 2000-2001 team was the greatest WCBB team of all time! And yes I know they lost 2x to ND but just for the talent on that roster the talent was unequaled then or now! 7 All-Americans: Bird, Taurasi, Jones, Ralph, Williams, Abrasinova, & Cash! They also had Schumacher, Moore, Battle, and Conlon! Geno even calls that the most talented team he's seen in WCBB! Nine members of that team played several seasons or more in the WNBA! If Geno's tirade at 1/2 time didn't cause a meltdown they would have beaten ND and they would have killed Purdue in the Finals!

 

[Wally East]

I still think the 2000-2001 team was the greatest WCBB team of all time! And yes I know they lost 2x to ND

This does always tickle me a little. Shouldn't '01 ND be considered the greatest team of all time if they beat that UConn team twice, convincingly both times (and they also lost to Tennessee)?

That team always seemed like my junior year of high school: lots of problems with chemistry.

 

[bballnut90]

I still think the 2000-2001 team was the greatest WCBB team of all time! And yes I know they lost 2x to ND but just for the talent on that roster the talent was unequaled then or now! 7 All-Americans: Bird, Taurasi, Jones, Ralph, Williams, Abrasinova, & Cash! They also had Schumacher, Moore, Battle, and Conlon! Geno even calls that the most talented team he's seen in WCBB! Nine members of that team played several seasons or more in the WNBA! If Geno's tirade at 1/2 time didn't cause a meltdown they would have beaten ND and they would have killed Purdue in the Finals!

It was the best on paper if you take each player at the peak of her career. The reality is, Ralph was a shell of the All American she was a year prior, Taurasi was a streaky freshman, Cash, Jones, and Williams were all solid but not All American caliber players. Bird was solid but hadn't established herself as the next great guard in women's basketball.

With a full lineup, they were best down by Notre Dame and also lost at Tennessee who was without Catchings (although Abrosimova went down with injury that game)

2001 was a really incredible season in hindsight, it had all of the talent in the senior class and the talent in the stud freshman class. Mazzante, Beard, and Whalen were major impact players as freshmen, and the NCAA Tournament was incredibly entertaining that year with all of the upsets and one of the most entertaining title games ever.

 

[stwainfan]

As good as that 1998 TN team was. one can argue that they should have lost in the Regional Finals to UNC. I was actually rooting for UNC and they were up double digits with less than 10 minutes to go in the game. The game was played at Vanderbilt and that wacky gym.... remember some questionable calls down the stretch as well. But credit to the Vols to going on a huge run to win the game.

It was very much like the 20-2 run in 2007 also.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Jeez, many Boneyarders have already anointed our 2015-2016 edition as immortal. First night is in October; first game will be in November, 2015, only three months from now.

I really like to see them play before I bring out the oil and scented flowers. The Stewie Steff led team along with the Bird, Svet, and company are pretty good competition for any team. I am happily awaiting this years team to take the floor--I have concerns with the wear and tear on the bodies of Nurse, Stew and Moriah.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I still think the 2000-2001 team was the greatest WCBB team of all time! And yes I know they lost 2x to ND but just for the talent on that roster the talent was unequaled then or now! 7 All-Americans: Bird, Taurasi, Jones, Ralph, Williams, Abrasinova, & Cash! They also had Schumacher, Moore, Battle, and Conlon! Geno even calls that the most talented team he's seen in WCBB! Nine members of that team played several seasons or more in the WNBA! If Geno's tirade at 1/2 time didn't cause a meltdown they would have beaten ND and they would have killed Purdue in the Finals!

I am not a true believer--I doubt Geno is truly God!--but I cannot attribute the failure of that team to beat ND to Geno.
DT was hype beyond what any Freshman should be hyped--the burden of that much expectations being heaped upon a freshman was borderline criminal. Then you've got to give a second half game plan to Muffet. Riley wasn't much of a passer, she was in foul trouble the first half. Second half a rested Riley, who learned how to pass--dumped off layup after layup to (can't remember her name) and score after score--while DT, who was an excellent 3 ball shooter, clanked 15. Maria Conlon, a very good 3 ball shooter, had seconds not minutes. Chalk that loss up to nerves and good coaching--not Tirade by Geno.

 

[BroadwayVa]

This does always tickle me a little. Shouldn't '01 ND be considered the greatest team of all time if they beat that UConn team twice, convincingly both times (and they also lost to Tennessee)?

That team always seemed like my junior year of high school: lots of problems with chemistry.

I admit I'm reading challenged--I don't fully understand this comment. If you are saying this was ND's best team--I have my doubts.
Muffet did an excellent job of taking Riley and making a BB player who finally could pass. The ND teams of the last 5 years would really have given the Riley, Ratay team fits. I liked the Novesel, Diggy and Mallory, etc teams --I really enjoyed how they always got Uconn players to foul them by jumping into them especially Novesel.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

. . . I have concerns with the wear and tear on the bodies of Nurse, Stew and Moriah.

They should have plenty of time to rest during the conference schedule.

 

[Wally East]

I admit I'm reading challenged--I don't fully understand this comment. If you are saying this was ND's best team--I have my doubts.

I am saying that if one thinks the '01 UConn team is the best ever then how did they lose twice to ND and once to Tennessee?

 

[triaddukefan]

It was very much like the 20-2 run in 2007 also.

Against who ?