ESPN Predictions - FF, Nat Champ, POY, FOY, COY

[BRS24]

Waaaay to early predictions, however it will be fun to see how many times they update, and where it ends up.

 

[topogigio]

Now I know it is only one game in, but South Carolina didn't look anything close to a national championship team last night. I was shocked at their performance last night. Michigan gave them a real hard time with only 2 quality players in their lineup. I am waiting for the incoming!

 

[nwhoopfan]

A LOT of USC love. Unanimous Final 4, many have Gottlieb COY. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Huskyfan63]

Waaaay to early predictions, however it will be fun to see how many times they update, and where it ends up.

View attachment 104582

Hard to believe nobody's picking Miles for AA....short memories.

 

[donalddoowop]

A LOT of USC love. Unanimous Final 4, many have Gottlieb COY. I'll believe it when I see it.

You know better than mid westerners or East coast fans.

 

[Stagnant]

Harmon as an all American is bold. Also, I feel like Creme is doing reverse psychology. He was way too positive about UConn.

 

[Bone Dog]

No sign of UCLA

 

[DEpup]

True and I thought UCLA had a better showing in their game than USC.

 

[Cuango]

Now I know it is only one game in, but South Carolina didn't look anything close to a national championship team last night. I was shocked at their performance last night. Michigan gave them a real hard time with only 2 quality players in their lineup. I am waiting for the incoming!

Agree they did not look great but Kitts played like an AA, it was their first game, and they were missing Watkins who not only is one of their best players but who will soon be back presumably as her charges were apparently dropped today. I don’t think they are going anywhere. Michigan played very hard and just missed the upset!

 

[Cuango]

A LOT of USC love. Unanimous Final 4, many have Gottlieb COY. I'll believe it when I see it.

Not completely sold on USC. They do have a tremendous roster but l’m gonna give it some time before I jump on that bandwagon.

 

[Cuango]

True and I thought UCLA had a better showing in their game than USC.

True, but USC has better talent and a better coach!

 

[nwhoopfan]

USC has better talent and a better coach!

The coaching part is extremely debatable. I've seen both for many years in the Pac 12.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Hard to believe nobody's picking Miles for AA....short memories.

She was really, really good last night.

 

[darrell]

Hard to believe nobody's picking Miles for AA....short memories.

Agree. I can’t see Hidalgo having as big a season as she did last year with Miles back. Yesterday seemed pretty evident of that.

 

[From Canada]

Now I know it is only one game in, but South Carolina didn't look anything close to a national championship team last night. I was shocked at their performance last night. Michigan gave them a real hard time with only 2 quality players in their lineup. I am waiting for the incoming!

I agree with you, but we can still see the very high level of the 2024 class. Swords in his first game, 27 points and 12 rebounds.

 

[Stagnant]

I would not pick ucla until they do it. I don’t believe in their coach.

 

[Bigboote]

A LOT of USC love. Unanimous Final 4, many have Gottlieb COY. I'll believe it when I see it.

Yeah, my first reaction was incredulity at three picking Gottlieb as COY. Those same three picked South Carolina as champion despite having no all-Americans.

 

[bballnut90]

Dawn's won 4 of the last 5 Naismith COY awards and 3 straight, I'm surprised no one picked her to win it this year preseason. Although that said, I think if South Carolina has anything less than an undefeated season, voters will pick someone else. I'm not seeing why Gottlieb makes sense here.

Yeah, my first reaction was incredulity at three picking Gottlieb as COY. Those same three picked South Carolina as champion despite having no all-Americans.

They're extremely deep and not reliant on one player, so it's unlikely anyone makes 1st team from SC unless they have some notable injuries. I doubt any single player averages more than 13-14 ppg similar to the last year when they went undefeated but had just one 2nd Team All American and an HM All American.

 

[The deacon]

A LOT of USC love. Unanimous Final 4, many have Gottlieb COY. I'll believe it when I see it.

I respect your substantial edge in experience seeing the west coast teams, nwhoopfan, so I'll roll with your commentary. However, as I posted on another thread, if Gottlieb is able to recognize the talents of Iriafen and somehow find a way for JuJu to form a bond with Kiki, I could see USC challenging for a title.

I've seen (on TV) Iriafen play often for Stanford, but it'll be really cool to see her and Juju take on UConn in Hartford next month. I suspect Kiki will offer a lesson or two to UConn's young bigs.

 

[HuskyNan]

Now I know it is only one game in, but South Carolina didn't look anything close to a national championship team last night. I was shocked at their performance last night. Michigan gave them a real hard time with only 2 quality players in their lineup. I am waiting for the incoming!

UConn and USC had some rocky moments in their first games, too.. It's very early

 

[yhun89]

A LOT of USC love. Unanimous Final 4, many have Gottlieb COY. I'll believe it when I see it.

Agreed 100%. For Gottlieb to use the player on her team leading in TOs since last year as PG is... questionable. That responsibility needs to go to a proper ball handler, or it's just LSU all over again ball distribution wise. Not impressed right now but it could change. Those 9 TOs Juju had were more than a 1/3 of the team's total. I get there's rust on every team, but Juju has been TO prone since last season, this is nothing new. It's a bad coaching move IMO.

 

[yhun89]

The coaching part is extremely debatable. I've seen both for many years in the Pac 12.

Cori's problem is not knowing X's and O's, and making questionable decisions. (ie, letting her guards, who were shooting about 15%, keep chucking threes instead of giving it to Betts down low in the S16). Not to mention, most guards on her roster last year had no idea how to properly communicate a feed to the post.

Gottlieb is too reliant on Juju. Even in their first game, she delegated Juju as PG, despite Juju leading in TOs. She needs a proper PG quick. Last year, USC barely had any AST, and let Juju take 30 shots a game. Hell, in that one game against Stanford, was it, Juju had to score 60 for them to win.

 

[hoophuskee]

Waaaay to early predictions, however it will be fun to see how many times they update, and where it ends up.

View attachment 104582

Per the link below didn't the combo of Creme, Voepel, and Philippou have Watkins 1st as POY????????? Then from above 2 of 3 voted Bueckers 1st so how could Watkins have been voted as #1 per the link below? Unless there were either more voters than the 3 or that the vote was a cumultative numbering syystem which would have meant Voepel put Bueckers as 3 or even lower?

Paige #2???? [merged thread]

So ESPN just came out with their list of the top 25 players in WBB. Much to my surprise, as well as to the surprise of just about every knowledgeable basketball fan, they rate JuJu Watkins #1 and Paige #2. Don’t get me wrong, Watkins is a great player, who will undoubtedly get better, with a...

the-boneyard.com

 

[The deacon]

Cori's problem is not knowing X's and O's, and making questionable decisions. (ie, letting her guards, who were shooting about 15%, keep chucking threes instead of giving it to Betts down low in the S16). Not to mention, most guards on her roster last year had no idea how to properly communicate a feed to the post.

Gottlieb is too reliant on Juju. Even in their first game, she delegated Juju as PG, despite Juju leading in TOs. She needs a proper PG quick. Last year, USC barely had any AST, and let Juju take 30 shots a game. Hell, in that one game against Stanford, was it, Juju had to score 60 for them to win.

Slight exaggeration, anyone?

JuJu averaged 22 shots per game last year, certainly more than ideal for the development of the team concept, but nowhere near 30 per game.