ESPN preseason ranking

[HopJim]

Suspect Geno is anticipating Azzi taking a bit of time to get back - one of many reasons he signed Chen. At this point, who knows what the final lineup will be in the NCAA's. My thoughts are that UConn has more early season risks than most teams based on unproven players coming in as frosh and past injuries. They also have later season upside. Give me a line up with Strong, Azzi, Paige, Jana, Ice and all the guards and I will be selling some stock to put on the Huskies in the NCAA's.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I’d say it’s pretty clear that Gottlieb is a much better coach than Close! I think the jury is still out as to how much better perhaps but she (Gottlieb) is imo clearly better.

Following the Pac 12 for many years, I disagree. Gottlieb has had a few really good years at both Cal and USC, but Close has been far more consistent at UCLA and has flat out won more. That says a lot to me. While Close seems to max out at the Sweet 16 (she did have one Elite 8), she gets there almost every year. Gottlieb had a Final 4 at Cal and an Elite 8 last year with USC, but otherwise has done just about nothing in the post season. And Close has produced more WNBA players as well.

 

[Cuango]

Following the Pac 12 for many years, I disagree. Gottlieb has had a few really good years at both Cal and USC, but Close has been far more consistent at UCLA and has flat out won more. That says a lot to me. While Close seems to max out at the Sweet 16 (she did have one Elite 8), she gets there almost every year. Gottlieb had a Final 4 at Cal and an Elite 8 last year with USC, but otherwise has done just about nothing in the post season. And Close has produced more WNBA players as well.

I guess we just disagree. Close just doesn’t seem to be able to get her teams past the second round and it’s certainly not due to a lack of talent! She has had better players than Gottlieb but just can’t get the job done! I mean, Gottlieb took California to the final four!

 

[nwhoopfan]

I guess we just disagree. Close just doesn’t seem to be able to get her teams past the second round and it’s certainly not due to a lack of talent! She has had better players than Gottlieb but just can’t get the job done! I mean, Gottlieb took California to the final four!

They are both considered mediocre coaches by most in Pac 12 country. Which is better seems to be by a small margin either way. Gottlieb did get Cal to a Final 4, and then did not much in her remaining years as a follow up.

Close gets past the second round frequently. Five Sweet 16's and one Elite 8 in eight appearances. Did you mean she can't get past the third round?

Gottlieb has lost in the first or second round in 8 of her 10 appearances as a coach.

 

[Bone Dog]

They are both considered mediocre coaches by most in Pac 12 country. Which is better seems to be by a small margin either way. Gottlieb did get Cal to a Final 4, and then did not much in her remaining years as a follow up.

Close gets past the second round frequently. Five Sweet 16's and one Elite 8 in eight appearances. Did you mean she can't get past the third round?

Gottlieb has lost in the first or second round in 8 of her 10 appearances as a coach.

One of a coach’s tasks is recruiting and building a program, and both Lindsay and Cori seem to be doing well at that, judging from their recent recruiting records. Cori is able to build more through recruiting and isn’t as dependent on the portal as Lindsay, though that partly reflects the condition she found USC in when she arrived. Top level talent now consider her program a competitive destination. I’d say Lindsay is a little further along on the other task, winning, given where she is in her career. Of course, the data on this is necessarily limited.

 

[Cuango]

They are both considered mediocre coaches by most in Pac 12 country. Which is better seems to be by a small margin either way. Gottlieb did get Cal to a Final 4, and then did not much in her remaining years as a follow up.

Close gets past the second round frequently. Five Sweet 16's and one Elite 8 in eight appearances. Did you mean she can't get past the third round?

Gottlieb has lost in the first or second round in 8 of her 10 appearances as a coach.

I guess that’s what I meant. She doesn’t seem to be able to win the third game.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I guess that’s what I meant. She doesn’t seem to be able to win the third game.

Okay, Close can't win the third game, Gottlieb almost never gets to the third game. I guess it's pick your poison.

 

[ConwayGmck]

Talking season......

 

[packwrap]

We don’t know they are not healthy and more importantly, YOU do not know that they are not healthy. Three of them have had more than the normal time to recover from the injuries that they sustained.

G

GirlBoo does not know that, and it is likely not accurate. Girlboo is an anti-UConn troll.

Generally, pre season rankings are for where you think a team will finish the season, not how you think they will be playing out of the gate.

UCONN certainly could lose a couple of early games and drop into the 5-10 range, but they will win Big East and BE tourney and be ready in March for NCAA, to deliver Tony C's annual prediction of a final four.

I even think the early season team will compete well with these top 7 super teams.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Did anyone else notice that the article mentions that Mir McLean is now playing for Maryland?

I did notice some of the other ranked teams (including UCLA) that have multiple superbigs as a result of transfers.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for UConn this year, but we should already know that only results matter, not rankings.

Yes, plus Poffenbarger, & DeBerry. Not sure how far Maryland is going to go in The Big 10 or the Big Dance, but Brenda Frese is all in on the transfer portal.

I like what Geno is doing! [one per year at maximum...]

Go Huskies!

 

[Ozimoto]

At this rate, Maryland will become UConn South with the transfers Brenda has from the Huskies.

 

[oldude]

At this rate, Maryland will become UConn South with the transfers Brenda has from the Huskies.

More like UConn wannabe South.

 

[Alydar]

I'll root for any team with three UConn players, former or current.

(unless it's the vols. ... or the Irish)

 

[Steelerone]

I would like to know, at the end of their career at another school, just how many minutes they averaged per game. When a player transfers to another school, no matter how they might rationalize it, their purpose is to get more playing time and I don't blame them for this but it should also be with the realization that the coaching they will be getting is inferior to Uconn and that they have less of a chance of reaching their full potential.

 

[Bone Dog]

I would like to know, at the end of their career at another school, just how many minutes they averaged per game. When a player transfers to another school, no matter how they might rationalize it, their purpose is to get more playing time and I don't blame them for this but it should also be with the realization that the coaching they will be getting is inferior to Uconn and that they have less of a chance of reaching their full potential.

This must be right. They also leave because the demands of Geno’s program are oppressive to them. I think this is why Saylor left, or at least that’s what she said in an interview. It’s too bad, since she has some serious talent. Think what she could have made of herself if she’d stayed. As it is, she seems to be adrift. I hope she finds what she’s looking for at MD.

 

[RadfordRam]

She isn’t developing for a pro career under Close in the slightest. Close’s misuse of Betts against LSU is why they lost.

She’s an elite player. Under a better coach, she easily goes in the lottery in her year. She’s a good player coached by someone who has no idea how to use her when the time comes.

The other problem has been the guards surrounding her. They never communicate the pass and that’s why she bumbles it. CLW should solve that problem thankfully.

Betts will go lottery, she had a very good season. Sounds like you have issues with Coach Close.

 

[Bone Dog]

Betts will go lottery, she had a very good season. Sounds like you have issues with Coach Close.

I agree. Probably a lottery pick even now. Betts developed a lot last year, improved her footwork in the paint and seemed to be quicker than she’d been at Stanford and in high school. She still lumbers up and down the court a bit. She’ll need to address this as a pro or she won’t play much. Watch Kamila or Jonquel or A’ja and one thing you see is how well they run the court and how quickly they move. Even Griner in her prime ran well. Slow bigs can stick in the W, but they don’t seem to thrive there. The game moves too quickly for them.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I agree. Probably a lottery pick even now. Betts developed a lot last year, improved her footwork in the paint and seemed to be quicker than she’d been at Stanford and in high school. She still lumbers up and down the court a bit. She’ll need to address this as a pro or she won’t play much. Watch Kamila or Jonquel or A’ja and one thing you see is how well they run the court and how quickly they move. Even Griner in her prime ran well. Slow bigs can stick in the W, but they don’t seem to thrive there. The game moves too quickly for them.

I did not see Betts play last year, but I know that another of the reasons UConn women have an edge in the fourth quarter (when games are usually won, but games can be lost in the first three quarters & UConn has not had that problem {losing in any of the 1st three quarters} since 1986) is the intensity in the weight room spurred on by Hudy, and embraced by this "crop" of Huskies.

It may be that we get glimpses of it in the off-season workouts, but that toughness translates nicely into fighting for rebounds (when the footwork from full speed practices gets them into position) and launching themselves after loose balls. Being able to out-sprint the defense for fast breaks [like Pheesa still does] with no need to dribble because the passing is perfect...

In my biased view, Betts would be a back-up to Jana this year, as well as to AE last year, but she would have gotten more than 20 minutes as AE could also handle the PF position. My whole point here is that Kiah Stokes is a two-time WNBA champion because most of the WNBA coaches understand that the UConn women are well prepared for the WNBA due to the work ethic instilled and talents developed in the UConn system with Reno, CD, et. al....

Go Huskies!!!

 

[MSGRET]

I did not see Betts play last year, but I know that another of the reasons UConn women have an edge in the fourth quarter (when games are usually won, but games can be lost in the first three quarters & UConn has not had that problem {losing in any of the 1st three quarters} since 1986) is the intensity in the weight room spurred on by Hudy, and embraced by this "crop" of Huskies.

It may be that we get glimpses of it in the off-season workouts, but that toughness translates nicely into fighting for rebounds (when the footwork from full speed practices gets them into position) and launching themselves after loose balls. Being able to out-sprint the defense for fast breaks [like Pheesa still does] with no need to dribble because the passing is perfect...

In my biased view, Betts would be a back-up to Jana this year, as well as to AE last year, but she would have gotten more than 20 minutes as AE could also handle the PF position. My whole point here is that Kiah Stokes is a two-time WNBA champion because most of the WNBA coaches understand that the UConn women are well prepared for the WNBA due to the work ethic instilled and talents developed in the UConn system with Reno, CD, et. al....

Go Huskies!!!

I didn't know that Janet Reno coached!

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I didn't know that Janet Reno coached!

No she didn't, but she must control the AI that is a knock-off of Chat GPT....

Good catch!

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I did not see Betts play last year, but I know that another of the reasons UConn women have an edge in the fourth quarter (when games are usually won, but games can be lost in the first three quarters & UConn has not had that problem {losing in any of the 1st three quarters} since 1986) is the intensity in the weight room spurred on by Hudy, and embraced by this "crop" of Huskies.

It may be that we get glimpses of it in the off-season workouts, but that toughness translates nicely into fighting for rebounds (when the footwork from full speed practices gets them into position) and launching themselves after loose balls. Being able to out-sprint the defense for fast breaks [like Pheesa still does] with no need to dribble because the passing is perfect...

In my biased view, Betts would be a back-up to Jana this year, as well as to AE last year, but she would have gotten more than 20 minutes as AE could also handle the PF position. My whole point here is that Kiah Stokes is a two-time WNBA champion because most of the WNBA coaches understand that the UConn women are well prepared for the WNBA due to the work ethic instilled and talents developed in the UConn system with Reno, CD, et. al....

Go Huskies!!!

Why do you think your player returning from serious injury -- that has not played any college ball -- is better than the All PAC 12 center?

Seems odd.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

The real top 25 pre-season Poll (plus all teams receiving votes, including UTennesee with 3 votes (@36th) ) has been posted on ESPN:

2025-26 Women's College Basketball Rankings - ESPN

Find the 2025-26 NCAAW rankings on ESPN, including the Coaches and AP poll for the top 25 NCAAW teams.

www.espn.com

UCONN, as expected, steps off into the season with the #2 ranking to South Carolina's #1.

Through 12/21, the Huskies play:
#15 UNC @ Greensboro, NC, 11/15/24
(possibly) #20 Ole Miss @ Nassau, 11/27/24
#17 Louisville @ Brooklyn, NY, 12/7/24
#6 uNd @ South Bend, 12/12/24
#8 Iowa State @ Mohegan Sun, 12/17/24
AND #3 USoCal @ the XL Center, 12/21/24

The only other BE ranked team is Creighton at #21 (home & home series).

South Carolina is @ Columbia, SC two days after Valentine's Day, and if both the Huskies and Dawn's team run the table to that point it will be a #1 vs. #2 match-up!

Go Huskies!!!

 

[sun]

Texas also has a tough schedule. They play SCar twice.
UConn could end up being #1 before playing SCar unless Texas beats them to #1 & sends UConn to #3.
Texas plays:
#6 ND
#1 SCar twice
#10 Oklahoma
#24 Alabama
#18 Maryland
#20 Ole Miss
#22 Kentucky
#7 LSU

 

[GamecockFam]

Why do you think your player returning from serious injury and that has not played any college ball is better than the All PAC 12 center?

Seems odd.

You are brave. I wasn't going to touch that comment, as there are a bunch of questionable statements (like not losing a single game in the first 3 quarters since the 80s...like sit down sis and stop drinking the Kool aid. Y'all were down by 25 points entering the 4th quarter against South Carolina this past season).

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I would flip UConn and USC. I think USC has more players proven at the college level.

North Carolina is too high.

NC State may be better than we think they are again.

Creighton is too high. No Ronsiek and she wasn’t replaced with equal or better quality.

The rest is probably fine with me.

SC and NC State play in Charlotte on 11/10, so we'll know early. I'm driving up to Charlotte for that one after going to Vegas for SC/Michigan. I better save some money for March Madness.

 

[MSGRET]

SC and NC State play in Charlotte on 11/10, so we'll know early. I'm driving up to Charlotte for that one after going to Vegas for SC/Michigan. I better save some money for March Madness.

You better save some money for Vegas first.

 

[triaddukefan]

Texas also has a tough schedule. They play SCar twice.
UConn could end up being #1 before playing SCar unless Texas beats them to #1 & sends UConn to #3.
Texas plays:
#6 ND
#1 SCar twice
#10 Oklahoma
#24 Alabama
#18 Maryland
#20 Ole Miss
#22 Kentucky
#7 LSU

The non-conference schedule is softer than a two week old peach that you forgot you left in the trunk of your car.

 

[Steelerone]

I think our success this season is dependent on one player, Sarah Strong. We already know what Paige and the other players bring to the table, both their strengths and weaknesses. We also know that what we really have needed for the past few years is that player who can tilt the balance when it comes to rebounding and inside scoring. If she is as good as advertised, or a little better, she's the one who will put us over the hump.