ESPN Too Early Rankings

[Gamecockfan77]

I saw some footage of L.Amihere on Twitter. She looks like she's in her best shape. Looks like she's fully recovered. I think if she makes that jump. SC will be even more dangerous. She's not your typical big. She has a shot. And can move. Plays defense. Has a higher upside than Kiki imo.

That was a good video.

Amihere was pretty lost last season in comparison to the three freshmen starters.

I need to see her desire to take long jumpers and drive the ball look good on the floor before I give her a vote of confidence.

Last season she didn't get a ton of meaningful minutes and looked both hesitant and over anxious to make something happen when she got into games, if that makes sense.

Need her to be a little calmer and let things come to her a little bit more. And play a bit more within the flow.

I do think she has the upside to give South Carolina a dominant front court at some point during her time with Boston. If it is this year, that would be really good.

 

[oldhusky]

They won't have to play at that level...They have enough support and the three freshmen are now sophomores. They needed that with the freshmen last year but that is no longer an issue. These girls just need to be role players and they are more than capable enough to fill that role. Those three were 5 star recruits (Saxon, Lele and Henderson) on their own and Amihere was the No.2 ranked player before her injury. This team could be better than last years.

This is largely true. Are those three players plus Amihere capable of replacing the two first round pick's contribution last year. Maybe, maybe not, but remember it is 4 against 2. Four way above average contributors may equal two draft picks. But even if that is a wash, the major plus for SC is their monster recruiting class goes from freshman to sophomores, the year most college players show the most improvement. At the other end the 2020 class is nothing special. Taking all those factors into account it looks like SC deserves the number 1 ranking at this point (from a Uconn fan).

Last year the top three teams were very very good and way better than the next tier. Oregon's departures were similar to the Stewart/Jefferson/Tuck class. They clearly will not be as good. Baylor lost two players to the WNBA
has several good returnees, and a couple of top 10 recruits coming in. To me they are likely worse but still top level contenders.

We probably won't have three teams as dominant as last year's, and the best this year may not be as good as any of the three best from last year. SC stays near the top, Oregon slips quite a bit, Baylor slips a little, but stays
near the top, and Stanford and Uconn join the top tier. That's my best guess.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

This is largely true. Are those three players plus Amihere capable of replacing the two first round pick's contribution last year. Maybe, maybe not, but remember it is 4 against 2. Four way above average contributors may equal two draft picks. But even if that is a wash, the major plus for SC is their monster recruiting class goes from freshman to sophomores, the year most college players show the most improvement. At the other end the 2020 class is nothing special. Taking all those factors into account it looks like SC deserves the number 1 ranking at this point (from a Uconn fan).

Last year the top three teams were very very good and way better than the next tier. Oregon's departures were similar to the Stewart/Jefferson/Tuck class. They clearly will not be as good. Baylor lost two players to the WNBA
has several good returnees, and a couple of top 10 recruits coming in. To me they are likely worse but still top level contenders.

We probably won't have three teams as dominant as last year's, and the best this year may not be as good as any of the three best from last year. SC stays near the top, Oregon slips quite a bit, Baylor slips a little, but stays
near the top, and Stanford and Uconn join the top tier. That's my best guess.

I think Destanni Henderson will be an all conference caliber PG, but I don't think she'll be as good as Harris was. That's not really a huge concern for me.

Her elevation to the starting lineup though means that South Carolina will probably not have an absurdly over qualified second unit PG to continue to push tempo.

But my biggest concern, by far, is that Herbert-Harrigan was a dynamic two way player that shot 50% from the field and 40% from three that could drive the ball and block shocks and played with a senior's savvy.

While Amihere on paper might want to do some of the same things that Herbert-Harrigan can do and might even be capable of being a better version some day, I question whether she can do it this season as efficiently and within the structure of the offense as Herbert-Harrigan did last season.

And if it isn't Amihere, it isn't really going to be anyone.

Last season was the most enjoyable South Carolina team for me to watch, because it was really the first team Dawn has had that had very high level balance and offensive efficiency.

I think it was probably Dawn's best team.

Now, I'm very confident that South Carolina is going to very good, because they have as much or more talent than previous South Carolina teams that earned #1 seeds despite much bigger holes than what this one figures to have.

 

[bballnut90]

You REALLY can't put them on this list, since they weren't given the opportunity to win a title.

A few of those teams I listed did win the title. It was just showing how more often than not, teams that came into a season with no question marks havent ended up hoisting the trophy.

 

[nwhoopfan]

A few of those teams I listed did win the title. It was just showing how more often than not, teams that came into a season with no question marks havent ended up hoisting the trophy.

Oops, I didn't look at the list close enough.

I would say Oregon actually did have some questions. The starting 5 was solid but it was uncertain how much they would get from the bench, and post depth in particular was a concern (w/ no Sabally #2 or Prince).

 

[CocoHusky]

The only question with South Carolina is...how good they can really be. If you want to bury your head at the fact that they are loaded...well then...bury your head. I will stand by the "they lost nothing that they can't replace with better players" ! Period....That's a 5 star loaded team....with proven talent across the board. There are teams close to having as much talent.....but not quite there.

Not all question marks are related to talent. The specific question mark for South Carolina is related to youth and big game experience especially on the road. At least 4 of SC starting 5 next season will likely be playing in their first NCAA tournament. That was definitely not the case last year when the starting PG for South Carolina already had a NCAA Championship ring.

 

[jumpstart]

Not all question marks are related to talent. The specific question mark for South Carolina is related to youth and big game experience especially on the road. At least 4 of SC starting 5 next season will likely be playing in their first NCAA tournament. That was definitely not the case last year when the starting PG for South Carolina already had a NCAA Championship ring.

There are no real question marks. Youth...that is not a real issue this year...experience on the big stage is no issue this year. It doesn't mean they won't lose in the NCAA tournament but youth and experience won't be the reason. They will have two full seasons by the time the tournament rolls around. These girls blew away everyone in the SEC tournament so that freshmen youth didn't seem to matter. This will be a talented, experienced lineup all up and down the bench. To suggest otherwise is wrong. I think Stewie was just fine when she was a freshman....lol....This South Carolina team could be as good as the Stewie teams IMO....and that's saying a lot !

 

[CocoHusky]

There are no real question marks. Youth...that is not a real issue this year...experience on the big stage is no issue this year. It doesn't mean they won't lose in the NCAA tournament but youth and experience won't be the reason. They will have two full seasons by the time the tournament rolls around. These girls blew away everyone in the SEC tournament so that freshmen youth didn't seem to matter. This will be a talented, experienced lineup all up and down the bench. To suggest otherwise is wrong. I think Stewie was just fine when she was a freshman....lol....This South Carolina team could be as good as the Stewie teams IMO....and that's saying a lot !

That's a M--A--J---O-R stretch. Let's not get carried away here! Stewie's teams produced AA at EVERY position ( Dolson, KML, Hartley, Tuck, Jefferson, KLS, Collier, & Williams.) Those teams also included 3 players that were National Defensive Player(s) (Jefferson, Williams, & Nurse) of the year as wells as two players (Faris & Stokes) that could have easily have been NDPOY as well. If you don't by the question mark for SC as youth then I'd point you towards the shooting percentage among these players (Beal 41%, Cooke 38.8%, Henderson 42%,).

 

[Plebe]

I'm curious what other posters think about Iowa's prospects. Doyle was a huge loss, also the older Meyer. But they lost 3 starters the previous season, including all time program leading scorer Gustafson, and hardly missed a beat. Seems like they've established a winning culture there. Czanino had a nice season last year. Some of the projections for Top 25 teams seem to be counting on touted Fr. delivering. Have people forgotten Caitlin Clark is a Hawkeye? I could easily see her being one of the biggest impact Fr. in the country this season.

I wouldn't say they didn't miss a beat last year. They lost to Washington and Northern Iowa, and although they improved a lot in conference season and scored some good wins, they finished with a lopsided loss to Ohio State in the conference tournament. That's still a sizable step down from being the Big Ten champions and an Elite Eight team. They certainly exceeded expectations largely due to the surprising emergence of Czinano, who went from benchwarmer to all-conference performer, and Doyle had a stellar season.

With the huge void left by Doyle and Meyer's departure from the backcourt, a lot is resting on the shoulders of Clark to produce right away. We'll see.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

That's a M--A--J---O-R stretch. Let's not get carried away here! Stewie's teams produced AA at EVERY position ( Dolson, KML, Hartley, Tuck, Jefferson, KLS, Collier, & Williams.) Those teams also included 3 players that were National Defensive Player(s) (Jefferson, Williams, & Nurse) of the year as wells as two players (Faris & Stokes) that could have easily have been NDPOY as well. If you don't by the question mark for SC as youth then I'd point you towards the shooting percentage among these players (Beal 41%, Cooke 38.8%, Henderson 42%,).

1. Outside shooting.
2. Post depth
3. Backup pg.
4. Bench scoring.

These aren't going to stop South Carolina From winning a bunch of games, but they're title questions.

The goal is clearly to end a second straight season as the #1 team.

 

[bballnut90]

One thing to note, it's easy to get caught up in analyzing teams simply based on who they lose, who they return, and who they add....but what's often overlooked in preseason is how much specific players improve during an offseason or into a new year taking on a larger role. Especially jumping from freshmen to sophomores.

No, SC doesn't bring in any top recruits, but they have a very good freshman class with 4 players who very likely take on much larger roles this upcoming season and will be much improved.

If you look at previously loaded #1 classes, it's quite common to see a big surge in quality of play and production as players become sophomores:
2018 Baylor-endured 2 transfers, but Queen Egbo/Nalyssa Smith had big sophomore years
2017 Tennessee-Rennia Davis/Evina Westbrook had much improved sophomore years
2016 Maryland-Slocum transferred, but Charles/Watson/Jones improved big time from freshmen to sophs
2014 UCLA-Canada/Billings had huge production increases
2012 UCONN-Stewart/Jefferson were far better as sophs than freshmen

I think SC joins this grouping too, which is saying something since their crop of freshmen were outstanding. Obviously they'll miss the contributions from MHH and Harris, but a lot of the offensive opportunities they took are now going to go to Aliyah Boston. As good as Boston was as a frosh, she never had a game where she took more than 14 shots, and she only played 30+ minutes in 8 games last year. Now that she's a sophomore she probably plays longer minutes, demands the ball more, adds a couple more post moves and becomes a POY candidate.

 

[jumpstart]

That's a M--A--J---O-R stretch. Let's not get carried away here! Stewie's teams produced AA at EVERY position ( Dolson, KML, Hartley, Tuck, Jefferson, KLS, Collier, & Williams.) Those teams also included 3 players that were National Defensive Player(s) (Jefferson, Williams, & Nurse) of the year as wells as two players (Faris & Stokes) that could have easily have been NDPOY as well. If you don't by the question mark for SC as youth then I'd point you towards the shooting percentage among these players (Beal 41%, Cooke 38.8%, Henderson 42%,).

You obviously missed the word "could"....

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I saw some footage of L.Amihere on Twitter. She looks like she's in her best shape. Looks like she's fully recovered. I think if she makes that jump. SC will be even more dangerous. She's not your typical big. She has a shot. And can move. Plays defense. Has a higher upside than Kiki imo.

I agree; Laeticia will improve a great deal this season.

 

[jumpstart]

I agree; Laeticia will improve a great deal this season.

Yes...if Amihere plays to the level she is capable.....wow.....

 

[SCspur]

A lot of people forgot Amihere led Canada to its first podium finish in the U19 worlds as a 15 year old (!!!!). Nearly 4 years younger than her competition and peers Amihere also was named to the 5 player All Tournament team against players like Chennedy Carter, Ty Harris, Crystal Dangerfield, Bella Alarie all of whom are in the WNBA as well as international players Xu Han (China), Raisa Musina and Maria Vadeeva (Russia). I think she’s going to have a break out year and put a lot of people on notice...

 

[JDuro]

This is really Amihere's first real full participation in the off season program and training camp. Last year she was rehabbing and mostly limited to working with trainers on the sidelines while her teammates were on the court. Throw in that she missed out on almost all of her last 2 seasons of high school ball, there's little wonder why she looked lost her freshman season. Still, she did show some progression as the season went along and her 7 for 13 from three is very intriguing.

Love seeing her this summer in workouts and practices without that huge knee brace and no evidence of a sleeve on either knee. I expect that she will show vast improvement next season and I can't wait to watch her junior and senior seasons when I think she'll reach her full potential that had her ranked among the top 10 in high school.

 

[Alydar]

There are no real question marks. Youth...that is not a real issue this year...experience on the big stage is no issue this year. It doesn't mean they won't lose in the NCAA tournament but youth and experience won't be the reason. They will have two full seasons by the time the tournament rolls around. These girls blew away everyone in the SEC tournament so that freshmen youth didn't seem to matter. This will be a talented, experienced lineup all up and down the bench. To suggest otherwise is wrong. I think Stewie was just fine when she was a freshman....lol....This South Carolina team could be as good as the Stewie teams IMO....and that's saying a lot !

Were any of those SEC teams considered NC candidates? There's a huge gap between the semi-finalists in the SEC and the semifinalists in the NCAA's.

I agree that S Car was a major title contender but the fact remains that most of team has not played in even one NCAA tournament game, never mind a final four where the media attention and the immensity of the moment swamps freshmen in particular and inexperienced players in general. While there have been exceptions like Stewart, most freshmen, even Taurasi, and many others who later became AA's had mediocre or poor first NCAA's.

That's why I liked Oregon. Three AA seniors.

 

[jumpstart]

Were any of those SEC teams considered NC candidates? There's a huge gap between the semi-finalists in the SEC and the semifinalists in the NCAA's.

I agree that S Car was a major title contender but the fact remains that most of team has not played in even one NCAA tournament game, never mind a final four where the media attention and the immensity of the moment swamps freshmen in particular and inexperienced players in general. While there have been exceptions like Stewart, most freshmen, even Taurasi, and many others who later became AA's had mediocre or poor first NCAA's.

That's why I liked Oregon. Three AA seniors.

There were several that would have been in the tournament...so yes...it was an NCAA tournament type field. You seem to think that freshmen will not play well in the Tournament and that is just not true. Some won't play well and others will. You seem to think that all freshmen are the same and even Geno said these girls did not play like freshmen....get over it...geez...

 

[Alydar]

There were several that would have been in the tournament...so yes...it was an NCAA tournament type field. You seem to think that freshmen will not play well in the Tournament and that is just not true. Some won't play well and others will. You seem to think that all freshmen are the same and even Geno said these girls did not play like freshmen....get over it...geez...

You misread. The "semi-finalists of the NCAA's" I referred to are the final four teams, not teams that made it past the 1st round. And you miss-quote me. I didn't say that freshmen WILL not play well, I said that it's far more likely they have bad games than good games IN THE FINAL FOUR. (emphasis is so you see my exact wording). The SEC always gets a large number of teams in the NCAA's but very few get to the round of 16, and even fewer get to the FF. It's a tough conference but no where near the level you attribute to it.

 

[Plebe]

Perhaps @nwhoopfan could help me out, but maybe Gonzaga is a little underrated?

They have the Wirth twins, Jill Townsend, Melody Kempton, and the Truong twins back from a team that finished 13th last season. They add Cierra Walker and Abby O’Connor, both are eligible transfers who could be X-factors. Then they also have Kylee Griffen (a lot of Pac-12 schools wanted her in 2018) and a nice freshman class.

Wouldn’t be shocked to see them end the season top-15 again.

Just curious: Did you see somewhere that O'Connor has been ruled immediately eligible? Gonzaga's own announcement from April states that she'll have to sit out a year and will play in 2021-22.

 

[DaBball]

Just curious: Did you see somewhere that O'Connor has been ruled immediately eligible? Gonzaga's own announcement from April states that she'll have to sit out a year and will play in 2021-22.

Graham Hays' write-up on Gonzaga states "Loyola graduate transfer Abby O'Connor could quietly be one of the best additions in the country, providing much-needed 3-point range to replace Katie Campbell." but given that ESPN's transfer rankings listed O'Connor as a sit-out transfer and Gonzaga's official announcement states that she will sit out the 2020-21 season, it was like an error in Hays' end.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Every team has questions every year. Sometimes they are huge, other times they are quite minor.

Here’s one for us: Is that Bueckers kid any good? Just joking. She’s fabulous.

 

[visitingcock]

Were any of those SEC teams considered NC candidates? There's a huge gap between the semi-finalists in the SEC and the semifinalists in the NCAA's.

I agree that S Car was a major title contender but the fact remains that most of team has not played in even one NCAA tournament game, never mind a final four where the media attention and the immensity of the moment swamps freshmen in particular and inexperienced players in general. While there have been exceptions like Stewart, most freshmen, even Taurasi, and many others who later became AA's had mediocre or poor first NCAA's.

That's why I liked Oregon. Three AA seniors.

To answer your first question: No. But Maryland, Baylor and UCONN whom SCar beat were considered NC Candidates. The first was a road when when the frosh were true babies in the season's second game. The second was in a travel- tournament setting early in the season. (Of course, that same setting resulted in a loss to Top 25 Indiana.) The third was in front of a massive and rabid home crowd so it doesn't really speak to a tournament-type experience. However, that home factor would have been in play during the regionals in Greenville, SC - where they had just won the SEC tournament

Scar also had two excellent seniors who, unlike Oregon, had actual championship game experience.

Do I discount your arguments? No. They are strong. I'm just discussing - not "jousting."

As to this year, I do worry about the loss of those two senior leaders.

 

[eebmg]

NCAA.com Top 10 power rankings. UConn #2 (and it is all because of Paige)

Women's college basketball rankings: South Carolina leads preseason Power 10 for 2020-21

Here are the preseason Top 10 women's college basketball teams for 2020-21, ranked by NCAA.com's Autumn Johnson.

www.ncaa.com

Two words. Paige. Bueckers. The incoming freshman’s game is on another level in all areas as a facilitator and shooter.

 

[Alydar]

NCAA.com Top 10 power rankings. UConn #2 (and it is all because of Paige)

Women's college basketball rankings: South Carolina leads preseason Power 10 for 2020-21

Here are the preseason Top 10 women's college basketball teams for 2020-21, ranked by NCAA.com's Autumn Johnson.

www.ncaa.com

Two words. Paige. Bueckers. The incoming freshman’s game is on another level in all areas as a facilitator and shooter.

The usual suspects. (except for N Dame)
With so few OOC games this year the arguments over rankings this season should be lively