ESPN's "Way too early 2018/2019 Top 25" | Page 3 | The Boneyard

ESPN's "Way too early 2018/2019 Top 25"

Bigpetunia said:
I am quite comfortable with a pre-season #4 ranking for the Huskies, and I am most assuredly NOT one of those who think the sky is falling for this program. This team lost two games over the course of two seasons, both by a bucket in overtime, has three outstanding returning starters, and two previously ranked #1 recruits in the country to fill in holes left by graduation and all-of-a-sudden we’re feeling it’s gloom-and-doom time? In what universe do we reside?
I am especially amused and mystified by the oft-expressed notion that Megan W is a bust. Are posters here so oblivious to the historic realities of UConn WBB that they are willing to succumb to this type of thinking? I saw the very same sentiments posted about Crystal at this time last year. Geno routinely beats down his Freshman players in an effort to make them more complete players down the road...unless he needs their contribution right away. How many times do we need to see this movie before we accept the plot as real?
CW, on the other hand, will be depended upon as a Freshman, as will Ono, and will therefore be handled accordingly.
Had UConn won the NC, and if Z had still elected to leave, we wouldn’t be witnessing all this hand-wringing. The team missed out by a bucket, folks. No panic required.
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Being I've been one of those a bit skeptical about MW's development ahead, I need to respond and clarify to your amusement and mystification.
Yes, CD had a somewhat similar freshman season which was also quite uneven. Yet it was never really in question that she was the second sub in. While she was also very highly ranked coming out of HS, she wasn't the exalted #1.
I have never stated nor do I believe ( apologize for the double negative here) that she's a bust. Only that she hasn't yet earned a thing.
We criticize here frequently the anointing before the season of Wilson as #1 and now the more than occasional snide remarks about ND, who beat U Conn fair and square. Yet, we just assume MW will follow in the footsteps of many, maybe most highly ranked HS players and her sophomore jump is assumed or somehow guaranteed. Sorry I just don't blindly accept that. Is it possible? Surely and if it happens I will be very pleased and admit I was wrong. Until then, I will continue to question her being given a starting spot, becoming an AA and even NPOY.
I won't go into it again why I think it's at least possible she will be a good player, maybe even a very good one, but maybe not close to KLS or anywhere near the Big Three.
Other than that I think their placement as #4 is close to where they belong. I am not sure about Oregon as even though they are a very talented, deep, young and well coached team, they still haven't crossed the hump to winning truly big games. While I love Ionescu and think her and KLS will be amongst the likely NPOY candidates, she surely had an uncharacteristic bad game. Yes she surely tried to do too much, when her teammates didn't do their parts either. Again I need to see it from Oregon as I need to see it from MW, before any anointing at least here.
Sorry to be so snarky and trying to remain a bit realistic.
Bronx23
 
Stanford a tad high at #6 (I have them at #11).
Tennessee too high at #9 (I'd have them somewhere around #15).
Oregon State too low at #12 (I have them at #6).

I think South Carolina will be better than #15. Yes, they looked a hot mess whenever A'ja wasn't on the floor, but they know going into next season they need others to step up and I think they have the personnel to do so. Jennings, Herbert-Harrigan, and Grissett bring size and experience and athleticism, even if none of them are A'ja Wilson. Cuevas-Moore and Te'a Cooper will be added to the mix as well. Tyasha Harris had her ups and downs this year, but she'll still be one of the best PGs in the SEC.

I'm sorry, but UCLA should not be a preseason top-25 team.

I have a feeling that both Nebraska and Minnesota will spend some time in the top 25 as well. Both were vastly improved this season and have most of their firepower coming back.
 
wallman said:
Sometimes posters get what they deserve around here, especially when we are fans from other schools.
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And sometimes they don't, but some of us are trying. :D
 
Bronx23 said:
Being I've been one of those a bit skeptical about MW's development ahead, I need to respond and clarify to your amusement and mystification.
Yes, CD had a somewhat similar freshman season which was also quite uneven. Yet it was never really in question that she was the second sub in. While she was also very highly ranked coming out of HS, she wasn't the exalted #1.
I have never stated nor do I believe ( apologize for the double negative here) that she's a bust. Only that she hasn't yet earned a thing.
We criticize here frequently the anointing before the season of Wilson as #1 and now the more than occasional snide remarks about ND, who beat U Conn fair and square. Yet, we just assume MW will follow in the footsteps of many, maybe most highly ranked HS players and her sophomore jump is assumed or somehow guaranteed. Sorry I just don't blindly accept that. Is it possible? Surely and if it happens I will be very pleased and admit I was wrong. Until then, I will continue to question her being given a starting spot, becoming an AA and even NPOY.
I won't go into it again why I think it's at least possible she will be a good player, maybe even a very good one, but maybe not close to KLS or anywhere near the Big Three.
Other than that I think their placement as #4 is close to where they belong. I am not sure about Oregon as even though they are a very talented, deep, young and well coached team, they still haven't crossed the hump to winning truly big games. While I love Ionescu and think her and KLS will be amongst the likely NPOY candidates, she surely had an uncharacteristic bad game. Yes she surely tried to do too much, when her teammates didn't do their parts either. Again I need to see it from Oregon as I need to see it from MW, before any anointing at least here.
Sorry to be so snarky and trying to remain a bit realistic.
Bronx23
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If she is Hayes or Strothers like, I'm all good with that.
 
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BlueDevils said:
What exactly is a star?
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A supa star.

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TitleTown said:
Nobody is beating ND next year. That team is absolutely stacked!
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And they’ll have Brunelle to make it a three-peat the following year ;)....

Lol... kidding. I know, I know.. wrong thread. Just stirring the pot.
 
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MilfordHusky said:
Interestingly, he says we would have been #1 if Z had stayed. I would have thought #2, maybe #3.
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Saying Z would have made us #1, is another back-handed slam for her extended, semi-final bench time. IMHO. Also, it denies ND's loaded team, the rules not allowing all of Muffet's stars to play at once, that implies some kind of confusing South-Bend, All-American traffic jam.
 
SCGamecock said:
And they’ll have Brunelle to make it a three-peat the following year ;)....

Lol... kidding. I know, I know.. wrong thread. Just stirring the pot.
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They will definitely get Brunelle but they lose a lot(of good players) that year. I also think Brunelle is extremely over-hyped.
 
SCspur said:
What's your take on the Gamecocks #15 ranking? Thoughts about other teams? @SCGamecock @cockhrnleghrn @shiverz45 @Gamecockfan77
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Honestly, I think that's a fair place for South Carolina to start. I think 15-25 is probably the low end expectation for the team. I think USC could finish anywhere from 1-6 in the SEC next league. Just remains to be seen what additions Dawn makes, what kind of progress the team makes over the summer, and how they want to play.

I think the SEC will be a scrum next season. I don't see an elite team, but I see a lot of pretty talented teams that will defend and may have good enough stars to beat you on a given night.

Missouri is probably fairly ranked, though I think their talent level is Sweet 16 level. They play hard and physical and Cunningham is good, but not sure there is much beyond that. I assume the PG is gone, which I think is a problem. Not sure how they will replace her, but maybe they have stuff coming in.

Tennessee certainly on paper could be that good, but they would need the weakness of their team become the strength and at this point I don't see any reason why you would expect Warlick to get the most out of the talent. Maybe she will yet, but its definitely show me time.

I think Miss State takes a bigger step back than that. I think they will probably still be good because they have some players and McCowan is a weapon of sorts. They have upper division talent, I think, but not elite. Vic will get them to play defense, but you would expect them to fall off across the board overall. I don't think McCowan will be able to anchor an offense. I don't think she's athletic enough to add anything off the dribble, I don't see any complicated post game coming, and I don't think she will extend her range. They will need someone to take the lead on scoring as I just don't think she will be great for them as the primary scorer against dedicated defenses.

UGA has a decent shot to win the league. They should be building on the progress they made and benefitting from what other teams lost.

TAMU is going to be a one woman show, it appears.
 
Gamecockfan77 said:
Honestly, I think that's a fair place for South Carolina to start. I think 15-25 is probably the low end expectation for the team. I think USC could finish anywhere from 1-6 in the SEC next league. Just remains to be seen what additions Dawn makes, what kind of progress the team makes over the summer, and how they want to play.

I think the SEC will be a scrum next season. I don't see an elite team, but I see a lot of pretty talented teams that will defend and may have good enough stars to beat you on a given night.

Missouri is probably fairly ranked, though I think their talent level is Sweet 16 level. They play hard and physical and Cunningham is good, but not sure there is much beyond that. I assume the PG is gone, which I think is a problem. Not sure how they will replace her, but maybe they have stuff coming in.

Tennessee certainly on paper could be that good, but they would need the weakness of their team become the strength and at this point I don't see any reason why you would expect Warlick to get the most out of the talent. Maybe she will yet, but its definitely show me time.

I think Miss State takes a bigger step back than that. I think they will probably still be good because they have some players and McCowan is a weapon of sorts. They have upper division talent, I think, but not elite. Vic will get them to play defense, but you would expect them to fall off across the board overall. I don't think McCowan will be able to anchor an offense. I don't think she's athletic enough to add anything off the dribble, I don't see any complicated post game coming, and I don't think she will extend her range. They will need someone to take the lead on scoring as I just don't think she will be great for them as the primary scorer against dedicated defenses.

UGA has a decent shot to win the league. They should be building on the progress they made and benefitting from what other teams lost.

TAMU is going to be a one woman show, it appears.
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This is what I would’ve posted if I had the dedication lol..
 
Gamecockfan77 said:
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Missouri is probably fairly ranked, though I think their talent level is Sweet 16 level. They play hard and physical and Cunningham is good, but not sure there is much beyond that. I assume the PG is gone, which I think is a problem. Not sure how they will replace her, but maybe they have stuff coming in.
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Have you seen something about their PG leaving? Mizzou's offensive system isn't as PG-centric as some, but the PG last season was KU transfer Lauren Aldridge, who has a season of eligibility left. She had already graduated before this past season and would be a second-year law student at Mizzou next year.
Gamecockfan77 said:
TAMU is going to be a one woman show, it appears.
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Howard's transfer request was so unexpected that some are worried that this will literally be true! ;)

If everyone else stays, we need to do a better job of creating open looks for Danni Williams.
 
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I laughed pretty good at tennessee at num 9..they will be lucky to be top 25 by the time sec play starts..
 
biobioprof said:
Have you seen something about their PG leaving? Mizzou's offensive system isn't as PG-centric as some, but the PG last season was KU transfer Lauren Aldridge, who has a season of eligibility left. She had already graduated before this past season and would be a second-year law student at Mizzou next year.

Howard's transfer request was so unexpected that some are worried that this will literally be true! ;)

If everyone else stays, we need to do a better job of creating open looks for Danni Williams.
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Nah. I didn’t realize she had two years of eligibility.
 
SCspur said:
No way Mizzou, Tenn, Georgia and Miss St will be better. Miss St loses 4 of their 5 starters and people still expect them to be top 10?? Stanford at #6 after losing 11 games this year and losing McPhee to graduation?? I'm not sold on Maryland as they always bow out early in the tourney and couldn't win their tourney in the weakest P5 conference. Tenn at 9?? I had to stop reading because I absolutely knew at that point it was a complete joke.[/QU

While I agree with you on Miss St and TN, I have to disagree on the other two (not that they absolutely will be better, but they have a good chance to be better). While GA does lose some experienced players, they have upgraded their recruiting and the replacing talent is higher rated (whether they live up to their rating remains to be seen). Mizzou loses only one starter, a forward whose name I can't remember: she was a good player, but not irreplaceable, and the freshman from Columbia (MO) should step into her place. I do agree that TN will be way down, especially in the frontcourt.
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Last edited:
biobioprof said:
Have you seen something about their PG leaving? Mizzou's offensive system isn't as PG-centric as some, but the PG last season was KU transfer Lauren Aldridge, who has a season of eligibility left. She had already graduated before this past season and would be a second-year law student at Mizzou next year.

Howard's transfer request was so unexpected that some are worried that this will literally be true! ;)

If everyone else stays, we need to do a better job of creating open looks for Danni Williams.
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She STILL has eligibility? Gosh.. seems like Williams has been at A&M forever!
 
SCGamecock said:
She STILL has eligibility? Gosh.. seems like Williams has been at A&M forever!
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Danni and Anriel arrived in the same recruiting class; Danni was more highly rated but Anriel started as a freshman because Williams was behind Courtney Walker at the 2 guard. So you're impression is odd; Danni has only started for 2 seasons. She has been in the leaders in the SEC in minutes played per game.

I hope you're not getting Danni Williams and A&M's (or USF's) Courtney Williams mixed up!
 
MW being anointed as. Borderline AA & “Kia-like” is insane. Kia was one of the best role players in program history. 13 a game, top 10 in the country in 3pt % & defensive player of the year isn’t something I see in Walker’s future. She is really slow laterally & a lazy defender.

I do think she is a good rebounder & slasher. I’m just worried about her feeling entitled because she was ranked #1. We need her to distribute next year, especially on fast breaks where I saw a lot of selfishness on her end. Her being our 4th leading scorer would be fine but you won’t see the balanced scoring attack from us like in years past. Lou & Pheesa will both average 20+ because their is a significant drop off in talent & Geno knows that so he will feed them the ball. I could see them splitting some NPOY awards as Maya & Tina did. This would be best case because it would mean we would be in contention for a title again.

Crystal will have to be our do it all PG. average 12-13, 5-6 assists, 2 steals & run the team. I see Christyn as stepping in as our starting 2 guard next year but you never know with freshman. Batouly I think is front runner for starting 5. Bruiser that doesn’t care about scoring & can certainly help Pheesa on the boards.
 
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I would put UConn at #2 behind ND.

Baylor plays in a very weak Big 12 so we’re not exactly sure just how good their guards are. Brown & Cox are good but I think they showed they aren’t all that. They were both abused by Gulich & Or. St.

Oregon is young & talented but can they really guard? Secondly, do you take Lou, Pheesa & Crystal or Ionescu, Hebard & Sabally?? I personally don’t think that argument is all that close.
 
biobioprof said:
Danni and Anriel arrived in the same recruiting class; Danni was more highly rated but Anriel started as a freshman because Williams was behind Courtney Walker at the 2 guard. So you're impression is odd; Danni has only started for 2 seasons. She has been in the leaders in the SEC in minutes played per game.

I hope you're not getting Danni Williams and A&M's (or USF's) Courtney Williams mixed up!
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There was a girl on A&M that was older then Danni and they looked a lot alike. Maybe that's why?
 
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