Final Four threats

[stwainfan]

What team or teams that didn't make the FF last year? Is most likely to make it this year.
I can think of a few teams.
Tennessee
Texas
NC State
Notre Dame
LSU
Any other teams?

 

[Purchase1]

What team or teams that didn't make the FF last year? Is most likely to make it this year.
I can think of a few teams.
Tennessee
Texas
Louisville
Notre Dame
Any other teams?

I could see Iowa making a run

 

[cancontent]

What team or teams that didn't make the FF last year? Is most likely to make it this year.
I can think of a few teams.
Tennessee
Texas
Louisville
Notre Dame
Any other teams?

Louisville made the Final Four. Is this an oversight?

 

[stwainfan]

Louisville made the Final Four. Is this an oversight?

Thanks yes I corrected it.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Belmont.

 

[shiverz45]

I would add NC to the list.

 

[SECbbfan24]

LSU aint a final four threat, probably a sweet 16 team this year. Still another year or so away from trying to go further. Reese and Morris are a big duo (proven commodities) but the rest is up in the air at this point, although the talent in general is vastly improved this year. Issue is there is a lot of young talent and 75% of the team is new (chemistry?).

Could be wrong though or not giving them enough credit but I am realist. This team still doesn't have the caliber of athletes top to bottom the other top programs have right now although they do have some very good players.

 

[southie]

Probably Arizona.

 

[BruinGold]

Probably Arizona.

A lot of turnover there. Do you think they may start slow and then put it together by the end of the season?

 

[militarydog]

LSU aint a final four threat, probably a sweet 16 team this year. Still another year or so away from trying to go further. Reese and Morris are a big duo (proven commodities) but the rest is up in the air at this point, although the talent in general is vastly improved this year. Issue is there is a lot of young talent and 75% of the team is new (chemistry?).

Could be wrong though or not giving them enough credit but I am realist. This team still doesn't have the caliber of athletes top to bottom the other top programs have right now although they do have some very good players.

I agree Morris and especially Reese are huge pieces and the supporting cast is solid. However for LSU to make a FF run someone else on the team would have to have an unexpectedly great season.

 

[Bigboote]

I wouldn't count Indiana out, either. Although I must say they'd have a better shot if Ali Patberg came back for her 12th season.

 

[southie]

A lot of turnover there. Do you think they may start slow and then put it together by the end of the season?

I based it on them having made it to the championship game 2 seasons ago; so, they have the head coach who knows what it takes to get to a Final Four. Yes, they lost players. But, they are also bringing in new players like Esmery Martinez and Lauren Fields.

 

[SECbbfan24]

I based it on them having made it to the championship game 2 seasons ago; so, they have the head coach who knows what it takes to get to a Final Four. Yes, they lost players. But, they are also bringing in new players like Esmery Martinez and Lauren Fields.

Martinez is a big time addition. I like fields but my main issue/concern with her is she wasn’t exactly a very efficient shooter. She averaged 15 PPG but she did take a lot of shots and was closer to shooting .300 than shooting near .400

Maybe playing with much better talent will open up things for her. So maybe I wasn’t 100% fair in assessing her. OSU was not very good and she didn’t have much help

 

[SECbbfan24]

I agree Morris and especially Reese are huge pieces and the supporting cast is solid. However for LSU to make a FF run someone else on the team would have to have an unexpectedly great season.

Flaujae, Poa, Poole, Carson, would just like one to step up. Flaujae has a crazy high ceiling but she is a freshmen and likely won’t be super consistent year 1.

I think LSUs post play is significantly better with Reese and Ladazhia Williams but Kim will need to fix the defense. It was a disaster last year, granted none of those kids really played man to man. The irony is Kim is known for her defenses, but they relied on out scoring everyone and she took over a program that had some of the worst offenses in the country under Fargas. As soon as Morris got injured that sail sinked

 

[triaddukefan]

I would add NC to the list.

Not a chance in hell. Signed an unbiased observer.

 

[JellyBean]

I would bump Notre Dame and put Indiana in the mix. The Hoosiers have loaded up and on paper, look very dangerous and capable of a Final Four run. I would not be surprised if Indiana shocked the world and made it to the Final Four.

 

[AzzisBraids]

Duke, I think Kara Lawson is cooking up something good in Durham

 

[socal613ws]

Duke, I think Kara Lawson is cooking up something good in Durham

can she make the tournament first?

 

[Jmsdawg]

UGA, I think these guys are going to be the surprise team next year.

 

[TheGOAT23]

Duke, I think Kara Lawson is cooking up something good in Durham

Not a chance in hell! Signed by a “biased”observer.

 

[Dillon77]

I would bump Notre Dame and put Indiana in the mix. The Hoosiers have loaded up and on paper, look very dangerous and capable of a Final Four run. I would not be surprised if Indiana shocked the world and made it to the Final Four.

Regarding IU:
- You noted they "have loaded up and on paper, look very dangerous..." But the key to me for IU wasn't their stat sheets, but the way the played together. This was a classic case of the whole often playing better than the sum of their parts. And that, in turn, made some of those players excel: Nicole Cardano-Hilary and Aleksa Gulbe come directly to mind. And Ali Patberg was like having a coach on the floor...oh yeah, she's now joined the IU staff!

- Of course, the two leading parts: the indefatigable Grace Berger and Maine's favorite center, McKenzie Holmes, are back. How will they mesh with guard Sara Scalia, wing Sydney Parrish and big Alyssa Geary? Those are the transfers in. I'm paying almost as much attention to returner Chloe Moore-McNeil, who gave good minutes last year and is athletic, something last year's Hoosiers really were not.

- If that team can mesh, Parrish and Scalia can add a three-point element that was largely missing. Key miss for me is Gulbe, who reminded me greatly of Kat Westbeld, the starting forward and captain of the Irish 2018 NC team. Glue players are integral.

As for ND:
- I'd be interested in why you would drop the Irish from potential Final Four consideration, considering how close (ouch!) they were to beating NC State last year. Is it the loss of Maya Dodson? If so, I can see that but Coach Ivey is hoping to replace her with three players:
Lauren Ebo, Kylee Watson and oft-injured Nat Marshall. The latter showed good athletic ability, quickness to jump and run and a decent jump shot in limited action last year. And, oh yes, she's 6'5".

- Outside of that, the entire starting line-up is back, from pesky bomber Dara Mabrey and stalwart forward Maddy Westbeld to the super sophs Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron. Expect the latter three to improve and hope frosh KK Bransford helps out. Stanford transfer Jenna Brown is a question mark. If she can give positive contributions, great.

- The big Irish concern: depth, or lack thereof. Nine scholarship players only.

Stay tuned.

 

[eebmg]

I would bump Notre Dame and put Indiana in the mix. The Hoosiers have loaded up and on paper, look very dangerous and capable of a Final Four run. I would not be surprised if Indiana shocked the world and made it to the Final Four.

Teams that lose big to UConn the prior season Tournament sometimes do very well the next season.

 

[Dillon77]

Writing up Indiana got me thinking of another B1G team from that neck of the woods: Ohio State.
The team that is headed by the coach many posters would like to eliminate went 25-7 last year and in the NCAA's beat Missouri State and LSU (at LSU) before narrowly losing to Texas, 66-63.

Once again, Coach Kevin McGuff will have 6'4" center Rebeka Mikulasikova surrounded by guards. But boy, are they talented: Jacy Sheldon, Taylor Mikesell, Rikki Harris and the returning (and missed) Madison Greene. Plus, incoming frosh Emma Shumate - who committed to but never played for West Virginia -- will fit right in with this gang.

It's all up to how they deal with their (lack of) height, but if they have the right bracket that allows the guards to run wild, I can see a run.

 

[jdote33]

Iowa State. I like their supporting cast surrounding Joens and they picked up a big in the portal

I really like Virginia Tech's roster but FF may be a stretch.

 

[JellyBean]

Duke, I think Kara Lawson is cooking up something good in Durham

I agree. If the players can stay healthy and buy in to what Coach Lawson is trying to build there in Durham, they just might shock a lot of people and kick in the door of the Final Four.