Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="UConnCat, post: 4347719, member: 15"] A good place to start when thinking about Final Four/Championship contenders is which teams have the truly elite players in the game. It's not always a guarantee but it's the best place to start, particularly when the elite players have a history of carrying their teams to the FF and typically end up with the ball in big moments. This also assumes their supporting cast is pretty good. Three that are the most obvious are Boston, Jones and Bueckers. I'd include Clark as a player capable of leading her team to a FF even though she hasn't been there yet. Her ability to score from anywhere on the court and make decisions at big moments makes Iowa a threat despite their deficiencies at the defensive end. The 4 players I mentioned will be All-Americans and competing for POY honors. Sweet 16 and especially Elite 8 games are hard to win. Just ask the young Notre Dame team that melted down in the 4th Qtr against NC State. Pressure does funny things to players. Elite players are considered elite because they are wired to handle the big moments. The regular season will tell us what other players are capable of leading their teams on a deep run in the tournament. Is it Horston for Tennessee? She's capable of making big shots but also wildly inefficient and careless with the ball. Harmon for Texas? We'll see. Miles for ND? Maybe. [/QUOTE]