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Message: [QUOTE="bballnut90, post: 2265258, member: 2117"] They've been a #1 seed or Final Four participant the last 4 years, have the favorite for POY in Wilson, and one of the better coaches in the country in Staley. That combo right there makes them lethal. SC also won the title without Coates during the tournament, so I think while losing 3 important players hurts, they'll be able to absorb the losses and build around A'ja. They also have good guard play returning in Harris and Cuevas. When looking at preseason rankings, I've learned it's smart to put more stock in proven commodities rather than potential. Teams like Notre Dame and SC who have good coaching, proven results and a great player to build around aren't going anywhere. On the contrary, teams that have under performed in past seasons (ex. Duke, Tennessee, Ohio State) and look amazing on paper plus add in a big time recruit or transfer...those teams probably will not leap over the consistently better teams. SC will take a bit hit when Wilson graduates, but this upcoming season she'll keep them as a consistent top 3-4 team. Also, perhaps more significant is that all top teams besides UCONN do not appear as strong going into this season. Mississippi State loses 3-4 important role players, Stanford loses their top scorers, Notre Dame loses two All Americans in Allen and likely Turner, Maryland loses their 3 best players, Baylor and FSU lose some of their best players, Oregon State loses Wiese, Washington loses Plum and Osahor, etc. There aren't other teams who look to be markedly better this upcoming year to challenge the top dogs besides the likes of maybe Texas. [/QUOTE]

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