Don't see how those teams are better. SC Lost two time SEC POY in Tiffany and the person who has been the heartbeat (go to player) of that team for the past three years. SC also lost Post depth in White's transfer and Ibonovich's to graduation. Baylor lost the best floor general it has had since Odessey graduated. Texas lost best player to come out of Texas in past 5-6 years in Imani Boyette.
Losing Mitchell hurts our backcourt the most because she was our only all-around guard last year, she could score and play defense and was very good at both. Our major deficiency the past few years has been our guard play offensively and whether you believe it or not, with the additions of Davis and Gray we take a major upgrade in those areas (when you compare the two to Dozier, Sessions, and Roy, yes a huge upgrade). Both Gray and Davis (along with Cuevas and Harris) can hurt you with their scoring. Dawn runs a defensive minded system here.. you don't come to SC if you don't want to play defense. If Davis couldn't play defense before, she will leave knowing how. She knew what she was getting into before she decided to transfer here, kids do their research. Gray, Cuevas and Harris are all capable defenders already and if history is to judge they will only improve (Mitchell, Dozier and Sessions left SC being very good defenders).
The departures of White and Imovbioh means Wilson and Coates get less rest during games.. but White hardly played at SC (unfortunately, I still hate losing her) and Imovbioh was a rebounding specialist. Her rebounding can be replaced. SC will have to compensate this loss of depth by playing more 4 out 1 in and less 2 big lineups.
SC got better at the guard position and still has their two best post players, one of them being the current SEC POY (Mitchell lost her dominant status on the team to that player). SC "should" be better this year. I can't really speak for the others because I don't know their rosters beyond the norm.
You are kidding right! Kaela Avis-Has No D because she is defensively indifferent. I like Alisha Gray quite a bit but come on neither could carry Tiffany Mitchell's undergarments.
Tiffany Mitchell is a big lost. The overall gain to our backcourt is bigger than her loss in my opinion.
Pick your backcourt... Group 1. - Kaela Davis, Allisha Gray, Bianca Cuevas (or Tyasha Harris) vs. Group 2. - Khadijah Sessions, Tiffany Mitchell, Asia Dozier (or Tina Roy).
If you picked Group 1. then you also think SC will be better this year.
FWIW, I'm not arguing that UCONN is the only team that had big losses last year (and I'm not white knighting, but I don't think the other poster was either). I think what he's trying to say is that when you compare who lost who and who gained what.. that UCONN had the biggest loss. Nobody knows how Samuelson, Collier and Nurse will respond to having to carry UCONN but what we do know is that losing Stewart, Tuck and Jefferson would be a HUGE loss for any team. Those three beat teams by themselves. It's not a slight against the huskies, it's more complimentary to exactly how good those three were. When Tuck, Stewart and Jefferson stepped on the court last season, UCONN already knew for a fact that they were better at the C, PF and PG positions.. no matter the team, those three were better. That won't be the case this season.. at least not at this point.
Who really knows though, there could be no drop-off for UCONN at all. Just like SC could regress at the backcourt, Baylor's bigs could prove to be worthless and Notre Dame's guards can suddenly forget how to shoot.
