#1 UConn: Three All-Americans, all of whom are upperclassmen and one of whom is emerging as one of the best to ever play the game. UConn is the only team without major question marks. We're looking for Kiah to improve her offense (especially having an automatic mid-range jumper would do wonders for making the offense look prettier), but we have enough offensive talent that we'll be fine if she maintains what she did this year. Of the six guards not named Moriah (Chong, Banks, Ekmark, Williams, Edwards, and Nurse), it would be nice to have two of them to play really well.
#2 Notre Dame: This is maybe a little bit of a controversial pick, as they don't look stellar on paper. They lose McBride and Achonwa, but maintain Loyd, who could steal some votes from Stewie for NPOY. But, everyone counted them out last year too, and Muffet is the 2nd best coach who runs the 2nd best offense in the country, so they get the benefit of the doubt in my book. They also return Reimer (who is looking to improve from a freshman season that was less than ND fans had hoped for), Wright, Mabrey, and Cable, and bring in a very talented freshman in Brianna Turner.
#3 South Carolina: Again a little controversial; you could definitely make an argument for North Carolina in this spot. However, South Carolina is a little older, a little more mature, and Dawn Staley can coach circles around Sylvia Hatchell. Like UNC, they're loaded, returning their top 9 scorers, including Mitchell, Coates, Ibiam, and Welch. And, oh yeah, they're bringing in A'ja Wilson, Jatarie White, and Bianca Cuevas (who may be a coaching challenge for Staley in terms of decision making).
#4 North Carolina: You can't say enough about the talent that North Carolina has. They return everyone from a squad that went to the elite eight, including a big four in DeShields, Mavunga, Gray, and McDaniel (how much do we wish that we'd gotten her). They've also demonstrated the ability to absolutely implode; they're going to have to mature a lot from last year if they hope to win a title.
#5 Tennessee: Yet another team that looks great on paper, but has failed to convert in recent years. They lose Simmons, which makes the team better (yeah, I said it), and keep Harrison, Graves, Massengale, and Burdick. They bring in a solid recruiting class, but their real keys are Carter, who has shown flashes, and Russell. If one or both of them have a breakout season next year, this team becomes very, very talented.
#6 Texas A&M: There's a pretty talent big drop off at this point. Still we all saw how frustrating they can be to play against, with solid defense and a very well-developed mid-range game. Gilbert is their only major loss, and Walker, Williams, and Jones are a lot to handle. They don't bring in any immediate game changes, but Gary Blair is one of the best in the business. Interestingly for a team ranked this high, they have major weaknesses in both their post play sans Gilbert and their three point shooting.
#7 Duke: They're looking to get over that final four hump, but it's going to be an uphill clime. They lose Gray, Peters, and Liston, which really allows other teams to pack it in the paint. They return an at times overrated Elizabeth Williams, Johnson, and Chidom (who's shown her share of long term promise) and add Sierra Calhoun, but their real key is the health of Alexis Jones. In the same way that Natalie Achonwa is Stefanie Dolson lite, Alexis Jones is Jewell Loyd lite. If healthy, she has the talent to dominate the offense.
#8 Rutgers: I had felt throughout last year that Rutgers had a deceptively good team that was being masked by an atrocious loss to UMass early on and the weakness of the American conference. They proved me right by winning the WNIT finals and they return everyone this year, including Copper, Scaife (who was unstoppable at times, she'll likely be an AA by the time they're done), and Laney. If Hollivay improves to give them a more intimidating post presence, watch out.
#9 Kentucky: Will this be the year that Kentucky gets into the final four? The answer is in how well Jennifer O'Neil is willing to carry them this year. We all know she has the talent, but she's hot and cold; she looked great against Baylor the first time around, but terrible when it counted. They lose Stallworth and Walker, but also keep Bria Goss and Linnae Harper, who might be poised for a little bit of a breakout year.
#10 Stanford: I had a hard time filling this last spot, but I decided to go with the perennial top team. The Ogwumikes have kept Stanford dominant for a long time but, like all good things, that cup eventually runneth dry. They do return Orrange, Thompson, and the Samuelsons, and McCall and they're coached by Tara, so I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.
