NC Playoff Pool Semi #2

[meyers7]

Might as well get the other game out there two. Team 2016 vs Team 2014. Could be a tough choice.

Team 2016
Breanna Stewart SR
Moriah Jefferson SR
Briana Pulido Sr
Morgan Tuck JR- r/s
Saniya Chong JR
Tierney Lawlor JR
Kia Nurse SO
Gabby Williams SO
Courtney Ekmark SO
Natalie Butler SO- r/s
Katie Lou Samuelson FR
Napheesa Collier FR

Team 2014
Bria Hartley SR
Stephanie Dolson SR
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis JR
Brianna Banks JR
Kiah Stokes JR
Morgan Tuck SO Inj 3/4 year
Breanna Stewart SO
Moriah Jefferson SO
Briana Pulido SO
Saniya Chong FR
Tierny Lawlor FR

 

[ChicagoGG]

My vote is just a WAG...

 

[CocoHusky]

All five 2014 starters ended up on the wall of honor and one bench/injured player ( Morgan) eventually did so they got my vote. Has any other class produced more than 3?
2016 team still has a chance to match that but likely will not.

 

[pacific 44]

I went full swag on this one and remember the wall Uconn put up vs. Notre Dame in the finals and that seemingly was the most stifling defensive stance Uconn has ever put on the court.When Dolson,Stewart, and Stokes were in together it just devastated every offensive structure it ever faced.Geno used it sparingly but when he did the opposition became dumfounded. Also KML was on that team and contributed mightily.

 

[hoophuskee]

I went with 2016. They have the best pg on the court who arguably had the best pg season ever in UCONN history and the best player on the court who arguably had the greatest season ever in UCONN History. The 2016 team has too much firepower.

 

[bballnut90]

2014 gets my vote. The starting 5 on that roster was ridiculous.

Jefferson and Stewart are the only holdovers. Jefferson was the same composed player offensively and nightmare defensively. She took a more subdued role in 2014 but was the nation's top PG. She was overshadowed by her teammates. The pg spot is a draw or slight edge to 2016.

Stewart was a lot better in 2016 than 2014, but 2014 had length to compact 2016 Stewart in 2014 Stewart, Dolson and shot blocking machine Kiah Stokes.
Edge 2016, but they'd need her to dominate the 2014 big 3 posts.

The rest of the supporting cast is where there is a big difference. Dolson was arguably the team's most important player in 2014 with her leadership, ability to set huge picks and pass the ball to open teammates. She had similar range to Tuck in 2016 but was a more dominant player than Morgan. Edge to Dolson over Tuck.

Hartley and KML in 2014 were head and shoulders better than KLS and Nurse despite playing similar roles. Major edge 2014.

Bench--obviously there is more depth on 2016, but 2014 waltzed to a title without any difficulty and a 6 man rotation. I don't think Collier/Williams brings much that the 2016 starters didn't cover.

Defensively, the 2014 squad was suffocating. The best shot blocking team in NCAA history, the aggressive perimeter defense by Jefferson and Hartley, not to mention Stewart could extend out to the perimeter defensively...2014 has the huge edge here. In games where they struggled offensively, their defense always came through. 2016 gave up 80+ to a Notre Dame team without a front court, Maryland was able to score on UCONN, etc.

Offensively, I'd say it's a draw. Both had some really strong individual players on the scoring side of the ball but no one stands out as being a huge difference maker.

Intangibles would be an edge to 2014. With no freshmen in the lineup, they were dominant from day 1 having all played together for at least a year. The SOS was tougher with the Lousiville match ups and they steamrolled a darn good Notre Dame team that was arguably one of the top 5 non-UCONN teams of the last 20 years.

It would be an interesting game, but that 2014 wins 9 times out of 10. They had a killer instinct as good as any UCONN title team has had.