Next year's #4?

[Vowelguy]

Strong consensus is that Baylor-UConn-Duke are next year's top 3. Who's #4?

• I had thought Maryland, but their NCAA performance does leave something to be desired. Terps do return 4 starters and add Howard.
• KY? Loss Snowden & Smith, but return Mathies, Goss, Walker and add transfer Denesha Stallworth.
• Louisville? Lose Burke, but return Schimmel and get Reid & Gibbs back.

Other top teams? [# of starters returning]
PAC - Stanford [4], Cal [5]
Big 12 - West Virginia [5], Kansas [4], Oklahoma [5]
Big 10 - Penn St [4], Nebraska [4]
SEC - Vanderbilt [5]
ACC - ?
Big East - N Dame, St Johns [4], Rutgers [#3 frosh class], Syracuse [4 + #6 class]
Other - Delaware [5]

 

[msf22b]

Is not the consensus?
UCONN, Baylor or Baylor and UCONN
followed by
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space
space
space
(my vision is getting dim)

 

[sarals24]

I think Stanford will be pretty good, even without Nneka. Orrange is tough, and Greene should be able to play, and she is really quick.

But yeah, it's going to be Baylor and UConn and...everyone else.

 

[Bestiarius]

Is not the consensus?
UCONN, Baylor or Baylor and UCONN
followed by
space
space
space
space
(my vision is getting dim)

But your computer skills are awesome!

 

[speedoo]

I'd give the edge to Stanford right now. They have Tara and no one else does.

If it were not for Frese's bad coaching, Terps would be a slam dunk.

 

[VAMike23]

With all due respect to Triad and other Dookies, I honestly think that next year, it's going to be the Big Two.

Then Duke.

Then everybody else, including Maryland.

I'm not trying to slight Duke, who will definitely be an improved team and a very, very good team for sure. But Connecticut and Baylor will be absolutely sick, as the kids say. We're talking Celtics w/ Russell vs. Lakers w/ Chamberlain here. They will stand apart. (I don't mean this to be a strict analogy up and down the respective lineups -- just an illustration.)

 

[Scotter]

I don't think anyone is predicting Duke to be on the level of Baylor and UConn. Theyre just too far behind at this point. What people are saying is that Duke should distinguish itself as the clear 3rd best team in the country. They will certainly in terms of talent be a clear cut top 3 team in the country.

After that it will be mess, but most years are a mess when you try to figure out who the 4th best team is. This year was a very rare case where 4 teams stood out from the pack.

 

[Vowelguy]

Anyone else in the ACC gonna be good?

How about the SEC? I forgot Georgia which return 4 starters, but Arkansas, Fla, LSU, TAMU, Tenn all seem to lose a lot to graduation.

 

[ASweet3781]

1. Baylor
2. UConn
3. Duke
4. Kentucky
5. Notre Dame
6. Stanford
7. Louisville
8. Penn State
9. Maryland
10. Cal
11. St. John's
12. West Virginia
13. Delaware
14. Vanderbilt
15. Tennessee
16. Rutgers
17. Kansas
18. Nebraska
19. Oklahoma

 

[doggydaddy]

1. Baylor
2. UConn
3. Duke
4. Kentucky
5. Notre Dame
6. Stanford
7. Louisville
8. Penn State
9. Maryland
10. Cal
11. St. John's
12. West Virginia
13. Delaware
14. Vanderbilt
15. Tennessee
16. Rutgers
17. Kansas
18. Nebraska
19. Oklahoma

In my opinion, ND is too high. And in Tennessee fan's opinion, they will be better next year.

 

[Vowelguy]

In my opinion, ND is too high. And in Tennessee fan's opinion, they will be better next year.

Certainly not having Bass available for games will be a plus.

 

[Vowelguy]

In my opinion, ND is too high. And in Tennessee fan's opinion, they will be better next year.

Massengale - Simmons - Spani - Graves - Harrison is a decent lineup but Simmons is streaky and Harrison nothing special for a team that relies on RBs.

ACarter - Kamiko - Jones - Burdick on the bench is nothing to write home about

I know they have grand JUCO hopes, so I guess we'll have to see happens, but tough to believe they'll find their savior there.

 

[doggydaddy]

Massengale - Simmons - Spani - Graves - Harrison is a decent lineup but Simmons is streaky and Harrison nothing special for a team that relies on RBs.

ACarter - Kamiko - Jones - Burdick on the bench is nothing to write home about

I know they have grand JUCO hopes, so I guess we'll have to see happens, but tough to believe they'll find their savior there.

Graves is s nice player. Kinda like Stokes. Potential, but to expect she will replace Johnson is insane.

 

[Sonny44]

If we beat Baylor here, we will be #1 all season.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think the first 3 are easy. The top spot depends on next week's results:

If Baylor runs the table, they start at 1. If UConn wins out, we start at 1. If neither, then it will be close.

Duke seems like a clear 3, though after a gap.

Then there is a big gap.

I think I'd put Stanford next. But I need to look at who is leaving and who is coming for all the teams. Nneka is irreplaceable. Chiney will improve as big sis did.

Maryland will be good, but they were bad on Tuesday. Is Malina Howard an impact player next year (or later)? How good can Thomas get?

Notre Dame loses 3 key players but keeps 4 good ones and adds 3 good guards.

Kentucky has a lot back and Samarie et al. will all improve.

Miami loses Johnson and Williams--looks like big drop.

Cal should be improved, but top 15 or so.

USC keeps adding talent.

Rutgers?? Hmmm.

Louisville should be better, but not likely top 10. Shoni is too inconsistent.

Penn State should be pretty good. The rest of the conference? No so much.

Delaware will be good, but 10-12 might be the accurate ranking unless they can beat multiple top 20 teams.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I'd give the edge to Stanford right now. They have Tara and no one else does.

If it were not for Frese's bad coaching, Terps would be a slam dunk.

Agreed ... my dark horse is Kentucky, before I'd sign up for Maryland ...for the same reason - Brenda's coaching.

 

[UCONNfan1]

FWIW i tend to agree with everyone who believes it will be Baylor/UCONN, and then a slight gap and Duke, and then a larger gap and a bunch of other teams.

one can criticize Maryland's "coaching" (i dislike Frese a lot), but they don't have a ton of top 10 recruits on their team, yet they managed to be a legit 2 seed this year. i'd firmly put them in the top 10.

Also i think Kentucky showed that if they can bring the kind of effor they showed against UCONN in the first half, even if they lose a few good seniors, they have a good class coming in, get Stallworth back, and their team should also be a solid top 10 team.

i also think ND has proven, even tho they lose Peters, Novasel, Mallory, and Miller, they will still be a force. they have a good base and i think Achonwa blossoms next year. so i'd put them in the top 10.

Same goes for Stanford - lose Nneka, but still have Chiney, and the rest of the team is good. they technically "only" lose 1 starer next year.

so i'd probably put those teams in the top 7. Baylor, UCONN, Duke, Kentucky, Maryland, Stanford, Notre Dame. after that it gets murky.

Tennessee fans are delusional. if they really think they are even a lock for the elite 8, then they have no idea what Johnson and Strickeln have meant to the team, never mind the contributions of Baugh and Manning. i don't really count Bass. i'd put them somewhere in the next "tier" which would include Delaware, Rutgers, WVU, LSU, aTm, Penn State, Louisville, Cal, Vandy, and Kansas... and probably some other teams i can't recall off the top of my head.

i gotta admit i cracked up at the poster who put them at #15. i don't think they will be that low but i'd not be surprised to see them right around 10 or a tad lower. of that 2nd or 3rd tier i mentioned above, i think at this point i'd lean towards PSU and L'ville at the top (remember L'ville had some serious injuries this year) and i was impressed with PSU as the season wore on.

 

[jsloanjr]

Can you imagine the crowd at the XL next November or Dec for the Baylor game with Stewart, Tuck and jefferson? Plus, we will be Reining National Champs from Denver. You heard here 1st........3-29-2012

 

[Drumguy]

I think the first 3 are easy. The top spot depends on next week's results:

If Baylor runs the table, they start at 1. If UConn wins out, we start at 1. If neither, then it will be close.

Even if we win this week, if I were voting I'd put the Bears #1 to start the season. Losing Tiff is going to be more harmful then we realize and Griner and Sims are enough to start the season as #1. Give our frosh some time though and I'd bet we end the season #1.

This all assumes Griner stays on the bench.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Notre Dame's biggest losses will be the graduation of Devereaux Peters and Malina Howard picking Maryland over Notre Dame. Howard would have shored up Notre Dame's frontcourt significantly.

 

[Sakibomb25]

I think Stanford will be pretty good, even without Nneka. Orrange is tough, and Greene should be able to play, and she is really quick.

But yeah, it's going to be Baylor and UConn and...everyone else.

Even with the graduation of Nneka, Stanford could still be really good. However, imho, it hinges on two things. The first being the development of Chiney Ogwumike. She's already a force downlow... if she can get an outside shot as well, she'll be frightening. The second is whether Bonnie Samuelson can rise to the challenge and pick up her game to earn more court time. Imagine a taller Krista Rappahahn, but with a quicker release. Samuelson, when on the court, will be the team's top three-point shooting threat and that will help relieve pressure down low.

Of course, the development of the other team members and others getting healthy are important as well, but I see C. Ogwumike and Samuelson as being the top priority.

 

[Vowelguy]

i gotta admit i cracked up at the poster who put them at #15. i don't think they will be that low but

On what basis should they be that high?
- They are a #7-ish team that loses 4 of its top 7 players from this year.
- They're probably the 4th best SEC team.

 

[Kibitzer]

But Connecticut and Baylor will be absolutely sick, as the kids say. We're talking Celtics w/ Russell vs. Lakers w/ Chamberlain here. They will stand apart.

Permit a look back at the Celtics w/Russell vs. Lakers w/Chamberlain.

In 1968-1969, the Lakers not only had the incomparable Wilt Chamberlain, but also Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. They rolled through the Western Division while the aging Celtics finished 4th place in the East. But then they upset both the Sixers and the Knicks to reach the finals.

I was actually at pivotal game 4 in the old grungy Boston Garden, a game won on a buzzer-beater by Sam Jones to tie the series at 2-2. After more back and forth, it came down to game 7 in LA. Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke put out a memo describing the plan for the post-game celebration "When/not if" the Lakers win the championship. It included the release of big batch of balloons hung from the ceiling of the Forum.

Russ got a copy of the memo and the reaction of this old player-coach was predictable. During the pre-game warmups he eased over to Jerry West and told him, "Those balloons are staying up there." West was already pissed that Cooke would do such a stupid thing.

The game was one of the great games ever, decided by a freak shot by Don Nelson that hit the back rim, bounced high in the air, then plopped in. Final, 108-106, Celtics.

West averaged 38 ppg for the series and won MVP despite being on the losing team. He had a triple-double in game 7. It was also an extraordinary 7th game road victory in a championship game.

It was one helluva series and confirms the quote below, in blue.

Huskies, take note.

 

[UCONNfan1]

On what basis should they be that high?
- They are a #7-ish team that loses 4 of its top 7 players from this year.
- They're probably the 4th best SEC team.

i meant i cracked up cuz i thought it was great. sorry if i wasn't clear. i think on reputation alone i have a hard time seeing them below 10. heck, they lost 8 games this year and only dropped out of the top 10 for one week. sorry. i forget people on here can't see my face while i type (thank god!)

 

[Vowelguy]

i meant i cracked up cuz i thought it was great. sorry if i wasn't clear. i think on reputation alone i have a hard time seeing them below 10. heck, they lost 8 games this year and only dropped out of the top 10 for one week.

They didn't deserve to drop far, because they still were better than most other teams.