Of the 3 other likely #1 seeds, which is the best matchup for UCONN?

[Cuango]

Texas and LSU are the two teams I fear most. SC and UCLA are also obvious threats but in Vic and Kim I see two coaches who have “seen the varmint” and who excel at getting their teams ready for big games.
We all sneer at Kim’s laughable schedules but her teams very rarely are found wanting when they do have to step up in class! As for Vic, he is not to be messed with either. Dawn is a great coach but has lost a lot of shine in my eyes after her embarrassing performance in last year’s title game. She is still scary though. Finally, we come to the coach that is clearly on a lower tier than the other three. Cori Close is what I would call a “journeyman” coach. She is not imo likely to be the reason her team beats one of the other Big Five. She is a good recruiter and currently happens to have one of the very top rosters in women’s basketball and is thereby certainly a threat to be respected as her team is big, experienced, and hungry but again, the threat comes from her roster, not her coaching acumen.

 

[Stagnant]

I think South Carolina is the best matchup. They aren’t as good as last year imo. They rely on fast break points and UConn won’t give those up.

Worst matchup is UCLA. All seniors. Basically all first round draft picks. Someone like Jaquez looks way better this year than she looked in the final four game last year. They added Kneepkens. I think they are extremely dangerous. I hope someone beats UCLA for us in the tournament.

Edit: someone mentioned LSU. And I agree. I think LSU is a pretty big threat.

And I don’t want Duke as a 4 or 5 seed in the UConn region either. And I don’t want Ole Miss as a 4 or 5 seed either lol

 

[dcheng021]

I think UCLA is the scariest and Texas is the best matchup. Hot three point shooting (see Syla Swords) combined with an off shooting night is what could get UCONN. Texas doesn’t really shoot the three ball much so it’s hard to envision how they keep up, especially if we open up an early lead. UCLA has balance and both inside and outside threats. Their team is mostly seniors so they will be playing with the desperation of a team with one last chance to get a championship for their seniors, and they will definitely remember the brutal final four game against us from last year and be looking for revenge. I will be hoping that another team knocks them out of the tourney.

 

[Gael]

I interpret "best matchup for UConn" to mean the easiest matchup.

From easiest to hardest, I'd currently guess:

• Texas: Yes, they are tall, very good rebounding, and have the "Secretary of Defense" as their coach. But they are one of the poorest 3pt shooting teams in the country, 318th in 3pters made and 134th in 3pt%. If the UConn press can be somewhat effective and if Texas's low post height can be reasonably denied good positions and entry passes, I don't think Texas has the ability to out-fast-break, or out-early-offense, or out-3pt-shoot UConn.
• South Carolina: They are always scary. They have athletes and scorers at every position, as good a defense as Texas, and much better 3pt shooting than Texas.
• UCLA: Arguably has the best and most balanced seven-player rotation of offensive players in the country. However, UConn has better team offense and defense. Nevertheless, statistically, UCLA is right behind UConn in FG%, 3pt%, APG, and has the second best Rebound Rate in the country after LSU—all in a much tougher conference than the Big East.

LSU would also be very tough, but they are not likely to be in UConn's bracket.