They were rewarded by getting the most difficult path to the championship.
Official Bracket Thread
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That would be something. I personally don't think Creighton is that good and Texas will put them away quickly.
That was my thought until I saw their bracket compared to UCLA. Now I am betting UCLA and USC will both be home by the FF.
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Duke was gifted a #2 seed, how is that "fixed"? They don't have to face the top seed UCLA until the FF if they reach it. If you want to win it all you need to beat everyone. I don't understand?
They beat SC by 30 so I would say that was a good matchup, if they play ND again it won't be close and USC is extremely beatable. UCLA is the one team they don't match up very good with but that works both ways and UConn has more talent across the board so I think those are all good for UConn. The one team I though I would bet big money on would be UConn beating Texas. To me Texas is the one team that really didn't deserve a 1 seed yet they were 3 overall.
It is clear the SEC is the media darling. I hope they end up with ZERO in the FF.
RockyMTblue2
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Well Geno usually says he doesn't care where they get sent. I haven't listened to him this year yet, but I'd be surprised if he has a different take this year. I'm with him, but mostly because I'm not smart enough to know better.
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It's amazing how the media focus on the conference that was the strongest this year.
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@triaddukefan meant he’d “fixed” his earlier post. And by the way, my crystal ball has Duke going to the final four this time. And no, @triaddukefan has not sent me any care packages… yet. My crystal ball just likes the look of the team Kara has put together this season.
oldude
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Just watched Geno’s post selection show discussion with the press and he said exactly what he’s said for many years. “We go where they tell us to go and we play whoever they tell us to play.”
The reality is you might have 5-6 teams who have any chance of winning the NC. Every bracket has a couple that could make a run in a game and get a big win but not enough talent to make it further than one upset. Then you have a handful of teams that aren't going to be upset by a lesser team and a couple that are likely to win it all. To me USC and UConn would have played no matter where they were initally, now it will just be way sooner.
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And this is Geno’s motivational strategy. Instead of pretending UConn has been disrespected, he simply reminds his team that he expects them to be ready for anyone anywhere. It’s the same message he sends them all season long. Personally I prefer the blunt honesty of Geno’s motivational speeches.
PacoSwede
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ain't about paige v. juju (if the teams meet). u know better.
btw, p is much the better player, regardless, at this point.
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bballnut90
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It’s a much tougher path to the Final Four than it would’ve been if they were a 3 seed in Texas’s bracket
Texas been on an off streak for a while. Barely won against an injured LSU which was missing 2 key players.
But I also just needed an upset in my bracket so...
southie
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Texas was missing their starting power forward due to an injury and surgery in late January. And, projected starter Laila Phelia has had an eye issue that has kept her out since early December. Injuries are part of the game.
HuskyNan
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Yeah, we’re aware. UConn fans are going to express as much sympathy for other teams as the Huskies got when they were forced to play a half a season with six players due to injuries
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The media coverage of that rematch (if it happens) will absolutely be framed as Paige v Juju.
u know better. This is a human interest angle media will be unable to resist using to sell that round of the tournament. And it is inherently interesting. We will see again and again the clip of Paige comforting Juju after last year's game. Those are the story lines I was talking about.
Totally agree that p is the better player.
In real terms, too, I think this bracket is in some sense a success merely for preparing the way for that matchup, and I really hope we get to see it... even if p doesn't guard j on most possessions and vice versa. They are the clear leaders of their respective teams and as they each go individually, so do their teams go.
triaddukefan
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Slow down there big fella... I hope your crystal ball is correct...but there is a big mountain to climb for Duke to get that far.
Precisely. I would rather deal with Michigan TCU and Texas than Vanderbilt Big Carolina and Little Carolina
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Don't worry there, pardner. On a good day, Kara's kids can beat Dawn's... or lose badly. You have to go with your heart on these things. Besides, they'll probably be playing Norfolk St in the elite eight game anyway.
PacoSwede
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as i thought, u do know better --- as u acknowledge, it is the media hype machine at work, and it's my opinion that we on the BY should not be feeding it. the hype can get fat on its own, right? ... i prefer facts over hype.
re: ur other point --- i accept that p and j are the clear leaders, but i deny that 'their teams go' as they do individually. uconn has been able win even when p hasn't been at her best; not so for usc when juju is off.
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Not sure if this has been already posted, from ESPN
www.espn.com
Who has the most women's NCAA tournament showings in a row?
Get fired up for March Madness by checking out which women's basketball teams have made the most consecutive appearances at the Big Dance.
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Incorrect. You merely misread my original post and assumed I was saying this was all there was to that possible game. And you are also wrong to think we are feeding media hype on the BY. We don’t have that sort of influence.
As for your second point, you are sort of right, though the comparison is not entirely apt. If Juju has an off shooting night or if an opposing defense is effective against her, she doesn’t have nearly as much to offer to pull her team along as Paige does. Juju can play good defense, she scraps for loose balls and she is a good passer. But Paige is better in all these areas in my opinion. In other words, Paige doesn’t have off nights just because her shot isn’t falling. She is never “not at her best” as I see it because her game is so much more than just shooting.
But in partial support of your view, I’d add that neither team can sit either one down for long. But Geno has been able to play Paige for ~30 min/g while Juju plays 35+ mins/g. And the fall off when Juju sits seems more significant than when Paige sits. So, yes, the teams largely go as they go, but it seems more marked for USC.
Yes, but Texas has been playing without them for months, especially in Phelia's case. They've gotten to where they are, even reaching #1, without Phelia and Moore. It's not like Texas' chemistry took a big blow all of a sudden, they've been playing fine without those two for a while now.
LSU has had Johnson and Morrow all season. Losing them was sudden, especially Aneesah, who was lost mid game. And yet the team managed to almost take down Texas despite all that.
Can someone explain why Dawn Staley is so upset about not being the top #1 seed & why she feels penalized for playing a strong non- conference schedule?
Where is the penalty? There's no difference in being the first or second top seed & there isn't one disadvantage! SC stays in Birmingham with an easier road to the Final Four. UCLA's Spokane path is more difficult.
Would Dawn be content if the Committee called UCLA the #1 Spokane seed & South Carolina the #1 Birmingham seed?
Where is the penalty? There's no difference in being the first or second top seed & there isn't one disadvantage! SC stays in Birmingham with an easier road to the Final Four. UCLA's Spokane path is more difficult.
Would Dawn be content if the Committee called UCLA the #1 Spokane seed & South Carolina the #1 Birmingham seed?
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I don’t understand why she’s upset either. The committee’s reasoning for why they weren’t #1 overall was perfectly reasonable.
oldude
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It’s difficult to know whether Dawn’s comment was calculated to motivate her team or simply off the cuff without thinking. What she should have said is some form of, “UCLA beat us head to head and has earned the #1 overall seed. Our schedule has been as tough as any in the country. We are happy to be the #2 seed overall and look forward to competing for another national championship.”
The spread has jumped to UCONN (-44.5).
Fan Duels & Draft Kings have alreay posted the odds for all of the 1st round WBB games.
Women's College Basketball has never been more popular!
oldude
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Damn! I should have got by bet in on the Huskies when the line was only -37.
triaddukefan
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southie
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They did? They never led again after 6-5 early in the first quarter. Other than a couple of possessions in the second half, Texas always maintained at least a 2-score lead until the buzzer sounded.
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