Official Bracket Thread

[jaydee602]

Damn! I should have got by bet in on the Huskies when the line was only -37.

LOL.... Yeah, me too! And we expect it to go higher. UCONN is always a popular bet with gamblers in Vegas & the spread usually increases by gametime.
But we have to be careful because Geno enjoys removing his starters so the bench gets playing time.

 

[jaydee602]

I don’t understand why she’s upset either. The committee’s reasoning for why they weren’t #1 overall was perfectly reasonable.

My only guess is that she is just using this as motivation for her players.

 

[MSGRET]

The Prognosticator's Predictions for the Arkansas State vs UConn will be posted sometime on Wednesday, most likely early evening.

 

[jaydee602]

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.”

But nobody will ever criticize Dawn for her complaints. She is teflon & immune to any criticism.

 

[NEforceUConn]

I wish Maryland as a 4 had Ohio State's (fellow 4) path. i will fill out a bracket, but might have to use the dartboard for all non UConn games.

 

[BrianUC]

USC vs. UConn will be the championship game. The rest of the games will be anticlimactic.

 

[Bone Dog]

USC vs. UConn will be the championship game. The rest of the games will be anticlimactic.

There’s something to this. Not because they’re necessarily the best teams, but because they have the best narrative. This is what Dawn should have complained about, not that her team had been snubbed. Put UConn and USC on opposite sides of the bracket and this could have been avoided.

 

[TAK]

UConn and fans: one game at a time.
I’m not thinking about USC.
Upsets are going to happen.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Focus on the next game up.

 

[EricSD]

Ashlynn Shade

Thanks for posting these. I think Ash is one of the best interviewees. She speaks slowly, clearly, and doesn't just answer "yes or no". She gives complete answers with a little bit extra for each question. Well done for all the UConn ladies, but I especially wanted to acknowledge Ash...

 

[Bone Dog]

UConn and fans: one game at a time.
I’m not thinking about USC.
Upsets are going to happen.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Focus on the next game up.

This is advice for players and coaches. Not for fans. It’s our job to look ahead, to get distracted by possibilities, to fantasize about the finals.

 

[triaddukefan]

All this talk about U$C. They have to get by my UNC-G Spartans.first.

 

[Bone Dog]

All this talk about U$C. They have to get by my UNC-G Spartans.first.


View attachment 107846

Trojans vs Spartans. It was ever thus. From ancient times to now.

 

[packwrap]

It's been like that before. Now there's sufficient time between the regional final and the final 4 that it shouldn't be a big deal.

They have to go back to campus for classes in between.

 

[packwrap]

Her Q1 record isn't technically better than UCLA's. 13-2 is a better percentage than 16-3. They were bound to look at other factors. The decision really could have gone either way. It was a very close call.

I see what you did there.

 

[Vowelguy]

They have to go back to campus for classes in between.

Dont think so.

 

[Vowelguy]

All this talk about U$C. They have to get by my UNC-G Spartans.first.

Spartans vs Trojans. Seems like one must consume souvlaki whilst watching to be culturally appropriate..

 

[baggerbob]

Spartans vs Trojans. Seems like one must consume souvlaki whilst watching to be culturally appropriate..

The last time that Geno had 7 or 8 players deep that

could be starters was 2015-2016 with Collier and Gabby coming off the bench.
The other years possible starters were injured or not good enough.

 

[packwrap]

LSU has a tough road

You aren't kidding.

Florida State (at home)

NC State (Spokane)

UCLA (Spokane)

if seeding holds... (feels like playing three #2 seeds in a row, just to get to USC/UConn & SC/TX)

...but, they played and beat NC St earlier, and beat UCLA last year.

They match up well with NC State.

SC/TX games have them prepped for UCLA.

 

[packwrap]

Oh boy, potential 2nd Round matchup Van Lith gets to say hi to all her old friends at Louisville.


You know the committee is playing games w/ some of these potential matchups.

Hailey Van Lith will take the Cardinals for a nice campus tour and coffee pre game after morning shootaround.

Hailey Van Lith gets plenty of often undeserved grief. While at Louisville, she completed her bs in Finance, graduating summa cum laude.6/23 During her year at LSU, she completed an MBA. 8/24.

At TCU she is working on another Masters.

Pretty good example of student athlete.

 

[From France]

I'm happy with the bracket, our sideand the others.
Don't like to see Dawn complaints when she seems to have the easiest path to the Final Four.

Would like to see the NCAA introduce a rule that no conference could have more than 7 teams in the bracket, that would still left the P4 with more than a third of the field and let deserving mid majors have a chance for the postseason.

Don't like the play-in games, let's get back to 64 teams.

 

[typhaon]

Fairfield have a chance against Kansas St.? 5/12 matchup

With Lee returning, it's a pretty daunting #5 seed to draw. The Stags did play against OSU and Magassa (losing by 2 on the road), so they do have some experience against a 6'6" C. She was effective, but not overly impactful. I know Lee is a much better player, but it's not wholly uncharted territory. Hope she's a little rusty and make her at least shoot the ball vs. layups. I don't think I'd double her. That could just lead to a rain of open 3PA. On the other end, play fast and hope running her up and down the court leads to open shots and maybe gets her off the court, too.

It's house money for Fairfield. I'd love for CTD to lure in an athletic P4-type 6'3"+ forward for next season. I think that's kind of the missing ingredient they need to be more versatile and dangerous to top-30ish teams.

 

[jaydee602]

Damn! I should have got by bet in on the Huskies when the line was only -37.

Actually, an interesting wager would be the total over/ under for the game. The number is 148 points.
This game might stay under because Arkansas State will be stifled by UCONN's relentless defense. So the Huskies would have to score well over 100 points to surpass the 148 line.

 

[rugbymate]

The only team that might be a problem for a healthy UConn they won't meet until the final. South Carolina. A good team and a good coach in Dawn.

With some serious motivation for revenge