OT:Brenda/Terps Say This May be Their Year to be Champions

[TerpWomenFan]

Looking at Maryland's schedule, the toughest game she has scheduled before playing UConn is Louisville in the B1G/ACC challenge. She also has games with Arizona State and Washington State but the rest of their opponents are not particularly impressive. That approach will allow her freshmen time to acclimate themselves to the college game, but it won't provide much preparation for playing UConn who will be battle tested by the time they play each other. Of, course, this is only my opinion.

I find it interesting that coaches are saying that other schools have a chance at winning the NC this year not because they are improving, but because UConn lost the Big Three. Doesn't necessarily promote the quality of your program and your players when you put it that way. I suppose it is being realistic, though.

Very good post. UConn was so far ahead of everyone that it was getting rediculous. I think Notre Dame and Baylor improved quite a bit and will give UConn trouble. Maryland is playing UConn at home where they gave them a good game a few year back. (It was tied with 15 minutes to go until UConn pulled away). Plus a healthy SWK and Jones will be a handful for them.

 

[mdakota]

That was a very poorly coached game by Brenda. Unlike the Tennessee/Louisville games two years ago when she was brilliant.

Whoa... let's not be throwing words (brilliant) around all willy-nilly regarding Brenda.....

 

[TerpWomenFan]

Whoa... let's not be throwing words (brilliant) around all willy-nilly regarding Brenda.....

Beating a #1 seed and a #2 seed on their court is close to brilliant I think.

 

[j66kicker]

That explains Brondello's inability to control DT at times. Her lack of respect for Brondello was often very evident. Do you think for a minute that DT thought that Brondello knew more than she did?

Probably not, and she's probably right (although not right to undercut the coach's authority if that's the case). She plays for Brondello's hubby in the regular season, with Sandy as assistant, so who knows what weird dynamic comes out of that...

 

[Geew1992]

Are you saying this year's team will be at least as strong as last year's?
If not, then it would be weaker.

Mountain=mole hill.

I just don't like that word.

 

[Checkmate]

Beating a #1 seed and a #2 seed on their court is close to brilliant I think.

Nope, considering all the talent Freeze has had, underachiever is more appropriate than brilliant.

 

[Vowelguy]

Nope, considering all the talent Freeze has had, underachiever is more appropriate than brilliant.

1 NC and 3 in 14 years is an underachiever. LOL

 

[Checkmate]

1 NC and 3 in 14 years is an underachiever. LOL

Thomas, Toliver, Langhorne, Coleman, Harper and more. And all you can do is 3 final fours in 14 years, yes that is underachieving. When you have WNBA talent you should be in final four almost every year. Then when you get there you should not be destroyed.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

Thomas, Toliver, Langhorne, Coleman, Harper and more. And all you can do is 3 final fours in 14 years, yes that is underachieving. When you have WNBA talent you should be in final four almost every year. Then when you get there you should not be destroyed.

I agree with your last sentence. However, they call it a Final 4 for a reason. And when UConn are set for one of those spots you basically have only three spots left. Stanford's been very good. Notre Dame has been very good. Baylor had Griner for 4 years. So going to a Final 4 isn't automatic no mater how much talent you have. At least we're not Duke or Tennessee.

 

[shizam]

Well, there is this to consider Brenda while your mouth is running in its inimitable fashion:

"Ultimately, a loss to the Huskies did end their season. But not those Huskies. Maryland was uncommonly inefficient in an opening-round NCAA tournament win over Iona at Xfinity Center, and faced a shorthanded Washington team in the second round. For the first time in three seasons, the No. 2 seed Terps didn't make it to the Final Four, or even out of College Park. The seventh-seeded Huskies won, 74-65."

What's that old saying about chickens and counting?

So many see the sun setting on UConn; I see it as the dawn of a new, bright future for our Huskies. Some do confuse sunset and dawn:

View attachment 16374

It's dawn.

I watched that game and was stunned at the lifelessness shown by her players. She wasn't even going crazy. By the beginning of the 4th it seemed MD either knew they were going to lose or knew they were going to come back and steal the game because they showed no pulse.

 

[shizam]

Thomas, Toliver, Langhorne, Coleman, Harper and more. And all you can do is 3 final fours in 14 years, yes that is underachieving. When you have WNBA talent you should be in final four almost every year. Then when you get there you should not be destroyed.

This may be lame but give Brenda credit for playing UConn last year and giving UConn a decent game on TV to watch. I saw the game and it was a fun game to watch. A 10 point loss to UConn is respectable and her team played hard that game. In fact that Jones kid ate UConn up. What an impressive performance. Unfortunately she stunk against Washington in the tournament. Go figure.

 

[shizam]

I agree with your last sentence. However, they call it a Final 4 for a reason. And when UConn are set for one of those spots you basically have only three spots left. Stanford's been very good. Notre Dame has been very good. Baylor had Griner for 4 years. So going to a Final 4 isn't automatic no mater how much talent you have. At least we're not Duke or Tennessee.

Final Four WCBB is not automatic unless you are fighting irish or husky

 

[shizam]

Would you have any respect for MUFFET OR BRENDA OR DAWN ---if they did not tell their kids--this is YOUR year.. But in terms of being prepare--everything you say is correct--

Muffet is a good coach Dawn is horrible and Brenda is not bad. Brenda took it to Jeff Walz a few years ago on Louisville home court in the tourney.

 

[shizam]

Looking at Maryland's schedule, the toughest game she has scheduled before playing UConn is Louisville in the B1G/ACC challenge. She also has games with Arizona State and Washington State but the rest of their opponents are not particularly impressive. That approach will allow her freshmen time to acclimate themselves to the college game, but it won't provide much preparation for playing UConn who will be battle tested by the time they play each other. Of, course, this is only my opinion.

I find it interesting that coaches are saying that other schools have a chance at winning the NC this year not because they are improving, but because UConn lost the Big Three. Doesn't necessarily promote the quality of your program and your players when you put it that way. I suppose it is being realistic, though.

Louisville feels like they are much improved this year. I am not sold on their chemistry of players

 

[BroadwayVa]

Muffet is a good coach Dawn is horrible and Brenda is not bad. Brenda took it to Jeff Walz a few years ago on Louisville home court in the tourney.

i don't know if I'd call Dawn HORRIBLE---she is great in getting recruits and top level transfers--she has been Geno's assistant in the uSA/oLympiCS and something should have rubbed off. However she hasn't made the top spot in the big dance--why?? i have no clue.
Brenda is tough, recruits like minded talent, won the big prize (once??)---winning it all is difficult few of the 360 or so Div 1 coaches come close--Going back she had Toliver and Coleman and acouple of other top kids--but failed to repeat.
Muffet won once--and has been knocking on the NC door way too many times--why?? She's had the talent she's had the Final 4 experienced kids--to me --she is a great coach--Geno cannot be the only excuse--she's beaten his team a number of times ---some times with the talent she lost to him with/??

Got to be more to this than good coach, great coach, bad coach---I'll leave that analysis to those more expert in WBB than I.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Thomas, Toliver, Langhorne, Coleman, Harper and more. And all you can do is 3 final fours in 14 years, yes that is underachieving. When you have WNBA talent you should be in final four almost every year. Then when you get there you should not be destroyed.

Toliver/Langhorne/Coleman/Harper played three years together. They won a national title, had a second round loss after that, then made the Elite Eight during Langhorne/Harper's senior year (losing to Candice Wiggins and Stanford, 97-98; Stanford went on to lose to Candace Parker and Tennessee in the final).

The year after losing Langhorne and Harper to graduation, Maryland made the Elite Eight again (2009 NCAA Tournament).

Toliver and Coleman graduate. Maryland is down a bit, but then gets Alyssa Thomas, who leads the team to the Elite Eight in 2012 and the Final Four in 2014.

Alyssa Thomas was arguably the best all-around player in Maryland history. She graduated in 2014...and Maryland still made the Final Four in 2015.

Sorry, I cannot call that underachieving.

 

[Vowelguy]

Sorry, I cannot call that underachieving.

Cam, how dare you bring "facts" and "logic" to a discussion of Brenda Frese. This kind of "rational analysis" has no place in such a thread. EVERYBODY knows she has no talent, evidence be damned.

 

[turtlespeed]

Checkmate wrong as usual. Before this year's recruiting class, Maryland ranked as the 18th best recruiting class over the past 5 years, which means that there were 17 colleges that ranked higher than Maryland in recruiting over that 5 year period. During that period, they finished in the top 5 four of those years and was in the final four in two of the 5 years. I think that explains whether Maryland over or under achieved. I think it shows that they did better with less than any other team out there.

 

[bballnut90]

i don't know if I'd call Dawn HORRIBLE---she is great in getting recruits and top level transfers--she has been Geno's assistant in the uSA/oLympiCS and something should have rubbed off. However she hasn't made the top spot in the big dance--why?? i have no clue.
Brenda is tough, recruits like minded talent, won the big prize (once??)---winning it all is difficult few of the 360 or so Div 1 coaches come close--Going back she had Toliver and Coleman and acouple of other top kids--but failed to repeat.
Muffet won once--and has been knocking on the NC door way too many times--why?? She's had the talent she's had the Final 4 experienced kids--to me --she is a great coach--Geno cannot be the only excuse--she's beaten his team a number of times ---some times with the talent she lost to him with/??

Got to be more to this than good coach, great coach, bad coach---I'll leave that analysis to those more expert in WBB than I.

The 3 coaches mentioned above are all great coaches. Some of the very best coaches in the country.

Dawn Staley--look at her team's records in the first 8 years at South Carolina:
2008–09 South Carolina 10–18 2–12 11th
2009–10 South Carolina 14–15 7–9 T–7th
2010–11 South Carolina 18–15 8–8 T–5th
2011–12 South Carolina 25–10 10–6 T–4th
2012–13 South Carolina 25–8 11–5 T–4th
2013–14 South Carolina 29–5 14–2 1st
2014–15 South Carolina 34–3 15–1 T–1st
2015–16 South Carolina 33–2 16–0 1st

Her team's SEC and overall record have improved every single season. That is remarkable. 11th in the SEC to back to back SEC Championships in 8 years, along with 3 straight #1 seeds and a preseason ranking of #1 or #2 going into 2016-17.

Why hasn't she won it yet? It's not easy to turn around a program and win a title. It took Geno ten years, Pat 13, Muffett 14. Dawn has as good a shot as anyone at winning a title the next two years with Wilson in the lineup.


Muffett-knocking on the door too many times without winning? They always have outstanding talent but never an "over the top" type of player. Look at them for the last 6 tournaments:
2011-first team ever to defeat both Tennessee and Connecticut in the NCAA tournament. They were a 2 seed who upset 2 number one seeds and lost a game they definitely could have won against a good but not great Texas A&M team. This was by far their best chance to win it all in the past 6 years.

2012-They faced 39-0 Baylor and gave them a good game until Dev Peters got into foul trouble, then Griner dominated. Odds were stacked against them.

2013-Notre Dame was the biggest overachiever in basketball that season. They had zero business beating UCONN three times. UCONN/Stewart finally played to their potential against ND coupled with poor showings by Diggins/McBride meant there was no chance of another win. This was their 2nd best chance, but even so the odds were still stacked against them.

2014- They faced another 39-0 team and just lost an All American starter. No chance going up against a frontline of Stewart and Dolson.

2015-They faced a 37-1 UCONN team that was essentially an undefeated team minus a fluke loss early in the year. Odds were stacked against them.

2016-Tara worked her magic against Notre Dame and pulled off the massive upset. Even if they made it to the final game, a 38-0 senior led UCONN team was waiting for them. Zero chance.

Muffett's teams made 5 of the last 6 Fours, won the last 2 Big East Championships and is 56-1 against ACC foes. They've accomplished all of this without a #1 overall recruit, and never fielding a team with more than 3 top ten recruits. Now without Stewart in the mix and ND fielding their strongest team on paper, they'll have their best shot to win it all.


Brenda-not my favorite coach by any means, but she's proven her 2006 title isn't just a one hit wonder. That said, what she accomplished in 2006 was remarkable, with 2 freshmen (including their PG), 2 sophomores and a junior in the lineup. Yes, the roster was talented, but there were many teams out there that had as good, if not better talent including Connecticut, Tennessee, Duke, North Carolina, Rutgers, and LSU. They upset a VERY good North Carolina team twice--the same team that handily beat both Tennessee and Connecticut that year, along with 2 wins against Duke. They then went on to beat a Duke team that was one of the deepest teams ever. Props to Frese for that title.

After 3 years of underachieving afterward, she has really showed her worth the last several years. In 2014, Maryland came out of nowhere to go to the Final Four, beating a #1 seed in the regional semi, and knocking off a solid Louisville team in Louisville in the regional final. Yes, they were stomped on by Notre Dame in the Final Four...but Notre Dame was also 37-0. And it's worth noting that her Maryland team was the only team to give ND a good fight in the regular season, so props to MD for that.

In 2015, Maryland was a well oiled machine who cruised to a Final Four before bowing out to Stewart and Co.

In 2016, they lost their PG and were still a top 5 team much of the year. They were upset in the NCAA tournament, but Frese did a really solid job considering the kids she had on her team.

Outside of Alyssa Thomas, I don't know if Maryland has ever had a top 5 recruit on their roster, yet they consistently form very good teams, and players develop nicely over their 4 years. This upcoming season IS their best shot to win it all since the Toliver/Coleman days because they have talent, and more importantly, UCONN is down from how they were a season ago.



Other programs have a lot more "life" to them now that UCONN is back down to earth. Going into the last 3 years, everyone knew a miracle was needed to upset Connecticut. One miracle was granted in the form of the massive Stanford upset. 117 other times, it was a comfortable win for UCONN. Most top program return their best players, so they are excited at the prospect of capitalizing on this opportunity. UCONN should use it as bulletin board material, but the players/program should also take it as a huge compliment as well.

 

[BroadwayVa]

The 3 coaches mentioned above are all great coaches. Some of the very best coaches in the country.

Dawn Staley--look at her team's records in the first 8 years at South Carolina:
2008–09 South Carolina 10–18 2–12 11th
2009–10 South Carolina 14–15 7–9 T–7th
2010–11 South Carolina 18–15 8–8 T–5th
2011–12 South Carolina 25–10 10–6 T–4th
2012–13 South Carolina 25–8 11–5 T–4th
2013–14 South Carolina 29–5 14–2 1st
2014–15 South Carolina 34–3 15–1 T–1st
2015–16 South Carolina 33–2 16–0 1st

Her team's SEC and overall record have improved every single season. That is remarkable. 11th in the SEC to back to back SEC Championships in 8 years, along with 3 straight #1 seeds and a preseason ranking of #1 or #2 going into 2016-17.

Why hasn't she won it yet? It's not easy to turn around a program and win a title. It took Geno ten years, Pat 13, Muffett 14. Dawn has as good a shot as anyone at winning a title the next two years with Wilson in the lineup.


Muffett-knocking on the door too many times without winning? They always have outstanding talent but never an "over the top" type of player. Look at them for the last 6 tournaments:
2011-first team ever to defeat both Tennessee and Connecticut in the NCAA tournament. They were a 2 seed who upset 2 number one seeds and lost a game they definitely could have won against a good but not great Texas A&M team. This was by far their best chance to win it all in the past 6 years.

2012-They faced 39-0 Baylor and gave them a good game until Dev Peters got into foul trouble, then Griner dominated. Odds were stacked against them.

2013-Notre Dame was the biggest overachiever in basketball that season. They had zero business beating UCONN three times. UCONN/Stewart finally played to their potential against ND coupled with poor showings by Diggins/McBride meant there was no chance of another win. This was their 2nd best chance, but even so the odds were still stacked against them.

2014- They faced another 39-0 team and just lost an All American starter. No chance going up against a frontline of Stewart and Dolson.

2015-They faced a 37-1 UCONN team that was essentially an undefeated team minus a fluke loss early in the year. Odds were stacked against them.

2016-Tara worked her magic against Notre Dame and pulled off the massive upset. Even if they made it to the final game, a 38-0 senior led UCONN team was waiting for them. Zero chance.

Muffett's teams made 5 of the last 6 Fours, won the last 2 Big East Championships and is 56-1 against ACC foes. They've accomplished all of this without a #1 overall recruit, and never fielding a team with more than 3 top ten recruits. Now without Stewart in the mix and ND fielding their strongest team on paper, they'll have their best shot to win it all.


Brenda-not my favorite coach by any means, but she's proven her 2006 title isn't just a one hit wonder. That said, what she accomplished in 2006 was remarkable, with 2 freshmen (including their PG), 2 sophomores and a junior in the lineup. Yes, the roster was talented, but there were many teams out there that had as good, if not better talent including Connecticut, Tennessee, Duke, North Carolina, Rutgers, and LSU. They upset a VERY good North Carolina team twice--the same team that handily beat both Tennessee and Connecticut that year, along with 2 wins against Duke. They then went on to beat a Duke team that was one of the deepest teams ever. Props to Frese for that title.

After 3 years of underachieving afterward, she has really showed her worth the last several years. In 2014, Maryland came out of nowhere to go to the Final Four, beating a #1 seed in the regional semi, and knocking off a solid Louisville team in Louisville in the regional final. Yes, they were stomped on by Notre Dame in the Final Four...but Notre Dame was also 37-0. And it's worth noting that her Maryland team was the only team to give ND a good fight in the regular season, so props to MD for that.

In 2015, Maryland was a well oiled machine who cruised to a Final Four before bowing out to Stewart and Co.

In 2016, they lost their PG and were still a top 5 team much of the year. They were upset in the NCAA tournament, but Frese did a really solid job considering the kids she had on her team.

Outside of Alyssa Thomas, I don't know if Maryland has ever had a top 5 recruit on their roster, yet they consistently form very good teams, and players develop nicely over their 4 years. This upcoming season IS their best shot to win it all since the Toliver/Coleman days because they have talent, and more importantly, UCONN is down from how they were a season ago.



Other programs have a lot more "life" to them now that UCONN is back down to earth. Going into the last 3 years, everyone knew a miracle was needed to upset Connecticut. One miracle was granted in the form of the massive Stanford upset. 117 other times, it was a comfortable win for UCONN. Most top program return their best players, so they are excited at the prospect of capitalizing on this opportunity. UCONN should use it as bulletin board material, but the players/program should also take it as a huge compliment as well.

Thanks for the history lesson ---no miracle was necessary to up set uConn--to beat uconn it never did take a miracle---apparently--. ND and Depaul had shots at doing it this past year---just could not sustain the effort/pressure/shooting for 2 halves. That's not a miracle---that's conditioning.
I think it exceptionally wonderful that ND, USC, Baylor, Duke, Tn, --if they think as you do--that is super great---As GEno has said in the past--the U C O N N on the Jerseys beat many teams before the game began. Looks like you with your miracle buy into that .

Dawn did not begin with a team as bad as Geno's in 1986/87 --6 years or more before any kind of rating--but thankfully Tenn took on Uconn and the rest is history.

I would have NO respect for you as an uSC fan if you did not protest and protect Dawn. How to Go..
Pardon me--if on this UConn Women's Basketball board--I speak over the top about Geno, Christine, Shea, Marissa, and the entire UCWBB team--I"m a fan of UConn --not a fan of USC, ND, Baylor, Duke, DePaul, etc--but I respect them--...I expect the same is returned for Uconn--and you have.. Thanks.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Outside of Alyssa Thomas, I don't know if Maryland has ever had a top 5 recruit on their roster, yet they consistently form very good teams, and players develop nicely over their 4 years.

For clarification purposes:

Crystal Langhorne (HS 2004)
#3 Blue Star
#8 ASGR

Laura Harper
#11 Blue Star
#15 ASGR

Marissa Coleman (HS 2005)
#4 ASGR
#5 Blue Star
#6 All Game Sports

Kristi Toliver (HS 2005)
#9 Blue Star
#14 ASGR
#17 All Game Sports

Marah Strickland (HS 2007)
#8 Blue Star
#9 Hoopgurlz
#22 ASGR

Alyssa Thomas (HS 2010)
#7 Hoopgurlz
#7 ASGR
#28 Blue Star

 

[bballnut90]

For clarification purposes:

Crystal Langhorne (HS 2004)
#3 Blue Star
#8 ASGR

Laura Harper
#11 Blue Star
#15 ASGR

Marissa Coleman (HS 2005)
#4 ASGR
#5 Blue Star
#6 All Game Sports

Kristi Toliver (HS 2005)
#9 Blue Star
#14 ASGR
#17 All Game Sports

Marah Strickland (HS 2007)
#8 Blue Star
#9 Hoopgurlz
#22 ASGR

Alyssa Thomas (HS 2010)
#7 Hoopgurlz
#7 ASGR
#28 Blue Star

Got me there, thanks for the info. I didn't remember Langhorne and Coleman as being top 5 kids.

 

[donalddoowop]

This may be lame but give Brenda credit for playing UConn last year and giving UConn a decent game on TV to watch. I saw the game and it was a fun game to watch. A 10 point loss to UConn is respectable and her team played hard that game. In fact that Jones kid ate UConn up. What an impressive performance. Unfortunately she stunk against Washington in the tournament. Go figure.

Jones ran into a player she could not bully or move out of her way and would not back down. Also, she could go to the perimeter and shoot. Jones could not check her out there.

 

[BroadwayVa]

The 3 coaches mentioned above are all great coaches. Some of the very best coaches in the country.

Dawn Staley--look at her team's records in the first 8 years at South Carolina:
2008–09 South Carolina 10–18 2–12 11th
2009–10 South Carolina 14–15 7–9 T–7th
2010–11 South Carolina 18–15 8–8 T–5th
2011–12 South Carolina 25–10 10–6 T–4th
2012–13 South Carolina 25–8 11–5 T–4th
2013–14 South Carolina 29–5 14–2 1st
2014–15 South Carolina 34–3 15–1 T–1st
2015–16 South Carolina 33–2 16–0 1st

Her team's SEC and overall record have improved every single season. That is remarkable. 11th in the SEC to back to back SEC Championships in 8 years, along with 3 straight #1 seeds and a preseason ranking of #1 or #2 going into 2016-17.

Why hasn't she won it yet? It's not easy to turn around a program and win a title. It took Geno ten years, Pat 13, Muffett 14. Dawn has as good a shot as anyone at winning a title the next two years with Wilson in the lineup.


Muffett-knocking on the door too many times without winning? They always have outstanding talent but never an "over the top" type of player. Look at them for the last 6 tournaments:
2011-first team ever to defeat both Tennessee and Connecticut in the NCAA tournament. They were a 2 seed who upset 2 number one seeds and lost a game they definitely could have won against a good but not great Texas A&M team. This was by far their best chance to win it all in the past 6 years.

2012-They faced 39-0 Baylor and gave them a good game until Dev Peters got into foul trouble, then Griner dominated. Odds were stacked against them.

2013-Notre Dame was the biggest overachiever in basketball that season. They had zero business beating UCONN three times. UCONN/Stewart finally played to their potential against ND coupled with poor showings by Diggins/McBride meant there was no chance of another win. This was their 2nd best chance, but even so the odds were still stacked against them.

2014- They faced another 39-0 team and just lost an All American starter. No chance going up against a frontline of Stewart and Dolson.

2015-They faced a 37-1 UCONN team that was essentially an undefeated team minus a fluke loss early in the year. Odds were stacked against them.

2016-Tara worked her magic against Notre Dame and pulled off the massive upset. Even if they made it to the final game, a 38-0 senior led UCONN team was waiting for them. Zero chance.

Muffett's teams made 5 of the last 6 Fours, won the last 2 Big East Championships and is 56-1 against ACC foes. They've accomplished all of this without a #1 overall recruit, and never fielding a team with more than 3 top ten recruits. Now without Stewart in the mix and ND fielding their strongest team on paper, they'll have their best shot to win it all.


Brenda-not my favorite coach by any means, but she's proven her 2006 title isn't just a one hit wonder. That said, what she accomplished in 2006 was remarkable, with 2 freshmen (including their PG), 2 sophomores and a junior in the lineup. Yes, the roster was talented, but there were many teams out there that had as good, if not better talent including Connecticut, Tennessee, Duke, North Carolina, Rutgers, and LSU. They upset a VERY good North Carolina team twice--the same team that handily beat both Tennessee and Connecticut that year, along with 2 wins against Duke. They then went on to beat a Duke team that was one of the deepest teams ever. Props to Frese for that title.

After 3 years of underachieving afterward, she has really showed her worth the last several years. In 2014, Maryland came out of nowhere to go to the Final Four, beating a #1 seed in the regional semi, and knocking off a solid Louisville team in Louisville in the regional final. Yes, they were stomped on by Notre Dame in the Final Four...but Notre Dame was also 37-0. And it's worth noting that her Maryland team was the only team to give ND a good fight in the regular season, so props to MD for that.

In 2015, Maryland was a well oiled machine who cruised to a Final Four before bowing out to Stewart and Co.

In 2016, they lost their PG and were still a top 5 team much of the year. They were upset in the NCAA tournament, but Frese did a really solid job considering the kids she had on her team.

Outside of Alyssa Thomas, I don't know if Maryland has ever had a top 5 recruit on their roster, yet they consistently form very good teams, and players develop nicely over their 4 years. This upcoming season IS their best shot to win it all since the Toliver/Coleman days because they have talent, and more importantly, UCONN is down from how they were a season ago.



Other programs have a lot more "life" to them now that UCONN is back down to earth. Going into the last 3 years, everyone knew a miracle was needed to upset Connecticut. One miracle was granted in the form of the massive Stanford upset. 117 other times, it was a comfortable win for UCONN. Most top program return their best players, so they are excited at the prospect of capitalizing on this opportunity. UCONN should use it as bulletin board material, but the players/program should also take it as a huge compliment as well.

I guess the next time --rather than say Dawn is NOT Deplorable--I'll just agree--and you could save 5000 words.

 

[Fightin Choke]

Thanks for the history lesson ---no miracle was necessary to up set uConn--to beat uconn it never did take a miracle---apparently--. ND and Depaul had shots at doing it this past year---just could not sustain the effort/pressure/shooting for 2 halves. That's not a miracle---that's conditioning.
I think it exceptionally wonderful that ND, USC, Baylor, Duke, Tn, --if they think as you do--that is super great---As GEno has said in the past--the U C O N N on the Jerseys beat many teams before the game began. Looks like you with your miracle buy into that .

Dawn did not begin with a team as bad as Geno's in 1986/87 --6 years or more before any kind of rating--but thankfully Tenn took on Uconn and the rest is history.

I would have NO respect for you as an uSC fan if you did not protest and protect Dawn. How to Go..
Pardon me--if on this UConn Women's Basketball board--I speak over the top about Geno, Christine, Shea, Marissa, and the entire UCWBB team--I"m a fan of UConn --not a fan of USC, ND, Baylor, Duke, DePaul, etc--but I respect them--...I expect the same is returned for Uconn--and you have.. Thanks.

Notre Dame did not get worn out by UConn; they just weren't anywhere near as good a team as UConn was. A week earlier they had lost Brianna Turner, so they were very thin and less talented up front, whereas UConn had the best front court in the nation. Muffet devised a strategy of trying to win with small ball and considering that ND was out-manned, her strategy worked surprisingly well. UConn won the first half by 2 and the second half by 8. That's not a big difference and I do not think it was due to Notre Dame being poorly conditioned, as you suggest. ND shot 49% for the game, whereas UConn shot 52%. Because of ND's lack of size, they shot from the perimeter, and they shot very well from 3. Of course UConn shot the ball from closer to the basket, and thus had a huge advantage at the FT line (24 FT attempts to ND's 10 FT attempts).

Bballnut is a Tennessee fan, not a South Carolina fan.