POLL: will it be UConn vs. ND or LVs in the 2015 NC game?

[stwainfan]

That's what I hear. But tell me, when is she going to play at the 3 ? A freshman ranked #78 by HoopGurlz is behind Burdick, Nared, and Jones at that position.
She's not going to be playing at the #2 guard. I just don't see how she will get much playing time. Let's be realistic, out of the 3 freshman, only Nared has a chance to play meaningful minutes and I would be shocked if she played more than 15 minutes a game.

I do agree that of the three freshman. That Nared will be the best. I was just pointing out that Dunbar can shoot. Now how much time will she play? I think there is a lot that goes into that as well. Opponent, score and other factors. I saw her workout video. I saw how hard she trained.

 

[mhshuskies]

Does it really matter who is the 86th victim for a third straight NC?

 

[sawxfan23]

Yes they will. South Carolina lacks reliable outside shooting and this will be their Achilles heel.

Tiffany Mitchell shot 54% from 3 pt range last year. As a team the shot 35% which isnt awful either.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

First of all, TN is done! They recruit "pieces", not how they fit into the whole picture! Remember when Pat S. recruited 4 6'2" players and no point guard then had to go to the JC level to get a 5'1" junior point guard. The current staff at TN is doing the same thing! That's why when you watch TN now they look so disjointed. You can't say enough about chemistry in the locker room, If the team doesn't like and work well together they won't have success in tight moments! That's why the signing of DD doesn't worry me as it's another INDIVIDUAL in a team of INDIVIDUALS! And remember they have Holly Warlick to screw the whole thing up!
The perfect example of the above in the WNBA is the LA Sparks! There aren't enough basketballs to go around for all those superstars!
Geno and his staff recruit "pieces" that finish off the puzzle! They recruit winners as people that are great basketball players! Everything is planned out and there are times when certain recruits go somewhere else, but more times than not he fills the holes he needs! Kiah & Morgan & Saniya will be fine and contribute the attitude and ability to drive the UCONN team with the superstars, KML, Stewie, and MoJeff, and the 4 fantastic freshmen will round out the team! This assembly of talent is led by the best coaching staff in USA!
ND, losing McBride and Achonwa, loses more than UCONN! Loyd is a great talent and that's where it ends! Every team has potential but ND potential is still 2-3 years away!
SoCar is another with great potential, but they have to go through the wars together before they can reach their potential! Geno always says that a team has to face loss and disappointment to reach the top! The heart breaking loss to ND in 2000-01 semi finals set up the success of 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004!
UCLA, TX, Ohio St., etal, have just had great recruiting classes and have far better head coaches than Holly W. but time will tell if that talent will jell!

 

[Buzzyboy]

HGN, you don't have much faith in Kiah Stokes, do you? I can understand your taking an "I'm from Missouri" attitude with regard to her scoring and passing, but she has already proven that she is at least as good a defender and rebounder as Stef. I would argue that she is superior to Stef in those areas.

As has been discussed on the "High Post" thread, there are numerous ways that Kiah can score adequately given the threats posed by the rest of the offense.

And don't forget about Morgan's return next year.

If UConn doesn't make it back to the NCAA finals next year, post play will not be the reason.

All very good points that I agree wholeheartedly in. I think the area Stef will be missed the most is in her passing ability. To have the vision she had and to pass so effectively from the high post were attributes that few ladies have. You are right that Kia is quite likely a better rebound and shot blocker than was Stef and I also am inclined to think her scoring will be appreciably higher than a lot of people think because of the likely potent outside scoring that I anticipate this year. That outside scoring potential will draw defenders and allow Kia opportunities for a lot of interior scoring whether by nifty passing into the low post or putbacks from misses. Kia knows she's the prime interior option and I think her confidence will continue to grow exponentially this year. I think she's likely to shock more than a few of the Boneyarders with her scoring prowess.

 

[bballnut90]

Notre Dame was SIGNIFICANTLY better than every team in the nation last year not named Connecticut. They return Loyd who may be Stewart's only realistic threat for NPOY. They get in a top recruit, return their sensational starting point guard and will have Taya Reimer getting more minutes which should allow her to develop into a strong post option (she was a top 5 recruit playing behind Achonwa.)

South Carolina didn't really beat anyone last year. On paper they look good with so many posts, Mitchell and Wilson coming in, but this is the same team that lost twice to an inconsistent UNC team and had 0 signature wins last year. Their best win was beating Kentucky. People expect them to be better than Notre Dame? Not buying it.

Same with Tennessee who lost by 16 at home to Notre Dame after playing probably their best basketball of the season in the first half of that game. Notre Dame has owned Tennessee the last 4 years and I don't see any reason why Tennessee will be better than ND in 2015.

People were quick to overlook ND last year ( I was one of them) and will do it again this year. And I bet, just like last year, Notre Dame will establish themselves as the 2nd best team in the nation behind UCONN.

 

[hjoerring]

Throwing bones to dogs. Every year we talk about the decline of ND, and yet they just keep on keeping on. They are just good. TN! Let us admit that we are totally afraid that all those 'individual' pieces might find a way to work together; so, Holly must be a terrible coach.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Notre Dame was SIGNIFICANTLY better than every team in the nation last year not named Connecticut. They return Loyd who may be Stewart's only realistic threat for NPOY. They get in a top recruit, return their sensational starting point guard and will have Taya Reimer getting more minutes which should allow her to develop into a strong post option (she was a top 5 recruit playing behind Achonwa.)

South Carolina didn't really beat anyone last year. On paper they look good with so many posts, Mitchell and Wilson coming in, but this is the same team that lost twice to an inconsistent UNC team and had 0 signature wins last year. Their best win was beating Kentucky. People expect them to be better than Notre Dame? Not buying it.

Same with Tennessee who lost by 16 at home to Notre Dame after playing probably their best basketball of the season in the first half of that game. Notre Dame has owned Tennessee the last 4 years and I don't see any reason why Tennessee will be better than ND in 2015.

People were quick to overlook ND last year ( I was one of them) and will do it again this year. And I bet, just like last year, Notre Dame will establish themselves as the 2nd best team in the nation behind UCONN.

Bingo.

 

[Bayareahusky]

UConn will be there.... and I have great faith in ND to "reload"..... they are always battle tough..... TN will get as far as Holly takes them. Feel strongly about this.

 

[reno tony]

UConn can make the NC game in 2015...But its going to be tough. Replacing Hartley is easier than replacing Stef. Hartley's shoes can be filled with Saniya , Nurse , Ekmark , or Sadie , all are capable of being a good 2-guard. And right now UConn has no one in the middle that can replace Stef's scoring , rebounding , and defense. So repeating as NC is going to be a tough road. Stokes is an above average defender , but hasn't proven to be the scoring threat Stef was.

On the other hand , ND lost a lot too. You don't just easily replace McBride. Loyd is good and incoming freshman Briana Turner is going to be tough to deal with down low. Can UConn do it. I hope so.

If UConn has a weakness its lack of experienced low post players and interior play on both ends and depth. But is there someone out there that can take advantage of that weakness? We shall see.

UConn will be a slightly smaller team than the last 2 years. But will be more of a perimeter scoring team I think. Capable of blowing teams out early. Stewie can score from anywhere but maybe relied upon too much. If UConn can provide Stewie and KML some consistent help from anywhere , who knows, UConn may again walk off with the hardware in 2015.

Kiah Stokes will be a good replacement for the rebounds and blocked shots. But the scoring will come from Tuck. A lot of people on this blog give her a lot of credit, like I do. Those that don't, will be amazed at how great a player she is, assuming she is healthy. There might be only one team in the country she doesn't start on, and that is UCONN..... maybe. She can't make Breanna or KML sit but Kiah better play some good ball or Morgan might be UCONN's five this coming season.

45 TO GO​

 

[semper]

well, maybe the poll doesn't like YOU. So there!

I like UConn vs. ND. No way the Vols will be in it.

 

[easttexastrash]

UCONN vs. South Carolina...

 

[easttexastrash]

First of all, TN is done! They recruit "pieces", not how they fit into the whole picture! Remember when Pat S. recruited 4 6'2" players and no point guard then had to go to the JC level to get a 5'1" junior point guard. The current staff at TN is doing the same thing! That's why when you watch TN now they look so disjointed. You can't say enough about chemistry in the locker room, If the team doesn't like and work well together they won't have success in tight moments! That's why the signing of DD doesn't worry me as it's another INDIVIDUAL in a team of INDIVIDUALS! And remember they have Holly Warlick to screw the whole thing up!
The perfect example of the above in the WNBA is the LA Sparks! There aren't enough basketballs to go around for all those superstars!
Geno and his staff recruit "pieces" that finish off the puzzle! They recruit winners as people that are great basketball players! Everything is planned out and there are times when certain recruits go somewhere else, but more times than not he fills the holes he needs! Kiah & Morgan & Saniya will be fine and contribute the attitude and ability to drive the UCONN team with the superstars, KML, Stewie, and MoJeff, and the 4 fantastic freshmen will round out the team! This assembly of talent is led by the best coaching staff in USA!
ND, losing McBride and Achonwa, loses more than UCONN! Loyd is a great talent and that's where it ends! Every team has potential but ND potential is still 2-3 years away!
SoCar is another with great potential, but they have to go through the wars together before they can reach their potential! Geno always says that a team has to face loss and disappointment to reach the top! The heart breaking loss to ND in 2000-01 semi finals set up the success of 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004!
UCLA, TX, Ohio St., etal, have just had great recruiting classes and have far better head coaches than Holly W. but time will tell if that talent will jell!

Paragraph breaks are our friends....

 

[easttexastrash]

HGN, you don't have much faith in Kiah Stokes, do you? I can understand your taking an "I'm from Missouri" attitude with regard to her scoring and passing, but she has already proven that she is at least as good a defender and rebounder as Stef. I would argue that she is superior to Stef in those areas.

As has been discussed on the "High Post" thread, there are numerous ways that Kiah can score adequately given the threats posed by the rest of the offense.

And don't forget about Morgan's return next year.

If UConn doesn't make it back to the NCAA finals next year, post play will not be the reason.

I have yet to see Stokes show that she can make a shot anywhere other than right at the basket. She may be the recepient of passes from the high post, but if she is at the high post it will simple be to clear out the lane and pass. Dolson is a very good shooter...Stokes is not.

 

[sarals24]

Who knows, though...Dolson was not a very good shooter when she came to UConn. She worked on her range and came back her junior year with a consistent 15-footer. Maybe Kiah is doing the same. If not, we have enough shooters around her that it shouldn't matter.

 

[JoePgh]

I have yet to see Stokes show that she can make a shot anywhere other than right at the basket. She may be the recepient of passes from the high post, but if she is at the high post it will simple be to clear out the lane and pass. Dolson is a very good shooter...Stokes is not.

I think Kiah can average 11 to 12 points per 30-minute game while making only 1 or 2 jump shots per game. She will score at least 3 putback baskets per game, 2 to 3 layups per game, and 2 to 3 free throw points per game.

Some of her layups will be in transition when she runs the floor "like a deer" (source: CD). Others will come on backdoor plays when the defense forgets about her. Some (not many) will come on contested plays against smaller or slower opposing centers.

In her first 3 years at UConn, Tina Charles scored quite a lot of points without (for practical purposes) ever even attempting a jump shot. Stokes can do the same.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

The Huskies won't need Stokes to score. As long as KML is healthy she, Stewart, and Jefferson alone should average about 53 between them. Just hope Stokes stays out of foul trouble.

 

[Tonyc]

Well Im taking a different approach. Teams that get hot in the NCAAs will join UConn in the FF. It could be a number of teams. UConn will not lose this NC and Breanna and KML could be co POY. They are the best two players in WCBB this season and its not close. Opponents focus will be Breana and KML which will allow others to score uncontested for the most part.

As far as replacing Bria and Stef. We have guards and Saniya will be terrific this season. The freshman will fight it out and Kia Nurse imo has the lead preseason without playing a game. That can change too. Kiah is a great replacement for Stef. She will be an equalizer underneath and she will get her points. Defensively who is better then Kiah underneath.

My last point. UConn averaged beating teams by double digets and most by over 20 pts per game. Kiah and Saniya wont change that. So the next question is what team can make up a 20+ pt margin????????????????