POY Watch

[Irish88]

I could only post the 7 (clear) candidates for being POY.

 

[bballnut90]

I think players are chasing Ionescu right now. McCowan and Brown have been underwhelming at times, Samuelson and Arike are strong candidates but their percentages dont match up well for POY. Same with Durr. Gustafson's team is underperforming so no to her. Overall it isnt as strong as the competition was last year when players like Wilson, Vivians, Ionescu, Brown, McCowan and KLS all had massive POY caliber numbers and excellent team results.

 

[ucbart]

Ionescu is going to win it, even though I don’t think she actually deserves it.

As much as it pains me, I think Arike is POY.

 

[DallasBUFan]

I think Ionescu is the front runner too. I just don't think anyone has a super stellar season consistently.

Having a deeper bench has taken a hit on Brown's number's for sure.

 

[DaBball]

McCowan had one of her better performances last game against Auburn. We will have to wait and see if we will consistently see that version of McCowan, or the one who showed up at Oregon.

 

[MSGRET]

I'm a KLS fan, but I don't have a vote in who wins. The press is all over Ionescu because of all the triple doubles. If Arike gets POY honors, then I have a problem with that because she is the dirtiest player currently in the women's game, in at least 4 games this season she has tried to harm at least one opposing player, and in the UConn game there was at least two flagrant fouls that WERE not called.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I'm a big fan of consistency. Ogunbowale and Durr are too hot and cold for my taste. Plus Arike has a problem with on court antics and chippiness/cheap shots against opponents. Not a good look for a potential POY in my mind. I'll be really disappointed if she wins it.

 

[DefenseBB]

I'm a big fan of consistency. Ogunbowale and Durr are too hot and cold for my taste. Plus Arike has a problem with on court antics and chippiness/cheap shots against opponents. Not a good look for a potential POY in my mind. I'll be really disappointed if she wins it.

Unless you're ESPN and the talking heads who either ignore it completely or gloss it over....

 

[bballnut90]

McCowan had one of her better performances last game against Auburn. We will have to wait and see if we will consistently see that version of McCowan, or the one who showed up at Oregon.

I think the Oregon game was a fluke....she just looked out of it and was blatantly taking plays off which I'd never seen before. To me the biggest difference with her this year is she doesnt look like shes having a lot of fun out there where a year ago she was full of personality and more aggressive. Last year she seemed so excited to be out there and taking on a prominent role. This year she looks almost bored at times by the competition.

 

[EricLA]

It seems like Ionescu has already been annointed by the media and talking heads. I have no issue if she wins awards, I just don't like how many "experts" don't really pay attention and seem to talk about her in "bandwagon" terms - like a bunch of lemmings...

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Likely going to be Ionescu... she was "pre -ordained" by ESPN.

 

[jonson]

Since I believe that, if the current trajectory holds, Alana Smith will be the Pac 12 POY that would, or should, eliminate Ionescu from consideration for national Player of the Year. I may be, probably am, wrong about this, but it would be really weird imo if the national winner didn't win in her own conference.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Since I believe that, if the current trajectory holds, Alana Smith will be the Pac 12 POY that would, or should, eliminate Ionescu from consideration for national Player of the Year. I may be, probably am, wrong about this, but it would be really weird imo if the national winner didn't win in her own conference.

That has been the norm... not gonna make AA if not 1st team in conference, not gonna make NPOY if not conference POY

 

[Vowelguy]

Since I believe that, if the current trajectory holds, Alana Smith will be the Pac 12 POY that would, or should, eliminate Ionescu from consideration for national Player of the Year. I may be, probably am, wrong about this, but it would be really weird imo if the national winner didn't win in her own conference.

Different set of voters with (possibly) different opinions.

 

[LoTrader]

Alana Smith of Stanford

 

[DaBball]

Going to be tough for Smith to win anything over Ionescu. The triple-double queen is highly worshipped. Smith isn’t as “look at me,” but boy is she a special player.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Ionescu in a landslide.

 

[Reypl21]

Ionescu will win in. If Arike wins it, I would love to hear the fans here have heart attacks. How entertaining lol. Not trying to defend her antics, but her two shots brought more attention to to the game than any of UConn's undefeated seasons could ever... People liked the story,... Injuries and buzzer beater which weren't fabricated. When UConn won their 4th in a row, the world put a snoozer on WCBB. Well at least I did, and I like to watch it... The rest of the world definitely never had a snoozer, they just never gave a sh@t.

 

[bbballfan23]

Still a long season ahead 18 games left for UConn. At this point, it’s Ionescu.

 

[bballnut90]

Since I believe that, if the current trajectory holds, Alana Smith will be the Pac 12 POY that would, or should, eliminate Ionescu from consideration for national Player of the Year. I may be, probably am, wrong about this, but it would be really weird imo if the national winner didn't win in her own conference.

It has happened before. Parker lost SEC POY to Fowles (LSU went 14-0, Tennessee 13-1) but Candace took home the majority of the POY awards that year while Fowles didn't win any.

In regards to players being predetermined POY, I think it's a valid concern as of late, with last year being a good example. A lot of people felt Victoria Vivians was robbed of SEC POY, as she put up great numbers and her team dominated the conference. A'ja missed 3 games and her squad finished just 11-5, yet she still took home honors over Vivians. I thought KLS, Vivians and A'ja all had POY caliber years and should've split the awards, but A'ja swept everything.

To Ionescu's credit, she has had massive games against ranked teams and is having a stellar season. I don't think anyone can argue she doesn't deserve it at this point even if it's bothersome that it feels like a foregone conclusion.

 

[stick]

Why isn't Collier on this list? If anything outside of the Baylor game (which everyone was off for UConn), Collier has been rock solid and been UConn's most consistent player and questionably UConn's best player. She's averaging 17.7 pts, 10.1 reb and shooting over 57%. She's been the most consistent post player in the country. To me only Ionescu (and that can be debatable as I haven't seen much of her) should be ahead of her. Collier might be the most underrated All-American that UConn has had as I consider her soph season to be easily in the top 3 for a single season in terms of offensive stats at UConn. She hasn't come close to that level of efficiency, but she's gotten much better overall as a player.

 

[hussybulldog]

I think amongst the aforementioned players, who ever leads her team to win the championship will win POY. In the event of none of the these teams succeeds, then Ionesco will be the POY.

 

[mbr33ct]

Likely going to be Ionescu... she was "pre -ordained" by ESPN.

If it comes down to ESPN's "pre-ordaining", it will be Arike's to lose, in part due to her exploits during last year's Finals. You may say, but that was last year should not count...agree, but ESPN is keeping it "fresh" in everyone's (voters especially) minds at every games they broadcast this year.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

If it comes down to ESPN's "pre-ordaining", it will be Arike's to lose, in part due to her exploits during last year's Finals. You may say, but that was last year should not count...agree, but ESPN is keeping it "fresh" in everyone's (voters especially) minds at every games they broadcast this year.

Ok... but in the early part of the season, with the "pre season" AA picks and such, Ionescu was ESPNw's pick for NPOY.

 

[LoTrader]

With PAC-12 play just underway, I wouldn't hand the POY Trophy to Sabrina until UO plays past their 2 games with OSU, and, Stanford. Not saying Sabrina isn't the odds on favorite, but all could change if UO & Sabrina don't perform to expectations in PAC-12 play.