SCs title to lose?

[triaddukefan]

Like the late Dennis Green said...

 

[ConwayGmck]

Like the late Dennis Green said...


View attachment 72042

You left the audio off......

 

[CL82]

Uhm. UConn ain’t dead yet.

No, but South Carolina is the team to beat. You guys have looked very, very good. If this was your first go round at a championship, I would say that that is a tougher burden than most people think, but Dawn Staley is a good coach who has been there before.

It ain’t over til it’s over, but the Gamecocks are the front runners. Hopefully will be able to take a little of that pressure off you the next time we meet.

 

[Orangutan]

You left the audio off......

"If you want to crown them, then crown their a**! But they are who we thought they were! And we let 'em off the hook!"

 

[Orangutan]

South Carolina is the clear favorite but I wouldn't go so far as to say they are a "prohibitive" favorite or that it's theirs to lose.

Their have been UConn teams that have been bigger favorites and lost. There are several teams that could beat them if they put it all together. They will be tested starting at the Elite 8. They are the single biggest favorite but I don't think they are over 50% to win the title.

I suppose a lot depends on whether Paige comes back and how effective she is if she does. If she comes back at even 90% that muddies the picture by re-introducing UConn as another legit title threat.

 

[GoChips20]

South Carolina is the clear favorite but I wouldn't go so far as to say they are a "prohibitive" favorite or that it's theirs to lose.

Their have been UConn teams that have been bigger favorites and lost. There are several teams that could beat them if they put it all together. They will be tested starting at the Elite 8. They are the single biggest favorite but I don't think they are over 50% to win the title.

I suppose a lot depends on whether Paige comes back and how effective she is if she does. If she comes back at even 90% that muddies the picture by re-introducing UConn as another legit title threat.

Totally agree. The 17-18 UConn team in particular had to be a heavier favorite than this Carolina team would be.

Many have said Paige is likely out for the year, but I’m not so sure — even if she’s predicted to return in February and doesn’t come back until March, you could still play her in the tournament. Her freshman season didn’t count against her eligibility and you’re not keeping Paige in college six years so I’m not sure what would hold her out unless she’s there’s true concern over her health and readiness.

 

[LoTrader]

South Carolina is the clear favorite but I wouldn't go so far as to say they are a "prohibitive" favorite or that it's theirs to lose.

Their have been UConn teams that have been bigger favorites and lost. There are several teams that could beat them if they put it all together. They will be tested starting at the Elite 8. They are the single biggest favorite but I don't think they are over 50% to win the title.

I suppose a lot depends on whether Paige comes back and how effective she is if she does. If she comes back at even 90% that muddies the picture by re-introducing UConn as another legit title threat.

I think NC State and Stanford, at this moment, are the only teams capable of beating South Carolina

 

[Stymie]

Too early to crown SC.
UCONN was even or a better team for 2.5 quarters but there are 4 quarters in a game.
I’m not sure that UCONN will be healthy enough this year to make a run on them.
But I will say that falling way behind and needing to come back is a bad habit for SC get in to.
It works until it doesn’t.
Couple of injuries.
Foul trouble for one player in particular will cause them problems.
Lotta games to play before-sh... er stuff happens.
I do believe that SC is vulnerable.
Stanford can beat them.
UCONN (healthy) can beat them.
NC is a good team.
Maryland is a good team.
“That’s why they play the games...)

 

[triaddukefan]

s.
I do believe that SC is vulnerable.
Stanford can beat them.
UCONN (healthy) can beat them.
NC is a good team.
Maryland is a good team.
“That’s why they play the games...)

Come on man..... let's hope a certain poster doesn't see this

 

[baggerbob]

Too early to crown SC.
UCONN was even or a better team for 2.5 quarters but there are 4 quarters in a game.
I’m not sure that UCONN will be healthy enough this year to make a run on them.
But I will say that falling way behind and needing to come back is a bad habit for SC get in to.
It works until it doesn’t.
Couple of injuries.
Foul trouble for one player in particular will cause them problems.
Lotta games to play before-sh... er stuff happens.
I do believe that SC is vulnerable.
Stanford can beat them.
UCONN (healthy) can beat them.
NC is a good team.
Maryland is a good team.
“That’s why they play the games...)

A great defending Championship team with Griner was odds on favorites to repeat.
Then they ran into Louisville, one of the great upsets.

 

[baggerbob]

A great defending Championship team with Griner was odds on favorites to repeat.
Then they ran into Louisville, one of the great upsets.

I still believe Uconn would have won the rematch, Stewie was on a completely different level at that time.

 

[GCKSFN4L]

Well the good news for the rest of the field is that SC has yet to play it's best basketball, the bad news for the rest of the field SC has yet to play it's best basketball.
I don't make any assumptions on the team's ability to get it done, but if it is to happen we'll have to raise our level of play to do it. What excites me about this team is that this team can withstand a lights out shooting Stanford team for a half and still pull off the win despite not playing our best. I believe any team that can reasonably rebound with us and have some efficient shooting guards from beyond the arc can beat us. But if SC can find a good offensive flow this team has the potential to be scary.

 

[JellyBean]

South Carolina is looking like the favorite. If everyone can stay healthy and they run through the SEC undefeated and they keep that same intensity they have while running through the SEC, the other teams in the NCAA better watch out.

 

[visitingcock]

South Carolina is looking like the favorite. If everyone can stay healthy and they run through the SEC undefeated and they keep that same intensity they have while running through the SEC, the other teams in the NCAA better watch out.

Some assert that single loss would not hurt our seeding and would serve us well to remain focused and motivated.

 

[Stymie]

Some assert that single loss would not hurt our seeding and would serve us well to remain focused and motivated.

If (when) they lose it depends how they lose.
There are nail biter losses, and then there are cave in, exposing losses.
And there is always the potential of injuries (don’t we know it).

 

[Cockygirl]

Too early to crown SC.
UCONN was even or a better team for 2.5 quarters but there are 4 quarters in a game.
I’m not sure that UCONN will be healthy enough this year to make a run on them.
But I will say that falling way behind and needing to come back is a bad habit for SC get in to.
It works until it doesn’t.
Couple of injuries.
Foul trouble for one player in particular will cause them problems.
Lotta games to play before-sh... er stuff happens.
I do believe that SC is vulnerable.
Stanford can beat them.
UCONN (healthy) can beat them.
NC is a good team.
Maryland is a good team.
“That’s why they play the games...)

I do not doubt that SC can be beaten but to say UConn beat us for 2.5 quarters just isn’t true. We scored more than UConn in quarters 2,3 and 4.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Some assert that single loss would not hurt our seeding and would serve us well to remain focused and motivated.

That's nervous nellies.

There is no more pressure in the tournament being undefeated or having three losses. Lose and you go home.

 

[Stymie]

I do not doubt that SC can be beaten but to say UConn beat us for 2.5 quarters just isn’t true. We scored more than UConn in quarters 2,3 and 4.

I watched the game with a critical eye.
If you think Coach Staley will sleep well the night before she has to play a healthy UCONN, well , I don’t what to tell you .
Round-1 SC
Round-2 probably SC
After that, all bets are off.
As they say “ that’s why they play the games”.

 

[TC22]

I watched the game with a critical eye.
If you think Coach Staley will sleep well the night before she has to play a healthy UCONN, well , I don’t what to tell you .
Round-1 SC
Round-2 probably SC
After that, all bets are off.
As they say “ that’s why they play the games”.

Don’t think Dawn has slept well after UConn, MD, Duke or Stanford game. Her strategy seems to be to keep her starters out of foul trouble the entire first half and them turning them completely loose in the 2nd half. That we ran the table with Henderson out, which included Duke and Maryland, is impressive. We saw how important Henny is to this team. It won’t completely surprise me if this team drops a game but the mental toughness it takes to not give in when down by double digits to UConn and Stanford and Md is what sets them apart.

 

[Cockygirl]

I watched the game with a critical eye.
If you think Coach Staley will sleep well the night before she has to play a healthy UCONN, well , I don’t what to tell you .
Round-1 SC
Round-2 probably SC
After that, all bets are off.
As they say “ that’s why they play the games”.

And that’s why you play 4 quarters. I doubt Dawn sleeps well before any game because you can’t take any for granted:

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I watched the game with a critical eye.
If you think Coach Staley will sleep well the night before she has to play a healthy UCONN, well , I don’t what to tell you .
Round-1 SC
Round-2 probably SC
After that, all bets are off.
As they say “ that’s why they play the games”.

Aside from the ten minutes or so where UConn went on a 28-9 run, the Huskies were out scored 64-29. So I'm not really impressed with 2.5 quarters or whatever folks are wanting to say.

If UConn made a few more shots here and there and didn't nearly get shut out in a quarter for the second time in three meetings, the game would have been to the wire. It really could have been very close with just a couple more buckets at the right time. But that's not how it went.

South Carolina will be very concerned with UConn in the tournament especially if the supporting cast figures out how to play in the absence and Bueckers returns and doesn't mess that up. Ducharme is worrying for all UConn's opponents because she doesn't seem like she's content to be the passive offensive player that so many of the Huskies seem to be.

 

[sun]

IMO Stanford is the team to beat.
They have the national title, experienced players, and lost an away game by blowing a huge lead.
That must have really lit an emotional fire that the polls don't reflect.
That SC has all of the AP's 1st place votes is understandable, but doesn't reflect the true odds for an alternate outcome in the tourney.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

IMO Stanford is the team to beat.
They have the national title, experienced players, and lost an away game by blowing a huge lead.
That must have really lit an emotional fire that the polls don't reflect.
That SC has all of the AP's 1st place votes is understandable, but doesn't reflect the true odds for an alternate outcome in the tourney.

Stanford is the one team that I've seen rebound with SC the last two seasons. I think they are at least co-favorites.

 

[jchusky]

this thread was definitely made to jinx South Carolina.

 

[visitingcock]

That's nervous nellies.

There is no more pressure in the tournament being undefeated or having three losses. Lose and you go home.

And we see why Nellie was nervous