So for now, can we maybe put to bed the "SC would really challenge UCONN" discussions?

[EricLA]

I mean let's be honest - UCONN has not played Duke or SC yet, and I get that we lost to Stanford, but I think most fans can agree ND is the 2nd best team in the nation (or maybe it's Texas right now) and while UCONN blew out ND, SC just barely beat a Duke team that UCONN has owned over the years.

Well... maybe we can't rally put it to bed yet, but just like last year when I said SC was over rated due to their super cream puff schedule, they squeak past #23 Syracuse and the first "challenge" they really face, a Duke team on a 2 game losing streak, they escape with a miracle win.

Don't get me wrong - I think SC is a really solid team and a FF contender, but they just aren't at the same level as UCONN right now...

 

[NorCalHuskie]

Ya, for all of those reasons, I'd put SC near #4, and definitely below ND and UCONN. Probably lower than TAMU as well.

 

[JellyBean]

I just wondered who actually said "SC would really challenge UConn" . SC could muck up a game. But we are so used to the physical play of the old Big East, that a game against SC would be a refreshing cool drink of water for us.

 

[Tonyc]

After watching SC struggle against a Duke team who is lacking a bit at the guard spots there is no doubt in my mind UConn is the team to beat. Its UConn and everybody else barring injuries. Beating ND at ND with 24 turnovers and a 28pt turnaround gives me a lot of confidence. Who should be number 2? Good question. There are a lot of good teams TAM SC TX ND but still any of these teams can lose to each other or to some other team in the top 10 or a team in the top 20 that gets hot. UConn wont. The emergence of Tuck and Nurse who will both be around for a few more years and looking ahead Butler and next years class means UConn will be the team to beat for at least 5 more years. Getting back to this season. We have DePaul and UCLA then Duke and later SC. I don't see any of these teams within double digits of UConn. In fact if UConn gets hot it could get ugly. So when the polls come out this week it should be an Undefeated SC at number 1 in some polls and UConn 2 but UConn will be the best team in the country until SC loses.

 

[Woof 101]

I know who the number one team is but I'm not tell'n! Found it funny Duke could not sell enough tickets to keep the SC crowd down. In reality you had #1 beating #9 (which previously already had three losses) by one point. This early in the season that could be a spirit booster for Duke, they were supposed to lose and almost did not.
Personally I hope they keep SC at #1 until after their game on 2/9/15 when they will be forced to adjust the polls.

 

[j66kicker]

I mean let's be honest - UCONN has not played Duke or SC yet, and I get that we lost to Stanford, but I think most fans can agree ND is the 2nd best team in the nation (or maybe it's Texas right now) and while UCONN blew out ND, SC just barely beat a Duke team that UCONN has owned over the years.

Well... maybe we can't rally put it to bed yet, but just like last year when I said SC was over rated due to their super cream puff schedule, they squeak past #23 Syracuse and the first "challenge" they really face, a Duke team on a 2 game losing streak, they escape with a miracle win.

Don't get me wrong - I think SC is a really solid team and a FF contender, but they just aren't at the same level as UCONN right now...

I agree UCONN would probably beat SC. But SC fans, basking in the glow of a #1 ranking and today's nationally-televised win over a top-ten team, are simply not going to agree.

 

[baggerbob]

They barely beat Syracuse without their best player, Sykes who might be back in a couple weeks.

 

[Blueballer]

I mean let's be honest - UCONN has not played Duke or SC yet, and I get that we lost to Stanford, but I think most fans can agree ND is the 2nd best team in the nation (or maybe it's Texas right now) and while UCONN blew out ND, SC just barely beat a Duke team that UCONN has owned over the years.

Well... maybe we can't rally put it to bed yet, but just like last year when I said SC was over rated due to their super cream puff schedule, they squeak past #23 Syracuse and the first "challenge" they really face, a Duke team on a 2 game losing streak, they escape with a miracle win.

Don't get me wrong - I think SC is a really solid team and a FF contender, but they just aren't at the same level as UCONN right now...

Completely agree. Lawson seems to agree too with her "Work in progress" comment at halftime. I thought they were rated too high to start the season. They are going to be really good just not yet.

 

[alexrgct]

I'll definitely be ready to put this discussion to bed...
...on February 10, 2015...

 

[Zorro]

After watching SC struggle against a Duke team who is lacking a bit at the guard spots there is no doubt in my mind UConn is the team to beat. .

C'mon Tony, you knew that BEFORE watching the game!

 

[alexrgct]

Meh....


Interesting comparison can be made here:

In one scenario, the #1-ranked team in wcbb goes on the road in an early-season game of interest against an opponent who is ranked below them but still in the top 10, to play them on their home court. A tough, physical game where the #1 plays below it's standards, and the game comes down to the wire. And the #1-ranked team LOSES....

In the other scenario, the #1-ranked team in wcbb goes on the road in an early-season game of interest against an opponent who is ranked below them but still in the top 10, to play them on their home court. A tough, physical game where the #1 plays below it's standards, and the game comes down to the wire. And the #1-ranked team WINS....

And yet, according to this site, the 1st scenario was regarded as a blessing in disguise to the losing, former #1 team, and one which they can only move on from and improve. And strangely, the 2nd scenario was regarded as proof that the current, still #1 team is undeserving of the #1 ranking, and that they were shown to be the frauds that they are.

It's interesting to observe how those 2 scenarios are playing out. Don't you think??

Uconn seems to have recovered from its loss to beat the snot out of a team that's much better than Duke. A convincing win over Duke as well would give UConn fans all the more reason to feel confident in their team's win against South Carolina in February.

Duke had that win against South Carolina in its grasp and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I'll give SC credit for Tiffany and A'ja scoring five points late, but to be on the cusp of defeat against a team like Duke is not a good sign.

On a tangential note, it's funny to me that a South Carolina fan would descend on a UConn board because his team is emerging for the first time in ages, if not ever, and now will be playing UConn in the regular season, if not in the Tourney as well. This is common on CFB boards as well during bowl season, where threads turn into a series of futile arguments as to who is going to win. Why is that? The game will be played February 9. until it is, there's not much to talk about...at least not when it comes to arguing about the outcome of a future game.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

"... it's funny to me that a South Carolina fan would descend on a UConn board because his team is emerging for the first time in ages, if not ever, and now will be playing UConn in the regular season..."

"funny" no. Once you have heard the one note tune 3 or 4 times in a thread it is just plain boorish, bad manners. Fact is 2 teams showing poor ball movement and lack of coherent offense played a bad brand of ball today.

 

[hoophuskee]

Meh....


Interesting comparison can be made here:

In one scenario, the #1-ranked team in wcbb goes on the road in an early-season game of interest against an opponent who is ranked below them but still in the top 10, to play them on their home court. A tough, physical game where the #1 plays below it's standards, and the game comes down to the wire. And the #1-ranked team LOSES....

In the other scenario, the #1-ranked team in wcbb goes on the road in an early-season game of interest against an opponent who is ranked below them but still in the top 10, to play them on their home court. A tough, physical game where the #1 plays below it's standards, and the game comes down to the wire. And the #1-ranked team WINS....

And yet, according to this site, the 1st scenario was regarded as a blessing in disguise to the losing, former #1 team, and one which they can only move on from and improve. And strangely, the 2nd scenario was regarded as proof that the current, still #1 team is undeserving of the #1 ranking, and that they were shown to be the frauds that they are.

It's interesting to observe how those 2 scenarios are playing out. Don't you think??

The problem with your post imo is that it washes over the UCONN rout of ND. Thus it is probable that the loss was a blessing in disguise vs --what win has USC had that is comparable? Duke? Nah--- I don't think so.

In part because if you were analyzing beginning of the year the issues with USC it would be the perimeter. Did it look like to you that they have that they solved that or are they still in flux? How about the UCONN weakness-what would it be - no Stef and Bria- and how do you think they look after their last game as a comparison? Of course UCONN will continue to "struggle" in some manner vs last year's team - but don't you think UCONN looked a ton better in games vs Stanford then going forward to ND?

Just because someone can be an eternal optimist doesn't make all their opinions wrong going forward. So far it sure does look like the Stanford loss was a blessing, doesn't it? The huskies are much, much, better than the Stanford game, aren't they? Doesn't this core of Huskies have a bit more "pedigree" than USC? So why not if some of us are a "show me" type of fan have a bit of skepticism with USC?

I will say this about Wilson. She is "very" long and athletic (very impressive) and imo should be working 12-15 feet and in. No way in hell is she a "wing" (meaning also a 2guard) as some suggested early in the year-- those were the types of posters that hyped USC.

 

[baggerbob]

"A team that's much better than Duke".why? Because they hadn't lost their top player in Williams yet to go undefeated until they played y'all? They lost their #2 top player in Turner.and lost.

All I took from this game was USC came out against a top-10 caliber opponent on their home floor with unprecedented pressure and expectations placed on themselves, and struggled in the 1st half. Played uncharacteristically poor. And yet only trailed by 4 pts. Our offense was poor, but our defense was stellar. We could've been down by 20 otherwise...

South Carolina came out the 2nd half and shot 14 for 25 (56%). A much better improvement. USC beat Duke despite getting poor performances from it's top 2 players in Mitchell and Welch, who went a combined 6-21 and scored 15 pts. That won't happen often this season.

And yet it's a great learning experience for USC - much like the loss to Stanford was for UConn, according to posters here. We passed our 2nd biggest test and was left still standing. I doubt the voters will penalize USC heavily for one poor half of basketball that they STILL came away from unscathed. The other teams are playing each other and losing, regardless of how they looked on the court. We've yet to do that....

Are you really trying to say, your escape against a Syracuse team without its best player was a great win? Syracuse since Hillsman has been coach, has never been more then an also ran, in the Previous Big East, or now in the ACC. To barely beat them at a neutral site, without their best player, should frighten you about playing UConn at home.

 

[MarieYLee]

I agree, UConn should beat SC easily, but they again, they should've beaten Stanford by 20+ as well. Thats why you play the game, anything can happen. From a talent prospective, Stanford really should've have challenged UConn at all, even if they had HC advantage.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Can a South Carolina fan explain this picture that has been posted on Twitter

 

[baggerbob]

Why would you comprehend that at all from my comments? I stated the Duke win was the 2nd-biggest test, simply meaning that our game versus ranked Syracuse was the 1st biggest test. "Biggest", meaning compared to all the other opponents USC has played thus far this young season. Relatively speaking, entirely....it's Duke, Syracuse, then all the others.

Ok you explained yourself, and I can agree with that, thanks.

 

[easttexastrash]

I don't understand all of this ballyhoo about who is number 1. When Baylor lost to Stanford two years ago I don't even recall how long it took Baylor to be ranked #1 again. Maybe after the win over UCONN? Turned out to be irrelevant at the end of the year.

 

[mrmojack]

SC plays 3 ranked teams, #13 Kentucky, #5 Texas A&M and #19 Georgia
prior to their visit to Gampel on Feb 9. They could show up undefeated
and flying high. I hope they show up undefeated, that will make for good
TV(ESPN2) ratings for WBB.

 

[EricLA]

I don't understand all of this ballyhoo about who is number 1. When Baylor lost to Stanford two years ago I don't even recall how long it took Baylor to be ranked #1 again. Maybe after the win over UCONN? Turned out to be irrelevant at the end of the year.

For the record, I am the one who was the OP in this thread and I did not bring up who should be #1, although I do believe it should be UCONN. After all, Stanford was #6, beat #1 UCONN, and jumped over everyone else to claim the #1 spot even tho the teams in front of them did not lose.

My point is SC did not look like world beaters and it's the 3rd game this year that SC has had a very average performance. 1st was the 8 point win over USC. 2nd was the narrow victory over Syracuse. 3rd is the come from behind miracle vs. Duke. UCONN had one game where they did not play well and looked average. SC has had 3 of them now.

 

[watanabe]

Ok you explained yourself, and I can agree with that, thanks.

Except this is a UConn board and SC is going DOWN!

 

[easttexastrash]

For the record, I am the one who was the OP in this thread and I did not bring up who should be #1, although I do believe it should be UCONN. After all, Stanford was #6, beat #1 UCONN, and jumped over everyone else to claim the #1 spot even tho the teams in front of them did not lose.

My point is SC did not look like world beaters and it's the 3rd game this year that SC has had a very average performance. 1st was the 8 point win over USC. 2nd was the narrow victory over Syracuse. 3rd is the come from behind miracle vs. Duke. UCONN had one game where they did not play well and looked average. SC has had 3 of them now.

It's all about the W. I don't think FSU is better than Baylor in football, but they don't have an L.

Contrary to what popular songs say, it's not all about that base, it's all about that W.

 

[rvwsleep]

It's all about the W. I don't think FSU is better than Baylor in football, but they don't have an L.

Contrary to what popular songs say, it's not all about that base, it's all about that W.

That would be "bass" no treble.

 

[hoophuskee]

Actually IMO the problem with this post is that USC just played Duke. They played them earlier today. And they beat them. You give UConn credit for doing something that USC hasn't yet had a chance to do: respond to a loss to a top-10 ranked opponent on their floor. You give USC demerits because they haven't had a chance to show that they can come storming back from such a loss, to make renewed claims to the #1 ranking. Because, well....USC hasn't lost yet. And there's no chance yet given that USC could route UK, it's next ranked opponent who just beat top-10 Louisville. IMO, it's all unfairly discrediting USC for failures that they have yet to suffer, while at the same time crediting UConn for failures it has.....

I give USC demerits vs. UCONN because the way they won today is the same way they won last year-- you have the same weakness. And because a few said Wilson was a wing as she could be used as a regular 2guard in a set offense. Absurd. But I don't give USC demerits vs. the field.

I replied to your post because you washed your hands of UCONN beneftting from the loss. You didn't answer any of my questions so I'll ask it differently this time- has UCONN played much better since it's loss from Stanford? If the answer is yes then you have a bit of proof that UCONN has benefitted from the loss, don't you?

As for USC- you are exactly right -- theyhaven't yet had the chance to respond to a loss. So may I ask why should they get the benefit of the doubt that they can respond well by answering questions as to their suspect perimeter play? Because you say-so? What pedigree does your team have to show they can respond? An inferior UNC team beat you twice last year.

Why should any of us believe that USC can win a title with such weak perimeter play, and by using Wilson and Coates as a frosh and soph. of which you are going to rely heavily on that -vs experienced/or older Stokes/Stewie and Tuck?

Sure you can win - but until such time --my 1st reply to you was in essence you seemed to imply that we are on "equal ground" in some manner and imo we aren't. We're better than you as of this moment -- and our game has flourished since the loss. The very fact you spoke "you haven't yet had a chance to repsond" tells me all I need to know of where you think we are otherwise why bring up about USC responding? They wouldn't need to repsond if they were better - at least if you thought they were.

So I don't understand why you've responded to the thread in the manner you have. I think what some of us are telling you in a way is - let's see you clean up your big weakness and until then some of us "don't believe." Maybe you don't need to clean up. Well then -- show me like Stanford did. Though Stanford has "pedigree." You don't. Show me . . . I don't believe a frosh and a soph can outplay our frontline without great perimeter play. Show me.

 

[easttexastrash]

That would be "bass" no treble.

It was no "trouble" at all. (-;