Someone thinks we will lose in the title game...

[NFHusky13]

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-b...tions-2014-15-women-college-basketball-season


Guess it's more interesting than saying we will go 10-0 in the Championship...

 

[rvwsleep]

If both teams get there, do you think she would be willing to make a wager on that ?

 

[uconnfan68]

If both teams get there, do you think she would be willing to make a wager on that ?

They will have already played once. Maybe that will change her mind.

 

[rbny1]

Maybe we will lose. Nothing is guaranteed. In any event, it adds a little spice to the discussion for her to go against the majority opinion and say we'll lose.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Mechelle is a respected analyst and neither team has played a game. Is she going back to her roots here a little? No matter. Reasonable people can differ on this one. Personally I like someone calling it against us - heck 2 doing so would be okay with me. Love to have the weight of expectations fall on USC for at least a while. Course if we win in February and by the margins some Boneyard pundits predict then everything changes. The weight of expectations can get to anyone, but I like the toughness of our women and hopefully that will be instilled in our freshmen (I suspect at least Nurse already has it). If we win out 'til the championship game our team walks on the floor with an 81 or 82 game win streak on the line. Going to be an interesting season to be sure.

 

[rocky rococo]

For truly unusual: the PAC as the conference with most diversity in favorites.

 

[Sonny44]

I wish they would all pick someone else.

 

[hoophuskee]

Other interetsing "stuff." DePaul picked by Hayes to get to ff. And Smith not only not picking ND to make ff but not picking them to win ACC - she picked North Carolina.
And imo not enough love for TAM.

 

[EricLA]

If both teams get there, do you think she would be willing to make a wager on that ?

Maybe for $1, but make it $500 or something more substantial and i bet she'd be like "thanks but no thanks!" LOL

 

[Wbbfan1]

Could happen, South Carolina has great talent and has more size. I expect they'll improve on their defense this year as well. Would still favor UConn before the game and with the record in Championship games, the team won't want to be the first one to lose the Championship game.

 

[UcMiami]

Interesting picks and I am really curious about the MD pick in the B1G this year - I know it isn't that inspiring a league and MD made it far in the NCAAs but they did it on the back of their one really good player who has graduated.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Who picks against UConn?

 

[huskeynut]

To each their own.

It assumes both UCONN and SC make it to the final game. UCONN makes it, don't know about SC.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

If both teams are healthy you can bet the ranch UCONN beats SoCar or anyone else in the Title Game!
Granted nothing is ever a sure thing, but really do you, if all things are equal, want to bet against Stewart, MoJeff, KML, Stokes, Chong, Nurse, Tuck, plus the 3 remaining freshmen, with Geno Auriemma coaching, in a 1 game playoff!

 

[Fightin Choke]

I think it's fun to look back at last year's predictions and see how well these prognosticators fared. Here is last year's chart: LINK

UConn was the unanimous favorite, which was correct. They were mostly correct on the SEC and PAC12, unanimously selecting Tennessee and Stanford (Tennessee won their tourney only while Stanford won the regular season only). But besides that, they were not accurate. Duke was the unanimous choice for ACC champ, while in the B12, Baylor only received one vote, with Oklahoma being awarded 3 votes (and Ok. St. one). DePaul received a single vote in the BE, yet won it by 2 games. Only 1 of 5 had Notre Dame in the FF (Voepel). Three people had 75% of the FF correct, but Fagan and Smith only named 2 teams correctly.

 

[alexrgct]

UConn, of course, has a culture of expecting to win a national championship game. For UConn WBB, the MOV has been variable (6, 19, 12, 4, 9, 22, 6, 33, 21), but bottom line, predicting a win over UConn in the national finals is to predict something that's never, ever happened before.

 

[Alydar]

I think it's fun to look back at last year's predictions and see how well these prognosticators fared. Here is last year's chart: LINK

UConn was the unanimous favorite, which was correct. They were mostly correct on the SEC and PAC12, unanimously selecting Tennessee and Stanford (Tennessee won their tourney only while Stanford won the regular season only). But besides that, they were not accurate. Duke was the unanimous choice for ACC champ, while in the B12, Baylor only received one vote, with Oklahoma being awarded 3 votes (and Ok. St. one). DePaul received a single vote in the BE, yet won it by 2 games. Only 1 of 5 had Notre Dame in the FF (Voepel). Three people had 75% of the FF correct, but Fagan and Smith only named 2 teams correctly.

Fagan was left off the "expert" panel this year. Last year they had to edit Fagan's pick for the B12 winner. She originally picked TAMU. If you read the first comments Bill Hunt pointed out her blunder.

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-b...tions-2013-14-women-college-basketball-season

 

[HuskiesU]

MECHELLE
VOEPEL really knows the out come of UConn in Championship games. Her picking SC is just her wanting some team to beat us because she's tired of UConn winning. Even though their talentive I feel they don't have the experience also can they execute in big games which we seen twice last year they cant. Will they have the endurance and drive to play 40 minutes against a good experience discipline team in UConn??

 

[RockyMTblue2]

This year I expect that once again it will be for the pundits: How will UConn handle a close game? Love to get one in early, something for Geno CD at al to chew on. Two posts above touch on something that does haunt me a little. Wbb: "the team won't want to be the first one to lose the Championship game." alex: "predicting a win over UConn in the national finals is to predict something that's never, ever happened before." Fear of losing, playing not to lose can be the elephant in the room. How will the team and coaches deal with that elephant?

 

[johnnyc]

How will the team and coaches deal with that elephant?

Four starters that have been there before.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Four starters that have been there before.

That johnnyc is both part of the answer and part of what has made the elephant.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

The great thing is that we'll get to settle it on the court. That's one reason that basketball>football.

 

[John Glass]

Who picks against UConn?

 

[UcMiami]

MECHELLE
VOEPEL really knows the out come of UConn in Championship games. Her picking SC is just her wanting some team to beat us because she's tired of UConn winning. Even though their talentive I feel they don't have the experience also can they execute in big games which we seen twice last year they cant. Will they have the endurance and drive to play 40 minutes against a good experience discipline team in UConn??

There is a great link to Michelle's column on the ESPN preseason player of the year - Stewart - in todays news links. Reposted here:
http://espn.go.com/womens-college-b...a-stewart-repeats-espnw-preseason-player-year
She really respects Uconn and Geno. And she writes quite well!

 

[PalPa]

This year I expect that once again it will be for the pundits: How will UConn handle a close game? Love to get one in early, something for Geno CD at al to chew on. Two posts above touch on something that does haunt me a little. Wbb: "the team won't want to be the first one to lose the Championship game." alex: "predicting a win over UConn in the national finals is to predict something that's never, ever happened before." Fear of losing, playing not to lose can be the elephant in the room. How will the team and coaches deal with that elephant?

Sounds like you have a premonition of DOOM. All of the concerns you have were just as applicable last year, yet we managed to squeak by in the NC game. Relax, enjoy the season, and good things will come to you in April.