Sporting News and Athlon Preseason Rankings

[NCorBust]

The Sporting News gives its top five spots to Notre Dame, Baylor, Connecticut, Tennessee and Stanford while Athlon drops Notre Dame to the No. 7 position and its top five include Baylor, Tennessee, Connecticut, Louisville and Miami (Fla.).
Full polls
Sporting News
1. Notre Dame
2. Baylor
3. UConn
4. Tennessee
5. Stanford
6. Duke
7. Texas A&M
8. Georgetown
9. Louisville
10. Miami
11. Maryland
12. Penn State
13. Purdue
14. Florida State
15. Georgia
16. Oklahoma
17. North Carolina
18. Kentucky
19. St. John’s
20. Texas
21. USC
22. UCLA
23. Michigan State
24. LSU
25. Texas Tech

Athlon
1. Baylor
2. Tennessee
3. Connecticut
4. Louisville
5. Miami (Fla.)
6. Stanford
7. Notre Dame
8. Duke
9. Texas A&M
10. DePaul
11. Georgetown
12. Rutgers
13. Maryland
14. Georgia
15. North Carolina
16. Penn State
17. UCLA
18. LSU
19. Florida State
20. Oklahoma
21. Ohio State
22. St. John’s
23. Kentucky
24. Oral Roberts
25. Gonzaga

 

[Kibitzer]

The folks at Athlon have a couple surprises in there; e.g. Miami above Notre Dame, Stanford, and Texas A&M. Maybe they know things that posters on various boards don't know, which is within the realm of possibility.

 

[Dman]

where is the link for this

 

[rjp172]

Athlon is notorious for bad research. Their comments about ND were that they lost the majority of their post scoring i.e. Peters graduated. Poor research. Not that any preseason poll matters. I suspect ND will lose games but improve as the season continues much like last year.

 

[VAMike23]

Also a surprise (to me) is DePaul at #10 for Athlon. They lost most of their starters to graduation - I know Hampton is good but they are still a big question mark as a team. We'll see what Doug does with this group.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Rutgers at 12 in Athlon and not in the top 25 in the Sporting News?

Actually, I can understand Miami ahead of N.D. I don't fully agree, but I think they are close.

 

[EricLA]

Rutgers at 12 in Athlon and not in the top 25 in the Sporting News?

Actually, I can understand Miami ahead of N.D. I don't fully agree, but I think they are close.

agree on miami. i've see a few posts by fans from the ACC who think Miami is the preseason #1 in the ACC this year. i'd put them up there, but still behind Duke IMHO. still, it's preseason rankings. as you pointed out, this is the same ND team who lost 8 games last year, 3 out of 4 to UCONN. and the did lose their starting 4. i don't see how you put them ahead of Baylor. and i know L'ville will be good this year, but at #4? we will see. plenty of time for the rankings to shake out.

i still say Baylor, UCONN, ND, Tennessee, Stanford, Duke, Miami, A&M, L'ville, Georgetown...

 

[UConnCat]

The ACC's preseason picks were released today and Miami was selected preseason #1 over Duke. North Carolina was picked to finish #6 (ouch!).

http://www.theacc.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/101811aac.html

 

[MilfordHusky]

So Sylvia's salespitch to Xylina will be: "Come to UNC and help us get to #5 in the conference"?

In terms of players:

Preseason All-ACC Team
Cierra Bravard, Sr., F, Florida State
Shenise Johnson, Sr., G, Miami
Lynetta Kizer, Sr., C, Maryland
Alyssa Thomas, So., F, Maryland
Riquna Williams, Sr., G, Miami

Newcomer Watch List
Elizabeth Williams, Fr., C, Duke
Amber Henson, Fr., F, Duke
Sydney Wallace, Fr., G, Georgia Tech
Brittany Roundtree, Fr., G, North Carolina
Natiece Ford, Fr., G/F, Clemson

Preseason Player of the Year
Shenise Johnson, Sr., G, Miami

Pre-season 1st team--2 from Miami, 2 from Maryland, and 1 from Florida State. No Dukies, no Heels!

My gut tells me that Elizabeth Williams will challenge for post-season honors. She may be the best player in the conference by the end of the year.

 

[MilfordHusky]

agree on miami. i've see a few posts by fans from the ACC who think Miami is the preseason #1 in the ACC this year. i'd put them up there, but still behind Duke IMHO. still, it's preseason rankings. as you pointed out, this is the same ND team who lost 8 games last year, 3 out of 4 to UCONN. and the did lose their starting 4. i don't see how you put them ahead of Baylor. and i know L'ville will be good this year, but at #4? we will see. plenty of time for the rankings to shake out.

i still say Baylor, UCONN, ND, Tennessee, Stanford, Duke, Miami, A&M, L'ville, Georgetown...

Eric, I largely agree with your ranking. I might have ND a little lower, but your list looks very reasonable to me.

 

[UConnCat]

Sylvia Hatchell announced that center Waltiea Rolle is pregnant and will miss at least the first half of the season. Sounds like her due-date is soon and she'll rejoin the team in December. It's possible (and likely I'd say) that she'll take a redshirt year. Good luck to Waltiea and the baby.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...mid-december/2011/10/18/gIQAAqdfuL_story.html

 

[DieHardHusky]

Fair enough...Time shall show the true #1
edit: not saying that we are #1 worthy at this point in time, but we shall see if these rankings are close to accurate or not.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

ACC should be interesting this year. Although Miami is a great pre season pick, I wouldn't count out Duke/Florida State. The Seminoles always manage their way to the upper echelon of the ACC. IF Duke can run its offense through Elizabeth Williams, it maybe end up as the #1 team in the ACC. Maryland has some great players back as well. Should be an interesting year in that conference.

 

[NCorBust]

Just saw a Charlie Creme ranking he did in April, 2011. He has UCONN at #6.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/columns/story?columnist=creme_charlie&id=6396453

 

[MilfordHusky]

Just saw a Charlie Creme ranking he did in April, 2011. He has UCONN at #6.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/columns/story?columnist=creme_charlie&id=6396453

I wonder if Charlie still thinks that 6 months later.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Made me think about Texas AM a little more. They could be better than expected. Bone could be a big bonus for them.....

 

[tigger]

Made me think about Texas AM a little more. They could be better than expected. Bone could be a big bonus for them.....

I totally agree with the A&M thoughts. I've been saying for weeks that they should be ahead of ND.

 

[EricLA]

I totally agree with the A&M thoughts. I've been saying for weeks that they should be ahead of ND.

based on what? they lost their starting PG Colson and their AA forward in Adams. They also lost guard MaryAnn Baker who did start 7 games and averaged over 4 PPG and 17 MPG for them. bone was a very highly rated kid coming out of HS and performed well as a freshman at SC (14 ppg, 9 rpg), so she should be a really solid addition to A&M. but they lost 3 seniors who had a substantial impact (clearly Colson and Adams more than Baker). to me, that's a bit like UCONN losing Moore, Hartley and Dixon.

ND OTOH lost Bruscezfski (sp?) who was their starting 4. a big loss but not nearly as big as what A&M lost... anyway, i respect your opinion, i just don't think Bone is enough of an addition to offset the losses i mentioned above... but that's why the games will be played this year and plenty of time for rankings to shake themselves out!!

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Well, I don't particularly think they should be ranked higher than ND, but I do think they should be top 5 for sure. Yes, they lose Colson, but that return 3 starters and Bone will be a great center for them.

In no certain order I think the top 5 preseason could be UConn, ND, Baylor, Texas A&M and a tie for 5th spot ( Stanford or Tennessee). Stanford lost quite a bit in Pederson and Pohlen. Tennessee just needs its senior class to pull it together.

 

[Icebear]

based on what? they lost their starting PG Colson and their AA forward in Adams. They also lost guard MaryAnn Baker who did start 7 games and averaged over 4 PPG and 17 MPG for them. bone was a very highly rated kid coming out of HS and performed well as a freshman at SC (14 ppg, 9 rpg), so she should be a really solid addition to A&M. but they lost 3 seniors who had a substantial impact (clearly Colson and Adams more than Baker). to me, that's a bit like UCONN losing Moore, Hartley and Dixon.

ND OTOH lost Bruscezski (sp?) who was their starting 4. a big loss but not nearly as big as what A&M lost... anyway, i respect your opinion, i just don't think Bone is enough of an addition to offset the losses i mentioned above... but that's why the games will be played this year and plenty of time for rankings to shake themselves out!!

After Bone's freshman year at USC it is unclear how great of an add she will be how soon in comparison to where Adams was last year.

 

[EricLA]

After Bone's freshman year at USC it is unclear how great of an add she will be how soon in comparison to where Adams was last year.

well totally agree on that account, but bone is a completely different player as well. she had really good numbers as a freshman, especially on the rebounding side. i certainly don't think she goes for 20 and 10 this year. but at 14 and 9 as a freshman, now a junior age wise, she certainly could put up numbers like that. of course, her numbers may have been a tad inflated while at SC due to the overall lack of really high quality scorers on the team. i don't think that's the case at A&M...

 

[tigger]

I think ND has major problems with depth and experience in the frontcourt. Peters and Achonwa are the only ones with playing time, and Wright is a Frosh. They also have no height, with Achonwa being their tallest player at 6'3".

Basically, I think they have a weak frontcourt---don't get me wrong, Peters and Achonwa are both great, but after that...what happens? Lose either of them for extended times in games, or God forbid, extended games and I just think they are in major trouble.

A&M has frontcourt and backcourt depth for days. Admitedly, their backcourt isn't as good as NDs, though White and Carter can get the job done and they have not too shabby Scott and Standish coming in. I don't know anybody other than Baylor who'll be able to challenge the frontcourt of Gilbert, Bone, now 6'6" Mitchell, Elonu, etc.

But like you say, gotta play the games and see what happens. Hell, on paper my Lady Tigers look like they should at least be ranked, but we're not by some and very low by those who are ranking us. Personally, I think we'll make the Sweet 16. Any thoughts from Boneyarders on LSU's prognosis? Please be honest but be kind!!

 

[Northeast86]

I think ND has major problems with depth and experience in the frontcourt. Peters and Achonwa are the only ones with playing time, and Wright is a Frosh. They also have no height, with Achonwa being their tallest player at 6'3".

Basically, I think they have a weak frontcourt---don't get me wrong, Peters and Achonwa are both great, but after that...what happens? Lose either of them for extended times in games, or God forbid, extended games and I just think they are in major trouble.

A&M has frontcourt and backcourt depth for days. Admitedly, their backcourt isn't as good as NDs, though White and Carter can get the job done and they have not too shabby Scott and Standish coming in. I don't know anybody other than Baylor who'll be able to challenge the frontcourt of Gilbert, Bone, now 6'6" Mitchell, Elonu, etc.

But like you say, gotta play the games and see what happens. Hell, on paper my Lady Tigers look like they should at least be ranked, but we're not by some and very low by those who are ranking us. Personally, I think we'll make the Sweet 16. Any thoughts from Boneyarders on LSU's prognosis? Please be honest but be kind!!

Your Tigers should be ranked by the end of the year; however, preseason rankings is all about what you did the year before basically. That is the reason Miami is so high (I think they deserve the 5 ranking).

I believe most voters and fans look at LSU and see unrealized potential. Although they have excellent players they have not had the success that LSU is used to.

For LSU to come up big, and I believe they challenge Tennessee for the SEC, Destiny Hughes must have a strong senior season at the point. She doesn't have to be an All American, even an All SEC, but she needs to live up to her billing. LaSondra Barret needs to shoot the ball well. She has only once shot the ball over 40%- you need a higher percentage out of your wing. Especially where most of those shots are within the arc. Krystal Forthan is talented enough to be all conference her first year. She is LSU's next biggest star. How quickly she adapts will be key. Finally, how quickly the team buys into Nikki Caldwell's coaching philosophy. This is a team who should peak around the SEC tournament and will be dangerous in March.

 

[tigger]

Your Tigers should be ranked by the end of the year; however, preseason rankings is all about what you did the year before basically. That is the reason Miami is so high (I think they deserve the 5 ranking).

I believe most voters and fans look at LSU and see unrealized potential. Although they have excellent players they have not had the success that LSU is used to.

For LSU to come up big, and I believe they challenge Tennessee for the SEC, Destiny Hughes must have a strong senior season at the point. She doesn't have to be an All American, even an All SEC, but she needs to live up to her billing. LaSondra Barret needs to shoot the ball well. She has only once shot the ball over 40%- you need a higher percentage out of your wing. Especially where most of those shots are within the arc. Krystal Forthan is talented enough to be all conference her first year. She is LSU's next biggest star. How quickly she adapts will be key. Finally, how quickly the team buys into Nikki Caldwell's coaching philosophy. This is a team who should peak around the SEC tournament and will be dangerous in March.

I couldn't agree more about Hughes especially and Barrett. Boogie also needs to get that FT % back up. It was in high 80s her freshman year, has steadily declined for some reason, and she takes more than anyone on the team.

I also think that ND's weakness MUST be one of our biggest strengths---using ALL of our bigs, not just Krystal. Plaisance and McKinney can play some ball given the chance. And then we have the 4 "mid-size" players other than Boogie, who are gonna be fighting for playing time hopefully.

Lastly, Webb needs to continue to produce and improve, Kenney needs to get in shape and improve, and Lutley needs to show why she was almost HS AA. And Petersen, the freshman girl from Denmark could be a "ringer"---that would be fun!! NC says she can hit it from anywhere if left open for a second or two!!

 

[triaddukefan]

The ACC's preseason picks were released today and Miami was selected preseason #1 over Duke. North Carolina was picked to finish #6 (ouch!).

http://www.theacc.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/101811aac.html

I was saying when these rankings first appeared.... that UNC should not even be ranked... much less as high as they are.. They will be lucky to finish 6th. I could easily see them as #8.... as UVA and NCSU could surpass them. They have zero front court depth..and. 1 experienced ball handler. Yet of course with their non conference slate... they will probably walk into January with only 1 loss and have a national ranking..only to be exposed after the turn of the calender year.

Anyway...... I would have Miami, Duke, Maryland, FSU, GTech, and UVA as my top 6 ACC schools...

Nationally.... 1) Baylor 2) UCONN 3) Notre Dame 4) Tenn 5) Stanford 6) TAMU 7) Miami 8) Duke 9) Louisville 10) Maryland.