The waaaay too soon 2022 bracketology

[Rb335]

I think Williams will get it done next year because I definitely saw a different player at the end of the year. I feel like the light went on for her kinda like Tina Charles toward the end of her Junior year. She seemed super aggressive and in my opinion the talk about her being up and down will be put to rest. Paige and Azzi will do their thing, but I believe CW will shine the most next year. Not by being better than Paige, but I think she will become a real bucket getter for us and take on more responsibility by doing it at big moments. To my eyes it was like the tournament came and and she instantly matured.

I agree, but honestly felt the same way when she played well in the NCAA tournament her freshman season. I thought she was going to be a first team AA as a sophomore based on what we returned. Below are her two NCAA tournament stats.

Freshman - 5 games, 17.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.4 TO, 0 bpg, 0.6 spg, 49% FG on 65 shots, 44% 3FG on 27 shots, 78% FT on 14 attempts

Junior - 5 games, 18.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.8 TO, 0.4 bpg, 0.6 spg, 47% FG on 76 shots, 39% 3FG on 28 shots, 69% FT on 13 attempts

She scored a bit more, but was less efficient from all areas, likely due to more defensive attention. Otherwise, they are very similar overall post season performances. Both stronger than what she produced during the corresponding regular seasons. To me, she has proven to play well in March/April, but has one last opportunity to put together a full season. I agree she is more than capable. Sorry I know this is a bit off topic.

 

[wolfe613]

I could be wrong but is South Carolina suppose to be the #4 1seed and Baylor the #2 1 seed? Find that very hard to believe that Sc will be that low

 

[BRS24]

I could be wrong but is South Carolina suppose to be the #4 1seed and Baylor the #2 1 seed? Find that very hard to believe that Sc will be that low

I just posted them left to right, no specific seeding order.

 

[wolfe613]

I just posted them left to right, no specific seeding order.

no I clicked the link and South Carolina was in the left side as Uconn

 

[CBus13]

The four seeds are all a surprise to me. But I don’t know too much about each program. But Florida State and WVU seem the most surprising to be that high. Does anyone have insights into those teams?

or is it more so the potential five seeds are less impressive at this point?

 

[BRS24]

no I clicked the link and South Carolina was in the left side as Uconn

On edit - I transposed ISU and Michigan. Originally these were just 4 groups of seeds that I was reading left to right, top to bottom on the screen. Since my original groups 1 & 3 actually play each other in tourney, here's a visual revision:

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Funny they have Louisville as the ACC Champ... I still think the ACC Championship runs through Raleigh.

I totally agree with you there.

 

[MooseJaw]

I think Williams will get it done next year because I definitely saw a different player at the end of the year. I feel like the light went on for her kinda like Tina Charles toward the end of her Junior year. She seemed super aggressive and in my opinion the talk about her being up and down will be put to rest. Paige and Azzi will do their thing, but I believe CW will shine the most next year. Not by being better than Paige, but I think she will become a real bucket getter for us and take on more responsibility by doing it at big moments. To my eyes it was like the tournament came and and she instantly matured.

Right on, the light did go on and just in time. IMO CW was running out of time, 1 or 2 more bad games and she would have been a spot player. I hope she continues to seize the day and helps bring the NC back home. As we have all seen she has the talent to take over a game on both ends of the floor. She is one of the top slashers in WCBB and deserves a title on her cv.

 

[Drew8]

I would prefer to avoid a second round matchup with Arizona. Their strength, speed, quickness and toughness along with good coaching and game plan still has me feeling a bit uneasy.

 

[BRS24]

I've been playing with the data and another spreadsheet (who me?), so when Creme posts a new version of the Bracketology, could someone ping me so that I see it? I rarely go to espn website during the CBB offseason unless I'm checking a score or schedule. thanks!!

 

[Cuango]

I would prefer to avoid a second round matchup with Arizona. Their strength, speed, quickness and toughness along with good coaching and game plan still has me feeling a bit uneasy.

Az won’t be beating UConn again for awhile. They won because they had a very good defensive plan, a good player who was transcendently confident and in the zone, and they were playing a very young, possibly overconfident and inexperienced team who got slapped in the face and never recovered. Both teams are substantially different now, UConn for the better and Az for the worse. Without McDonald, Az is likely going to struggle next season. She lifted that team to a different level with her leadership, confidence, and defensive intensity. I do think they will be a perennial top 25 team for the foreseeable future but next year they will not be a threat to UConn for sure as they simply won’t have the talent. However, Barnes is in on some very good players from the 2022 class and if she gets a couple more of those, she may have them back in the Final Four hunt soon. She already has a verbal from one of the top PGs in that class and will learn tomorrow if Maya Nnaji is going to follow her brother’s footsteps to Arizona. If she does and Barnes can get one more of her targets, we could be looking at the rise of a new power in the west. That would be pretty exciting for a region that has been totally dominated by Stanford for years and years.