Top 5

[nwhoopfan]

If Stanford, Oregon, and OSU all remain healthy, then it is going to be a fun season to see who will come out on top.

Will definitely be interesting.

The way last year went, I don't think any team escaped the season without significant injuries. Keeping an entire roster healthy seems like a pipe dream these days.

 

[DaBball]

Cox is certainly much more versatile. For brutally efficient low post scoring not many players in the country are better than Hebard. Anyway I think you have to look at the front courts as a unit, not just a 1 on 1 matchup. The last go around it was Brown/Hebard and Cox/Sabally, so a direct comparison of Cox and Hebard may be irrelevant.


edit:
I know stats are for losers, but Hebard has had a more productive career hands down. She played more as a Fr., their minutes have been almost identical the last 2 seasons. Big margin in points, rebounds and cavernous gulf in FG% in Hebard's favor. Big edge to Cox in assists and blocks, plus she's known as a very good defender generally speaking. Hebard is a non-entity when it comes to 3 point shooting, but Cox has only made 36 in 106 games at a .330 clip. That's not really that big of a factor. One made 3 every 3 games? Look at the overall FG%--.495 to .640. Cox hits FTs at a higher clip but Hebard has more attempts and more made. Like I said Cox is more versatile but there are things that Hebard does better. By a wide margin.

Yes, but I stand by my opinion that I would much rather ONO guard Hebard than Cox, and it isn’t close.

Also, UO was pretty bad Hebard’s freshman year (less than .500 in conference), while Cox was on a good Baylor team, so that doesn’t say much for me. Hebard would have sat behind Mompremier and Brown too.

 

[DefenseBB]

I just think that since Baylor has a better post than Oregon (Cox vs. Hebard isn’t even close IMO), I think UConn matches better with Oregon than they do against Baylor.

Umm, I am not a huge Hebard fan but Cox vs. Hebard is significantly closer than you are intimidating. Cox has benefited greatly by having Brown be the focal point of the defense so let’s see what happens when teams scheme against her.
I am still curious who will run point for the Bears and how the outside scoring develops

 

[triaddukefan]

I think some of them could jump into the top Top 8. They just need the season to start so we see how good or not good they will be.

Texas - Has Higgs, Sutton, and Holmes all returning as Sr Leaders.
Miami - Not sure what they lost, but they still have Mompremeir
Miss State- We know is Coached well, so I expect to hear some noise from them.

Those 3 jump off the page at me off that list. I'll be honest though don't know enough about the other's rosters to make a judgement.

Mompremier lost her tag team partner Hof to graduation. The best three-point threat... the other euro decided against using her 5th year of eligibility.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Yes, but I stand by my opinion that I would much rather ONO guard Hebard than Cox, and it isn’t close.

Also, UO was pretty bad Hebard’s freshman year (less than .500 in conference), while Cox was on a good Baylor team, so that doesn’t say much for me. Hebard would have sat behind Mompremier and Brown too.

Well we aren't quite gonna see eye to eye on this. Depending on who Baylor pairs w/ Cox, Hebard maybe wouldn't be guarding her, Satou would. Which makes the Hebard vs. ONO defensive comparison irrelevant. Also if Cox and Hebard were matched up, I gotta think Ruthy would make Cox work much harder on defense than ONO would. So there's that.

UO wasn't bad Hebard's Fr. year, they were a very young team that was figuring out how to win games, and the Pac 12 is better than the Big 12 top to bottom. The Ducks went exactly as far in the NCAA Tourney as Baylor did. Hmm...


edit--I mean seriously, once you get past Baylor the Big 12 is...sorry I fell asleep. Texas perpetually underachieves and what has anybody else from that conference done in forever? The year you are referring to, I would say Oregon was better than the #3 team from the Big 12, Oklahoma. Easily.

 

[skilz]

Umm, I am not a huge Hebard fan but Cox vs. Hebard is significantly closer than you are intimidating. Cox has benefited greatly by having Brown be the focal point of the defense so let’s see what happens when teams scheme against her.
I am still curious who will run point for the Bears and how the outside scoring develops

Cox will surprise many this year. I'd take her any day of the week over Hebard. Cox played her role, which was to feed Brown. Several players can play the point: Cooper, Landrum, Scott- Grayson, and Ursin. KM did a great job making Jackson the point. I don't see an issue this coming year.

 

[militarydog]

My thoughts exactly. A lot of teams are going to look like world beaters early versus a soft non-conference schedule, but I feel really good in my prediction that one of these teams will win the title, perhaps playing against one another.

I second this. As a fan of Mississippi State I’m certainly hopeful for a great season but think there are too many questions to be in this conversation yet.

 

[Dwilliams02]

Baylor
Stanford
Oregon
Texas AM
Maryland
Oregon State

Did six teams cause I think this is where the tier cuts off.

Even if Westbrook is eligible I don’t see UConn making the top tier this year. I’m a fan, just think they are second tier this year. With a good run they make the Elite Eight but the final four will be a challenge with who they have.

I'd put UConn over OSU and A&M any day. They lost a lot but if ONO makes that big jump. Then they'll be better than they were last year. They lacked that true big. Getting that opens up for their guards. I also see Williams providing All American impact.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

1) Did she schedule tough non conference opponents this year?
2) Ashley Owusu will be a phenomenal lead guard

Only tough games this upcoming season are South Carolina at home and NC State on the road. I do not know who their Thanksgiving weekend opponents are. The Big 10 will have another quiet year. Ohio State did have a good offseason.

 

[LoTrader]

I'd put UConn over OSU and A&M any day. They lost a lot but if ONO makes that big jump. Then they'll be better than they were last year. They lacked that true big. Getting that opens up for their guards. I also see Williams providing All American impact.

I don't see in UCONN's lineup next season, reason to believe they will be better after losing to graduation, two WNBA players (one who is likely rookie of the year).

 

[Jmsdawg]

I don't see in UCONN's lineup next season, reason to believe they will be better after losing to graduation, two WNBA players (one who is likely rookie of the year).

Agree, in addition, I still think the lack of a dominate post will be a problem in as far as the top five is concerned. UConn strength is with the guards, great guards are very valuable but they usually are not rebounders and that is were the big bodies really excel.

 

[Bayloralum]

Umm, I am not a huge Hebard fan but Cox vs. Hebard is significantly closer than you are intimidating. Cox has benefited greatly by having Brown be the focal point of the defense so let’s see what happens when teams scheme against her.
I am still curious who will run point for the Bears and how the outside scoring develops

Cox will be fine now that she has the green light to go off now that brown is gone. Also, there are many guards on the team that can run point. The 3 guards in the starting line up had a high assist to turnover ratio. Also, there will be more than 1 threat from the 3 point line. Didi has been working on her 3 point shooting. Cooper can hit it but not in a high rate! Moon ursin was great from 3’s. Decosta is going to be deadly from out there

 

[SCspur]

I don't see in UCONN's lineup next season, reason to believe they will be better after losing to graduation, two WNBA players (one who is likely rookie of the year).

I guess Geno will have to once again show you all why UConn is the best basketball program in the country. While I don’t believe they will be as good as years past they still will be top 5 imo. Year after year we expect them to fall off but they always exceed expectations and I don’t think this year will be any different.

 

[Dwilliams02]

I guess Geno will have to once again show you all why UConn is the best basketball program in the country. While I don’t believe they will be as good as years past they still will be top 5 imo. Year after year we expect them to fall off but they always exceed expectations and I don’t think this year will be any different.

Lol I just was shocked to see some put Oregon State and Texas a&m over UConn. Which I think with the team now, UConn is better than.

My top 5
Baylor Oregon( 1a&1b)
Stanford
UConn
South Carolina (I think They have enough leadership to go with the young players.)

6-10
Maryland
Mississippi State
Ucla
Oregon State
Texas A&M

I'll slide Notre Dame in once I see their roster completed and schedule.

 

[LoTrader]

Lol I just was shocked to see some put Oregon State and Texas a&m over UConn. Which I think with the team now, UConn is better than.

My top 5
Baylor Oregon( 1a&1b)
Stanford
UConn
South Carolina (I think They have enough leadership to go with the young players.)

6-10
Maryland
Mississippi State
Ucla
Oregon State
Texas A&M

I'll slide Notre Dame in once I see their roster completed and schedule.

We probably won't know until well into the season if UCONN is better than Texas A&M or Oregon State. As far as Oregon State goes, it has much do to do with OSU's Roster "health". If all are healthy on OSU's roster, then it is not a stretch to see OSU performing very well next season.

 

[DaBball]

Lol I just was shocked to see some put Oregon State and Texas a&m over UConn. Which I think with the team now, UConn is better than.

My top 5
Baylor Oregon( 1a&1b)
Stanford
UConn
South Carolina (I think They have enough leadership to go with the young players.)

6-10
Maryland
Mississippi State
Ucla
Oregon State
Texas A&M

I'll slide Notre Dame in once I see their roster completed and schedule.

I'm excited to see who steps up for SC. They lose their top two leading scorers in Cooper and Jennings (also their leading rebounder), but they certainly have the players to step up. I'm interested to see what version of Herbert-Harrigan we see, as even SC fans were critical of her being inconsistent, not giving full effort, and lacking discipline at times late in the season. She has a very, very high ceiling, and will be a problem if she works out all the little things -- because the talent and athleticism is surely there.
[/QUOTE]

 

[DefenseBB]

Opinions can vary and they should however questions with some programs have to be noted and answered. For example it is noted that SC has a young and talented team with the ONLY leader being Ty Harris. MHH is not a leader. She has skills but has been inconsistent and with a questionable work ethic. Is that enough to lead this SC team over Texas A&M? I am not so sure.
Does UConn get Westbrook for this year? Will Ania (Anna) surprise many with her pro league experience, will Liv, Meg and CW all step up their games to help with what KLS and Phee took with them.
Will Kim continue to work her magic with point guards and will they really develop an outside shooting presence (they haven’t shown it in a few years so stating it will is met with skepticism).
Stanford too has talent but where is their leadership and with UO and OSU along with UCLA it will be a battle.
I am not saying some of these questions have no answers but they are fair and legitimate questions to ask and watch to see it unfold. Is Baylor a top 2-absolutely, is it a foregone conclusion they will win (they are not Stewie/Mo/Morgan) probably not.
How will Oregon mesh with greater expectations?
This is a better anticipated WCBB season than most have been and maybe ever. Just keep the discussions positive and rational with noted evidence of your opinions is all I ask.
For argument sake here’s my top 10
1. Baylor (see @skilz I believe in Kim!)
2. Oregon (I also believe Hebard is much better than most believe)
3. UConn (I expect Westbrook to be eligible with big steps taken by the others and Ania surprising us)
4. OSU (this was a tough choice but with health and Slocum being back for year 2, Scott is a good guy to bet on)
5. Texas A&M with the whole squad back and maybe with Carter more under control, Coach Blair has one of his best teams ever.
6. Maryland (talent is there Coaching is not). Add in a soft schedule and this team may not be battle tested.
7. Stanford has lots of talent and a great coach. That said she hasn’t won since 1992 and has a much tougher conference and a young team.
8. Norte Dame is here not because I believe in the roster on paper but because when the chips are down MM always gets the best out of her teams. I soooo hope I am wrong but won’t bet on it!
9. Miss State again with this coach who preaches defense and a history of development on his resume, I have to go with him here over-
10. South Carolina. Sorry my Gamecock brethren but while the team has talent, the defections (and a retraction) along with a very young team cause me pause at putting them higher. Great that MHH is back but clearly there is friction and that can affect a young team.
UCLA, Arizona, Arkansas, Miami, Kentucky all have upside. So have at it my fellow BYers and let me know the error of my ways!

 

[SCspur]

Lol I just was shocked to see some put Oregon State and Texas a&m over UConn. Which I think with the team now, UConn is better than.

My top 5
Baylor Oregon( 1a&1b)
Stanford
UConn
South Carolina (I think They have enough leadership to go with the young players.)

6-10
Maryland
Mississippi State
Ucla
Oregon State
Texas A&M

I'll slide Notre Dame in once I see their roster completed and schedule.

I think SC will probably be behind Maryland to start the year but Texas A&M will probably be better than 10th. Other than that I agree.

 

[LoTrader]

Opinions can vary and they should however questions with some programs have to be noted and answered. For example it is noted that SC has a young and talented team with the ONLY leader being Ty Harris. MHH is not a leader. She has skills but has been inconsistent and with a questionable work ethic. Is that enough to lead this SC team over Texas A&M? I am not so sure.
Does UConn get Westbrook for this year? Will Ania (Anna) surprise many with her pro league experience, will Liv, Meg and CW all step up their games to help with what KLS and Phee took with them.
Will Kim continue to work her magic with point guards and will they really develop an outside shooting presence (they haven’t shown it in a few years so stating it will is met with skepticism).
Stanford too has talent but where is their leadership and with UO and OSU along with UCLA it will be a battle.
I am not saying some of these questions have no answers but they are fair and legitimate questions to ask and watch to see it unfold. Is Baylor a top 2-absolutely, is it a foregone conclusion they will win (they are not Stewie/Mo/Morgan) probably not.
How will Oregon mesh with greater expectations?
This is a better anticipated WCBB season than most have been and maybe ever. Just keep the discussions positive and rationale with noted evidence of your opinions is all I ask.
For argument sake here’s my top 10
1. Baylor (see @skilz I believe in Kim!)
2. Oregon (I also believe Hebard is much better than most believe)
3. UConn (I expect Westbrook to be eligible with big steps taken by the others and Ania surprising us)
4. OSU (this was a tough choice but with health and Slocum being back Scott is a good guy to bet on)
5. Texas A&M with the whole squad back and maybe with Carter more under control, Coach Blair has on of his best teams ever.
6. Maryland (talent is there Coaching is not). Add in a soft schedule and this team may not be battle tested.
7. Stanford has lots of talent and a great coach. That said she hasn’t won since 1992 and has a much tougher conference and a young team.
8. Norte Dame is here not because I believe in the roster on paper but because when the chips are down MM always gets the best out of her teams. I soooo hope I am wrong but won’t bet on it!
9. Miss State again with this coach who preaches defense and a history of development on his resume, I have to go with him here over-
10. South Carolina. Sorry my Gamecock brethren but while the team has talent, the defections (and a retraction) along with a very young team cause me pause at putting them higher. Great that MHH is back but clearly there is friction and that can affect a young team.
UCLA, Arizona, Arkansas, Miami, Kentucky all have upside. So have it my fellow BYers and let me know the error of my ways!

I almost always agree with @DefenseBB, and in this case I do! The one variable which is HUGE for UCONN is whether or not Westbrook is eligible. Westbrook is that good, and, important, for UCONN's success next season.

 

[SCspur]

I'm excited to see who steps up for SC. They lose their top two leading scorers in Cooper and Jennings (also their leading rebounder), but they certainly have the players to step up. I'm interested to see what version of Herbert-Harrigan we see, as even SC fans were critical of her being inconsistent, not giving full effort, and lacking discipline at times late in the season. She has a very, very high ceiling, and will be a problem if she works out all the little things -- because the talent and athleticism is surely there.

[/QUOTE]

This will likely be Herbert Harrigan’s best year IMO in terms of leadership and stepping up her overall game. She doesn’t have to be vocal to be a leader there’s a thing called leading by example. She led the team in scoring and averaged 17 points per game. I seen her last month at SC’s Elite camp and she was practicing on the side shooting 3’s and knocking them down consistently. She just needs to give more effort defensively and rebounding wise because she’s definitely capable of averaging a double double.

 

[DaBball]

This will likely be Herbert Harrigan’s best year IMO in terms of leadership and stepping up her overall game. She doesn’t have to be vocal to be a leader there’s a thing called leading by example. She led the team in scoring and averaged 17 points per game. I seen her last month at SC’s Elite camp and she was practicing on the side shooting 3’s and knocking them down consistently. She just needs to give more effort defensively and rebounding wise because she’s definitely capable of averaging a double double.

She averaged 17 PPG? Per the stats, it was about 10 PPG, and she was the fourth leading scorer?

 

[SCspur]

She averaged 17 PPG? Per the stats, it was about 10 PPG, and she was the fourth leading scorer?

Postseason sorry, she averaged 10ppg on the season and led the team in postseason play with 17ppg. It comes down to consistency with her because she can definitely score big.

 

[LoTrader]

Postseason sorry, she averaged 10ppg on the season and led the team in postseason play with 17ppg. It comes down to consistency with her because she can definitely score big.

She has incredible potential beyond how good of a player she has previously demonstrated. Will she step up and be that "GO TO" player?

 

[skilz]

Opinions can vary and they should however questions with some programs have to be noted and answered. For example it is noted that SC has a young and talented team with the ONLY leader being Ty Harris. MHH is not a leader. She has skills but has been inconsistent and with a questionable work ethic. Is that enough to lead this SC team over Texas A&M? I am not so sure.
Does UConn get Westbrook for this year? Will Ania (Anna) surprise many with her pro league experience, will Liv, Meg and CW all step up their games to help with what KLS and Phee took with them.
Will Kim continue to work her magic with point guards and will they really develop an outside shooting presence (they haven’t shown it in a few years so stating it will is met with skepticism).
Stanford too has talent but where is their leadership and with UO and OSU along with UCLA it will be a battle.
I am not saying some of these questions have no answers but they are fair and legitimate questions to ask and watch to see it unfold. Is Baylor a top 2-absolutely, is it a foregone conclusion they will win (they are not Stewie/Mo/Morgan) probably not.
How will Oregon mesh with greater expectations?
This is a better anticipated WCBB season than most have been and maybe ever. Just keep the discussions positive and rationale with noted evidence of your opinions is all I ask.
For argument sake here’s my top 10
1. Baylor (see @skilz I believe in Kim!)
2. Oregon (I also believe Hebard is much better than most believe)
3. UConn (I expect Westbrook to be eligible with big steps taken by the others and Ania surprising us)
4. OSU (this was a tough choice but with health and Slocum being back Scott is a good guy to bet on)
5. Texas A&M with the whole squad back and maybe with Carter more under control, Coach Blair has on of his best teams ever.
6. Maryland (talent is there Coaching is not). Add in a soft schedule and this team may not be battle tested.
7. Stanford has lots of talent and a great coach. That said she hasn’t won since 1992 and has a much tougher conference and a young team.
8. Norte Dame is here not because I believe in the roster on paper but because when the chips are down MM always gets the best out of her teams. I soooo hope I am wrong but won’t bet on it!
9. Miss State again with this coach who preaches defense and a history of development on his resume, I have to go with him here over-
10. South Carolina. Sorry my Gamecock brethren but while the team has talent, the defections (and a retraction) along with a very young team cause me pause at putting them higher. Great that MHH is back but clearly there is friction and that can affect a young team.
UCLA, Arizona, Arkansas, Miami, Kentucky all have upside. So have it my fellow BYers and let me know the error of my ways!

Very wise man! I’d put UConn in the top 3, as well. Great coaches can do amazing things with “good” players. Never lose faith in Geno.

 

[SCspur]

She has incredible potential beyond how good of a player she has previously demonstrated. Will she step up and be that "GO TO" player?

She has said she wants to win another title and get drafted into the W. If she wants to make those goals happen she will need to be.