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Top 5

bballnut90 said:
Top 5:
1. Oregon, easy pick here with almost everyone back and Moore sliding in for Cazorla. Look out for the younger Sabally to make an impact off the bench too, not to mention Prince if she is healthy. This team is loaded and is my early preseason pick to cut down the nets.

2. Baylor, another team with a ton of talent back and a young core that should get bigger minutes next season. Adding Cooper is a massive wildcard here, especially if she is your PG. She doesn't have the best rep so her impact on the team on and off the court is a big unknown at this point. Kim is an excellent coach though and Cox might be the most impactful 2 way player in the country. Baylor will be good.

3. UCONN, they don't have a ton of depth and weren't able to land a big presence in the off season but still have an extremely top heavy roster that has gotten them to 3 straight Final Fours. Look for Williams and Walker to emerge as big time players for Geno. Westbrook's eligibility is the big offseason question.

4. Maryland, tons of talent back plus a strong freshman class. They've underachieved the last few years but there's no question they have the talent to be a very dangerous team.

5. Stanford, they lost Smith but have a good core coming back plus the nation's top recruit who should make an impact right away.

Potential top 5 teams:
A&M-Carter is a gamer and her teammates stepped up last year after the 2 big transfers. They'll be a force.

Mississippi State-talent looks relatively bleak but they have a good deep roster and Vic gets the most out of his kids.

South Carolina-talented roster on paper with a deep freshman class. Note sure how many minutes most kids will see though starting out.

Oregon State-underachieved last year but bring most big contributors back. I think they're a Final Four darkhorse.

Notre Dame-9 straight #1 seeds and more title game appearances than any other school this decade.....top 5 may be a stretch but they may end up being a lot better than most expect.

Keep an eye on:
Tennessee-Horston is a top notch recruit and they have a good roster returning with a brand new coach. Tennessee could be solid.

UCLA-they were underrated a year ago and return Onyenwere who had a breakout sophomore season.

Kentucky-a surprisingly strong team a year ago returns their star freshman and brings in a former top 5 recruit. Kentucky could be a very good team this year.

Middle Tennessee State-top 5 or even top 10 may be out of question, but they have 2 former top 10 players suiting up this year in Hayes and Boothe.

Texas-no one expects them to be good but they still have a ton of talent coming back. In the fold is Joyner Holmes who could be dangerous if she returns to freshman form, Higgs who would've been a go to player this year prior to the ACL, Collier who was a former #2 recruit, and Sutton who quietly did a very good job last year for Texas. That is a remarkably strong core to build your team around. Can Aston get more out of this talented bunch?
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Very good analysis of your team rankings. The hardest team to pick in the top 5 is UConn because of the Westbrook situation. If Westbrook is not eligible, they are not a top 5 team imo.
 
TerpWomenFan said:
Very good analysis of your team rankings. The hardest team to pick in the top 5 is UConn because of the Westbrook situation. If Westbrook is not eligible, they are not a top 5 team imo.
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I do not see Westbrook as essential to UConn success. Westbrook strength is not where UConn is weak. Rebounding will make or break UConn in so far as top 5 but even if ONO has a great season, the UConn schedule is really tough. I admire Geno for that schedule and wish the other elite coaches would have the moxie to challange their team to play other elite teams, would be great for the sport!
 
Jmsdawg said:
UConn schedule is a killer next season. They play Baylor, Oregon, South Carolina plus a lot of other tough games. I think UConn will lose to all 3 of those teams and could easy lose a couple more games. Going to be tough to finish top 5.
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While I agree I still think UConn will be it's usual tough team. The Baylor and Oregon games will be at home for them and I don’t expect those to be easy wins for either team. UConn hasn’t lost at home in six years so it’ll be interesting to see if someone will end that streak.
 
Jmsdawg said:
I admire Geno for that schedule and wish the other elite coaches would have the moxie to challange their team to play other elite teams, would be great for the sport!
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For teams in the Big 10 (Maryland) and Big 12 (Baylor), I would like to see them play a couple of more tough OOC games. Maybe each other? For the ACC, SEC and PAC 12, they play enough tough games in conference that two tough OOC games would be enough for them. Ohio State tried this when Mitchell was there and it appears it didn't do them much good in the NCAA tournament.

Maryland's OOC schedule will have an uptick next season with UConn and South Carolina on the schedule. Add in a good ACC team and a good team for Thanksgiving weekend and they will have their toughest schedule in awhile.
 
SCspur said:
While I agree I still think UConn will be it's usual tough team. The Baylor and Oregon games will be at home for them and I don’t expect those to be easy wins for either team. UConn hasn’t lost at home in six years so it’ll be interesting to see if someone will end that streak.
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Both Texas A&M and MSST play SC at SC home court and I do believe home court is a definite advantage but I do not see SC as an overwhelming favorite for either of these games, however iMHO, Baylor and Oregon are the teams to beat for the NC next year. I think UConn does not match well with either of these teams, not sure any team does, and it will be an upset if UConn wins either of these games.
 
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TerpWomenFan said:
For teams in the Big 10 (Maryland) and Big 12 (Baylor), I would like to see them play a couple of more tough OOC games. Maybe each other? For the ACC, SEC and PAC 12, they play enough tough games in conference that two tough OOC games would be enough for them. Ohio State tried this when Mitchell was there and it appears it didn't do them much good in the NCAA tournament.

Maryland's OOC schedule will have an uptick next season with UConn and South Carolina on the schedule. Add in a good ACC team and a good team for Thanksgiving weekend and they will have their toughest schedule in awhile.
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How many SEC teams will be top 10 teams this next season? Most have several question marks.
 
TerpWomenFan said:
For teams in the Big 10 (Maryland) and Big 12 (Baylor), I would like to see them play a couple of more tough OOC games. Maybe each other? For the ACC, SEC and PAC 12, they play enough tough games in conference that two tough OOC games would be enough for them. Ohio State tried this when Mitchell was there and it appears it didn't do them much good in the NCAA tournament.

Maryland's OOC schedule will have an uptick next season with UConn and South Carolina on the schedule. Add in a good ACC team and a good team for Thanksgiving weekend and they will have their toughest schedule in awhile.
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I think you misunderstood my post, I believe ACC, SEC, and PAC 12 are the toughest conferences and I do believe teams in those conferences will be given credit for the strength of conference games, however I believe OOC games that elite teams play against cream puff opponents is a detriment to WBB. If OOC games played by elite teams do not attract fans, in my opinion, those games lessen acceptance of WBB by new fans, no one wants to watch total mismatch games. I am a WBB fan but I certainly will not waste my time watching Baylor OOC games other than SC and UConn.
 
Jmsdawg said:
Both Texas A&M and MSST play SC at SC home court and I do believe home court is a definite advantage but I do not see SC as an overwhelming favorite for either of these games, however iMHO, Baylor and Oregon are the teams to beat for the NC next year. I think UConn does not match well with either of these teams, not sure any team does, and it will be an upset if UConn wins either of these games.
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In the case of Miss St and A&M playing at SC you stated that SC will have an advantage and that will be the case when UConn plays Baylor and Oregon. Yes, they will be the underdogs at home but that doesn’t mean a thing when you consider UCONN hasn’t lost 20 games at home in a decade or more.
 
DallasBUFan said:
How many SEC teams will be top 10 teams this next season? Most have several question marks.
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The only realistic options would be A&M, South Carolina, and maybe Miss St but that is pushing it given what they lost and relying heavily on the underclassmen. Tennessee has a lot of talent but not sure about being a top 10 team. Kentucky will be solid but not top 10.

The rest of the conference has a lot of holes and deficiencies, both in talent and the coaching department.
 
SECbbfan24 said:
The only realistic options would be A&M, South Carolina, and maybe Miss St but that is pushing it given what they lost and relying heavily on the underclassmen. Tennessee has a lot of talent but not sure about being a top 10 team. Kentucky will be solid but not top 10.

The rest of the conference has a lot of holes and deficiencies, both in talent and the coaching department.
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So would it still be considered top next year?.....PAC 12 is will be tough, but the rest are questionable until games are played.
 
SECbbfan24 said:
The only realistic options would be A&M, South Carolina, and maybe Miss St but that is pushing it given what they lost and relying heavily on the underclassmen. Tennessee has a lot of talent but not sure about being a top 10 team. Kentucky will be solid but not top 10.

The rest of the conference has a lot of holes and deficiencies, both in talent and the coaching department.
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I agree the only realistic ones to consider will be TAMU, South Carolina, and MSU. One thing about MSU is that Vic probably won't have a strong OOC schedule, so there likely won't be an opportunity to prove they are top 10 unless they beat TAMU and South Carolina. So I agree it's even less realistic for MSU to be ranked top 10 than TAMU or South Carolina. I see this year as a learning year for MSU. I will be happy if we get to the Sweet 16.
 
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DallasBUFan said:
So would it still be considered top next year?.....PAC 12 is will be tough, but the rest are questionable until games are played.
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SEC is not as strong as what it use to be unfortunately. That isn't to say there aren't some very good programs currently. It has gone through some big changes over the years and a few teams are not as good as it use to be. We will have to wait and see but outside the top 4-5, its not exactly very good top to bottom.

Not my top conference
 
MSUFan2003 said:
I agree the only realistic ones to consider will be TAMU, South Carolina, and MSU. One thing about MSU is that Vic probably won't have a strong OOC schedule, so there likely won't be an opportunity to prove they are top 10 unless they beat TAMU and South Carolina. So I agree it's even less realistic for MSU to be ranked top 10 than TAMU or South Carolina. I see this year as a learning year for MSU. I will be happy if we get to the Sweet 16.
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I think Miss St will be really good next year after they work through some growing pains early and develop some continuity with some many new faces. I think top 10 would be pushing it with a lot of question marks. They are certainly a deep and talented team. They are definitely a top 15 team for me and will be capable of playing with many top 10 teams by the end of the year, I believe Vic will get the most out of his group. Its just gonna be a rebuilding year. Next year will be their run (on paper).
 
SCspur said:
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.
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Agreed they will never not be in the Top 5, hell I’d even say top 3 as long as Geno is the coach. I think one 6’5 player is enough for a team like UConn. She just needed a year of tutelage under her belt to understand how things work. And we haven’t had a consistent starter over 6’2 in the post since 2016 and still been in the final four every year. So umm yea ......
 
TerpWomenFan said:
Very good analysis of your team rankings. The hardest team to pick in the top 5 is UConn because of the Westbrook situation. If Westbrook is not eligible, they are not a top 5 team imo.
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Something people tend to overlook every year is that past success many times is an indicator of future success. Even if UCONN doesnt have n women's basketball we rarely see teams go from being Final Four teams or title contenders to dropping out of the top 10.
TerpWomenFan said:
Very good analysis of your team rankings. The hardest team to pick in the top 5 is UConn because of the Westbrook situation. If Westbrook is not eligible, they are not a top 5 team imo.
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When was the last time UCONN wasn't ranked in the top 5? Last time they weren't one of the last 4 teams standing was 12+ years ago. They also have a starting 5 consistenting of 2 former HS POYs, a senior PG who is coming off an AP AA HM season and a post player who was a top 5 recruit coming out of high school. They're top 5 until proven otherwise.
 
DallasBUFan said:
How many SEC teams will be top 10 teams this next season? Most have several question marks.
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What team doesn't have question marks aside from Oregon? SEC is going to be very good next year even if they don't have an obvious Final Four threat. They have:

Mississippi State-talented, deep roster. Vic has proven to be one of the elite coaches in the country at building teams and developing talent.

South Carolina-losing Cooper likely helps the GCs. They bring in the top class and have Final Four potential

Texas A&M-everyone is back and they have a bonified star in Carter. They should compete for a F4 spot.

Tennessee-they still have a very talented roster and a new coach who may breathe new life into the program. They also have a top recruit in Horston coming who could be a game changer.

Kentucky-Rhyne Howard was the NFOY and should build on a great first year. Two other starters are back and they also get Patterson who was a top 5 recruit coming out of HS who is eligible mid year.


Right there are 5 teams that very well could be Sweet 16 squads. Arkansas also has Dungee back which makes them dangerous. SEC is good. I'd rank them the 2nd best conference after the PAC with the ACC not as top heavy.
 
One thing I’m interested in seeing is who gets seeded where....

The four regional sites are Dallas, Portland, Fort Wayne, and Greenville. I think everyone can agree Oregon and Baylor will likely be in Dallas and Portland but who has the upper hand for Fort Wayne and Greenville?

I would love to see A&M and Baylor matched up in the EE in Dallas to reach NOLA. That game would be an intense game with a rivalry renewed and could be a barn burner. It would be good if Oregon and Oregon St could meet in a civil war EE game but its highly unlikely that both team are in the same region, but one can wish.

Fort Wayne is closer to Storrs than Greenville so will UConn be sent there and possibly have to play ND or Louisville? Should SC be a 1 seed and be placed in Greenville they would likely have to travel less than 200 miles to reach New Orleans.

It’s way too early for FF talk but that’s a scenario that’ll be one to watch for this year.
 
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SCspur said:
One thing I’m interested in seeing is who gets seeded where....

The four regional sites are Dallas, Portland, Fort Wayne, and Greenville. I think everyone can agree Oregon and Baylor will likely be in Dallas and Portland but who has the upper hand for Fort Wayne and Greenville?

I would love to see A&M and Baylor matched up in the EE in Dallas to reach NOLA. That game would be an intense game with a rivalry renewed and could be a barn burner. It would be good if Oregon and Oregon St could meet in a civil war EE game but its highly unlikely that both team are in the same region, but one can wish.

Fort Wayne is closer to Storrs than Greenville so will UConn be sent there and possibly have to play ND or Louisville? Should SC be a 1 seed and be placed in Greenville they would likely have to travel less than 200 miles to reach New Orleans.

It’s way too early for FF talk but that’s a scenario that’ll be one to watch for this year.
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A&M-Baylor could well be a Dallas matchup, assuming they don't end up on the same seed line.

Oregon State and Oregon won't be playing each other until the Final Four. The chances of either team finishing outside the top 4 in the Pac-12 are snowball-in-hell-size.
 
Plebe said:
A&M-Baylor could well be a Dallas matchup, assuming they don't end up on the same seed line.

Oregon State and Oregon won't be playing each other until the Final Four. The chances of either team finishing outside the top 4 in the Pac-12 are snowball-in-hell-size.
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I think the committee drops the ball a lot when it comes to setting up the best matchups possible for each region. Last year was the first year where I felt like every EE game could go either way except Iowa vs. Baylor. If we get more matchups like that then the ratings and attendance will certainly rise higher.
 
SCspur said:
I think the committee drops the ball a lot when it comes to setting up the best matchups possible for each region. Last year was the first year where I felt like every EE game could go either way except Iowa vs. Baylor. If we get more matchups like that then the ratings and attendance will certainly rise higher.
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It's all about location rather than matchups, although I did like the regional breakdown a year ago. Fort Wayne spells big advantage for Louisville, Kentucky or ND if any of them are good. I bet UCONN nabs the 1 there, possibly Maryland. Greenville likely hosts South Carolina wherever they get seeded.
 
bballnut90 said:
It's all about location rather than matchups, although I did like the regional breakdown a year ago. Fort Wayne spells big advantage for Louisville, Kentucky or ND if any of them are good. I bet UCONN nabs the 1 there, possibly Maryland. Greenville likely hosts South Carolina wherever they get seeded.
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Would be big if UConn plays ND or one of the Kentucky teams. Maryland could be a 1 seed there or get Greenville depends on how good they are. I agree SC will likely be in Greenville regardless just don’t know who they might face.
 
SCspur said:
I think the committee drops the ball a lot when it comes to setting up the best matchups possible for each region. Last year was the first year where I felt like every EE game could go either way except Iowa vs. Baylor. If we get more matchups like that then the ratings and attendance will certainly rise higher.
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Agreed! However, a Baylor - A&M matchup could be fun to see.
 
TerpWomenFan said:
The same as the too early poll.

1. Oregon,
2. Baylor
3. Stanford
4. Maryland
5. Texas A&M
6. Oregon State
7. UConn
8. South Carolina

The main news in the upcoming months isn't the transfers who haven't announced (with Laska maybe being the exception), it's the NCAA deciding who is eligible and who will have to sit out. For instance, if Westbrook is eligible, UConn bumps up alot.
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You really think there are 6 better teams than UConn? Not a chance! I know you are a fan/homer but, Maryland at #4 is laughable at best.
 
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soxfan23 said:
Maryland at #4 is laughable at best.
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They have the talent to be a top 5 team but I doubt Brenda's coaching gets them their unfortunately. As a general basketball fan its annoying to watch teams full of talent not play to their capabilities.

Its pretty obvious who should be the #1 and #2 teams early, then you have a core group of teams (UCONN, Stanford, Maryland, Oregon State, A&M and SC) who round out the rest of the top 10.

1. Oregon (enough said)
2. Baylor (Return 3 of 5 starters, super sophomore class expected to expand roles)
3. UCONN (not as good as year past but until proven otherwise, very top heavy talent, thinner on depth)
4. Oregon St (return Slocum, Pivec, Tudor, Goodman, talented underclassmen)
5. A&M (add healthy Wilson back, a team of essentially all sophomores a year older, hopefully a Carter more under control)

Teams to watch:

Maryland
Stanford
South Carolina
Miss St
Notre Dame
 
1. Oregon
2. Baylor
3. UCONN
4. Maryland
5. NC State (people are sleeping on them!)
 
Shmermerer said:
1. Oregon
2. Baylor
3. UCONN
4. Maryland
5. NC State (people are sleeping on them!)
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Too many question marks concerning players returning from ACL's to be ranked that high in the preseason. Plus their projected starting PG Eailey (sp) tore her other ACL during the 3X3 tournament in the spring.
 
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