Carnac
That venerable sage from the west
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There's lots of "other" news in the world of Division 1 WCBB. While many of us here are "die-hard" UConn fans (and want to keep abreast of all things UConn), there are other top 25 teams that we should also keep an eye on, especially those we may see in March.
It's natural to want to stay informed about teams on our schedule. We'll take a look at Ohio State in depth after the exhibition game with Vanguard.
As a reminder, here's Lindy's 2018-2019 preseason top 10.
1) Notre Dame
2) Oregon
3) UConn
4) Louisville
5) Baylor
6) Maryland
7) Stanford
8) Tennessee
9) Mississippi State
10) Oregon State
So, without further ado, here we go.......
Halloween is creeping up. Which means it's almost November. Which means it's almost time to tip off the college basketball season. After perhaps the most thrilling Women's Final Four ever, the bar is high for what's next. There are endless story lines, but here's a quick look at some of the biggest we'll be following this season. First, let's look at the AAC.
The results of the American Athletic Conference Preseason Polls are in, and it’s all UConn Huskies, all the time. For starters, the Huskies were predicted to win the conference, by unanimous voting. With coaching legend Geno Auriemma drawing up the plays, and the Huskies piling on undefeated seasons in recent history (including last season when UConn went 16-0), it would have been inept for voters to pick any other team.
Senior forward Katie Lou Samuelson was named Preseason Player of the Year for the first time in her college career. Samuelson was an easy pick for the honor, given her collection of First Team All-American and American Athletic Conference Player of the Year awards. Additionally, she was a big part of the Huskies’ undefeated 2017-18 campaign, leading all UConn scorers with 17.4 points per game and leading the conference in three-point shooting, with a dangerous 47.5 percent from deep.
Napheesa Collier joins Samuelson in UConn’s quest not only to dominate the American Athletic Conference again, but to win the NCAAW Championship with such aplomb that the two seniors rise to the top of WNBA Draft conversations. And Collier has a real chance to accomplish both goals thanks to new weapons she brings into her senior campaign, courtesy of Team USA Head Coach Dawn Staley. Collier practiced with the USA Basketball Women’s National Team and competed in exhibitions in Team USA’s run-up to, and eventual win of, the 2018 FIBA World Cup in Tenerife, Spain.
Of her time with the national team, Staley said, “Napheesa is great. She’s pretty much the same player but she’s a lot more efficient. She understands a lot more. She brings people up to her level as far as how hard she plays, her unselfishness and her ability to be relentless.” And all knowledge gained, Collier has chosen to weaponize for the Huskies. “I’m taking this back to my [UConn] team,” Collier said. “More physicality, the pace of [game], how people see the floor differently.”
So, which teams in the conference have a chance to present some challenges for the Huskies?
Look no further than the Preseason All-Conference First- and Second-Team selections. Removing UConn players from the first team, including Samuelson, Collier and Crystal Dangerfield, that leaves Jasmyne Harris of the Houston Cougars and Kitija Laksa of the South Florida Bulls. From the second team, there is Angela Harris (Houston), Laura Ferreira (South Florida), Alicia Froling of the SMU Mustangs, and Alliya Butts and Mia Davis of the Temple Owls.
South Florida may have had a respectable 13-3 conference record last season, but the three losses were handed to them by none other than the UConn Huskies, who dominated the Bulls every time out, including a 49-100 blowout on Jan. 6, 2018. Houston finished last season with a middling record, but suffered embarrassing losses to the top teams in the conference.
The Cougars’ one meeting with UConn in 2017-18, for example, resulted in an embarrassing 60-point mauling by the Huskies. Against South Florida, the Cougars were defeated, 81-65. The SMU Mustangs, meanwhile, were obliterated by UConn last season, 36-80, and also lost their one contest against South Florida, while the Temple Owls were defeated by UConn in two meetings last season and also lost their two contests against the South Florida Bulls.
Thus, although other teams in the conference have standout players, none have the weapons needed to contend with UConn, let alone defeat them. Now let's look at the rest of WCBB.
Can Notre Dame repeat?
It really was the ultimate twist ending. The team that many observers felt bad for most of last season -- "Poor Notre Dame and all its knee injuries!" -- ended up as the last one standing. After several years in which the Irish seemed so close to winning their second national championship, a season in which they seemed a little too far away instead had a magical conclusion.
Two of them, actually: The buzzer-beating shots to defeat UConn in the national semifinals and Mississippi State in the final, both by Irish guard Arike Ogunbowale, became instant classics. We might never see anything like that again.
But will we see an Irish repeat? History says it's not likely; in the NCAA era, UConn, Tennessee and Southern Cal are the only teams that have won at least two titles in a row. The Trojans did that back in 1983-84. The Huskies' most recent repeat was four in row (2013-16), and Tennessee's most recent was 2007-08.
[Article]
It's natural to want to stay informed about teams on our schedule. We'll take a look at Ohio State in depth after the exhibition game with Vanguard.
As a reminder, here's Lindy's 2018-2019 preseason top 10.
1) Notre Dame
2) Oregon
3) UConn
4) Louisville
5) Baylor
6) Maryland
7) Stanford
8) Tennessee
9) Mississippi State
10) Oregon State
So, without further ado, here we go.......
Halloween is creeping up. Which means it's almost November. Which means it's almost time to tip off the college basketball season. After perhaps the most thrilling Women's Final Four ever, the bar is high for what's next. There are endless story lines, but here's a quick look at some of the biggest we'll be following this season. First, let's look at the AAC.
The results of the American Athletic Conference Preseason Polls are in, and it’s all UConn Huskies, all the time. For starters, the Huskies were predicted to win the conference, by unanimous voting. With coaching legend Geno Auriemma drawing up the plays, and the Huskies piling on undefeated seasons in recent history (including last season when UConn went 16-0), it would have been inept for voters to pick any other team.
Senior forward Katie Lou Samuelson was named Preseason Player of the Year for the first time in her college career. Samuelson was an easy pick for the honor, given her collection of First Team All-American and American Athletic Conference Player of the Year awards. Additionally, she was a big part of the Huskies’ undefeated 2017-18 campaign, leading all UConn scorers with 17.4 points per game and leading the conference in three-point shooting, with a dangerous 47.5 percent from deep.
Napheesa Collier joins Samuelson in UConn’s quest not only to dominate the American Athletic Conference again, but to win the NCAAW Championship with such aplomb that the two seniors rise to the top of WNBA Draft conversations. And Collier has a real chance to accomplish both goals thanks to new weapons she brings into her senior campaign, courtesy of Team USA Head Coach Dawn Staley. Collier practiced with the USA Basketball Women’s National Team and competed in exhibitions in Team USA’s run-up to, and eventual win of, the 2018 FIBA World Cup in Tenerife, Spain.
Of her time with the national team, Staley said, “Napheesa is great. She’s pretty much the same player but she’s a lot more efficient. She understands a lot more. She brings people up to her level as far as how hard she plays, her unselfishness and her ability to be relentless.” And all knowledge gained, Collier has chosen to weaponize for the Huskies. “I’m taking this back to my [UConn] team,” Collier said. “More physicality, the pace of [game], how people see the floor differently.”
So, which teams in the conference have a chance to present some challenges for the Huskies?
Look no further than the Preseason All-Conference First- and Second-Team selections. Removing UConn players from the first team, including Samuelson, Collier and Crystal Dangerfield, that leaves Jasmyne Harris of the Houston Cougars and Kitija Laksa of the South Florida Bulls. From the second team, there is Angela Harris (Houston), Laura Ferreira (South Florida), Alicia Froling of the SMU Mustangs, and Alliya Butts and Mia Davis of the Temple Owls.
South Florida may have had a respectable 13-3 conference record last season, but the three losses were handed to them by none other than the UConn Huskies, who dominated the Bulls every time out, including a 49-100 blowout on Jan. 6, 2018. Houston finished last season with a middling record, but suffered embarrassing losses to the top teams in the conference.
The Cougars’ one meeting with UConn in 2017-18, for example, resulted in an embarrassing 60-point mauling by the Huskies. Against South Florida, the Cougars were defeated, 81-65. The SMU Mustangs, meanwhile, were obliterated by UConn last season, 36-80, and also lost their one contest against South Florida, while the Temple Owls were defeated by UConn in two meetings last season and also lost their two contests against the South Florida Bulls.
Thus, although other teams in the conference have standout players, none have the weapons needed to contend with UConn, let alone defeat them. Now let's look at the rest of WCBB.
Can Notre Dame repeat?
It really was the ultimate twist ending. The team that many observers felt bad for most of last season -- "Poor Notre Dame and all its knee injuries!" -- ended up as the last one standing. After several years in which the Irish seemed so close to winning their second national championship, a season in which they seemed a little too far away instead had a magical conclusion.
Two of them, actually: The buzzer-beating shots to defeat UConn in the national semifinals and Mississippi State in the final, both by Irish guard Arike Ogunbowale, became instant classics. We might never see anything like that again.
But will we see an Irish repeat? History says it's not likely; in the NCAA era, UConn, Tennessee and Southern Cal are the only teams that have won at least two titles in a row. The Trojans did that back in 1983-84. The Huskies' most recent repeat was four in row (2013-16), and Tennessee's most recent was 2007-08.
[Article]
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