UConn will surprise WCBB this season.

[Tonyc]

Well when I look at it UConn has two very good point guards in Nika and Azzi. We have chemistry and we have some very good outside shooters. To say UConn isnt a top 4 team and IMO a top 2 team at seasons end can only be because of injuries. With Paige and Ice I wouldve picked UConn number 1 with SC. SC lost their point guard who ran the team, kept the chemistry in check and pretty much was the floor general. Thats a huge loss. For Stanford they lost 3 top players who could make plays and they dont have a point guard. Texas and Tenn lost alot and filled the gaps with transfers and portal players. We will wait and see. We are better then the so called experts are predicting and imo the real experts are on the Boneyard. The Boneyard has the most information on WCBB in the world. So many people know so much and its all right here. Its hard for me to think that with Azzi and Caroline that UConn isnt ranked higher. I will caution fans that early on with UConn coming back from injuries with a schedule which is the toughest in the nation we may loose games that we will win later in the season . UConn has players that can step up, players that can make the big shot when needed and UConn is one of the best passing teams in WCBB. Be patient, pray for no more injuries and be excited because this season we will surprise the world of WCBB

 

[hoopsfan22]

UConn is ranked 6th. What's the surprise?

 

[Bone Dog]

We have chemistry…

Chemistry is so old news according to today’s sportswriters. Apparently, anyone can take a few disgruntled transfers and build a championship team.
Team D? Who needs it?
Passing? Pfffft.

 

[Bigboote]

I'm largely with you, Tony (and Bone Dog). I'm not ready to anoint UConn top-two, but I think there's a cluster of teams that have legitimate arguments to be #3. With so many unknowns, I'm definitely ranking teams with good coaches higher -- Jeff Walz and Vic Shaffer have shown that they can build really good teams from a few good parts, Niele Ivey not so much.

UConn has Geno. And the thing I keep coming back to about this team is its versatility. UConn can have two shooters on the floor at all times. Those three shooters are also all great cutters, and UConn has the passing to go along with that. Scoring should not be a problem. They could have two shooters in the backcourt and Aubrey at the three for a strong rebounding team. They could field a crazy-athletic-defensive team with Nika, Azzi, Caroline, and (two of Aubrey, Ayanna, Aaliyah) and the opponent might never get a shot off. Rebounding and defense should not be a problem. And, again, Geno and CD and Jamelle and Morgan are right in the thick of it and they know how to orchestrate it.

I'm really excited.

 

[veryolddog]

The biggest surprise for me this season would be if we could have no injuries for the rest of the season and end the season with all healthy players incuding Paige. I will also be surprised if she returns at the end of the season to take the team to the final four like she did last year.

 

[JellyBean]

Always love the optimism @Tonyc. We will see what develops over the next few weeks. Who steps up and who fades into the background.

 

[FormerCTrez]

UConn is ranked 6th. What's the surprise?

Keep watching, it’s coming.

 

[Majic Hands]

Fox61+ is playing on my Fire stick now.
WTIC-TV is available on my Nvidia shield pro. If the game comes through WTIC-TV(nvidia shield) I'll be able to record.

I'm not actually interested in recording today's game except for the fact it would be a full test run for the next game that my wife will need to record because I'll be working during most of the game.

I'm looking forward to today's game to see how the kids look. Who's playing, how involved are they, how many combinations are used, and how well do they mesh on a "first" game with fans.

 

[eebmg]

The biggest surprise for me this season would be if we could have no injuries for the rest of the season and end the season with all healthy players incuding Paige. I will also be surprised if she returns at the end of the season to take the team to the final four like she did last year.

You need to remove the idea of Paige coming back this season from your mind. For her long term career and life, it is not in her interest to rush her recovery under any circumstances

For me, anything beyond an E8 is gravy ( there are a lot of good teams out there) and I will really appreciate everything we accomplish this season but in the back of my mind, I am gearing up for 2023-2024 when Paige, Azzi, Caroline and a strong list of returners along with a strong 2024 class rip through WCBB.

 

[FormerCTrez]

You need to remove the idea of Paige coming back this season from your mind. For her long term career and life, it is not in her interest to rush her recovery under any circumstances

For me, anything beyond an E8 is gravy ( there are a lot of good teams out there) and I will really appreciate everything we accomplish this season but in the back of my mind, I am gearing up for 2023-2024 when Paige, Azzi, Caroline and a strong list of returners along with a strong 2024 class rip through WCBB.

I especially agree with your first paragraph.

 

[eebmg]

I especially agree with your first paragraph.

Don't expect too many thumbs up for paragraph 2.

 

[Cuango]

According to what I have read, recovery time for acl surgery is 8-10 months, in some cases 6 months. I am certainly not pushing this as I am no expert, but if Paige were one of the exceptionally fast healers and the Doctors cleared her say, in early March, would/could/should she play?

 

[Skeets]

According to what I have read, recovery time for acl surgery is 8-10 months, in some cases 6 months. I am certainly not pushing this as I am no expert, but if Paige were one of the exceptionally fast healers and the Doctors cleared her say, in early March, would/could/should she play?

If she played late in the season and reinjured her ACL Geno would be hunted down with pitch forks and burned at the stake.

 

[WFFL]

Is this a good surprise or bad ? Sorry I’m a bit slow lol. The only surprise I can think of is in negative fashions. Us making the F4 won’t be a surprise it’s expected .

 

[ConwayGmck]

Last season, South Carolina had a millstone of a schedule, and somehow navigated it going 8-0 against top 10 ranked opponents (5 of them against top 5 ranked), and still had enough energy to win the championship. This season, it appears that CT will shoulder that kind of challenging schedule. How they fare against those opponents will show the true resilience for the team, heading into the NCAAT......

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I echo the thoughts that Paige not come back this season and give the knee and the rest of her body a chance to heal and grow stronger!
She had made the statement that the whole year will be spent recovering!

 

[Forego]

Well when I look at it UConn has two very good point guards in Nika and Azzi. We have chemistry and we have some very good outside shooters. To say UConn isnt a top 4 team and IMO a top 2 team at seasons end can only be because of injuries. With Paige and Ice I wouldve picked UConn number 1 with SC. SC lost their point guard who ran the team, kept the chemistry in check and pretty much was the floor general. Thats a huge loss. For Stanford they lost 3 top players who could make plays and they dont have a point guard. Texas and Tenn lost alot and filled the gaps with transfers and portal players. We will wait and see. We are better then the so called experts are predicting and imo the real experts are on the Boneyard. The Boneyard has the most information on WCBB in the world. So many people know so much and its all right here. Its hard for me to think that with Azzi and Caroline that UConn isnt ranked higher. I will caution fans that early on with UConn coming back from injuries with a schedule which is the toughest in the nation we may loose games that we will win later in the season . UConn has players that can step up, players that can make the big shot when needed and UConn is one of the best passing teams in WCBB. Be patient, pray for no more injuries and be excited because this season we will surprise the world of WCBB

Like Bigboote, I am mostly with you regarding what other top teams lost. But UCONN is in the same boat. Replacing Liv, Christyn, Evina and Paige will not be easy.

 

[nastynatty]

According to what I have read, recovery time for acl surgery is 8-10 months, in some cases 6 months. I am certainly not pushing this as I am no expert, but if Paige were one of the exceptionally fast healers and the Doctors cleared her say, in early March, would/could/should she play?

I am not a doctor but she absolutely should not play. While she does appear to be healing really fast and that’s great to see, it’s not in her best interest in the long run. There is no point in taking the risk and it’s probably better for the rest of the team’s mindset to not expect her return this season. She’s coming off two major surgeries on the same knee within a year and this is probably the longest break from basketball she’ll have for the rest of her career (God-willing). Better to take advantage of valuable rest/rehab time and gear up for what I expect to be an unstoppable senior year for her.

 

[willtalk]

I echo the thoughts that Paige not come back this season and give the knee and the rest of her body a chance to heal and grow stronger!
She had made the statement that the whole year will be spent recovering!

There was an entire thread on this issue alone. I an surprised that this issue has even come up once again. Do people not read the threads on this site,or do they just have bad or selective memories. The entire thread was about Paiges decision to take the entire year to recoup. When you have repeated injuries not only does the injury need to heal but the muscles in the area of injury need to be strengthened so it does not happen again. If a player returns right after they are cleared to play that is a sign that they are not taking the time to correct the issue that caused the injury to begin with. Paige should have taken the extra time to strengthen her weak spots instead of returning so quickly. She is doing the smart thing this season.

 

[Jingo]

According to what I have read, recovery time for acl surgery is 8-10 months, in some cases 6 months. I am certainly not pushing this as I am no expert, but if Paige were one of the exceptionally fast healers and the Doctors cleared her say, in early March, would/could/should she play?

If Paige is ready to play this season then let her play .. that's what we all look forward to .. does she need more time? let's leave that up to Paige and the people she trusts, eh? everything else is just speculation, pure and simple.

 

[hoophuskee]

Is this a good surprise or bad ? Sorry I’m a bit slow lol. The only surprise I can think of is in negative fashions. Us making the F4 won’t be a surprise it’s expected .

We're ranked 6th. We had nailbiters the last two years. Why is it expected for a 6th ranked team to be in FF? There is a reason why they are ranked 6th. Nor should it be surprised. I agree that a 6th ranked team is far from a surprise getting to FF too.

 

[Mdoggie]

Chemistry is so old news according to today’s sportswriters. Apparently, anyone can take a few disgruntled transfers and build a championship team.
Team D? Who needs it?
Passing? Pfffft.

Portal Champions!!

 

[Majic Hands]

According to what I have read, recovery time for acl surgery is 8-10 months, in some cases 6 months. I am certainly not pushing this as I am no expert, but if Paige were one of the exceptionally fast healers and the Doctors cleared her say, in early March, would/could/should she play?

No/No/and No.

 

[eebmg]

Portal Champions!!

Saw Kirby Smart. (HC Georgia) say one of the proudest part of this #1 ranked season is that their team is home grown. No transfers. It's great if you can manage it but well thought out selective Transfers can be very beneficial

 

[visitingcock]

No/No/and No.

Even a "No" from and opponent who loves to watch her play. Sure, I would love to see her against this 22/23 Gamecock team in a tourney rematch, but I would rather see her for 10-15 years of superlative play in the pros.

 

[cferraro04]

I agree with Tonyc...UConn will surprise even the most skeptical this year. Here's why~

Azzi Fudd is the best shooter in the USA!!! I am not even entertaining anyone else.

Aaliyah Edwards will play at an AA level for the season...she is on a mission and you will see her consistency throughout the season.

Dorka Juhasz will graduate this year as a top 5 pick in the WNBA draft.

Aubrey Griffin will remind us of the player she was before her injuries...she will remind us of the promise her basketball career held when she burst on the scene as one of the most athletic players we have ever seen and she will remind all of us of the offensive weapon she was in high school.

Caroline Ducharme carried UConn when Paige went down last year...at times she was the only player who was consistently a go-to and that was despite her injuries...which she is putting behind her this year.

Ayanna Patterson is a big body who will get better as the year goes on...her debut showed her potential...while she made some freshman mistakes she showed she belongs in the rotation.

If you are not excited about Lou Lopez Senechal then I don't know what you are thinking. We don't need her to replace Paige (she can't)... We need her to replace either Evina's or CW's production...(she will).

Nika Muhl's confidence will continue to grow, she will feel more comfortable shooting because the rest of the team will be making threes and Dorka, Edwards, Griffin and Amari will clean up her misses. She will emerge as someone if left open will be able to knock down her shots. Teams will not be able to sag off of her and that will give more room for the rest of the team to operate.

Amari DeBerry may not have convinced Geno that she is practicing hard enough and that may have something to do with her getting into the game in the 4th quarter however, she is 6'5", she is talented, can shoot from range, can block shots and can rebound the ball. When she gets tired of riding the pine and decides to give Geno the effort he is looking for...I cannot see how she doesn't impact the game.

Our new comer Ines Bettencourt is a true point guard and will give us valuable minutes when we need to give our point guards a rest or if they get into foul trouble.

This team is deep with talent, that will improve as the season goes on. The rest of WCBB has dodged a bullet with Paige and Ice on the injury list.

 

[Longtime fan]

The biggest surprise for me this season would be if we could have no injuries for the rest of the season and end the season with all healthy players incuding Paige. I will also be surprised if she returns at the end of the season to take the team to the final four like she did last year.

I don't think you read the medical reports. Paige and Ice Brady are " done for the season." Neither will be back. There is no fairy tale ending this year. But I agree, it will be a miracle "if we have no more injuries the rest of the season." Caroline Ducharme for example, is already questionable with a stiff neck. What is that? Another key point is that the team must get significant production from DeBerry ( in my opinion), or we are going no where. Dofka and Edwards are good, but they will wear down if the post position is all on them , all the time. And it is a bad sign that DeBerry only earned garbage time ( again), against a division II team. The canary in the coal mine .

 

[WFFL]

If Paige is ready to play this season then let her play .. that's what we all look forward to .. does she need more time? let's leave that up to Paige and the people she trusts, eh? everything else is just speculation, pure and simple.

Why risk not fully rehabbing 100% and reinjuring her self again ? She has a history now in 2 years having 2 big surgeries. She does not want to get the label of injury prone that could hurt her future stock . She has a career to think about professionally and with the olympic team obviously so let her rest she will be here next season as she's stated she wants her 4 year degree.

 

[WFFL]

I agree with Tonyc...UConn will surprise even the most skeptical this year. Here's why~

Azzi Fudd is the best shooter in the USA!!! I am not even entertaining anyone else.

Aaliyah Edwards will play at an AA level for the season...she is on a mission and you will see her consistency throughout the season.

Dorka Juhasz will graduate this year as a top 5 pick in the WNBA draft.

Aubrey Griffin will remind us of the player she was before her injuries...she will remind us of the promise her basketball career held when she burst on the scene as one of the most athletic players we have ever seen and she will remind all of us of the offensive weapon she was in high school.

Caroline Ducharme carried UConn when Paige went down last year...at times she was the only player who was consistently a go-to and that was despite her injuries...which she is putting behind her this year.

Ayanna Patterson is a big body who will get better as the year goes on...her debut showed her potential...while she made some freshman mistakes she showed she belongs in the rotation.

If you are not excited about Lou Lopez Senechal then I don't know what you are thinking. We don't need her to replace Paige (she can't)... We need her to replace either Evina's or CW's production...(she will).

Nika Muhl's confidence will continue to grow, she will feel more comfortable shooting because the rest of the team will be making threes and Dorka, Edwards, Griffin and Amari will clean up her misses. She will emerge as someone if left open will be able to knock down her shots. Teams will not be able to sag off of her and that will give more room for the rest of the team to operate.

Amari DeBerry may not have convinced Geno that she is practicing hard enough and that may have something to do with her getting into the game in the 4th quarter however, she is 6'5", she is talented, can shoot from range, can block shots and can rebound the ball. When she gets tired of riding the pine and decides to give Geno the effort he is looking for...I cannot see how she doesn't impact the game.

Our new comer Ines Bettencourt is a true point guard and will give us valuable minutes when we need to give our point guards a rest or if they get into foul trouble.

This team is deep with talent, that will improve as the season goes on. The rest of WCBB has dodged a bullet with Paige and Ice on the injury list.

I love this but Dorka will not be a Top 5 pick . Hopefully she makes the end of the 1st rd .

 

[Next 12]

Why is some posters so tentative about our chances? They post we lost Christyn, Olivia and Evina and their scoring will be greatly missed. I don't think so. Christyn was at 14 PPG, Olivia was 9 PPG and Evina was 9 PPG. From this game with Kutztown it look like their replacements will be Lou, 18-19 PPG ,Ayannah 13-15 PPG and Aubrey 13-15 PPG. I believe we overcome the loss with these replacements and do quite well. Plus from Azzi's shooting, it looks like she has really picked up on her scoring. Dorka is now more comfortable with Uconn's system and she will be a positive contributor. Caroline didn't play so her contribution will be speculative, but from last year I expect 17-18 PPG. I have posted many times that I think positive and I see greatness in this team.GO HUSKIES!!!