USA Today Coaches Poll

[HuskyFan1125]

I'm going to have to see how the season progresses but I'm not sure Stanford will be the third best team. I would put ND and Maryland ahead of them.

Can't wait for the season to start.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Take your pick.

The board for the 2013-14 season: Joan Bonvicini, Seattle University; Joanne Boyle, Virginia; Lynn Bria, Stetson; June Daugherty, Washington State; Kathy Delany-Smith, Harvard; Brooks Donald-Williams, McNeese State; Tonya Edwards, Alcorn State; Oties Epps, Evansville; Jose Fernandez, South Florida; Stephanie
Gaitley, Fordham; Sue Guevara, Central Michigan; Joe Haigh, St. Francis (Pa.); Bonnie Henrickson, Kansas; Rick Insell, Middle Tennessee; Jeff Judkins, Brigham Young; Krista Kilburn-Stevesky, Hofstra; Andy Landers, Georgia; Kellie Lewis-Jay, Florida Atlantic; Kevin McMillan, Tennessee-Martin; Dave Magarity, Army; Suzy Merchant, Michigan State; Faith Mimnaugh, Cal Poly; Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, North Carolina-Asheville; John Olenowski, Manhattan; Kathy Olivier, UNLV; Kate Peterson Abiad, Cleveland State; Jennifer Rizzotti, Hartford; Susan Robinison-Fruchtl, Providence; David Six, Hampton; Charlotte Smith, Elon; Jaime White, Northern Colorado; Amy Williams, South Dakota.

That is actually a fairly distinguished panel. At least 20 of them are prominent enough that I've actually heard of them. And a few that I have never heard of are from conferences that I've never seen a game.

I know there is one from each conference - I wonder how they are selected?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Is this a twice half twice thing?

Man, you are trying to make it complicated!

Let's just call it a 3-fer.

 

[pap49cba]

The coach who voted TN #1 should be banned for one year.

 

[stwainfan]

After being hit with graduation anyone surprised Georgia is at #22?

 

[doggydaddy]

After being hit with graduation anyone surprised Georgia is at #22?

I'm shocked. I was thinking about them all summer. I expected them to be 23rd.

 

[Vowelguy]

The coach who voted TN #1 should be banned for one year.

I know! If there's one thing this country was built on is punishing points of view at odds with the one truth that exists.

 

[stwainfan]

I'm shocked. I was thinking about them all summer. I expected them to be 23rd.

LOL good one.

 

[alexrgct]

I can't stand the suspense. Eventually, it'll come to light who the dissenting opinion at #1 was. I gotta know!

 

[Boxerpups4me]

Many of you are shocked to see another team get a number one vote and I can understand the confusion, however I'm a bit surprised Duke or ND didn't get any #1 votes and I'm not surprised Tennessee got a vote. During the regular season last year, UCONN showed a bit of offensive inconsistency and mental lapses in some games, but got bailed out by great defensive play, and much of that you can attribute to Faris. In the tournament you saw it all come together in quite an impressive fashion and pretty much won it easily with the exception of the ND game. With that said, there is no Faris to bail the team out in case they get in trouble, if they do get in trouble. Who steps up this year? Faris was the spark and the glue that kept the team together and created a lot of momentum for the team. Obviously UCONN looks invincible on paper, but what if Stewart or KML has any kind of significant slump? Injuries could also play a factor as well.

As far as other teams go, I don't wanna sit here and bore everyone with why I think teams like Duke, Tennessee, ND and a handful of others have a legitimate shot at the national championship. I will say that Tennessee, since they did get the lone vote, returns all their starters, plus 4 players who have played on Team USA. It's a talented and experienced bunch and should easily be the best rebounding team in the country, which could prove to be key in big games. A lot of this will hinge on how well Russell adapts, but I think she will be a huge factor, and apparently the lone voter does as well.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Many of you are shocked to see another team get a number one vote and I can understand the confusion, however I'm a bit surprised Duke or ND didn't get any #1 votes and I'm not surprised Tennessee got a vote. During the regular season last year, UCONN showed a bit of offensive inconsistency and mental lapses in some games, but got bailed out by great defensive play, and much of that you can attribute to Faris. In the tournament you saw it all come together in quite an impressive fashion and pretty much won it easily with the exception of the ND game. With that said, there is no Faris to bail the team out in case they get in trouble, if they do get in trouble. Who steps up this year? Faris was the spark and the glue that kept the team together and created a lot of momentum for the team. Obviously UCONN looks invincible on paper, but what if Stewart or KML has any kind of significant slump? Injuries could also play a factor as well.

As far as other teams go, I don't wanna sit here and bore everyone with why I think teams like Duke, Tennessee, ND and a handful of others have a legitimate shot at the national championship. I will say that Tennessee, since they did get the lone vote, returns all their starters, plus 4 players who have played on Team USA. It's a talented and experienced bunch and should easily be the best rebounding team in the country, which could prove to be key in big games. A lot of this will hinge on how well Russell adapts, but I think she will be a huge factor, and apparently the lone voter does as well.

Boxer, almost all of us would agree that several teams have a shot to win the championship. It's another matter altogether to argue that Tn, Duke or ND is more likely than UConn to win it. That is a MUCH harder argument to make. But that's what you presumably believe if you pick someone else as #1.

 

[Coler]

RU is getting votes. We'll have our chance to really prove something in the OOC games with LSU, & Georgia.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

Boxer, almost all of us would agree that several teams have a shot to win the championship. It's another matter altogether to argue that Tn, Duke or ND is more likely than UConn to win it. That is a MUCH harder argument to make. But that's what you presumably believe if you pick someone else as #1.

Suebirdfan, it is a VERY hard argument to make and one that would take a lot of time and would be open to lots of good rebuttals for sure. I'm a Tennessee fan and my pick would be UCONN to win it all and possibly go undefeated as well, as much as it pains me to say that lol. However, I can see the logic in why one might pick ND or Tennessee to be #1. Admittedly, it would take some very tricky logic to make it work though. I would love to hear the thought process behind picking Tennessee the #1 team..

 

[doggydaddy]

Many of you are shocked to see another team get a number one vote and I can understand the confusion, however I'm a bit surprised Duke or ND didn't get any #1 votes and I'm not surprised Tennessee got a vote. During the regular season last year, UCONN showed a bit of offensive inconsistency and mental lapses in some games, but got bailed out by great defensive play, and much of that you can attribute to Faris. In the tournament you saw it all come together in quite an impressive fashion and pretty much won it easily with the exception of the ND game. With that said, there is no Faris to bail the team out in case they get in trouble, if they do get in trouble. Who steps up this year? Faris was the spark and the glue that kept the team together and created a lot of momentum for the team. Obviously UCONN looks invincible on paper, but what if Stewart or KML has any kind of significant slump? Injuries could also play a factor as well.

As far as other teams go, I don't wanna sit here and bore everyone with why I think teams like Duke, Tennessee, ND and a handful of others have a legitimate shot at the national championship. I will say that Tennessee, since they did get the lone vote, returns all their starters, plus 4 players who have played on Team USA. It's a talented and experienced bunch and should easily be the best rebounding team in the country, which could prove to be key in big games. A lot of this will hinge on how well Russell adapts, but I think she will be a huge factor, and apparently the lone voter does as well.

Every team has offensive and mental lapses. But Uconn probably had less than any other. The were the best offensive team in the country. 1st in scoring, 2nd in fg%, 2nd in assist/to ratio, 1st in assists, 5th in 3pt fg%.

Are you telling me that it's more likely Stewart and KML will have shooting slumps more that anyone on Duke, ND or Tennessee? Aren't all teams injuries away from issues?

Now, let's talk about Tennessee. The last 8 games of their season, Williams and Spani were starter and arguably their best players during those games. Why would you say they didn't lose any starters? And talk about offensive lapses? From what I observed, Tennessee wasn't very efficient offensively. More turnovers than assists? Horrible. Shooting slumps? Massengale and Simmons picture are next to that term in the dictionary.

Seriously, it's bad enough that someone would pick Tennessee over Uconn in a poll, but it's worse you would come here to try to justify it.

 

[UcMiami]

Many of you are shocked to see another team get a number one vote and I can understand the confusion, however I'm a bit surprised Duke or ND didn't get any #1 votes and I'm not surprised Tennessee got a vote. During the regular season last year, UCONN showed a bit of offensive inconsistency and mental lapses in some games, but got bailed out by great defensive play, and much of that you can attribute to Faris. In the tournament you saw it all come together in quite an impressive fashion and pretty much won it easily with the exception of the ND game. With that said, there is no Faris to bail the team out in case they get in trouble, if they do get in trouble. Who steps up this year? Faris was the spark and the glue that kept the team together and created a lot of momentum for the team. Obviously UCONN looks invincible on paper, but what if Stewart or KML has any kind of significant slump? Injuries could also play a factor as well.

As far as other teams go, I don't wanna sit here and bore everyone with why I think teams like Duke, Tennessee, ND and a handful of others have a legitimate shot at the national championship. I will say that Tennessee, since they did get the lone vote, returns all their starters, plus 4 players who have played on Team USA. It's a talented and experienced bunch and should easily be the best rebounding team in the country, which could prove to be key in big games. A lot of this will hinge on how well Russell adapts, but I think she will be a huge factor, and apparently the lone voter does as well.

As Suebird said - there are two different questions - 1) who is the preseason #1, and 2) what teams have a legitimate chance to win an NC - I think it is hard to answer anything but Uconn to the first question, I would say there are probably 6 teams that at this moment you could give a legitimate 'chance' to win the NC and a few others that could surprise us all like Louisville did last year.
On the other issue of losing Kelly and the teams inconsistencies last year - I think that is what you expect from a team that relies on freshman for significant roles, and the joyful thing about freshman is that they become sophomores very quickly. Not minimizing Kelly's impact and I agree that while her defense was always sound, there were a few times where she took charge at both ends and willed the team forward.

 

[stwainfan]

Every team has offensive and mental lapses. But Uconn probably had less than any other. The were the best offensive team in the country. 1st in scoring, 2nd in fg%, 2nd in assist/to ratio, 1st in assists, 5th in 3pt fg%.

Are you telling me that it's more likely Stewart and KML will have shooting slumps more that anyone on Duke, ND or Tennessee? Aren't all teams injuries away from issues?

Now, let's talk about Tennessee. The last 8 games of their season, Williams and Spani were starter and arguably their best players during those games. Why would you say they didn't lose any starters? And talk about offensive lapses? From what I observed, Tennessee wasn't very efficient offensively. More turnovers than assists? Horrible. Shooting slumps? Massengale and Simmons picture are next to that term in the dictionary.

Seriously, it's bad enough that someone would pick Tennessee over Uconn in a poll, but it's worse you would come here to try to justify it.

Tennessee did have the #4 scoring offense last year. Williams did have a nice senior year. I think the upside with Russell is greater. Her ability to impact a game on defense. Also having Carter and her athletic ability back will be key.

 

[Alydar]

.

1. During the regular season last year, UCONN showed a bit of offensive inconsistency and mental lapses in some games, but got bailed out by great defensive play, and much of that you can attribute to Faris.


2. Who steps up this year? Faris was the spark and the glue that kept the team together and created a lot of momentum for the team. Obviously UCONN looks invincible on paper, but what if Stewart or KML has any kind of significant slump?

3 Injuries could also play a factor as well.


4 I will say that Tennessee, since they did get the lone vote, returns all their starters, plus 4 players who have played on Team USA. It's a talented and experienced bunch and should easily be the best rebounding team in the country, which could prove to be key in big games.

1. UConn has been one of the best defensive teams in the country for a long time. It's a team effort. They were an outstanding defensive team before Faris signed and will be again this year. last year Massey rated UConn the top defensive team in the country and Tenn was the 54th.

2. If Stewart & KML & Dolson all have a bad scoring game then UConn will be in trouble against maybe 5 or 6 teams. If one has a bad game then it will make little difference.

3. Injuries could be a factor to any team. Some teams have longer rosters but less depth.

4. I seem to remember Spani and Williams starting a lot of games and playing a lot of minutes. They were the glue on Tenn last year and IMO the 2 best defenders on the team. Eight years of experience lost. As for their front line, they may well out rebound the rest of the country. A dubious honor since I've seen the shooting percentages in the SEC. They will have lots of opportunities. LOL

 

[Goodies07]

Also having Carter and her athletic ability back will be key.

To what? Serious question.

 

[stwainfan]

To what? Serious question.

She is very athletic she is very quick and she can jump. I saw a practice clip she tried to black a shot by Russell. She can apply good ball pressure. She has a very good knowledge of the game. She also play with high energy.

 

[UCONNfan1]

This is one of those seasons where there is UCONN, then there is everyone else. From what I know about the other teams, Duke is the closest on paper talent wise, and then there's a pretty large gap after them. It will be interesting to see if Duke can keep it to within 20 this season when they play (they do play this year correct?).

All this will be a moot point after Tennessee loses a few games. You can't give a #1 vote to a team who has lost compared to a team who is undefeated (oh wait, someone did that last season, or similar to that, giving Baylor a #1 vote after UCONN won the NC). Maybe the voter had one of those funny cigarettes. Or had just taken an overdose of his/her medication. Or forgot to take his/her medication.

 

[UCONNfan1]

She is very athletic she is very quick and she can jump. I saw a practice clip she tried to black a shot by Russell. She can apply good ball pressure. She has a very good knowledge of the game. She also play with high energy.

I tried to block a shot by Kareem once. I managed to reach his chin. I'm guessing the scene you described was similar.

 

[triaddukefan]

Suebirdfan, it is a VERY hard argument to make and one that would take a lot of time and would be open to lots of good rebuttals for sure. I'm a Tennessee fan and my pick would be UCONN to win it all and possibly go undefeated as well, as much as it pains me to say that lol. However, I can see the logic in why one might pick ND or Tennessee to be #1. Admittedly, it would take some very tricky logic to make it work though. I would love to hear the thought process behind picking Tennessee the #1 team..

No offense... but I cant see any logic to picking Tennessee as the #1 team.

 

[pap49cba]

Sorry, but to me a PRE-SEASON poll is a ranking based on rosters before any games have been played. How anyone could rank UT ahead of Uconn which has FOUR starters returning from a national championship team is beyond the pale.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Sorry, but to me a PRE-SEASON poll is a ranking based on rosters before any games have been played. How anyone could rank UT ahead of Uconn which has FOUR starters returning from a national championship team is beyond the pale.

Apparently, one voter saw the real value of Kelly Faris. Finally, Kelly gets her due!

 

[rocky rococo]

So we'll see Division by 2. As in, divide UConn's score by 2 to get Gannon's score. Or maybe by 3.

Gannon's MBB teams have often featured older, "non-traditional" students. I wonder if the same might be true of their women's teams.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

Every team has offensive and mental lapses. But Uconn probably had less than any other. The were the best offensive team in the country. 1st in scoring, 2nd in fg%, 2nd in assist/to ratio, 1st in assists, 5th in 3pt fg%.

Are you telling me that it's more likely Stewart and KML will have shooting slumps more that anyone on Duke, ND or Tennessee? Aren't all teams injuries away from issues?

Now, let's talk about Tennessee. The last 8 games of their season, Williams and Spani were starter and arguably their best players during those games. Why would you say they didn't lose any starters? And talk about offensive lapses? From what I observed, Tennessee wasn't very efficient offensively. More turnovers than assists? Horrible. Shooting slumps? Massengale and Simmons picture are next to that term in the dictionary.

Seriously, it's bad enough that someone would pick Tennessee over Uconn in a poll, but it's worse you would come here to try to justify it.

I say they didn't lose any starters because for most of the season the main starters were Simmons, Burdick, Harrison, Carter/Massengale, and Graves. Injuries for Burdick (broke thumb), Carter (shoulder), and Harrison (knee) forced Spani into the starting spot for a few of those games as well as Williams.

I'm not trying to justify one lone vote for Tennessee over UCONN. Actually I clearly said that I think UCONN will win it all this year and possibly go undefeated. Maybe you missed that post. All I'm saying is that I can understand why a vote was given to Tennessee and why others have a chance, other than UCONN, to win a NC this year.

Ya stats are important, but they don't win games. Tennessee may have had shooting slumps and poor defensive play in some games, but they still won the SEC when they were predicted to finish 5th and with a first year coach at that. As Stwain pointed out, Tennessee had the #4 scoring offense.

I can understand why your very sensitive that somebody else believes UCONN isn't the overwhelming number 1 team. They possibly have the best player in WCBB, they possibly have the best frontcourt in WCBB, they possibly have the best center in WCBB and they are projected to not only win the NC, but win over every team by huge margins. The expectations are great for UCONN as they are every year. Last year UCONN was expected to play for the national championship, Tennessee wasn't. So trying to compare Tennessee and UCONN stats for last season is apples and oranges..

 

[Outside Shot]

Forgive me if this has been mentioned, but isn't there a site that tracks how voters vote? I remember seeing it last year.

 

[Goodies07]

She is very athletic she is very quick and she can jump. I saw a practice clip she tried to black a shot by Russell. She can apply good ball pressure. She has a very good knowledge of the game. She also play with high energy.

I understand. And that's fine. But you said her athleticism would be key. I question what you are referring to simply because I don't believe that UT's problems last year stemmed from a lack of athletic ability. If you're saying she may be key in replacing the defensive energy that Kamiko Williams brought, I would be inclined to agree. But other than that, I'm not sure what a RS freshman coming off an ACL tear could be "key" to.

 

[UConnCat]

Forgive me if this has been mentioned, but isn't there a site that tracks how voters vote? I remember seeing it last year.

That's for the AP poll of sportswriters. How the coaches vote from week to week in the USA Today Coaches' poll is not revealed until the season is over. After Notre Dame defeated UConn in their first meeting last year Muffet was upset that she had to wait until the season was over to learn the identity of the coaches who voted UConn ahead of ND.

 

[stwainfan]

I understand. And that's fine. But you said her athleticism would be key. I question what you are referring to simply because I don't believe that UT's problems last year stemmed from a lack of athletic ability. If you're saying she may be key in replacing the defensive energy that Kamiko Williams brought, I would be inclined to agree. But other than that, I'm not sure what a RS freshman coming off an ACL tear could be "key" to.

It was a shoulder injury. I will also add she is a point guard. That will also help in not only providing competition at that position. But Carter or Massengale can both be able to rest when needed. Or if one gets in foul trouble. Reynolds can also play the point. So there are more options this year.