USA Today Coaches Poll

[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.

 

[doggydaddy]

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.

 

[Goodies07]

It was a shoulder injury.

Oops. Thanks

 

[doggydaddy]

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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..

1. Spani started 26 of 35 games. She was a starter. And Williams started the last 8 games. Even when everyone but Carter was healthy. And Carter starting was always for Massengale. I'm sure that Warlick feels like she lost two starters. And Williams and Spani contribute like four year players. Including leadership.

2. You certainly were trying to justify Tennessee being number one. Diminishing Uconn's play, building up Tennessee. Of course you were. And I was just showing you why I thought you were wrong.

3. Yes,stats don't win games. But they can be used to pick a preseason top 25. And you'd have to be an idiot to think that the team with far worse stats, offensively and defensively than another team would be voted ahead of the statistically better team. Fourth best scoring offense doesn't do it.

4. Sensitive? No...not at all. I just find it amazing that you were trying to defend such a dumb vote. Name another team with all those possibilities.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Who cares really!

It's not about where you start but where you finish. But wait, oh right we are ranked #1.

So they Lady Vols got a #1 vote. I personally would have given it to Duke but ohh well.


Anyway on a more serious note, I am hoping that Notre Dame finishes in the top for and gets a #1 seed in the NCAA or will be playing on their home floor for a birth to the FF.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

1. Spani started 26 of 35 games. She was a starter. And Williams started the last 8 games. Even when everyone but Carter was healthy. And Carter starting was always for Massengale. I'm sure that Warlick feels like she lost two starters. And Williams and Spani contribute like four year players. Including leadership.

2. You certainly were trying to justify Tennessee being number one. Diminishing Uconn's play, building up Tennessee. Of course you were. And I was just showing you why I thought you were wrong.

3. Yes,stats don't win games. But they can be used to pick a preseason top 25. And you'd have to be an idiot to think that the team with far worse stats, offensively and defensively than another team would be voted ahead of the statistically better team. Fourth best scoring offense doesn't do it.

4. Sensitive? No...not at all. I just find it amazing that you were trying to defend such a dumb vote. Name another team with all those possibilities.

Spani started those games because both Burdick and Harrison were injured at various points during the season. Harrison missed the entire SEC tournament because of her knee and also wasn't even 100% going into the NCAA tournament. I will agree with you that both seniors provided excellent senior leadership, especially towards the end of the season. We lost two great seniors to graduation, but replaced them with the number #1 recruit and a very underrated Jordan Reynolds. We will be much better this year, but will it result in a final four berth and a possible national championship?? Only time will tell. There are other teams out there and a very good UCONN team that will have something to say about all that.

I'm not trying to diminish UCONN's play, rather I was trying to understand why this voter put UT ahead of UCONN and I made a couple of arguments on why I thought this was so. To understand why a coach would vote UT over UCONN, you have to go back to last season and try to find some weaknesses that UCONN showed during some games. There weren't many, but they were some. Don't base preseason rankings on stats alone. There are other factors, like recruiting and which players a team lost from the previous season and how much of an impact they had on their team. This voter obviously thought that Faris graduation would be a fairly big blow to them and that Tennessee adding the #1 recruit and returning three Team USA players was enough to put them over UCONN. I disagree with the voter and I think UCONN is clearly the number 1 team. I would venture to say that the coach who voted Tennessee #1 isn't an idiot and probably has years of experience coaching college basketball and knows loads more about the game than either you or I do. Like I said earlier, I would like to know his/her thought process. It would be interesting to hear their side of it.

So tell me Doggy..why do YOU think this voter picked Tennessee over UCONN? Which teams do YOU think can compete with and possibly defeat UCONN, if any? If other posters have any questions/comments then feel free to add..I'm interested to see what other UCONN fans have to say about which teams might give them the best challenge, if any or why Tennessee got the lone preseason vote..

 

[UConnCat]

I'm not trying to diminish UCONN's play, rather I was trying to understand why this voter put UT ahead of UCONN and I made a couple of arguments on why I thought this was so. To understand why a coach would vote UT over UCONN, you have to go back to last season and try to find some weaknesses that UCONN showed during some games. There weren't many, but they were some. Don't base preseason rankings on stats alone. There are other factors, like recruiting and which players a team lost from the previous season and how much of an impact they had on their team. This voter obviously thought that Faris graduation would be a fairly big blow to them and that Tennessee adding the #1 recruit and returning three Team USA players was enough to put them over UCONN. I would venture to say that the coach who voted Tennessee #1 isn't an idiot and probably has years of experience coaching college basketball and knows loads more about the game than either you or I do. Like I said earlier, I would like to know his/her thought process. It would be interesting to hear their side of it.

So tell me Doggy..why do YOU think this voter picked Tennessee over UCONN? Which teams do YOU think can compete with and possibly defeat UCONN, if any?

The reality is you have no idea what this voter was thinking, or whether s/he was even thinking. When it's 1 against 31, I tend to think that the 1 outlier wasn't really thinking clearly, if at all.

You mention Tennessee returning 3 Team USA players as being a key factor? UConn returns 5 Team USA players. Hartley and KML were the leading scorers for the WUG team while Massengale's minutes on the team were limited. Stewart was the leading scorer for the U-19 team, and Tuck and Jefferson were both starters. Four UConn players were recently invited to Team USA's Senior National Team's training camp. Tennessee may be bringing in the #1 recruit, but UConn has two former #1 recruits, one an AA as a sophomore and the other was MOP of the Final Four as a freshman. They've already proven what they can do on the biggest stage. Speaking of the biggest stage, that's the biggest question mark concerning Tennessee. How will the team perform when the stakes are the highest? Massengale and Simmons both tend to play poorly when the stakes are the highest, most recently in last year's S16 and E8 games. Other players being counted on have yet to even play a collegiate game. UConn returns the most talent and the most experience at winning a national championship.

 

[Alydar]

Tenn fans like to point out that they had injuries last year. (Harrison, Carter, Massnegale) and some blame those on the E8 defeat to a 5 seed.

UConn lost Banks. Dolson played the last 3rd of the season with painful injuries to both legs. Hartley played most of the season with an injured ankle. Tuck was unable to practice for a good deal of the season and had her minutes limited due to a leg injury.

And yet they blew through the NCAA's like a hot knife through butter.

 

[doggydaddy]

So tell me Doggy..why do YOU think this voter picked Tennessee over UCONN? Which teams do YOU think can compete with and possibly defeat UCONN, if any? If other posters have any questions/comments then feel free to add..I'm interested to see what other UCONN fans have to say about which teams might give them the best challenge, if any or why Tennessee got the lone preseason vote..

I have no idea why and neither do you. Your rational is a bad as his/her picking Tennessee in the first place.

Duke can compete. Maybe. You don't mind if I see how well Carter plays, how well the freshman adapt to college ball and how TN plays without Spani and Williams?

From this Uconn fan, I can think of no rational reason to select TN over Uconn in a ore-season poll.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

Tenn fans like to point out that they had injuries last year. (Harrison, Carter, Massnegale) and some blame those on the E8 defeat to a 5 seed.

UConn lost Banks. Dolson played the last 3rd of the season with painful injuries to both legs. Hartley played most of the season with an injured ankle. Tuck was unable to practice for a good deal of the season and had her minutes limited due to a leg injury.

And yet they blew through the NCAA's like a hot knife through butter.

Well, it's because we did have injuries last year and didn't have much depth to begin with, especially at the post. We were a team picked to finish 5th in the SEC, yet we finished first. We weren't really picked to finish any better than the Elite 8 and some didn't even give us a shot at getting past the SW 16. UCONN on the other hand was a lock for the final four, had the necessary talent to get there and had depth. They overcame injuries, put together a great tournament run and really didn't shock anyone by winning the NC.

 

[Phil]

Perhaps thought it was a football poll?

Perhaps they thought it was last century, which points to Andy

 

[jdubct]

Who cares really!

It's not about where you start but where you finish. But wait, oh right we are ranked #1.

So they Lady Vols got a #1 vote. I personally would have given it to Duke but ohh well.


Anyway on a more serious note, I am hoping that Notre Dame finishes in the top for and gets a #1 seed in the NCAA or will be playing on their home floor for a birth to the FF.

Agree. Duke would get my vote if Uconn weren't so talented. They are very experienced with 5 seniors on their roster.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Pre Season polls are somwhat akin to Blind Dates.

 

[meyers7]

How disappointing. You almost referred to every player by their initials and you had to ruin it by referring to MT as Tuck.

Tsk tsk tsk.

You're right, we need consistency.

 

[meyers7]

She is very athletic she is very quick and she can jump. .... She can apply good ball pressure. ....... She also play with high energy.

Sounds like a TN player.

 

[meyers7]

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

Here's their roster, doesn't give actual ages though.

Kelley Sundberg G 5-7 Sr (Mansfield, CT - E.O. Smith) (183 assists)
Amanda Berchtold G 5-4 So
Brianna Brennan G/F 6-0 Fr
Jen Papich F 6-1 Sr
Morgan Neighbors G 5-8 So
Mennie Thies F/C 6-1 So
Mollie Sebald G 5-10 Jr
Brittany Batts G 5-8 Jr (102 3 pts)
Marisa Guyton F 6-0 So
Doriyon Glass G 5-7 R-Jr
Candice Hendricks G 5-10 Jr
Nettie Blake F/C 6-1 Jr
Mikayla Deguire F 5-11 Fr
Lanise Saunders C 6-2 R-Fr

They return all 5 starters from last year, Sundberg, Papich, Batts, Glass and Blake. They were 31-5 last year. Made NCAA Div II Elite Eight. New head coach this year though in Jim Brunelli from Anderson (SC) University. Last years coach took the HC job at Miami (OH). This will also be their first exhibition game. The Lady Knights are from Erie, PA.

And lastly, they only have 1 Brianna. So I like our chances.