USC #1 & #2 | The Boneyard

USC #1 & #2

asuwish

asuwish

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As of now I think USC west (The women of Troy) will be the preseason #1 ranked team. USC east (the Gamecocks) will be #2. UConn, and Texas will be debated at #3 & #4. USC west now has two of the top ten players in the country, a great freshman class, and lots of depth. Adding two experienced transfers is a BIG deal. USC east has almost everyone back (YES, the one player they lost was a big loss, emphasis "BIG" but they have great depth, size, and with only 1 loss in 2 years (I know everyone did not play both years), they know how to win. I see about 3 or 4 other teams that could also win it.
 
even though USC west has seemingly the whole package (juju, insane recruiting class, insane transfers) i feel like they should still give preseason #1 to USC east, to reward the natty winners and bc they still got a good recruiting class despite losing cardoso. also last season lsu was in a similar situation to USC west, with a lot of offseason moves and hype, but it didn't necessarily translate
 
The landscape of women's college basketball is going to look very different when November arrives and the 2024-25 season begins. USC west has not been seeing as a #1 team by ESPN experts yet.

And with transfers still making decisions and so many players eligible to use a fifth year per the COVID-19 waiver, this top 25 will likely change too. Plenty. But the offseason starts now. Here's our Way-Too-Early Top 25.

1. South Carolina Gamecocks
2. Texas Longhorns
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
4. UConn Huskies
5. USC Trojans

www.espn.com

Women's NCAA basketball's Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2024-25

With just over a month left until the season begins, where the best teams fall in behind the Gamecocks -- including the Terrapins.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
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I agree that it’s a stretch to place USCw as a 2 based on a projected integration of a bunch of new players. It’s not easy to bring a team together, and it’s harder still without a lot of experience. Gotleib did make it to a FF in her 2nd year at Cal by beating a 4 seed in OT in the elite8. They lost in the semis- I think that was 2013. It took until last year for her teams to break out of the 2nd round. She has got the talent to make run next year- but putting them in front of a team they lost to- who has a better recruiting class coming….
 
Usc Trojans GIF by BLVD Studios
We're #1
 
Base on the 2024 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings, UConn should be #1 in recruiting rankings. With #1 Sarah Strong, #7 Allie Ziebell and #11 Morgan Cheli.

2026 SportsCenter NEXT 100 - ESPN

Get the inside scoop on the top ranked high school girls' basketball players. In-depth player briefings, film and more on ESPNHS.com.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
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Kaizen said:
Base on the 2024 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings, UConn should be #1 in recruiting rankings. With #1 Sarah Strong, #7 Allie Ziebell and #11 Morgan Cheli.

2026 SportsCenter NEXT 100 - ESPN

Get the inside scoop on the top ranked high school girls' basketball players. In-depth player briefings, film and more on ESPNHS.com.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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I believe that the reason why some are giving it to USC (West) is because they have 6 of the Top 100 Freshman going to USC. Not that I agree with it, but some believe it.
 
For Southern Cal, a lot of it depends on their freshman. Juju and Iriafen can lay claim to being the best duo in the country, but basketball is a 5x5 game. TVO and Marshall should be able to be solid role players, but they still need young players to step up. Can totally happen but I am not awarding them the NC just yet.

South Carolina takes a big hit with Cardoso gone. She had a Griner like effect sometimes, altering opponents inside game defensively. Plus she dominated the boards. That skill at that size was a huge advantage. However, they return pretty much everything else, add good recruits, will see young players get better, and have the chemistry. They are my #1 for now.

Since it’s a uconn board, I’ll just say that the huskies are a giant question mark to me. On paper we have so many options, so many highly regarded youngsters. But the true key will be how do players look post injury, and can they stay healthy. One advantage seems like we have the potential to shoot lights out. Lots of intrigue.

I’m also not sleeping on ND. Miles, Hidalgo, and Citron is a formidable trip to pair with Westbeld. And Texas looks dangerous as well. Hoping for a season of parity.
 
USC West also added the point guard from Oregon State. Of course we have to see how they play together but the talent and depth is much better then last year. I just like so many of the pieces. UConn's other question is will Geno play his bench? SC bench scored about 30 points a game. 2 years ago Stanford played 12. To win today I think you must embrace depth, something Geno has been reluctant to do the past few years. I'm well aware that injuries limited his options.
 
In my view, SC is the presumptive preseason #1, and not because of anything owed to the reigning champs. It's only because they look to be the best team for next year. Yes, they lost Kamila, but they have a deep roster and discovered some great talents among the freshmen toward the end of the season: i.e. Tessa Johnson.

USCw might turn out to be among the best, but they have proven nothing yet, and coach Gottlieb has yet to show that she can build a great program. But she has seemed to turn a corner when it comes to recruiting. They deserve watching to see what Gottlieb can accomplish. The year is young.

But this means that UConn and Texas ought to be placed above USCw as preseason picks. I'm not sure where to place ND, who have the core of an awesome team in Olivia Hannah Soni Anna and Maddie. What they lack is a healthy big, but we'll see what the portal may provide. If they find one, they may merit placing above USCw as well.

With that said, here's my current preseason ranking:
  1. SC
  2. Texas
  3. UConn
  4. ND
  5. USCw
  6. UCLA
That's as far as my crystal ball can see.
 
MSGRET said:
I believe that the reason why some are giving it to USC (West) is because they have 6 of the Top 100 Freshman going to USC. Not that I agree with it, but some believe it.
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USC -W has only one top 10 level recruit. The rest are mid-level and you don't win the NC with 5 new mid- level recruits. We have 3 TOP Level recruits plus a #1 type in Jana. So Cal will be good but not UCONN or USC-East.

Compared to last year, I think we have 3 #! recruits added to the 2024-5 roster. A 2024 FF team will be adding Azzi, Sarah and Jana. Unbelievable, no one can match that.
 
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Bone Dog said:
With that said, here's my current preseason ranking:
  1. SC
  2. Texas
  3. UConn
  4. ND
  5. USCw
  6. UCLA
That's as far as my crystal ball can see.
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I'll agree with this group! If UConn used to be bad for women's hoops, this group is awesome for women's hoops.

Even behind this group are plenty of intriguing teams like Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio St, Oklahoma with new coaches, players, leagues etc. Plenty of entertainment.
 
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South Carolina should be unanimous #1. They have everyone but Cardoso back and Watkins is perfect to fill her spot with no drop off defensively. When Cardoso was out, South Carolina was still incredibly dominant. They are deeper and more athletic in the post than any other team and bring in good HS talent to supplement both the backcourt and front court. They went undefeated last year and played elite level basketball on both ends of the court. Coaching wise, Dawn is on another level at the moment. She has won 4 of the last 5 COY awards and has had the best program in women’s basketball the last 5 years, going 167-9 over that time frame and 109-3 in the last 3 seasons. No question in my mind they’ll start out #1.

USC’s good on paper but is far from a sure thing, as it’ll be a brand new lineup aside from Juju Watkins and Rayah Marshall. There is a lot of talent and the pieces are there but it’ll require a better offensive system than they had this year, as well as incorporating players used to playing in very different offensive systems. I think both UCONN and Texas look like stronger teams to start the year, largely due to coaching and they both have standouts returning. UCONN’s main question mark is post play, as a lot of fans are putting their hopes on a freshman coming off an ACL, but they have Bueckers who will be an early favorite for POY and bring in the #1 recruit in Strong to help on the wing. Texas is looking rock solid on paper but Madison Booker will have to adjust to playing off ball after a brilliant year as a freshman point guard. Texas also will have to incorporate Phelia who will have a reduced role in Austin, so I expect them to have ups and downs as players figure out their positions. IMO, South Carolina is the only sure thing going into next year, but many teams have a lot of potential, including LSU who people are underestimating despite having one of the most athletic lineups in the country and an all time great coach.
 
Maleficent9 said:
even though USC west has seemingly the whole package (juju, insane recruiting class, insane transfers) i feel like they should still give preseason #1 to USC east, to reward the natty winners and bc they still got a good recruiting class despite losing cardoso. also last season lsu was in a similar situation to USC west, with a lot of offseason moves and hype, but it didn't necessarily translate
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They’re waay too scared of Dawn to make anyone else #1! :p Seriously, though, South Carolina, as National Champions should (and will imo) begin the year as a deserved #1! After that, there will be a battle between us, USC, and UCLA for two through four. I think it should be SC, UConn, USC, Texas, UCLA, and ND but what do I know?
 
Rb335 said:
For Southern Cal, a lot of it depends on their freshman. Juju and Iriafen can lay claim to being the best duo in the country, but basketball is a 5x5 game. TVO and Marshall should be able to be solid role players, but they still need young players to step up. Can totally happen but I am not awarding them the NC just yet.

South Carolina takes a big hit with Cardoso gone. She had a Griner like effect sometimes, altering opponents inside game defensively. Plus she dominated the boards. That skill at that size was a huge advantage. However, they return pretty much everything else, add good recruits, will see young players get better, and have the chemistry. They are my #1 for now.

Since it’s a uconn board, I’ll just say that the huskies are a giant question mark to me. On paper we have so many options, so many highly regarded youngsters. But the true key will be how do players look post injury, and can they stay healthy. One advantage seems like we have the potential to shoot lights out. Lots of intrigue.

I’m also not sleeping on ND. Miles, Hidalgo, and Citron is a formidable trip to pair with Westbeld. And Texas looks dangerous as well. Hoping for a season of parity.
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Yeah, I think Paige & Sarah are a better duo than that.
 
Cuango said:
They’re waay too scared of Dawn to make anyone else #1! :p Seriously, though, South Carolina, as National Champions should (and will imo) begin the year as a deserved #1! After that, there will be a battle between us, USC, and UCLA for two through four. I think it should be SC, UConn, USC, Texas, UCLA, and ND but what do I know?
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I agree. That's my list too. I also believe whoever wins the NC is #1 and stays #1 until some team proves otherwise. You have to knock the king of the hill off the mountain.
 
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Skeets said:
I agree. That's my list too. I also believe whoever wins the NC is #1 and stays #1 until some team proves otherwise. You have to knock the king of the hill off the mountain.
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I agree that generally, umber one stays number one until beaten. There can be exceptions such as a team that loses five starters, but generally that should be the rule.
 
You guys ever get on YouTube and listen to the channel Back 2 Sports? This guy has excellent takes on this. He did an analysis of USC after Kiki committed. He also does a lot of analysis on UConn. I found his take on what you're discussing quite interesting.
 
A good water cooler discussion for sure. Any of these teams could have any number of things happen to their rosters between now and November. The rankings and landscape could change completely.
 
Bone Dog said:
In my view, SC is the presumptive preseason #1, and not because of anything owed to the reigning champs. It's only because they look to be the best team for next year. Yes, they lost Kamila, but they have a deep roster and discovered some great talents among the freshmen toward the end of the season: i.e. Tessa Johnson.

USCw might turn out to be among the best, but they have proven nothing yet, and coach Gottlieb has yet to show that she can build a great program. But she has seemed to turn a corner when it comes to recruiting. They deserve watching to see what Gottlieb can accomplish. The year is young.

But this means that UConn and Texas ought to be placed above USCw as preseason picks. I'm not sure where to place ND, who have the core of an awesome team in Olivia Hannah Soni Anna and Maddie. What they lack is a healthy big, but we'll see what the portal may provide. If they find one, they may merit placing above USCw as well.

With that said, here's my current preseason ranking:
  1. SC
  2. Texas
  3. UConn
  4. ND
  5. USCw
  6. UCLA
That's as far as my crystal ball can see.
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Want to get a heated discussion going? Start talking about ranking teams before anyone knows what they're talking about. Where's Carnac?

I'm staying out of the fray because first IT'S MAY, folks, not November and it's way too early to start theorizing 4 to 6 months from now (and folks that's all it is, merely theory and opinion based on very little if anything factual), but I do have one request for all BY'ers: Please stop this "USCW" and "USCE". It looks dumb; it is dumb. Southern Cal for eons has gone by USC and South Carolina has always gone by just SC. That's it.

Now keep those theories and prognostications rolling based on mostly dated and/or invalid information to come up with what the author hopes to be a valid, extremely knowledgeable argument because that's what we do. Gotta love it.
 
visitingcock said:
I agree that generally, umber one stays number one until beaten. There can be exceptions such as a team that loses five starters, but generally that should be the rule.
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I disagree in principle… sort of. What a team did the previous season doesn’t earn them a preseason ranking in the next one. Too many things change — their roster, everyone else’s roster, experience, coaches, class work, etc. SC should be the preseason #1 because they appear to be the best team and for no other reason.

However, the fact that they won the NC goes into all of our estimations of how good they’ll be. That’s how far Dawn was able to take a similar group of kids. By the same token, that Geno got UConn to the final four figures in our sense of how good they’ll be next season. But it doesn’t earn them any special consideration.
 
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visitingcock said:
I agree that generally, umber one stays number one until beaten. There can be exceptions such as a team that loses five starters, but generally that should be the rule.
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It wasn't that way for the Connecticut men's team at the start of last season. Of course, it was that way for the Connecticut men's team at the end of last season.

National Championship Sport GIF by NCAA March Madness
 
I hate to be the odd person out, but is this a ranking thread (yet another?) or a all hail USC thread (which should go on the general board, no?)
Again, apologies if it's coming across as being rude, but I really want to read about UConn when I come on this board and not about how great other teams are, unless it's in a discussion thread about them playing us.
(last time, sorry)
 
asuwish said:
USC West also added the point guard from Oregon State. Of course we have to see how they play together but the talent and depth is much better then last year. I just like so many of the pieces. UConn's other question is will Geno play his bench? SC bench scored about 30 points a game. 2 years ago Stanford played 12. To win today I think you must embrace depth, something Geno has been reluctant to do the past few years. I'm well aware that injuries limited his options.
Expand ...

Let's first get a bench before we worry about Geno using it.:rolleyes:
 
USC should not be preseason #1. South Carolina should be preseason #1.

The thought experiment that goes into preseason rankings is not complicated, but is subjective. It starts with the final 2023 rankings, adjusted for (a) departures, (b) incoming recruits, (c) incoming transfers, (d) recovering players, and adjusted for the coaching staff’s history of making lineups work.

2023-24 Women's College Basketball Rankings - ESPN

Thought Experiment 1: South Carolina vs USC:
Thought Experiment 2: UConn vs ND vs Texas:
  • There seems to be disparate treatment of recovering stars by ESPN and others. ND with Miles goes from #11 to #3. TX with Harmon goes from #7 to #2.
  • UConn with Azzi and Jana, Kaitlyn replacing Nika, missing Aaliyah but adding heralded freshmen (#1 Sarah, #7 Allie and #11 Morgan), and going from 7 to 10 playable players to start the season and with Geno coming from one of his best coaching years, goes from #3 to #4. UConn has All-American and only returning former Player of the Year Paige.
  • Texas does add talented freshmen (guard ranked #9 and forward ranked #12). Notre Dame adds #5 freshman post.
My top 5 before any season play: 1 South Carolina, 2 UConn, 3 Texas, 4 USC, 5 Notre Dame.
 
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