Who is Number 1 Chime in with your thoughts and opinions

[UConnCat]

I'll never understand why we have to go back to other seasons that have 0 relevancy to 2021. Different era of wcbb now, the transfer portal has opened many opportunities for teams to level the playing field if they don't do well in recruiting. And February 6 will be the last game they play vs a really good team. That means 3 weeks + tourny week + a week off + the 1st week of tournament we all know they'll squash whoever they play that first weekend is 6. Compare that to South Carolina who could be playing in a 3 game in 3 days scenario: A&M, LSU, Kentucky or Stanford playing Oregon State, Ucla, Oregon. Much different scenarios.

Your post said the "six week span to end the season." Now you've changed it to be the six week span that ends before the Sweet 16? Will that be the end of the season? Very confusing.

The point is it won't matter. If you're good enough you're good enough. Nothing you say disputes that.

South Carolina didn't advance to the championship game last season because Aaliyah Boston missed a wide open layup. Funny stuff happens at Final Fours that have little to do with games you played over a weekend in early March.

 

[visitingcock]

Wasn't Kiana Williams something like, their leading scorer for the season last season?? Started every game they played. Led them in assists, too.....

With Haley, Lexie and Lacie they have plenty of talent on the perimeter.

 

[TC22]

Boston is the most overrated player in college basketball. If I'm drafting a team I take Edwards over her every day of the week. Edwards is just flat out a better player. She can get up and down the court six times for every one trip Boston makes. Just a few months ago, ONO had a chance to play Cardosa head to head and she completely schooled her. As far as off the bench, again, no one in their right mind would take any of the Cocks over Dorka. Case closed, South Carolina has an embarrassingly pathetic front court compared to the dominant Husky's.

Boston may have agreed with you - so went and lost over 20 lbs in the off-season. But Amihere, another one of SC's bigs, must have outplayed Edwards because she was the 1st player off the bench and Edwards didn't get much time at all for the Canadian Olympic team. Ono should have outplayed Cardosa - she's a Sr. and has been playing for Geno for 3 years. Cardosa had a year at Syracuse. It's gonna be a fun year. Let's hope we play 3 times. That will mean we are both doing well.

 

[ConwayGmck]

With Haley, Lexie and Lacie they have plenty of talent on the perimeter.

I was addressing your statement that Stanford - like CT and SC - did not have major losses to matriculation of their contributing players. You even stated that had Stanford lost any major players, that it'd impact your ranking of them, but that they hadn't lost anyone of that magnitude...

 

[ConwayGmck]

Boston is the most overrated player in college basketball. If I'm drafting a team I take Edwards over her every day of the week. Edwards is just flat out a better player. She can get up and down the court six times for every one trip Boston makes. Just a few months ago, ONO had a chance to play Cardosa head to head and she completely schooled her. As far as off the bench, again, no one in their right mind would take any of the Cocks over Dorka. Case closed, South Carolina has an embarrassingly pathetic front court compared to the dominant Husky's.

This is funny. So you choose ONE GAME between Nelson-Ododa and Cardoso to make your judgement: Cardoso played the fewest minutes of the starting 5 and yet tied for the team lead with Engstler with 12 pts and also had 7 rebs. But Boston scored 17 pts and 15 rebounds, with 3 blocks and 2 steals against CT - Edwards only scored 8 pts and 5 rebs in your game with SC, but somehow that ONE GAME gets past your radar? Both Edwards and Nelson-Ododa COMBINED for 14 pts, 12 rebs, and 2 blocks with 0 steals in that game - they couldn't outplay Boston two players against one.

Perhaps Edwards should have not focused so much on running around back and forth on the court, and focused instead on playing some basketball, that day....

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

For now, Stanford. I suspect that this will not be the case by the end of the season. If you pardon the expression, it should be a dog fight (which should favor the Huskies).

Can't help thinking of the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons though. He usually (but not always) got the better of the dog.

I would very much like to see the Huskies hoist the NC trophy, but they have some real challenges ahead of them to get there. Since I hate to be wrong, I'm not willing to make a prediction on who will be No. 1 at the end of the season.

 

[visitingcock]

I was addressing your statement that Stanford - like CT and SC - did not have major losses to matriculation of their contributing players. You even stated that had Stanford lost any major players, that it'd impact your ranking of them, but that they hadn't lost anyone of that magnitude...

No, you are only addressing less than half of my conditional. I said, if Stanford had major losses (plural) AND had no incoming talent, I would drop them. ( I did not use the word “ any.” They lost one (admittedly talented) player but are loading up some top frosh. Not as many as Scar or UConn, but a couple of good uns’.

 

[Happydad745]

Ask me again around the middle of January. Right now the top five or six could make a run for the title.

 

[GoChips20]

Boston is the most overrated player in college basketball. If I'm drafting a team I take Edwards over her every day of the week. Edwards is just flat out a better player. She can get up and down the court six times for every one trip Boston makes. Just a few months ago, ONO had a chance to play Cardosa head to head and she completely schooled her. As far as off the bench, again, no one in their right mind would take any of the Cocks over Dorka. Case closed, South Carolina has an embarrassingly pathetic front court compared to the dominant Husky's.

I see one of these posts every now and then and can’t think of any explanation besides satire.

You could take Edwards over Boston at your discretion and you’d likely be sacked as a GM if your other picks followed suit.

We aren’t gonna talk about ONO schooling anybody after that NCAA tournament to forget.

I just don’t get it. UConn may well be the best team in the country this year and bring home a national championship trophy. They may go undefeated. It’s all possible. But I don’t see any other team’s fans on here speak such baseless conjecture without objectively assessing their team’s respective strengths and weaknesses.

 

[AgStatesman]

I see one of these posts every now and then and can’t think of any explanation besides satire.

I just don’t get it. UConn may well be the best team in the country this year and bring home a national championship trophy. They may go undefeated. It’s all possible. But I don’t see any other team’s fans on here speak such baseless conjecture without objectively assessing their team’s respective strengths and weaknesses.

Satire is probably the correct term as far as literary devices go. I like to think of it more as good old trash talk. A lot of people on these boards try to analyze every facet of the game. I am simply not that sophisticated. I find it fun to lob a grenade once in a while and see where the shrapnel strikes.

As far as baseless conjecture and not "objectively assessing my team's strengths and weaknesses" goes, I will assert my right to claim "home court advantage."

 

[jchusky]

Satire is probably the correct term as far as literary devices go. I like to think of it more as good old trash talk. A lot of people on these boards try to analyze every facet of the game. I am simply not that sophisticated. I find it fun to lob a grenade once in a while and see where the shrapnel strikes.

As far as baseless conjecture and not "objectively assessing my team's strengths and weaknesses" goes, I will assert my right to claim "home court advantage."

not trash talk it's inaccuracy and wrong.

 

[Carnac]

it seems so but i'm hoping improved play from ONO and Edwards and the addition of Dorka makes it close......

It will, but I’m thinking the real difference will be the play of Paige, Azzi and Dorka. They are expected to play big all season. I don’t think they’ll disappoint. No team has a big 3 like those 3. The improved play of ONO and Edwards will be icing on the cake.

 

[Ozimoto]

Have to counter with this one, though.

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[Vowelguy]

South Carolina. If Boston makes a put-back they beat Stanford and likely win the NC. Also add as much in terms of transfers & frosh as anybody.

 

[Jmsdawg]

For anyone who follow women's basketball with an objective perspective this one is easy peasy to answer. UConn's guards are all better then all of the Cocks guards and UConn's interior players are all far superior to the Cocks front line players. By all the rules of logic, UConn is clearly number 1.

UConn guards may be a step ahead of SC guards but IMHO SC interior players, Cardosa and Boston, are likely the best in the USA, my number one, although not a favorite of mine, is SC.

 

[Alydar]

There was hardly any difference between SC, UCONN and Stanford last season and SC added the most, by a hair, so I think SC, but we will know a lot more by the end of December.

Not from where I'm looking. Maybe 2 years down the road but not in 2022. SCar's post pickup was ACC freshman of the year. UConn's was a 2 year first team all B1G forward. Clear edge to UConn (as far as 2022 is concerned). The freshman classes are too close to call.
UConn also gets an edge in that they had 3 freshman in their 7 man rotation last season and freshmen improve the most moving into their sophomore seasons.

We get to find out in 4 weeks. Don't lose to Oregon or UConn fans will accuse Staley of throwing the game out of fear.

 

[Alydar]

Boston may have agreed with you - so went and lost over 20 lbs in the off-season. But Amihere, another one of SC's bigs, must have outplayed Edwards because she was the 1st player off the bench and Edwards didn't get much time at all for the Canadian Olympic team. Ono should have outplayed Cardosa - she's a Sr. and has been playing for Geno for 3 years. Cardosa had a year at Syracuse. It's gonna be a fun year. Let's hope we play 3 times. That will mean we are both doing well.

Canada needed someone who could defend on the perimeter. Amihere couldn't do it and Edwards got the job. I think it was planned since Geno told Edwards that her next step is developing an outside shot to force defenders to come out. She didn't do so good in the Olympics but the competition was a little better than she'll face this season.

I'm still hoping that Boston transfers to Storrs for her senior year.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I think UConn clearly has the best guard play, while SC has the best post play. The question comes down to whether UConn’s guard advantage trumps SC’s post advantage. I think it does and furthermore, I think the gap between UConn and SC guard play is substantially larger than the one between their respective post play. I believe UConn will be able to achieve very close to a draw with SC’s post players but I doubt seriously that SC’s guard play will be able to do the same vis a vis UConn’s guard play!

Your incumbent starting 2 and 3 have done nothing the last two meetings vs South Carolina.

Bueckers obviously got off last season.

We're all very interested to see how much Fudd plays and how good she is. That may well swing the meetings between the teams. Or not. I just am not sure.

I agree on paper the UConn backcourt is better, but the SC backcourt is also very good.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

There was hardly any difference between SC, UCONN and Stanford last season and SC added the most, by a hair, so I think SC, but we will know a lot more by the end of December.

Stanford was a lot deeper and less one dimensional than both.

 

[Alydar]

Your incumbent starting 2 and 3 have done nothing the last two meetings vs South Carolina.

Bueckers obviously got off last season.

We're all very interested to see how much Fudd plays and how good she is. That may well swing the meetings between the teams. Or not. I just am not sure.

I agree on paper the UConn backcourt is better, but the SC backcourt is also very good.

The difference is this: In both the UConn and the Stanford games it is Boston who wore the goat horns for missing putback attempts. If it had been UConn it would have been the guard who took the initial shot who would have gotten the blame, not the player with the offensive rebound.

The SCar guards are very quick and great ball handlers but they are on the small side and neither could guard Bueckers who took them both inside and was just too tall to cover. Fudd is going to make the job exponentially greater. Your guards do very well in transition but UConn did a great job in getting back on defense so your offense had to rely on their halfcourt game and as we saw that consists of front court players trying to put in misses from the backcourt. Well, not that alone but we saw that at the end of 2 huge losses.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Not from where I'm looking. Maybe 2 years down the road but not in 2022. SCar's post pickup was ACC freshman of the year. UConn's was a 2 year first team all B1G forward. Clear edge to UConn (as far as 2022 is concerned). The freshman classes are too close to call.
UConn also gets an edge in that they had 3 freshman in their 7 man rotation last season and freshmen improve the most moving into their sophomore seasons.

We get to find out in 4 weeks. Don't lose to Oregon or UConn fans will accuse Staley of throwing the game out of fear.

This is funny. So you choose ONE GAME between Nelson-Ododa and Cardoso to make your judgement: Cardoso played the fewest minutes of the starting 5 and yet tied for the team lead with Engstler with 12 pts and also had 7 rebs. But Boston scored 17 pts and 15 rebounds, with 3 blocks and 2 steals against CT - Edwards only scored 8 pts and 5 rebs in your game with SC, but somehow that ONE GAME gets past your radar? Both Edwards and Nelson-Ododa COMBINED for 14 pts, 12 rebs, and 2 blocks with 0 steals in that game - they couldn't outplay Boston two players against one.

Perhaps Edwards should have not focused so much on running around back and forth on the court, and focused instead on playing some basketball, that day....

The difference is this: In both the UConn and the Stanford games it is Boston who wore the goat horns for missing putback attempts. If it had been UConn it would have been the guard who took the initial shot who would have gotten the blame, not the player with the offensive rebound.

The SCar guards are very quick and great ball handlers but they are on the small side and neither could guard Bueckers who took them both inside and was just too tall to cover. Fudd is going to make the job exponentially greater. Your guards do very well in transition but UConn did a great job in getting back on defense so your offense had to rely on their halfcourt game and as we saw that consists of front court players trying to put in misses from the backcourt. Well, not that alone but we saw that at the end of 2 huge losses.

our starting guards shot 40% from the arc on volume last season.

our offensive problems revolved around our forwards.

also, UConn has scored 52 in regulation the last two meetings, so for me the question is really which teams improves the most offensively.

it seems to me that UConn added more offensively inclined players but I'm not sure how many many minutes they can get. Both teams have incumbency issues.

 

[Alydar]

it seems to me that UConn added more offensively inclined players but I'm not sure how many many minutes they can get. Both teams have incumbency issues.

More and more UConn has become attractive to elite players with pro dreams. They don't think in terms of minutes. It's training for the next level they go to UConn to get. And yeah, there are other programs that do a great job. But UConn has attained almost a mythic level in todays HS players. The incoming freshman class was 9 years old when Stewart won her 1st title and were learning to read when Moore was playing. Anything before that is ancient history to them. I also think that UConn's style of play has a lot to do with it's attraction. It's a place for athletes who live for basketball to play for a school that lives for basketball. How's that for a UConn ad?

 

[Gamecockfan77]

More and more UConn has become attractive to elite players with pro dreams. They don't think in terms of minutes. It's training for the next level they go to UConn to get. And yeah, there are other programs that do a great job. But UConn has attained almost a mythic level in todays HS players. The incoming freshman class was 9 years old when Stewart won her 1st title and were learning to read when Moore was playing. Anything before that is ancient history to them. I also think that UConn's style of play has a lot to do with it's attraction. It's a place for athletes who live for basketball to play for a school that lives for basketball. How's that for a UConn ad?

ok?

 

[Cuango]

Boston is the most overrated player in college basketball. If I'm drafting a team I take Edwards over her every day of the week. Edwards is just flat out a better player. She can get up and down the court six times for every one trip Boston makes. Just a few months ago, ONO had a chance to play Cardosa head to head and she completely schooled her. As far as off the bench, again, no one in their right mind would take any of the Cocks over Dorka. Case closed, South Carolina has an embarrassingly pathetic front court compared to the dominant Husky's.

While I definitely agree that Boston has not played up to her press, I’m not on board with saying AE is better than her. She may end up there but she is not there yet. Also, your contention that SC’s front court is “embarrassingly pathetic” is embarrassing in itself! I think it is possible, even likely that Dorka may outplay Cardoso this season, but I certainly wouldn’t think that would continue into the following season!

 

[Stymie]

I see one of these posts every now and then and can’t think of any explanation besides satire.

You could take Edwards over Boston at your discretion and you’d likely be sacked as a GM if your other picks followed suit.

We aren’t gonna talk about ONO schooling anybody after that NCAA tournament to forget.

I just don’t get it. UConn may well be the best team in the country this year and bring home a national championship trophy. They may go undefeated. It’s all possible. But I don’t see any other team’s fans on here speak such baseless conjecture without objectively assessing their team’s respective strengths and weaknesses.

Gimme an AMEN.