Who will be the Top 8 Programs of the 2020s Decade?

[visitingcock]

Well, here we are with 5 seasons under our belts- the midway point of the decade. The current draft class will carry us through 2029.

So who do you expect to be considered the top 8 programs of the decade when all is said and done? Can UCLA elevate? They haven't performed a that level. Can Stanford survive Tara's retirement and the ACC travel enough to maintain their present position in the top 8? Is Notre Dame ready for a second half of decade surge? Can Texas get there while battling SCar and LSU? Southern Cal? Are they back? Louisville and NC State? Can Maryland surge back? Baylor? Newcomers?

Can Iowa rebuild to close out the decade with another Elite 8 finish? Is there a possibility of a newbie National champ?

Could UConn or SCar collapse and does it matter? Are they already established as Top 8 of the decade?

 

[visitingcock]

I believe that SCar and UConn have already qualified at this point. Can anybody surpass UConn's 2 final 4s and a runner up out of 4 tournaments? The win totals for both programs over the past firve seasons? Both teams certainly have the coaching and freshmen recruiting classes to keep them near, if not AT, the very Top. I would say Kim has already put LSU in a strong position to finish Top 8 with a top 8 finish and a NC. I expect at least several more top 8 finishes. Texas? Vic seems to be well capable of consistent top 8 finishes and better. With three SEC teams in this group though, one may suffer.

After that, it gets tough!

5.Stanford may hold on to Top 8, but it will be challenging.

6. NC State: has been very good. 2022-2023 was a rebuilding year. They have easily been top 8 quality the other 4 years.

7. Southern Cal: Has the recruiting to break through. Do they have the talent?

I just cant make up my mind on Number 8. I wanna say UCLA but they just haven't preformed like a op 8 program at tournament time,

 

[broooce]

Agree on all of the above, I'd have UCLA in #8 at this point. I think they can only get better over the next few years. It'll be interesting to see who they might pull in via transfer portal, and Sienna Betts is on the way too.

 

[maple]

I can't see UConn or SCar collapsing at all this decade. Now, the 2030s, maybe (though "collapse" might be a strong word; UConn will eventually have to replace Geno and whenever that happens will require a bit of a rebuild). I think it would matter only if it was very significant, like neither team making the tournament.

I think Iowa will end up being like Mississippi State and Oregon -- remembered for having 2-4 years of very strong runs (to this day I believe Oregon with Sabrina could have very much won a title in 2020 had COVID not happened). So in the top 10, but not top 3.

LSU has only 2 years under Mulkey and it's hard to predict where things will go from here. A title and a follow-up E8 is a good start, so for right now probably in the top 10, but again, not sure where exactly.

There's so many other programs in the mix but it's hard to point to one and say for certain if it should be in the top 10 and where exactly they belong. Having multiple/consecutive winning season is certainly a mark in the plus column, but it also matters if they won their conference outright, won their conference tourney multiple times, and also had sustained tournament success (for me this means at least making the S16 for multiple/consecutive years). One or multiple titles definitely matters the most, but also winning a title and then falling off a cliff for the rest of the decade shouldn't mean you are an automatic top 10.

Texas, NC State, and Stanford have to be in consideration for now, at least, given their quality of wins and overall consistency. Maybe ND, depending on what Ivey can do with them for the next couple of seasons.

I would throw my hat into the ring for Syracuse IF they are able to keep building on what they accomplished this season. But that's a big ask for them. Maybe in the 2030s ...