Will UConn open in the Top 10 in the polls?

[BostonFan]

Lost 3 of their best players (essentially 50% of their productivity) to the pros.. Their best player coming back just had major surgery and may not be ready to open the season. Lots of unproven freshman thru junior players. No meaningful transfers coming in. Meanwhile, other top 10 teams have gotten stronger. I'd say UConn is probably the 7th through 12th best team STARTING the season.

 

[Reypl21]

No offense, but this is a stupid question. UConn will be 2 or 3 in the poll, and they will definitely be a top team next year.

 

[triaddukefan]

Wow

 

[Alydar]

Wasn't this discussion held 2 years ago?

7th -12th? Seeing how sports betting is a distinct possibility in the near future I'd suggest you not offer that as a proposition wager. Just look at Tenn and how often they have been a pre-season top 10 team. I'd confidently predict that it's far more likely that UConn will be 1-4 than 6-10. There are 4 teams that could conceivably be ranked above UConn, N Dame, Oregon, Miss St & Louisville, and the last 2 less likely than the 1st 2.

 

[Orangutan]

I suspect UConn will be ranked #2 to open the season.

 

[chrissaran]

UConn will not open the season ranked 2nd. They more than likely will be in the top 5. Baylor has a strong team and a strong freshmen class.

 

[j66kicker]

UConn will open at #2 in the polls and close at #1.

 

[CocoHusky]

Did you accidently stray from the UCONN men's board?
Your question doesn't make sense otherwise.

 

[uconn34]

Remarkably stupid question even in a world of stupid questions.

 

[Charliebball]

I'ts certainly not a stupid question compared to year's past, after all this is the first year in a while where UConn is clearly not going to be the number one ranked team (sorry SC) and one could argue that there are several teams that some might rate ahead of UConn based on returning team talent...........I'm a hell of a lot more concerned where UConn is ranked at the end of the season then at the beginning...............that said they'll most likely be ranked in the top three out of respect..............it will be interesting to see if they can hold that ranking after the out of conference portion of the schedule...........

 

[Roundball fan]

ONO I can't believe some one could think we would start the season lower than 5. Our girls will surprise a lot of people again this year.

 

[triaddukefan]

ONO I can't believe some one could think we would start the season lower than 5. Our girls will surprise a lot of people again this year.

How can you surprise alot of people when UConn will be ranked #2 to start the season?

 

[Charliebball]

How can you surprise alot of people when UConn will be ranked #2 to start the season?

by ending the season ranked number #10?

 

[CocoHusky]

I'ts certainly not a stupid question compared to year's past, after all this is the first year in a while where UConn is clearly not going to be the number one ranked team (sorry SC) and one could argue that there are several teams that some might rate ahead of UConn based on returning team talent......I'm a hell of a lot more concerned where UConn is ranked at the end of the season then at the beginning.....that said they'll most likely be ranked in the top three out of respect....it will be interesting to see if they can hold that ranking after the out of conference portion of the schedule......

Clearly not. ND was #1 in preseason 2016-17.
Notre Dame No. 1 in preseason AP women's basketball poll

 

[MilfordHusky]

We'll certainly be top 5 and probably 2-3. I don't know if Lou's surgery was major or minor. Sounded more minor or moderate to me.

 

[Charliebball]

Clearly not. ND was #1 in preseason 2016-17.
Notre Dame No. 1 in preseason AP women's basketball poll

sorry but I was thinking of this poll........BTW some interesting thoughts in your article from Geno on proper preseason selecting...........
Connecticut is No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports preseason women's basketball poll

"I don't think we should be No. 1," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "I don't think we should be anywhere near the teams that almost went to the Final Four and have everybody back and have all that experience and all that talent. We've been in those situations before and we're not there now. So, wherever they put us, I'm OK."

 

[triaddukefan]

It's gonna be a long off-season

 

[Carnac]

This is a question that can be answered more easily and intelligently at the end of October. We'll have a better idea of what UConn has going then. We'll know if any of the reserves made the much anticipated "leap" over the summer. We'll also have an idea (through reports we'll get from the media) of the status of the other top ten teams.

Right now, I think Carnac The Magnificent is the only one that could accurately answer this question. But........if I had to guess, I'd say UConn should open the season somewhere between 4-6, keeping in mind that the usual suspects i.e., Notre Dame, Baylor, Texas, Louisville, Miss St, Oregon, and Maryland will return top 10 competitive teams this coming season. We're somewhere in that mix. We all know the talent that was lost to graduation. What we don't know is how much of that production that was lost, will be made up by the reserves and the incoming freshmen.

Some posters have already suggested that freshmen Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Christyn Williams must play significant minutes for Geno this season. We won't know until official practice begins, and we begin to get interviews and reports from the coaching staff and media, who looks good. Who is dominating practice. Who has assumed a leadership role, and which role player appears ready to be promoted to a starting spot.

I agree with charliebball in that I'm more concerned with their ranking at the end of the season than the beginning. There are a lot of fans and coaches that give absolutely zero credence to preseason polls. I always say that we'll be able to discern the contenders from the pretenders after 5 games, except for those top 25 programs that are feasting on a steady diet of "soft and sugary" cupcakes and Twinkies. We won't know how good they are until they play teams that are at or above their skill and talent level.

I'm NOT speculating, but I'm assuming that no one will leave the program this year. If someone did, that could be a mitigating factor. When we have answers to all of these unknowns, it will be easier to formulate an opinion.

Right now, there are too many unknowns.
1. We don't know who the 2 new starters will be.
2. We don't know who the 6th man will be.
3. We don't know if everyone will be healthy to begin the season.
4. We don't know if a graduate transfer (or 2) will drop in their lap this summer.
5. We don't know if ONO and Williams will be able to adapt fast enough to the pace and sophistication of Geno's program (this season) to be of any significant help.

Here's Charlie Cream's way too early top 25 top 8:
1. Notre Dame
2. Oregon
3. Baylor
4. UConn
5. Louisville
6. Stanford
7. Maryland
8. Miss St.

We can select our personal top 10 teams now, and repeat this exercise again in late October after the unknowns become known.

 

[meyers7]

Geno has more NC's than everyone on this board combined.

There, according to a few on here, that should stop all discussion in this thread.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Lost 3 of their best players (essentially 50% of their productivity) to the pros.. Their best player coming back just had major surgery and may not be ready to open the season. Lots of unproven freshman thru junior players. No meaningful transfers coming in. Meanwhile, other top 10 teams have gotten stronger. I'd say UConn is probably the 7th through 12th best team STARTING the season.

Will open at no worse than #3.

 

[Charliebball]

It's gonna be a long off-season

that may be but you're lucky, you get to go back and read the wonderful musings on the Duke board.......

 

[Charliebball]

Geno has more NC's than everyone on this board combined.

There, according to a few on here, that should stop all discussion in this thread.

shouldn't even have to spell it out..........how about GENO-II-U-ZERO

 

[JordyG]

Man, I hope UConn is ranked 11 or 12. Silly of course because they will be ranked top 5, but a nice low ranking will make it sweeter when UConn beats ND. Also it'll be fun watching how NdD handles having the target on their back for a change. Teams tend to wilt under that kind of scrutiny.

 

[Charliebball]

Man, I hope UConn is ranked 11 or 12. Silly of course because they will be ranked top 5, but a nice low ranking will make it sweeter when UConn beats ND. Also it'll be fun watching how NdD handles having the target on their back for a change. Teams tend to wilt under that kind of scrutiny.

I agree............the lower the expectations the more fun it will be............I have already warned our ND friends that winning the NC means everybody is doubly out to get you..........and even though their team looks far better on paper, sometimes it's hard to recreate that chemistry that came with the hardships they endured last season.........

 

[Husky fanatic]

Yes