Will UConn open in the Top 10 in the polls? | The Boneyard

Will UConn open in the Top 10 in the polls?

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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.
 
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.
 
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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...........
 
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Roundball fan said:
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.
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How can you surprise alot of people when UConn will be ranked #2 to start the season?
 
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Charliebball said:
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......
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Clearly not. ND was #1 in preseason 2016-17.
Notre Dame No. 1 in preseason AP women's basketball poll
 
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.
 
CocoHusky said:
Clearly not. ND was #1 in preseason 2016-17.
Notre Dame No. 1 in preseason AP women's basketball poll
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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."
 
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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.
 
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BostonFan said:
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.
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Will open at no worse than #3.
 
meyers7 said:
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. :D
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shouldn't even have to spell it out..........how about GENO-II-U-ZERO
 
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.
 
JordyG said:
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.
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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.........
 
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I think UCONN is underrated at preseason 4. Sure, they lost 3 players, but they still have KLS, Collier, and Dangerfield. That's an incredible 3 right there--strong PG, strong shooter, strong inside player. That makes them a top 3 team imo. Add in Walker, who I think will make a leap into Sophomore year, and 1 other undetermined player, and UCONN should be fine, though the odds they win it all in 2019 are a lot smaller than in previous years. I think they'll have an incredibly limited bench, depending on underclassmen development. CW is the wild card.
I think the only teams better than UCONN next year are Baylor (though they consistently under perform in tournament), Notre Dame obviously (may be undefeated), and maybe Oregon, though I question their ranking at #2, although I'm biased because I don't get to see many west coast teams.
 
JordyG said:
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.
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I don't know about "for a change" as ND has had a target on its back for a while now, especially within the ACC. I do look forward to the inevitable "what's wrong with ND" posts when ND doesn't have perfect chemistry in November and December and plays some close games. Oh, and the inevitable posts wondering if fame has gone to Arike's head the next time she shoots 5-19 or whatever.

I think as far as UConn and ND, that's one where you can throw rankings out the window. The names on the front of the jersey gives each team all the motivation they need. I'm sure UConn will be especially fired up after Marina's "they're a great team, but we're better" soundbite.
 
Scoop said:
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.
Expand ...

Nice job stopping before having to mention #9 TN. ;)
 
Scoop said:
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.
Expand ...
I think the answer to #4 is no. If we didn’t get the TAMU kids, I don’t expect we’ll get anyone.

The others require speculation, but I really, really like Christyn and Liv. And the kid from Chesterfield, VA is moving into Megatron Beast Mode.
 
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