Winner of National Championship is?

[Conndog]

Who do you think will will National Championship?

 

[GamecockFam]

South Carolina, duh!

(I may be biased)

 

[maple]

UConn, obviously.

 

[cancontent]

Is it too soon to say "I hope everyone plays hard and has fun"?

 

[bballnut90]

Favorites: I think USC/UCLA/South Carolina have the best teams this year. Good balance of perimeter play and interior play. Great athletes and all 3 have been consistent this season.

Could win, less likely though:
-Texas could win playing ugly. I think they'll need to knock down a few threes though since their offense is stagnant if you prevent Booker and the posts from catching the ball where they like it.

-UCONN has title potential, but I don't see them being consistent enough to win 3 consecutive games against the likes of USC/UCLA/South Carolina, which is potentially their path to a title. If they catch a lucky break and avoid a 1 seed in the Elite 8 or Final Four, they could pull it off and send Paige out with a title.

Low odds, but never say never:
-Notre Dame has a very talented team on paper but I don't think they're likely to win it all. They've looked very vulnerable the last few weeks.

-Duke is quite dangerous if they're knocking down shots. They're solid but not spectacular at every position, and their balance and defense can keep them in games even if shots aren't falling. If Okanawa plays like she did in the ACC Tournament, they're a true title threat.

-LSU is also a sleeper threat if Morrow is healthy. Aneesah, Williams and Flaujae make up one of the best trios in the country and they have championship experience. Plus they have Mulkey who has more titles than any active coach besides Geno.

Pretenders:
NC State-their lack of size will prevent them from winning a title. They could make the Final Four but I think fall short going up against a bigger physical team like South Carolina or USC.

TCU-I think they're all hype unless Prince decides to dominate (which she's capable of but doesn't do enough). I think they get bounced in the Sweet 16.

Oklahoma-I think Sweet 16 is their ceiling, they haven't shown they can compete with the big dogs.

Kentucky-Same as Oklahoma.

Ohio State-likely 2nd round loss, Sweet 16 ceiling.


Teams that could upset #1 seeds:
North Carolina-they could upset a #1 seed with their style of play, but I don't think they can make a Final Four

Ole Miss-similar scenario to North Carolina

Baylor-they've put together a really nice season despite a slow start. I think they could hang with a #1 seed in the Sweet 16

Tennessee-if they can knock down 3s and speed up pace of play, they can make noise in the tournament. Until their rough finish they were competing with all of the big teams and more than holding their own.

Other upset minded teams:
Iowa-not sure many teams are playing better basketball than Iowa has as of late and their roster is filled with players who've competed in championship games. I wouldn't count out a Sweet 16 or even an Elite 8 finish.

Florida State-Latson/Timpson/Gordon are a 3 headed monster that aren't talked about enough. Especially Gordon who is lightning quick and is having a fantastic season. They could be a Sweet 16 team.

 

[TheFarmFan]

I'ma wait to vote until we have brackets. Matchups will very much tilt who I think will win it given the parity among the top 5 or 6 teams.