***official 2024/25 womens bball thread*** playoff bball wins return to seattle brohans (2 Viewers)

[bryhamm]

Paige and Clark rivalry gonna be big for WNBA. Unless they strike. I get strikes, but this would be the worst timing for one possible.

This will actually be a good and legit one, instead of the laughable one that Angel keeps trying to create.

 

[pollardsvision]

Paige and Clark rivalry gonna be big for WNBA. Unless they strike. I get strikes, but this would be the worst timing for one possible.

It should be a good one, though not very competitive in 2025. Indiana had a great off-season, and is now firmly part of the group of teams that could win it all (along with New York, Minnesota, and Vegas). Maybe Phoenix, but 3 really good players and absolutely no depth doesn't seem like a title contender. Seems like Mat Ishbia is really convinced that will work.

But Dallas could be pretty interesting. Satou was a huge loss, but they added a lot of interesting pieces. Not sure who would start, but they've got Paige (presumably) and Arike. Added Dijonai, who will be big for them after they were historically bad defensively last year. Ty Harris is a really solid veteran guard. Maddy Siegrist has looked good (and just won Athletes Unlimited).

Who knows what will happen in the frontcourt. Still got 6'7" McCowan. Added Myisha Hines-Allen who will give them a solid vet presence. Also brought in NaLyssa Smith. She wasn't good at all last year, but she's young, an athletic 6'4", and has been good in the past. Not a good sign that Indiana basically paid Dallas to take her, but with McCowan, Siegrist, and Hines-Allen, it's not that big of a deal if NaLyssa doesn't get better.

It might be a disaster, but if Paige and Arike click, those 2 with a lot of versatile depth could be a pretty frisky team.

 

[pollardsvision]

Ahhh ####.

Juju with a torn ACL.

This sucks for about 1000 reasons, but I think there's a chance her college career might be done.

Under the current/old CBA, I think she's a lock to return for her senior year. And of course, she went to USC because she wanted to return the program to prominence.

But going into the 2027 draft, she'll still be the #1 pick even having missed a season. All due respect to Madison Booker, who would be the #1 pick in most years. But Juju will be the #1 pick even with a year off, and she's W ready.

Also, earlier this year, she said she thinks college players should be able to go to the W earlier (which ain't going to happen, and she's one of the very few that ever could have and done well).

If she's itching to get to the W, more money will be there, and she'll be the #1 pick, I'm not really sure why she'd come back for her senior year.

 

[pollardsvision]

Gakdeng's ankle clearly isn't right, so I'm glad Courtney brought Lanie in. No Gakdeng means we can't take advantage in the paint. May as well go with Ustby and 4 guards. Don't know if we can pull this off, but if we can, that seems to be the lineup.

 

[pollardsvision]

Damn. Ms. Jackson has seen a couple go through now. That's not good.

 

[pollardsvision]

That's probably it.

I think Banghart is the right coach, and I like the direction. But Lawson is probably on another level with Duke. I don't think they are going to give South Carolina a scare on Sunday, but she's not that far off. Jadyn, Oluchi, and Toby are elite young players. What they did over the course of this year was special. In January, it would have been ludicrous to say anybody besides ND would have won the ACC tourney. And if anybody did, it would have surely been State. Duke knocked them both off.

And State-LSU tonight will be a really fun game. Each team will probably score above the entire game total of the UNC-Duke game.

 

[pollardsvision]

And the transfer portal is starting to heat up. Ta'Niya Latson and Cotie McMahon entering so far.

Latson is going to get a lot of bidders. You know, leading the nation in scoring and all. Former AAU teammate with Raven Johnson, who's recruiting her hard. ND is losing some guards to the draft and of course, USC will have some guard scoring needs to fill next year.

 

[pollardsvision]

Unlikely Maryland can pull this off. But they've got the players and the coach to make it interesting.

 

[pollardsvision]

This game might be classic. Shyanne (Brad Seller's daughter) is a legit 6'2" guard that can shoot the 3 and run point if need be.

Milaysia Fulwiley is just something else. Not even 6 feet and can dunk. The shooting will come, but for now, when she's on the court, she's just going to do something special.

Great programs with a lot of talent. Maryland may not have enough, but damn, it seems like they might make a game of it.

 

[pollardsvision]

Surely not gonna happen, but you can count the number of current coaches that have won a national title on less than one hand. Brenda Friese is one of them.

 

[pollardsvision]

Surely not going to happen. But damn nobody's told Maryland that yet

 

[pollardsvision]

Cocks probably just turned the tide. But we'll see.

 

[Desert_Power]

Cocks probably just turned the tide. But we'll see.

Not as strong as recent years. Glad they pulled it out of course.

 

[pollardsvision]

I've said all year that if there's going to be a next Pat/Geno/Dawn, it's going to be Kara. I just didn't expect she'd come so close to taking Dawn out this year.

South Carolina and Duke are so similar as programs. Great depth, great defense (Duke just held them to 54 essentially in a home game for SC). Top scorers are freshmen coming off the bench. Even Oluchi and Milaysia have a lot of similarities (Oluchi beating Milaysia to the rim was wild).

Kara feels like she's an A'ja a way from making the Dawn leap. Though I can't say Toby won't have a similar impact. Comparing any freshman to A'ja is silly and unfair, but Toby's really good and could make a program changing impact.

Anyway, what a damn game.

 

[Desert_Power]

I've said all year that if there's going to be a next Pat/Geno/Dawn, it's going to be Kara. I just didn't expect she'd come so close to taking Dawn out this year.

South Carolina and Duke are so similar as programs. Great depth, great defense (Duke just held them to 54 essentially in a home game for SC). Top scorers are freshmen coming off the bench. Even Oluchi and Milaysia have a lot of similarities (Oluchi beating Milaysia to the rim was wild).

Kara feels like she's an A'ja a way from making the Dawn leap. Though I can't say Toby won't have a similar impact. Comparing any freshman to A'ja is silly and unfair, but Toby's really good and could make a program changing impact.

Anyway, what a damn game.

You definitely know your ball. She got the better of Dawn in several spots today with smart calls, but the experience and talent gap just a bit too big. Gamecocks keep sneaking through.

 

[pollardsvision]

It royally sucks that Juju won't be a part of it, but tonight will be huge.

USC is nowhere near as good without Juju, but Kiki, Rayah, and the freshmen have really been stepping up in her absence. Probably won't be enough, but it could still be a good game.

UConn is just out of this world now that they are healthy. Paige's 40 against Oklahoma was the most by a UConn player in the NCAA tourney. Pretty insane considering the program. She's picked a really good time to get more aggressive.

Texas should be too much for TCU, but betting against HVL and Prince never seems like a good idea. HVL has now taken 3 different programs to the Elite 8, which obviously has never been done before (disastrous as the LSU year was, "taken" is probably not the right word). Who knows how it goes, but it's pretty awesome to see her revive her career after such a down year.

 

[irish eyes]

This texas-tcu game is brutal to watch. Scary to think these are 2 of the top 8 teams. 44 points total at half time and Texas couldn't throw the ball into the ocean if they were in the ocean.

 

[pollardsvision]

Would love to see the awesome HVL redemption tour continue, but when Oldaker goes taking it coast to coast, that's probably a sign it's not their night.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

Olivia Miles in the portal instead of the WNBA

 

[irish eyes]

If UConn would get Fudd out of the freaking game, they would probably be up 20. She's taken 5 horrendous shots and missed them all leading to points the other way.

 

[General Malaise]

Paige Buckets is just a joy to watch.

 

[irish eyes]

Can't believe Geno leaves Fudd in the game.She is awful & has turned it over about 15 times. And now 0-9 & single handedly trying to lose the game. He's supposed to be such a great coach but is he not watching the game. She has no business being in there.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

Can't believe Geno leaves Fudd in the game.She is awful & has turned it over about 15 times. And now 0-9 & single handedly trying to lose the game. He's supposed to be such a great coach but is he not watching the game. She has no business being in there.

LOL at she is awful. Tell us you've never watched her play before without telling us.

By the way, she has 2 turnovers tonight.

 

[pollardsvision]

Olivia Miles in the portal instead of the WNBA

Interesting choice. Not a huge surprise that she'd stay for another year of college with the NIL money, and no new CBA in the W yet.

Pretty surprising that she'd transfer, but you never know what people are looking for.

Portal stacking up pretty fast with Miles, Ta'Niya Latson, and Cotie McMahon already.

I don't think it would terrible for WNBA teams to get another look at Miles. This was her first year shooting well from 3, and she didn't play well down the stretch.
There are a lot of interesting players in this draft, and this opens up a tiny little bit more opportunity for them. Fascinated to see where teams land on players like RIvers, Sellers, Amoore, HVL, and Sarah Ashley Barker.

 

[pollardsvision]

Maybe lost in the hubbub from last night, but holy hell, Sarah Strong.

She's a transcendent talent. A lot of great freshmen this year, including Mikayla Blakes dropping 50 in two different SEC games. But FOY was never in doubt. This kid is something special. She's the reason Geno won't retire when Paige is done.

She's a draft #1 overall and go win a few W championships type of player. In the pantheon of great UConn players, she's going to be way up there.

A NC kid too, I might add. She wisely chose UConn over UNC. But we gladly root for her. She's going to be the next great after Caitlin, Paige, and Juju.

 

[tri-man 47]

Can't believe Geno leaves Fudd in the game.She is awful & has turned it over about 15 times. And now 0-9 & single handedly trying to lose the game. He's supposed to be such a great coach but is he not watching the game. She has no business being in there.

Fudd says “hold my Gatorade bottle” but Geno grabs it first and smacks you upside the head.

 

[Navin Johnson]

Can't believe Geno leaves Fudd in the game.She is awful & has turned it over about 15 times. And now 0-9 & single handedly trying to lose the game. He's supposed to be such a great coach but is he not watching the game. She has no business being in there.

LOL at she is awful. Tell us you've never watched her play before without telling us.

By the way, she has 2 turnovers tonight.

this

 

[pollardsvision]

She has until Friday to declare, but there's a good amount of speculation that Flau'jae could be declaring for the draft.
She's one of the few players making so much money outside of NIL that the low rookie W money doesn't matter so much.

It would be absolutely huge for Seattle, and imo, have LA kicking themselves for trading away that pick.
Love Plum, but 4 dirt cheap years of Flau'jae with a young core is better than one really expensive year of Plum.

And coming out to go to Seattle would be very smart for Flau'jae.
Can't knock Miles's decision for the money, but the Seattle part is one reason I think she's taking a risk. Going to a good organization with top notch facilities at #2 is very rare.

There are only 3 franchises with good facilities. Seattle, Phoenix, and Vegas. Phoenix always trades away their picks. Vegas won't be drafting high while A'ja is there. Most lottery teams have awful facilities (and horrible to questionable leadership).

Go to Seattle to a good veteran team, ownership willing to invest, and great facilities. Over the course the entire WNBA history, Seattle has probably been the best organization overall.

It's a smart long-term move, IMO.

 

[pollardsvision]

Nevermind. I think her deadline to declare was last night.

On the Olivia Miles front, it sounds like TCU is the frontrunner with her relationship with Mark Campbell (he recruited her pretty heavy at Oregon).

But she also has a relationship with Courtney Banghart, so apparently UNC might be in the mix. Hard to imagine with Reniya Kelly being there though, and she's already trying to get out of a situation where she was sharing the ball with another PG.

 

[In The Zone]

Well my Gamecocks made it back to the final four but it's a little different this year. All three of their losses are in the FF as well. I like their chances against Texas but, if they win, the championship game is gonna be tough. Can't wait to watch both games tonight.

 

[pollardsvision]

My bracket has UConn over South Carolina in the final, and UConn looks amazing right now.

But UCLA as 7.5 point dog just seems like some serious disrespect. But Vegas has been high on UConn for a while. I think they even had UConn as the title favorite before the South Carolina game. Or maybe it was they had them as the 2nd favorite long before that when most people didn't see them that way.

7.5 just seems crazy though. UCLA was a deserving #1 overall seed. Didn't lose to any team that didn't have Juju putting up a monster game, then avenged that loss. They've looked like the best team in the country for huge chunks of the year.

6'7" Betts is dominating and is a fantastic passer. She's surrounded by good shooters. Some of the 6'2"/6'3" variety. They can "go small" and still have a lot more size than everybody else, including UConn.

Betts rarely gets into foul trouble, but when she did against LSU, the rest of the crew dominated LSU in that 2nd quarter. When this team is on, they seem unstoppable.

But so does UConn. This game is going to be so awesome.

 

[pollardsvision]

Well my Gamecocks made it back to the final four but it's a little different this year. All three of their losses are in the FF as well. I like their chances against Texas but, if they win, the championship game is gonna be tough. Can't wait to watch both games tonight.

It's going to be interesting. Your Gamecocks have looked really vulnerable since curbstomping Texas in the SEC title game. Duke gave that game away.

But they are still loaded, and they have Dawn and a lot of players that have been there. Betting against them is never a good idea.

It feels like Texas' only shot is South Carolina starting slow (which they are known to do this year), and Madison Booker going bonkers from the tip.

Or Jones and Oldacre kicking their *** in the paint. It hasn't happened much over the years, but South Carolina is the smaller team here. Texas has size and leans on it.

Who knows how it goes. I'll believe Vic got the best of Dawn outside of Austin when I see it.

 

[pollardsvision]

Is Vic saving Maddie for 2027?

I get foul trouble but that was ridiculous.. your best chance at beating South Carolina is to jump on them early because Dawn is going to come out kicking *** in the third quarter. Texas passed all that up.

 

[irish eyes]

Is Vic saving Maddie for 2027?

I get foul trouble but that was ridiculous.. your best chance at beating South Carolina is to jump on them early because Dawn is going to come out kicking *** in the third quarter. Texas passed all that up.

Wonder what was going on with Booker. Hardly on the court in the last quarter. Didn't seem to be hurt.

 

[pollardsvision]

Glad I'm not a gambler. Really didn't expect two blowouts.

ESPN/ABC certainly have to be happy about it though. Nothing is going to touch Caitlin Clark ratings, but this one should be good. Dawn v Geno. Paige trying to avoid the tag of best UConn player to never win a title.

 

[tri-man 47]

Amazing that two very talented teams (Texas and UCLA) are made to look like they shouldn’t be anywhere near the final four. Final on Sunday should be great.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

So I turned 50 yesterday. And as part of the festivities, Mrs APK and I took a last minute trip to Tampa and went to the Women’s Final Four last night. While neither game ended up competitive, it was awesome! Paige Bueckers has been my favorite player since the beginning of her frosh year, so seeing her in person for the first time ever last night was so cool.

Debating staying tomorrow night still and somehow snagging tix to the game. I’m so lucky to have a spouse who appreciates my idiosyncrasies — like loving basketball so much that I’d want to attend the women’s final four for a big 5-0 celebration.

 

[tri-man 47]

So I turned 50 yesterday. And as part of the festivities, Mrs APK and I took a last minute trip to Tampa and went to the Women’s Final Four last night. While neither game ended up competitive, it was awesome! Paige Bueckers has been my favorite player since the beginning of her frosh year, so seeing her in person for the first time ever last night was so cool.

Debating staying tomorrow night still and somehow snagging tix to the game. I’m so lucky to have a spouse who appreciates my idiosyncrasies — like loving basketball so much that I’d want to attend the women’s final four for a big 5-0 celebration.

And a new AG to boot!!!

 

[Alex P Keaton]

So I turned 50 yesterday. And as part of the festivities, Mrs APK and I took a last minute trip to Tampa and went to the Women’s Final Four last night. While neither game ended up competitive, it was awesome! Paige Bueckers has been my favorite player since the beginning of her frosh year, so seeing her in person for the first time ever last night was so cool.

Debating staying tomorrow night still and somehow snagging tix to the game. I’m so lucky to have a spouse who appreciates my idiosyncrasies — like loving basketball so much that I’d want to attend the women’s final four for a big 5-0 celebration.

And a new AG to boot!!!

Truth

 

[Navin Johnson]

So I turned 50 yesterday. And as part of the festivities, Mrs APK and I took a last minute trip to Tampa and went to the Women’s Final Four last night. While neither game ended up competitive, it was awesome! Paige Bueckers has been my favorite player since the beginning of her frosh year, so seeing her in person for the first time ever last night was so cool.

Debating staying tomorrow night still and somehow snagging tix to the game. I’m so lucky to have a spouse who appreciates my idiosyncrasies — like loving basketball so much that I’d want to attend the women’s final four for a big 5-0 celebration.

I got to see her and Azzi play in the u17 WC in Minsk. Bummer that injuries have affected their collegiate careers. Hopefully they can cut the nets down tomorrow

 

[Desert_Power]

Hoping Dawn has the ladies locked in on avenging a bad home loss today. Crazy that each team they lost to during the season made the Final Four. Probably Paige's year...

 

[pollardsvision]

Hoping Dawn has the ladies locked in on avenging a bad home loss today. Crazy that each team they lost to during the season made the Final Four. Probably Paige's year...

Best of luck to your Cocks. I'll hate to see either of these teams lose.

I'm pretty excited for the Strong-Edwards matchup. It was great to see Edwards go off against Texas after a slow start to the tournament.

As we look to 2026 with no Paige or Juju, there are still a lot of great players and potential stars in CBB, and a Strong-Edwards showcase here would be nice heading into next season.

Strong, in particular, has a chance to be the next superstar. Her freshman year stacks pretty well against a lot of the all-time greats.

 

[pollardsvision]

Looking like a high scoring game early.

 

[Desert_Power]

Blazing start.

 

[pollardsvision]

Joyce aggressive early. She's ready to be the next great Gamecock.

 

[pollardsvision]

Blazing start.

Yeah, a lot of championship games can start slow, but this one's got a whole lot of people that have been here before.

 

[pollardsvision]

And of course now everybody goes cold.

 

[pollardsvision]

EDD on Bird-Taurasi fresh off her retirement announcement.

Caitlin coming up later.

 

[pollardsvision]

UConn looked unstoppable early, but you gotta love how South Carolina is settling in after a tough start. UConn looks better, but Cocks are going to grind this out.

 

[Yo Mama]

The pace of this game is crazy.