2025 NCAA WBB Tournament non LV games and news

[LV renaissance]

No doubt you’ve seen the “way too early” projections for next year. Personally I think for college sports these are ridiculous if done before the portal window closes. But FWIW, at least one prognosticator has pegged Tennessee in the top ten.

Agree that it is silly to do it now before most of the transfers have been finalized. Can't help to smile when after reading this I went to the Athletic to read about other things and saw a new headline about their projected Top 25 and UT was at #7. I have a gut feeling we won't go down after the transfers either.

 

[chuckiepoo]

Agree that it is silly to do it now before most of the transfers have been finalized. Can't help to smile when after reading this I went to the Athletic to read about other things and saw a new headline about their projected Top 25 and UT was at #7. I have a gut feeling we won't go down after the transfers either.

Almost famous: Baylor, Maryland, and Columbia.

Except from: Women’s college basketball 2025-26 too-early power ranking: UConn looks like favorite again

COMMENTS

R
Robin W.
· 18h 16m ago
A few thoughts on UConn:

I think the re-emergence of UConn might be a great motivator for other head coaches and players nationwide. Geno Auriemma is back with a new UConn villain for everyone to root against in Sarah Strong (Paige Bueckers was always too likable to fit that classic UConn villain role). Strong, on the other hand, always has that arrogant smirk on her face.

But let’s give credit where it’s due: Geno Auriemma did a masterful coaching job. There’s no way he should’ve been able to win a championship with a front-court that limited…..but he did it. Here’s the three key things he did: (1) He maximized his roster for sure. (2) He made adjustments mid-season when needed, specifically making personnel changes to help the team improve (benching Ice Brady for El Afy). (3) He also put forth the best players on his roster, regardless of seniority or how long they’d been with the team. Consider these moves (which other top head coaches need to learn from):

----(1) Starting Sarah Strong from the beginning of the season: Auriemma could’ve easily made Strong come off the bench, while starting more senior forwards…. but he didn’t. That allowed Strong to maximize her potential in year one. He wasn’t content with the idea of Sarah Strong being named Big East 6th player of the year.

Let’s contrast that with some other situations: Sorry, but having Janiah Barker and Milaysia Fulwiley be the Sixth players of the year in the Big Ten and SEC, aren’t the brilliant moves that the people think they are. If those two players (who should be obvious starters) are coming off the bench, a head coach isn’t maximizing their team’s talent. Period.



(2) Continuing to start Strong, once an injured senior forward returned: When Aubrey Griffin, a loyal UConn senior who battled back from injury, returned, Auriemma easily could’ve put her immediately into the starting lineup as a pay back for all the hard work and dedication she put in…….but he didn’t! He didn’t force her into the starting lineup.

Contrast that with: Maddy Wesbedlt being forced back into the starting lineup at Notre Dame (and kept there despite playing poorly), even though Kate Koval (and her height/interior presence) were more crucial for Notre Dame to have success n the NCAA tournament (where larger teams like TCU awaited them). Look I know, Kate Koval isn’t Sarah Strong, but the same overall idea applies.

(3) Prioritizing a newly arrived transfer (Kristen Chen) over returning players (Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold) because the new transfer brought what was needed for the team to be successful.

In contrast, how many times did we see returning players prioritized even though they were consistently outperformed by newly arrived transfers or freshmen? I saw that too many times to count this year in women’s college basketball.


The bottomline: Play your best people regardless of when they arrived. 


(4) Team Depth: Auriemma used a 9 player rotation (not 7, not 8): Bueckers, Fudd, Strong, El Alfy, Griffin, Chen, Arnold, Brady, and Shade. And he played them all regularly throughout the season when healthy!

A key point: In March Madness, opposing teams are not going to be able to beat a UConn team with strong depth who’ve cruised through a less than demanding Big East schedule, if they can’t counter with strong and usable team depth of their own. UConn isn’t going to be fatigued (or suffer from a lack of confidence) coming out of those easy Big East games, so other coaches need to counter by keeping their own players fresh and as confident as possible. 


UConn won because Auriemma made the tough coaching decisions/moves that the head coaches on UCLA, South Carolina, and Notre Dame (UConn's top competition) were afraid/unwilling to make. That’s why I was so frustrated with those coaches at the end of the season. I thought they left a lot of crumbs on the table, and those mistakes opened the door for UConn to win it all!

 

[1reVOLver]

View attachment 733733
View attachment 733734
Almost famous: Baylor, Maryland, and Columbia.

Except from: Women’s college basketball 2025-26 too-early power ranking: UConn looks like favorite again

COMMENTS

R
Robin W.
· 18h 16m ago
A few thoughts on UConn:

I think the re-emergence of UConn might be a great motivator for other head coaches and players nationwide. Geno Auriemma is back with a new UConn villain for everyone to root against in Sarah Strong (Paige Bueckers was always too likable to fit that classic UConn villain role). Strong, on the other hand, always has that arrogant smirk on her face.

But let’s give credit where it’s due: Geno Auriemma did a masterful coaching job. There’s no way he should’ve been able to win a championship with a front-court that limited…..but he did it. Here’s the three key things he did: (1) He maximized his roster for sure. (2) He made adjustments mid-season when needed, specifically making personnel changes to help the team improve (benching Ice Brady for El Afy). (3) He also put forth the best players on his roster, regardless of seniority or how long they’d been with the team. Consider these moves (which other top head coaches need to learn from):

----(1) Starting Sarah Strong from the beginning of the season: Auriemma could’ve easily made Strong come off the bench, while starting more senior forwards…. but he didn’t. That allowed Strong to maximize her potential in year one. He wasn’t content with the idea of Sarah Strong being named Big East 6th player of the year.

Let’s contrast that with some other situations: Sorry, but having Janiah Barker and Milaysia Fulwiley be the Sixth players of the year in the Big Ten and SEC, aren’t the brilliant moves that the people think they are. If those two players (who should be obvious starters) are coming off the bench, a head coach isn’t maximizing their team’s talent. Period.



(2) Continuing to start Strong, once an injured senior forward returned: When Aubrey Griffin, a loyal UConn senior who battled back from injury, returned, Auriemma easily could’ve put her immediately into the starting lineup as a pay back for all the hard work and dedication she put in…….but he didn’t! He didn’t force her into the starting lineup.

Contrast that with: Maddy Wesbedlt being forced back into the starting lineup at Notre Dame (and kept there despite playing poorly), even though Kate Koval (and her height/interior presence) were more crucial for Notre Dame to have success n the NCAA tournament (where larger teams like TCU awaited them). Look I know, Kate Koval isn’t Sarah Strong, but the same overall idea applies.

(3) Prioritizing a newly arrived transfer (Kristen Chen) over returning players (Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold) because the new transfer brought what was needed for the team to be successful.

In contrast, how many times did we see returning players prioritized even though they were consistently outperformed by newly arrived transfers or freshmen? I saw that too many times to count this year in women’s college basketball.


The bottomline: Play your best people regardless of when they arrived. 


(4) Team Depth: Auriemma used a 9 player rotation (not 7, not 8): Bueckers, Fudd, Strong, El Alfy, Griffin, Chen, Arnold, Brady, and Shade. And he played them all regularly throughout the season when healthy!

A key point: In March Madness, opposing teams are not going to be able to beat a UConn team with strong depth who’ve cruised through a less than demanding Big East schedule, if they can’t counter with strong and usable team depth of their own. UConn isn’t going to be fatigued (or suffer from a lack of confidence) coming out of those easy Big East games, so other coaches need to counter by keeping their own players fresh and as confident as possible. 


UConn won because Auriemma made the tough coaching decisions/moves that the head coaches on UCLA, South Carolina, and Notre Dame (UConn's top competition) were afraid/unwilling to make. That’s why I was so frustrated with those coaches at the end of the season. I thought they left a lot of crumbs on the table, and those mistakes opened the door for UConn to win it all!

That is a good analysis. Two corrections.

Minor- Chen's name is Kaitlyn or Caitlyn, not Kristen.

Major omission- In both recruiting and team development, both on and off court, that program selects and nurtures young women with a ‘Team first’ attitude. There are no prima donnas and no hissy fits.

Example- last season Samuels Arnold (Thanks, meyers7) and Shade were starters due to injuries of more senior players.
This year they came off the bench as rôle players. They were, especially Shade, very effective.
NO DRAMA. Good team and individual attitudes. Auriemma, Dailey and company know how to build a team.

Oh. Just one more thing, Ma'am. “A key point: In March Madness, opposing teams are not going to be able to beat a UConn team with strong depth who’ve cruised through a less than demanding Big East schedule,”

How many times have we read on this, and other, boards that CT suffers from a lack of experience against top level competition because they're in a creampuff conference?
That ignores their OOC schedule, of course, and it also misses the point quoted above.

 

[Coach Jumper]

No doubt you’ve seen the “way too early” projections for next year. Personally I think for college sports these are ridiculous if done before the portal window closes. But FWIW, at least one prognosticator has pegged Tennessee in the top ten.

I don't hate this
perceived expectations can be a great motivator for player development in the off-season

 

[meyers7]

That is a good analysis. Two corrections.

Minor- Chen's name is Kaitlyn or Caitlyn, not Kristen.

Major omission- In both recruiting and team development, both on and off court, that program selects and nurtures young women with a ‘Team first’ attitude. There are no prima donnas and no hissy fits.

Example- last season Samuels and Shade were starters due to injuries of more senior players.
This year they came off the bench as rôle players. They were, especially Shade, very effective.
NO DRAMA. Good team and individual attitudes. Auriemma, Dailey and company know how to build a team.

Oh. Just one more thing, Ma'am. “A key point: In March Madness, opposing teams are not going to be able to beat a UConn team with strong depth who’ve cruised through a less than demanding Big East schedule,”

How many times have we read on this, and other, boards that CT suffers from a lack of experience against top level competition because they're in a creampuff conference?
That ignores their OOC schedule, of course, and it also misses the point quoted above.

One correction. It was KK Arnold and Shade who started last year and came off the bench this year (not Samuels).

 

[maple]

Strong, on the other hand, always has that arrogant smirk on her face.

This is so funny to me because from my perspective, Strong always looks like she's just happy to be out there balling. She is obviously very shy with pre-/post-game interviews and clearly is not expecting to be a star. When I think about "arrogant" UConn players, she is very far from my mind. But maybe that will change!

And hey, whatever gives other teams motivation and opposing fans a villain to root against.

 

[glv98]

This is so funny to me because from my perspective, Strong always looks like she's just happy to be out there balling. She is obviously very shy with pre-/post-game interviews and clearly is not expecting to be a star. When I think about "arrogant" UConn players, she is very far from my mind. But maybe that will change!

And hey, whatever gives other teams motivation and opposing fans a villain to root against.

Same. Hard to see SS as a villain unless she's hated for how damn good she is. I absolutely love her all biz, low key demeanor on and off court. Very rare these days, says the old curmudgeon. Doesn't come across as arrogant or smirky to me. She's poised,focused, and unbothered, without any desire for extra attention. Never change Sara.

What would we give for Coop to have some of that?

 

[Scotty4lvs]

This is so funny to me because from my perspective, Strong always looks like she's just happy to be out there balling. She is obviously very shy with pre-/post-game interviews and clearly is not expecting to be a star. When I think about "arrogant" UConn players, she is very far from my mind. But maybe that will change!

And hey, whatever gives other teams motivation and opposing fans a villain to root against.

This was my thought too, I find Strong a lot more likeable than Paige. I feel despite my traditional Tenn fan sports hatred of UConn, I kinda sorta like watching Strong play. She can do it all it seems but wout any of the over the top, arrogant Taurasi vibes...

I think Paige was never the perfect UCONN villain bc she seemed to hurt so often, hating on her would have often been just kicking someone when they are down.

 

[Volfan2012]

Nothing to hate about Strong except when she beats your teams butt then you wish she was with you and not with them. She is the next super player much better than any other post player in the country next season even Betts. The reason she can score from the perimeter and Betts does not have that shot.

 

[volsagain]

Nothing to hate about Strong except when she beats your teams butt then you wish she was with you and not with them. She is the next super player much better than any other post player in the country next season even Betts. The reason she can score from the perimeter and Betts does not have that shot.

You don't know what you're talking about just wait until the LamboVols show her how it's done. She's going be a headache for everyone.

 

[Volfan2012]

You don't know what you're talking about just wait until the LamboVols show her how it's done. She's going be a headache for everyone.

We do have one up on her one of three teams she has ever lost to in college.

 

[brassie]

This is so funny to me because from my perspective, Strong always looks like she's just happy to be out there balling. She is obviously very shy with pre-/post-game interviews and clearly is not expecting to be a star. When I think about "arrogant" UConn players, she is very far from my mind. But maybe that will change!

And hey, whatever gives other teams motivation and opposing fans a villain to root against.

It's obvious that the writer is pretty clueless about Strong. From everything I have read she is a great team mate and far from an arrogant smirk what I see is a shy smile.

 

[volsagain]

We do have one up on her one of three teams she has ever lost to in college.

If we go up there next season just wait until she gets the special Star treatment. She doesn't need any help all she needs is the coach to put her in the center of the offense. Nightmare matchup for anyone.

 

[Volfan2012]

If we go up there next season just wait until she gets the special Star treatment. She doesn't need any help all she needs is the coach to put her in the center of the offense. Nightmare matchup for anyone.

I'm not conceding that game if we get the right three players out of the portal that I am hoping for they will be in for a very tough game.

 

[Lucy]

Same. Hard to see SS as a villain unless she's hated for how damn good she is. I absolutely love her all biz, low key demeanor on and off court. Very rare these days, says the old curmudgeon. Doesn't come across as arrogant or smirky to me. She's poised,focused, and unbothered, without any desire for extra attention. Never change Sara.

What would we give for Coop to have some of that?

Not crazy about this last snark about Cooper.
Exactly what are you referring to?

 

[glv98]

Not crazy about this last snark about Cooper.
Exactly what are you referring to?

Poise, focus, unbothered in pressure situations. You don’t think Coop needs that? Surprised that would be controversial

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

We disagree on many things, but you’re correct in pointing out this flawed logic.
You really can’t waste time and get caught up with these types of futile claims against Talaysia Cooper. So many big moments against UConn, Iowa, Ohio State, and Florida State that were signature games in the spotlight for Coop.
It’s almost like in the moment you have to be perfect for certain posters to even give you an ounce of credit on this forum.
They’ll likely start acknowledging how incredibly talented and successful as a basketball player Coop was during her time at UT when she’s in the WNBA.
Talaysia Cooper 1st season at Tennessee was remarkable.

Not crazy about this last snark about Cooper.
Exactly what are you referring to?

 

[Lucy]

Poise, focus, unbothered in pressure situations. You don’t think Coop needs that? Surprised that would be controversial

There was also not arrogant, smirky and looking for extra attention. No distinction in your post.
Coop is the best player on our team. I’m not buying what you are selling.

 

[glv98]

There was also not arrogant, smirky and looking for extra attention. No distinction in your post.
Coop is the best player on our team. I’m not buying what you are selling.

What? We're misunderstanding each other. Arrogant and Smirky was response to a comment in the original post about. Sara Strong. Coop was not referenced there at all.

Jeez I thought at least one thing we all agreed on was Coop needs to work on in game mindset.

I also think Coops our best player and have always been supportive

 

[Lucy]

What? We're misunderstanding each other. Arrogant and Smirky was response to a comment in the original post about. Sara Strong. Coop was not referenced there at all.

Jeez I thought at least one thing we all agreed on was Coop needs to work on in game mindset.

I also think Coops our best player and have always been supportive

I went back and reread and it still sounds like you are saying SS is not arrogant and smirky etc. and is poised,focused, not seeking extra attention etc. and wouldn’t it be good if Coop was more like that.
In essence saying Coop is arrogant, smirky not poised, not focused and looking for attention
I now understand you only wanted to refer to the poise and focus but there is nothing in your post identifying those as the only things you thought Coop needed.
Finally I actually think our style of play tends to make the whole team lose their poise and focus at times. They speed themselves up sometimes.

 

[VolBall09]

I went back and reread and it still sounds like you are saying SS is not arrogant and smirky etc. and is poised,focused, not seeking extra attention etc. and wouldn’t it be good if Coop was more like that.
In essence saying Coop is arrogant, smirky not poised, not focused and looking for attention
I now understand you only wanted to refer to the poise and focus but there is nothing in your post identifying those as the only things you thought Coop needed.
Finally I actually think our style of play tends to make the whole team lose their poise and focus at times. They speed themselves up sometimes.

Coop wears her heart on her sleeve which is endearing to me tbh but not always productive.

Strong is indeed very mentally focused when she plays. No reaction to bad calls, bad plays whatever. She just busts it back the other way and hoops.

Coop gotta let the uncontrollable go and control the controllable.

 

[AllVols3]

Coop wears her heart on her sleeve which is endearing to me tbh but not always productive.

Strong is indeed very mentally focused when she plays. No reaction to bad calls, bad plays whatever. She just busts it back the other way and hoops.

Coop gotta let the uncontrollable go and control the controllable.

Strong wasn't asked to do all the things that Coop is asked to do for us. Coop doesn't have Paige and Azzi like strong does. That's a big difference in itself.

 

[Blueconn]

View attachment 733733
View attachment 733734
Almost famous: Baylor, Maryland, and Columbia.

Except from: Women’s college basketball 2025-26 too-early power ranking: UConn looks like favorite again

COMMENTS

R
Robin W.
· 18h 16m ago
A few thoughts on UConn:

I think the re-emergence of UConn might be a great motivator for other head coaches and players nationwide. Geno Auriemma is back with a new UConn villain for everyone to root against in Sarah Strong (Paige Bueckers was always too likable to fit that classic UConn villain role). Strong, on the other hand, always has that arrogant smirk on her face.

But let’s give credit where it’s due: Geno Auriemma did a masterful coaching job. There’s no way he should’ve been able to win a championship with a front-court that limited…..but he did it. Here’s the three key things he did: (1) He maximized his roster for sure. (2) He made adjustments mid-season when needed, specifically making personnel changes to help the team improve (benching Ice Brady for El Afy). (3) He also put forth the best players on his roster, regardless of seniority or how long they’d been with the team. Consider these moves (which other top head coaches need to learn from):

----(1) Starting Sarah Strong from the beginning of the season: Auriemma could’ve easily made Strong come off the bench, while starting more senior forwards…. but he didn’t. That allowed Strong to maximize her potential in year one. He wasn’t content with the idea of Sarah Strong being named Big East 6th player of the year.

Let’s contrast that with some other situations: Sorry, but having Janiah Barker and Milaysia Fulwiley be the Sixth players of the year in the Big Ten and SEC, aren’t the brilliant moves that the people think they are. If those two players (who should be obvious starters) are coming off the bench, a head coach isn’t maximizing their team’s talent. Period.



(2) Continuing to start Strong, once an injured senior forward returned: When Aubrey Griffin, a loyal UConn senior who battled back from injury, returned, Auriemma easily could’ve put her immediately into the starting lineup as a pay back for all the hard work and dedication she put in…….but he didn’t! He didn’t force her into the starting lineup.

Contrast that with: Maddy Wesbedlt being forced back into the starting lineup at Notre Dame (and kept there despite playing poorly), even though Kate Koval (and her height/interior presence) were more crucial for Notre Dame to have success n the NCAA tournament (where larger teams like TCU awaited them). Look I know, Kate Koval isn’t Sarah Strong, but the same overall idea applies.

(3) Prioritizing a newly arrived transfer (Kristen Chen) over returning players (Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold) because the new transfer brought what was needed for the team to be successful.

In contrast, how many times did we see returning players prioritized even though they were consistently outperformed by newly arrived transfers or freshmen? I saw that too many times to count this year in women’s college basketball.


The bottomline: Play your best people regardless of when they arrived. 


(4) Team Depth: Auriemma used a 9 player rotation (not 7, not 8): Bueckers, Fudd, Strong, El Alfy, Griffin, Chen, Arnold, Brady, and Shade. And he played them all regularly throughout the season when healthy!

A key point: In March Madness, opposing teams are not going to be able to beat a UConn team with strong depth who’ve cruised through a less than demanding Big East schedule, if they can’t counter with strong and usable team depth of their own. UConn isn’t going to be fatigued (or suffer from a lack of confidence) coming out of those easy Big East games, so other coaches need to counter by keeping their own players fresh and as confident as possible. 


UConn won because Auriemma made the tough coaching decisions/moves that the head coaches on UCLA, South Carolina, and Notre Dame (UConn's top competition) were afraid/unwilling to make. That’s why I was so frustrated with those coaches at the end of the season. I thought they left a lot of crumbs on the table, and those mistakes opened the door for UConn to win it all!

You make excellent points but the old shibboleth about our weak conference is exaggerated. Last 5 seasons excepted, we’ve played front rank OOC very well. Half his titles are NOT perfect seasons. And yet…before the recruiting River opened wide (I say it was Shea) he used New England talent to win without letup. Only Tennessee kept UConn at bay until he rang the bell with Ralph, Taurasi, Maya, and Stewey. And Pat left much too soon. Our 8 years in some assinine conference called “The American “ hurt our rep cuz we were 8-0…that’s 8 YEARS. As long as we have 10-12 challenging OOC matchups it works.

 

[VolBall09]

Strong wasn't asked to do all the things that Coop is asked to do for us. Coop doesn't have Paige and Azzi like strong does. That's a big difference in itself.

I would disagree. She was literally asked to play the 5 and carry them to a national championship as a freshman and she did.

She was lights out in the tournament. Yes, she had more help, but Coop wasn’t playing with a bunch of scrubs either.

 

[volfan__18]

I would disagree. She was literally asked to play the 5 and carry them to a national championship as a freshman and she did.

She was lights out in the tournament. Yes, she had more help, but Coop wasn’t playing with a bunch of scrubs either.

View attachment 733893

It’s not even comparable. Paige and Azzi are light years better then anybody behind coop.