10-02-2017, 03:55 PM
The WBB schedule
10-02-2017, 03:59 PM
(10-02-2017, 03:55 PM)BobK link Wrote:http://www.gostanford.com/schedule.aspx?path=wbball
The LA schools only in LA and the Rocky Mountain schools only at Stanford
??? Schedule shows LA schools at Stanford Dec 29 and 31.
Looks like the Oregons do not make the trip to Stanford this year.
"We have an unwritten rule around here not to do anything stupid."
-Casey Jacobsen, Feb 3, 2000
(10-02-2017, 03:55 PM)BobK link Wrote:http://www.gostanford.com/schedule.aspx?path=wbball
The LA schools only in LA and the Rocky Mountain schools only at Stanford
??? Schedule shows LA schools at Stanford Dec 29 and 31.
Looks like the Oregons do not make the trip to Stanford this year.
"We have an unwritten rule around here not to do anything stupid."
-Casey Jacobsen, Feb 3, 2000
10-02-2017, 04:47 PM
The two games against C.al are Thursday--Sunday. I thought we spread them out by an extra day or two in previous years. At least it is not Friday--Sunday.
I still think playing the same team twice in a few days is crazy.
Too bad we don't get the two Oregon schools at home this year. They may be our top competition, and to have the conference possibly hinge on one away trip is tough.Â
I'm personally happy about the late December games. But probably no band or Dollies then. And there are almost never any students at the WBB games anyway :(
I still think playing the same team twice in a few days is crazy.
Too bad we don't get the two Oregon schools at home this year. They may be our top competition, and to have the conference possibly hinge on one away trip is tough.Â
I'm personally happy about the late December games. But probably no band or Dollies then. And there are almost never any students at the WBB games anyway :(
The two games against C.al are Thursday--Sunday. I thought we spread them out by an extra day or two in previous years. At least it is not Friday--Sunday.
I still think playing the same team twice in a few days is crazy.
Too bad we don't get the two Oregon schools at home this year. They may be our top competition, and to have the conference possibly hinge on one away trip is tough.Â
I'm personally happy about the late December games. But probably no band or Dollies then. And there are almost never any students at the WBB games anyway :(
I still think playing the same team twice in a few days is crazy.
Too bad we don't get the two Oregon schools at home this year. They may be our top competition, and to have the conference possibly hinge on one away trip is tough.Â
I'm personally happy about the late December games. But probably no band or Dollies then. And there are almost never any students at the WBB games anyway :(
10-02-2017, 07:53 PM
Also seems to me that we usually get the weekday game against cal and they get the weekend game. I used to go to cal to watch us play them but did not the last two years and probably won't this year. Just don't like their gym much.
10-15-2017, 12:21 PM
I just noticed a rather unfortunate coincidence. The "Play for Kay" shootout in which we are playing (beginning November 23) is at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I'm not particularly concerned--that facility must continue on as per normal--but I hadn't expected to see that name popping up in my sports world. We start the tournament against Kent State, and then will likely play Gonzaga and then Ohio State--for the second time, since we travel to Ohio State for our first game about two weeks earlier. That is if the seeds hold out.
Our preseason schedule is brutal. Ohio State (likely twice,) UConn, Baylor, Tennessee--with only Tennessee from that group being at home. With a very young team, five weeks in November and December are going to provide a very stern test. And then we get UCLA (at home) to open the season before New Year's.Â
Zounds. It will be like the NCAAs in November. Thank goodness our wide eyed frosh got a chance to play against the Italian pros.
Our preseason schedule is brutal. Ohio State (likely twice,) UConn, Baylor, Tennessee--with only Tennessee from that group being at home. With a very young team, five weeks in November and December are going to provide a very stern test. And then we get UCLA (at home) to open the season before New Year's.Â
Zounds. It will be like the NCAAs in November. Thank goodness our wide eyed frosh got a chance to play against the Italian pros.
I just noticed a rather unfortunate coincidence. The "Play for Kay" shootout in which we are playing (beginning November 23) is at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I'm not particularly concerned--that facility must continue on as per normal--but I hadn't expected to see that name popping up in my sports world. We start the tournament against Kent State, and then will likely play Gonzaga and then Ohio State--for the second time, since we travel to Ohio State for our first game about two weeks earlier. That is if the seeds hold out.
Our preseason schedule is brutal. Ohio State (likely twice,) UConn, Baylor, Tennessee--with only Tennessee from that group being at home. With a very young team, five weeks in November and December are going to provide a very stern test. And then we get UCLA (at home) to open the season before New Year's.Â
Zounds. It will be like the NCAAs in November. Thank goodness our wide eyed frosh got a chance to play against the Italian pros.
Our preseason schedule is brutal. Ohio State (likely twice,) UConn, Baylor, Tennessee--with only Tennessee from that group being at home. With a very young team, five weeks in November and December are going to provide a very stern test. And then we get UCLA (at home) to open the season before New Year's.Â
Zounds. It will be like the NCAAs in November. Thank goodness our wide eyed frosh got a chance to play against the Italian pros.
(10-15-2017, 12:21 PM)81alum link Wrote:I just noticed a rather unfortunate coincidence. The "Play for Kay" shootout in which we are playing (beginning November 23) is at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I'm not particularly concerned--that facility must continue on as per normal--but I hadn't expected to see that name popping up in my sports world. We start the tournament against Kent State, and then will likely play Gonzaga and then Ohio State--for the second time, since we travel to Ohio State for our first game about two weeks earlier. That is if the seeds hold out.
Our preseason schedule is brutal. Ohio State (likely twice,) UConn, Baylor, Tennessee--with only Tennessee from that group being at home. With a very young team, five weeks in November and December are going to provide a very stern test. And then we get UCLA (at home) to open the season before New Year's.Â
Zounds. It will be like the NCAAs in November. Thank goodness our wide eyed frosh got a chance to play against the Italian pros.
I kind of like how tough it is. We have eight players in our frosh and sophs who will need to carry our team for the next 3-4 years, and better they get an eye-opening early. I also think our teams in recent years have over- rather than under-performed relative to seeds, so I'm fine with us being lower ranked as a result of early losses to tough teams if it means we're battle tested come March. The only real downside is the possible risk we fall out of the top 25 for the first time in ages if we lose all the tough games. That said, according to our schedule, the first OSU game is technically an exhibit that won't count, and we have enough more forgiving games that we probably won't fall below 50% after a presumptive 0-1 start with the UConn game. By the time we play Tennessee, we'll have played 11 non-exhibition games, so I think even with a 7-4 start we should probably remain ranked. The only real question mark is whether we have surprising bad losses like a few of the ones we've had in recent years (I'm thinking the Santa Clara and Gonzaga ones in particular). If that's the case, all bets are off...
(10-15-2017, 12:21 PM)81alum link Wrote:I just noticed a rather unfortunate coincidence. The "Play for Kay" shootout in which we are playing (beginning November 23) is at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I'm not particularly concerned--that facility must continue on as per normal--but I hadn't expected to see that name popping up in my sports world. We start the tournament against Kent State, and then will likely play Gonzaga and then Ohio State--for the second time, since we travel to Ohio State for our first game about two weeks earlier. That is if the seeds hold out.
Our preseason schedule is brutal. Ohio State (likely twice,) UConn, Baylor, Tennessee--with only Tennessee from that group being at home. With a very young team, five weeks in November and December are going to provide a very stern test. And then we get UCLA (at home) to open the season before New Year's.Â
Zounds. It will be like the NCAAs in November. Thank goodness our wide eyed frosh got a chance to play against the Italian pros.
I kind of like how tough it is. We have eight players in our frosh and sophs who will need to carry our team for the next 3-4 years, and better they get an eye-opening early. I also think our teams in recent years have over- rather than under-performed relative to seeds, so I'm fine with us being lower ranked as a result of early losses to tough teams if it means we're battle tested come March. The only real downside is the possible risk we fall out of the top 25 for the first time in ages if we lose all the tough games. That said, according to our schedule, the first OSU game is technically an exhibit that won't count, and we have enough more forgiving games that we probably won't fall below 50% after a presumptive 0-1 start with the UConn game. By the time we play Tennessee, we'll have played 11 non-exhibition games, so I think even with a 7-4 start we should probably remain ranked. The only real question mark is whether we have surprising bad losses like a few of the ones we've had in recent years (I'm thinking the Santa Clara and Gonzaga ones in particular). If that's the case, all bets are off...
10-15-2017, 04:29 PM
I wonder if they changed that first Ohio State game to an exhibition when they figured we would meet in the Play for Kay? Over on the FBC it is still listed as a regular game. I'm certain that it was not scheduled as an exhibition when it was first announced--which was before the Play for Kay tournament teams were announced.
I wonder if they changed that first Ohio State game to an exhibition when they figured we would meet in the Play for Kay? Over on the FBC it is still listed as a regular game. I'm certain that it was not scheduled as an exhibition when it was first announced--which was before the Play for Kay tournament teams were announced.
10-15-2017, 04:33 PM
Hmm, I think it might just be a misleading way of indicating that only the UC San Diego game is an exhibition. There's a red bar after that game before the OSU game, and in the prior year, the schedule was formatted the same way, and only the UC San Diego game was actually an exhibition game.
If that's the case, then it's very possible we could start 0-2 and even end up 7-6(!!) (or even 6-7 if we lost to Gonzaga too) to start the season.
If that's the case, then it's very possible we could start 0-2 and even end up 7-6(!!) (or even 6-7 if we lost to Gonzaga too) to start the season.
Hmm, I think it might just be a misleading way of indicating that only the UC San Diego game is an exhibition. There's a red bar after that game before the OSU game, and in the prior year, the schedule was formatted the same way, and only the UC San Diego game was actually an exhibition game.
If that's the case, then it's very possible we could start 0-2 and even end up 7-6(!!) (or even 6-7 if we lost to Gonzaga too) to start the season.
If that's the case, then it's very possible we could start 0-2 and even end up 7-6(!!) (or even 6-7 if we lost to Gonzaga too) to start the season.
(10-15-2017, 04:33 PM)2006alum link Wrote:Hmm, I think it might just be a misleading way of indicating that only the UC San Diego game is an exhibition. There's a red bar after that game before the OSU game, and in the prior year, the schedule was formatted the same way, and only the UC San Diego game was actually an exhibition game.
If that's the case, then it's very possible we could start 0-2 and even end up 7-6(!!) (or even 6-7 if we lost to Gonzaga too) to start the season.
Wow, are we that pessimistic about the team? I know we lost three starters including our 3-point threat and our go-to inside scorer, but it's not like we are rebuilding from scratch. Brit and Alanna showed late in the season and in the postseason tournaments that they have the talent and ability to be our go-to scorers. Though our underclassmen are inexperienced, they are still pretty talented.
I know some of the scores on the Italian trip were lopsided against us, but we have to keep in mind that they were exhibitions and so Tara might have been trying different lineups or schemes and that the Italian teams seem to be pretty good as well. Also, we will have almost 2 months since then for the coaching staff to work on things.
Lastly, our schedule is tough, but our opponents will be playing their first games of the season as well and they will have to work through similar rust and adjustments coming into a new season.
(This post was last modified: 10-15-2017, 05:36 PM by TheFarm07.)
(10-15-2017, 04:33 PM)2006alum link Wrote:Hmm, I think it might just be a misleading way of indicating that only the UC San Diego game is an exhibition. There's a red bar after that game before the OSU game, and in the prior year, the schedule was formatted the same way, and only the UC San Diego game was actually an exhibition game.
If that's the case, then it's very possible we could start 0-2 and even end up 7-6(!!) (or even 6-7 if we lost to Gonzaga too) to start the season.
Wow, are we that pessimistic about the team? I know we lost three starters including our 3-point threat and our go-to inside scorer, but it's not like we are rebuilding from scratch. Brit and Alanna showed late in the season and in the postseason tournaments that they have the talent and ability to be our go-to scorers. Though our underclassmen are inexperienced, they are still pretty talented.
I know some of the scores on the Italian trip were lopsided against us, but we have to keep in mind that they were exhibitions and so Tara might have been trying different lineups or schemes and that the Italian teams seem to be pretty good as well. Also, we will have almost 2 months since then for the coaching staff to work on things.
Lastly, our schedule is tough, but our opponents will be playing their first games of the season as well and they will have to work through similar rust and adjustments coming into a new season.
10-15-2017, 05:38 PM
(10-15-2017, 04:29 PM)81alum link Wrote:I wonder if they changed that first Ohio State game to an exhibition when they figured we would meet in the Play for Kay? Over on the FBC it is still listed as a regular game. I'm certain that it was not scheduled as an exhibition when it was first announced--which was before the Play for Kay tournament teams were announced.
According to the GoStanford article from earlier in the month, http://www.gostanford.com/news/2017/10/2...endar.aspx:
"The Cardinal opens the season in Columbus on Friday, Nov. 10 for a game against the Buckeyes that will be carried on the Big Ten Network at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT."
Then later in the article, it says:
"The Cardinal kicks things off with a home exhibition on Saturday, November 4 against UC San Diego (4 p.m.)" It doesn't mention anything about Ohio State being an exhibition game.
I infer from this that the Ohio State game counts as part of the regular season. Also, historically, haven't our exhibition games usually been against overmatched opponents?
(10-15-2017, 04:29 PM)81alum link Wrote:I wonder if they changed that first Ohio State game to an exhibition when they figured we would meet in the Play for Kay? Over on the FBC it is still listed as a regular game. I'm certain that it was not scheduled as an exhibition when it was first announced--which was before the Play for Kay tournament teams were announced.
According to the GoStanford article from earlier in the month, http://www.gostanford.com/news/2017/10/2...endar.aspx:
"The Cardinal opens the season in Columbus on Friday, Nov. 10 for a game against the Buckeyes that will be carried on the Big Ten Network at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT."
Then later in the article, it says:
"The Cardinal kicks things off with a home exhibition on Saturday, November 4 against UC San Diego (4 p.m.)" It doesn't mention anything about Ohio State being an exhibition game.
I infer from this that the Ohio State game counts as part of the regular season. Also, historically, haven't our exhibition games usually been against overmatched opponents?
10-15-2017, 06:23 PM
(10-15-2017, 05:33 PM)TheFarm07 link Wrote:Wow, are we that pessimistic about the team?
No, not pessimistic, just imaging worst case scenarios. Losing twice to OSU, and also to UConn, Baylor, Tennessee and UCLA would leave us 6-7. While I think it's unlikely we would lose *all* of those games, I could easily see us losing any one of them, and honestly, I would be very happy with a 3-3 split of those six games, because only two of the six are at home. I'm also wary of Gonzaga, since we lost to them last year. It is a testament to Tara's and the other coaches' abilities that our teams are always much better in March than in November, but it will take Tara time to figure out the puzzle pieces with such a young roster and she will be doing it largely on the road and against the very best teams.
Again, I don't expect us to lose all of these games, but my point is that unlike the late 00's when we regularly played this strong of an OOC schedule, we aren't going to start the season ranked 2nd, 3rd or 4th. We don't yet have pre-season polls, but this way-too-early projection had UConn at 1, UCLA at 3, Baylor at 5, and Tennessee at 8 (albeit when Diamond DeShields was still planning to return). That's a heck of a challenge for a young team.
(10-15-2017, 05:33 PM)TheFarm07 link Wrote:Wow, are we that pessimistic about the team?
No, not pessimistic, just imaging worst case scenarios. Losing twice to OSU, and also to UConn, Baylor, Tennessee and UCLA would leave us 6-7. While I think it's unlikely we would lose *all* of those games, I could easily see us losing any one of them, and honestly, I would be very happy with a 3-3 split of those six games, because only two of the six are at home. I'm also wary of Gonzaga, since we lost to them last year. It is a testament to Tara's and the other coaches' abilities that our teams are always much better in March than in November, but it will take Tara time to figure out the puzzle pieces with such a young roster and she will be doing it largely on the road and against the very best teams.
Again, I don't expect us to lose all of these games, but my point is that unlike the late 00's when we regularly played this strong of an OOC schedule, we aren't going to start the season ranked 2nd, 3rd or 4th. We don't yet have pre-season polls, but this way-too-early projection had UConn at 1, UCLA at 3, Baylor at 5, and Tennessee at 8 (albeit when Diamond DeShields was still planning to return). That's a heck of a challenge for a young team.
10-15-2017, 07:06 PM
There is Charlie Creme's rankings which are at least plausible:
http://www.espn.com/womens-college-baske...25-2017-18
He has UConn as 1, Baylor as 2, Ohio State as 3, Stanford as 7, Tennessee as 8, and UCLA as 11.Â
So 6 games against top 11 teams! You would not get that level of competition even if you went all the way to the NCAA finals.
I would indeed be very happy with a 3-3 split at the beginning of the season, with a very very young team. I think Tennessee and UCLA at home are our best bets, and perhaps the second game against Ohio State on a neutral court after having played them once before. Beating Ohio State must be done with excellent defense, and an experienced rebounder and stopper like Kaylee could be very important in such a game. But @ Baylor, @ Ohio State, and UConn will each be very very tough.
We are going to learn a lot about whether Tara thinks any of the incoming freshmen are ready to start four years. For quite some time she has been reluctant to give freshmen many minutes. How fast will they come along? She says she will be throwing our young team "into the deep end of the pool" so maybe she is willing to play them early. My biggest questions will probably be answered soon:
1) Is sophomore Anna Wilson sufficiently recovered to start playing effectively for serious minutes? Italy did not look promising.
2) Will freshmen Maya or Kiana become a very rare 4 year starter for us? We haven't had one since Chiney, I think.
3) Is sophomore DiJonai going to become, as Italy suggests, a major offensive force for us? Will she be starting and playing long minutes?
4) Will we be playing three or even four guards/wings to take advantage of our lopsided talent in that dimension?
5) What will the new offense be?
http://www.espn.com/womens-college-baske...25-2017-18
He has UConn as 1, Baylor as 2, Ohio State as 3, Stanford as 7, Tennessee as 8, and UCLA as 11.Â
So 6 games against top 11 teams! You would not get that level of competition even if you went all the way to the NCAA finals.
I would indeed be very happy with a 3-3 split at the beginning of the season, with a very very young team. I think Tennessee and UCLA at home are our best bets, and perhaps the second game against Ohio State on a neutral court after having played them once before. Beating Ohio State must be done with excellent defense, and an experienced rebounder and stopper like Kaylee could be very important in such a game. But @ Baylor, @ Ohio State, and UConn will each be very very tough.
We are going to learn a lot about whether Tara thinks any of the incoming freshmen are ready to start four years. For quite some time she has been reluctant to give freshmen many minutes. How fast will they come along? She says she will be throwing our young team "into the deep end of the pool" so maybe she is willing to play them early. My biggest questions will probably be answered soon:
1) Is sophomore Anna Wilson sufficiently recovered to start playing effectively for serious minutes? Italy did not look promising.
2) Will freshmen Maya or Kiana become a very rare 4 year starter for us? We haven't had one since Chiney, I think.
3) Is sophomore DiJonai going to become, as Italy suggests, a major offensive force for us? Will she be starting and playing long minutes?
4) Will we be playing three or even four guards/wings to take advantage of our lopsided talent in that dimension?
5) What will the new offense be?
There is Charlie Creme's rankings which are at least plausible:
http://www.espn.com/womens-college-baske...25-2017-18
He has UConn as 1, Baylor as 2, Ohio State as 3, Stanford as 7, Tennessee as 8, and UCLA as 11.Â
So 6 games against top 11 teams! You would not get that level of competition even if you went all the way to the NCAA finals.
I would indeed be very happy with a 3-3 split at the beginning of the season, with a very very young team. I think Tennessee and UCLA at home are our best bets, and perhaps the second game against Ohio State on a neutral court after having played them once before. Beating Ohio State must be done with excellent defense, and an experienced rebounder and stopper like Kaylee could be very important in such a game. But @ Baylor, @ Ohio State, and UConn will each be very very tough.
We are going to learn a lot about whether Tara thinks any of the incoming freshmen are ready to start four years. For quite some time she has been reluctant to give freshmen many minutes. How fast will they come along? She says she will be throwing our young team "into the deep end of the pool" so maybe she is willing to play them early. My biggest questions will probably be answered soon:
1) Is sophomore Anna Wilson sufficiently recovered to start playing effectively for serious minutes? Italy did not look promising.
2) Will freshmen Maya or Kiana become a very rare 4 year starter for us? We haven't had one since Chiney, I think.
3) Is sophomore DiJonai going to become, as Italy suggests, a major offensive force for us? Will she be starting and playing long minutes?
4) Will we be playing three or even four guards/wings to take advantage of our lopsided talent in that dimension?
5) What will the new offense be?
http://www.espn.com/womens-college-baske...25-2017-18
He has UConn as 1, Baylor as 2, Ohio State as 3, Stanford as 7, Tennessee as 8, and UCLA as 11.Â
So 6 games against top 11 teams! You would not get that level of competition even if you went all the way to the NCAA finals.
I would indeed be very happy with a 3-3 split at the beginning of the season, with a very very young team. I think Tennessee and UCLA at home are our best bets, and perhaps the second game against Ohio State on a neutral court after having played them once before. Beating Ohio State must be done with excellent defense, and an experienced rebounder and stopper like Kaylee could be very important in such a game. But @ Baylor, @ Ohio State, and UConn will each be very very tough.
We are going to learn a lot about whether Tara thinks any of the incoming freshmen are ready to start four years. For quite some time she has been reluctant to give freshmen many minutes. How fast will they come along? She says she will be throwing our young team "into the deep end of the pool" so maybe she is willing to play them early. My biggest questions will probably be answered soon:
1) Is sophomore Anna Wilson sufficiently recovered to start playing effectively for serious minutes? Italy did not look promising.
2) Will freshmen Maya or Kiana become a very rare 4 year starter for us? We haven't had one since Chiney, I think.
3) Is sophomore DiJonai going to become, as Italy suggests, a major offensive force for us? Will she be starting and playing long minutes?
4) Will we be playing three or even four guards/wings to take advantage of our lopsided talent in that dimension?
5) What will the new offense be?
10-15-2017, 10:50 PM
(10-15-2017, 06:23 PM)2006alum link Wrote:[quote author=TheFarm07 link=topic=17570.msg206684#msg206684 date=1508114027]
Wow, are we that pessimistic about the team?
No, not pessimistic, just imaging worst case scenarios. Losing twice to OSU, and also to UConn, Baylor, Tennessee and UCLA would leave us 6-7. While I think it's unlikely we would lose *all* of those games, I could easily see us losing any one of them, and honestly, I would be very happy with a 3-3 split of those six games, because only two of the six are at home. I'm also wary of Gonzaga, since we lost to them last year. It is a testament to Tara's and the other coaches' abilities that our teams are always much better in March than in November, but it will take Tara time to figure out the puzzle pieces with such a young roster and she will be doing it largely on the road and against the very best teams.
Again, I don't expect us to lose all of these games, but my point is that unlike the late 00's when we regularly played this strong of an OOC schedule, we aren't going to start the season ranked 2nd, 3rd or 4th. We don't yet have pre-season polls, but this way-too-early projection had UConn at 1, UCLA at 3, Baylor at 5, and Tennessee at 8 (albeit when Diamond DeShields was still planning to return). That's a heck of a challenge for a young team.
[/quote]
True, we are not exactly starting off slowly when we play Ohio State and UConn to immediately open the season. It's too bad the schedule didn't work out where we could have an easy game or two to ease into the season before diving into a premiere matchup.
I can see your point in a worst case scenario how we can limp into conference play with an ugly record. If that happens, I hope the committee will remember that those losses were against a high caliber of opponent and not defeats to middling teams.
Plus, Baylor, UConn, etc. also did not lose as much to graduation so it might be easier for them to gel quicker.
It is interesting for Tara to schedule such a tough non-conference schedule with our losses on graduation as opposed to last year where we had the bulk of our starters returning.
I am holding out hope that we can use especially the opening games as the level of competition we need to rise to as the season progresses. Ohio State has Kelsey Mitchell, with Bri gone, I am wondering who will get the assignment of guarding her.
(10-15-2017, 06:23 PM)2006alum link Wrote:[quote author=TheFarm07 link=topic=17570.msg206684#msg206684 date=1508114027]
Wow, are we that pessimistic about the team?
No, not pessimistic, just imaging worst case scenarios. Losing twice to OSU, and also to UConn, Baylor, Tennessee and UCLA would leave us 6-7. While I think it's unlikely we would lose *all* of those games, I could easily see us losing any one of them, and honestly, I would be very happy with a 3-3 split of those six games, because only two of the six are at home. I'm also wary of Gonzaga, since we lost to them last year. It is a testament to Tara's and the other coaches' abilities that our teams are always much better in March than in November, but it will take Tara time to figure out the puzzle pieces with such a young roster and she will be doing it largely on the road and against the very best teams.
Again, I don't expect us to lose all of these games, but my point is that unlike the late 00's when we regularly played this strong of an OOC schedule, we aren't going to start the season ranked 2nd, 3rd or 4th. We don't yet have pre-season polls, but this way-too-early projection had UConn at 1, UCLA at 3, Baylor at 5, and Tennessee at 8 (albeit when Diamond DeShields was still planning to return). That's a heck of a challenge for a young team.
[/quote]
True, we are not exactly starting off slowly when we play Ohio State and UConn to immediately open the season. It's too bad the schedule didn't work out where we could have an easy game or two to ease into the season before diving into a premiere matchup.
I can see your point in a worst case scenario how we can limp into conference play with an ugly record. If that happens, I hope the committee will remember that those losses were against a high caliber of opponent and not defeats to middling teams.
Plus, Baylor, UConn, etc. also did not lose as much to graduation so it might be easier for them to gel quicker.
It is interesting for Tara to schedule such a tough non-conference schedule with our losses on graduation as opposed to last year where we had the bulk of our starters returning.
I am holding out hope that we can use especially the opening games as the level of competition we need to rise to as the season progresses. Ohio State has Kelsey Mitchell, with Bri gone, I am wondering who will get the assignment of guarding her.
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