With the news of Jackie Young deciding to leave for the WNBA early, I thought I would give my opinion on some possible contenders for the national title next year:
Baylor -- Loses Kalani Brown and Chloe Jackson, but returning Lauren Cox, DiDi Richards and Juicy Landrum. Baylor's incoming class is apparently just one person, but a pretty good recruit, the #11 player in the country. They will still be tough, but not as tough with the graduation of Brown. They won't be as formidable inside as they are this year and they might transition to a more guard-oriented team with who's returning and who's coming in.
Notre Dame -- With Young's announcement, they lose their entire starting lineup! McGraw gets two top recruits in Samantha Brunelle and Anaya Peoples, but it will certainly be a rebuilding year for the Irish I think, as their returning player with the most minutes this year Abby Prohaska averaged 1.6 points a game and the one who totaled the most points, Mikayla Vaughn averaged 3.3 points.
UConn -- They lose Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier, the duo who scored the most points in school history, so the returning players will have to fill the scoring gap. Dangerfield, Walker, Williams and Nelson-Ododa form a very talented core and for once, UConn will not have the top ranked recruit coming in. You think they might take a step back, but three years ago after graduating Stewart, Tuck and Jefferson, they went undefeated until losing on a buzzer beater to Mississippi State in the national semis, so you can never bet against the Huskies. I think with mostly guards and wings, Olivia Nelson-Ododa's development will be key. As seen in their loss to Baylor earlier in the season, UConn's Achilles Heel might be their inside game.
Oregon -- If you had to pick one team to be the early favorite for the title next year, I'll go with the Ducks right now. With Ionescu's return, they will have everyone back except Cazorla. It sounds like they will have a heavy international class coming in next year, so it's hard to really assess the talent level that's being added in Eugene. But their returning core were within a few points of making the national title game.
Louisville -- The Cardinals lose their two top scorers Asia Durr and Sam Fuehring and they gained the #12 and #99 recruits. I think they will take a step back, but it's all dependent on how their returners step up to fill the void.
South Carolina -- They have the top ranked recruiting class coming in, adding to a very solid Top-25 team. I think how far they go will depend on how quickly their freshmen acclimate to the college game. If Staley can get them going quickly, with the sheer amount of raw talent, they can start contending for the national title as quickly as next season, but that could potentially be a big ask.
Mississippi State -- I believe they lose their top three scorers in McCowan, Danberry and Howard, so they will have a lot to replace in Starksville. They will have the #9 recruit coming in to help fill the void, but similar to the Irish, it might be more of a rebuilding year next year.
That's just a brief overview of teams I thought of on top of my head, I'm sure there are other contenders as well. But just from this basic analysis, I think we are possibly primed for a good run next year as some of our top rivals take a step back.
Particularly, I believe Notre Dame, Mississippi State and Louisville will take significant steps back, Baylor and UConn might be potentially a little weaker, South Carolina is a big question mark and Oregon emerges as the favorite (at least on paper right now).
Baylor -- Loses Kalani Brown and Chloe Jackson, but returning Lauren Cox, DiDi Richards and Juicy Landrum. Baylor's incoming class is apparently just one person, but a pretty good recruit, the #11 player in the country. They will still be tough, but not as tough with the graduation of Brown. They won't be as formidable inside as they are this year and they might transition to a more guard-oriented team with who's returning and who's coming in.
Notre Dame -- With Young's announcement, they lose their entire starting lineup! McGraw gets two top recruits in Samantha Brunelle and Anaya Peoples, but it will certainly be a rebuilding year for the Irish I think, as their returning player with the most minutes this year Abby Prohaska averaged 1.6 points a game and the one who totaled the most points, Mikayla Vaughn averaged 3.3 points.
UConn -- They lose Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier, the duo who scored the most points in school history, so the returning players will have to fill the scoring gap. Dangerfield, Walker, Williams and Nelson-Ododa form a very talented core and for once, UConn will not have the top ranked recruit coming in. You think they might take a step back, but three years ago after graduating Stewart, Tuck and Jefferson, they went undefeated until losing on a buzzer beater to Mississippi State in the national semis, so you can never bet against the Huskies. I think with mostly guards and wings, Olivia Nelson-Ododa's development will be key. As seen in their loss to Baylor earlier in the season, UConn's Achilles Heel might be their inside game.
Oregon -- If you had to pick one team to be the early favorite for the title next year, I'll go with the Ducks right now. With Ionescu's return, they will have everyone back except Cazorla. It sounds like they will have a heavy international class coming in next year, so it's hard to really assess the talent level that's being added in Eugene. But their returning core were within a few points of making the national title game.
Louisville -- The Cardinals lose their two top scorers Asia Durr and Sam Fuehring and they gained the #12 and #99 recruits. I think they will take a step back, but it's all dependent on how their returners step up to fill the void.
South Carolina -- They have the top ranked recruiting class coming in, adding to a very solid Top-25 team. I think how far they go will depend on how quickly their freshmen acclimate to the college game. If Staley can get them going quickly, with the sheer amount of raw talent, they can start contending for the national title as quickly as next season, but that could potentially be a big ask.
Mississippi State -- I believe they lose their top three scorers in McCowan, Danberry and Howard, so they will have a lot to replace in Starksville. They will have the #9 recruit coming in to help fill the void, but similar to the Irish, it might be more of a rebuilding year next year.
That's just a brief overview of teams I thought of on top of my head, I'm sure there are other contenders as well. But just from this basic analysis, I think we are possibly primed for a good run next year as some of our top rivals take a step back.
Particularly, I believe Notre Dame, Mississippi State and Louisville will take significant steps back, Baylor and UConn might be potentially a little weaker, South Carolina is a big question mark and Oregon emerges as the favorite (at least on paper right now).