[81alum]

To boil it down, your "optimist" expects 2 losses in the regular season (5-2 from Saturday), seeding of 3rd in the conf. tourney and losing the championship game (2-1), and losing in the elite eight (3-1).     The easiest way to get one more win is to only lose 1 more game in the regular season.  Next most realistic may be to get to the final four!

Yes, I was pretty depressed after the UCLA game.  My optimistic view is that we win both games at altitude (not a given,) lose to Oregon at home, beat Oregon State at home, split the trip to the Arizona schools, get seeded third in Pac 12, win two games (the second game probably being against UCLA again,) lose again to Oregon in the finals, then win three games in the NCAAs before losing.  It is just really, really hard for me to see us doing better than that.

Now, if Carrington comes back and starts playing like her old self I would revise that view.  I could see us beating Oregon like last year, with a little luck and a lotta Carrington.

[81alum]

To boil it down, your "optimist" expects 2 losses in the regular season (5-2 from Saturday), seeding of 3rd in the conf. tourney and losing the championship game (2-1), and losing in the elite eight (3-1).     The easiest way to get one more win is to only lose 1 more game in the regular season.  Next most realistic may be to get to the final four!

Yes, I was pretty depressed after the UCLA game.  My optimistic view is that we win both games at altitude (not a given,) lose to Oregon at home, beat Oregon State at home, split the trip to the Arizona schools, get seeded third in Pac 12, win two games (the second game probably being against UCLA again,) lose again to Oregon in the finals, then win three games in the NCAAs before losing.  It is just really, really hard for me to see us doing better than that.

Now, if Carrington comes back and starts playing like her old self I would revise that view.  I could see us beating Oregon like last year, with a little luck and a lotta Carrington.