My AP preseason top 5 team prediction.

[maxvolfan]

yeah if we have all 5 players on the floor be willing to shoot the ball without hesitation or uncertainty we will have one heck of a team .

 

[Advol]

With Diamond and Russell back I believe they will be in the top 5.

Uconn
South Carolina
Texas
Tenn
ND/Msst

I will have what he's drinkin........ :lolabove:

 

[stubbs9]

I just want to be the underdog next year and prove ourselves.

 

[Amb3096]

I just want to be the underdog next year and prove ourselves.

They did that during Meighan's senior year... preseason 20-something, and were in the top 5 at the end of regular season. The flip side is this past season, so who knows what to expect?

 

[volman128]

Texas was way better than Tennessee was this season. They struggled when Lang was injured, but were on a roll prior to that.

Never said they weren't way better than Tenneseee, now did I?

Texas probably has more talent on their team than anyone in the country outside of probably Ohio State, who is also a yearly underachiever at this point. They and OSU are both talented as hell top to bottom but both of them have bad coaches.

 

[ksl415]

I'd prefer we not even start in the Top 25 and just work our way in. I think that's what we need. We need to EARN our spot again.

Agree with you as well!
Work our way up, get people's respect and make the players work for that ranking!

 

[Amb3096]

Never said they weren't way better than Tenneseee, now did I?

Texas probably has more talent on their team than anyone in the country outside of probably Ohio State, who is also a yearly underachiever at this point. They and OSU are both talented as hell top to bottom but both of them have bad coaches.

Texas has developed talent. McCarty was ranked around Middleton out of HS, and Lang wasn't a top 100 recruit. Their top 10 recruits have lived up to their billing.

This year, they were a young, inexperienced team who scheduled a tough preconference schedule. After taking some early losses, they were ready for conference play.

OSU dealt with injuries to Mavunga all season and didn't have an experienced backup. Even then, they still won the B10.

 

[volman128]

Dude, Texas hasn't even come close to a FF. They have underachieved. Majorly. If you disagree with that ... I don't know what to say other than you must not be grasping just how much talent they have amassed. There's no reason with their talent level they aren't a top 5 team at this point.

As for OSU, they have 97 other HS AAs on that team. And IDC if they won their weakling conference. They were a 5-seed in the tournament, which should speak to how strong the Big Ten is. Tennessee with all of our mental midgetry could probably in the Big Ten. Doesn't mean we suck any less. And this isn't a one year thing with them. They got spanked by our crappy team last year, remember? Once again, top 2 talent level easily.

I hate to break the news to you but there *are* other teams in WCBB that are underachieving just like Tennessee is.

 

[Amb3096]

Dude, Texas hasn't even come close to a FF. They have underachieved. Majorly. If you disagree with that ... I don't know what to say other than you must not be grasping just how much talent they have amassed. There's no reason with their talent level they aren't a top 5 team at this point.

As for OSU, they have 97 other HS AAs on that team. And IDC if they won their weakling conference. They were a 5-seed in the tournament, which should speak to how strong the Big Ten is. Tennessee with all of our mental midgetry could probably in the Big Ten. Doesn't mean we suck any less. And this isn't a one year thing with them. They got spanked by our crappy team last year, remember? Once again, top 2 talent level easily.

I hate to break the news to you but there *are* other teams in WCBB that are underachieving just like Tennessee is.

Dude, you realize that even though Texas has a lot of AAs, so do a lot of other teams they've been losing to who have even more of them and more highly ranked ones. Dude, you realize they lost to UConn last year in the round before the E8.

Dude, OSU has 5 AAs, and 4 of them are new to the team this year. Dude, you do realize that Harper only played the 2nd half of the season and Mavunga missed most of the second half this season? Dude, you realize that last season, Mitchell was the only top 20 ranked HS player on the team and they were basically a two man team with her and lowly-ranked Ameryst Alston accounting for most of the scoring? Dude, you realize that when Tennessee beat the last year, they had 7 McD HS AA, so it shouldn't be hard for then to win?

 

[alexvol]

They should not be ranked at all preseason.Preseason rankings the last 4 years for Tennessee has meant zilch.Ranked in the top 4 twice and what did that achieve ?

Hope they are unranked until they prove themselves .....if they do by winning 1st 15 games and reach Top 25.Then if they beat both average and great teams the rest of the way ,then they should be ranked in the Top 10 at end of season.

IMO there is an abundance of over exuberance about the freshmen/freshwomen coming in and Mercedes and Diamond coming back.Great teams ( Top 4/5 Teams) are molded together to play as a team and in the last five years that ability has not been demonstrated when they had equal or better talent.So I am a skeptic until proven wrong.

 

[teacherdean]

Certainly going to be several of the top teams. I think were looking better than SC but that will definitely be determined by the season.

I would go UConn, Texas, Tennessee, Notre Dame, SC, Miss St, Baylor, Stanford, Maryland, and Ohio State. Louisville could easily be in there as well.

I agree with your list. We will have the players, however, there will be somewhat of a learning curve with the recruits. Nard and Russell will need to upstep their game with consistency. Russell must become a force inside equal to what she is on offense. I think Diamond coming back is an A++++ for this team. She played some outstanding ball in the last two months. She also showed enormous leadership. Judging on her instagram message, I believe she is on a mission. I believe that you will see a far different team than we saw last year. Diamond's leadership I hope will make a major difference. Next year, we will finally have a legit point guard with Cooper. Judging from Green's resume in JUCO, we will have a legit Big to rest Russell. This team will have so many options at their disposal. I am super excited.

 

[teacherdean]

No way Holly will make sure she coaches the talent down to the other team's talent we are playing as long as she is here no more elite 8's much less final 4's those day's are over to we make a change.:thud:We are Tennessee we settle for average these day's in our sports program's.hmy:

I hope and pray that you are wrong. The Lady Vols will have far too much talent for it to be wasted away. I have concerns about the coaching as well. If Holly can not have success with what she has coming in, then she will never be successful, then it is time for the program to move in another direction. To be quite honest, I believe they will.

 

[SCGamecock]

You all should feel personally insulted if Warlick was unable to produce a top 3 SEC finish next year with all of that talent. Tennessee will probably have the most talented overall roster in the SEC next year.

Not saying they will win the league.. but the Lady Vols should EASILY be a top 3 or 4 team in the conference next year.

 

[LVJeff]

You all should feel personally insulted if Warlick was unable to produce a top 3 SEC finish next year with all of that talent...

Thank you for telling me how I should feel. Can you perhaps tell how I feel right now after reading your post?

 

[Rickster]

You all should feel personally insulted if Warlick was unable to produce a top 3 SEC finish next year

Feel free to head on back to the hen house.