B1G Early Predictions/Outlook

[RUcrazee]

It's is going to be a MONSTER of a conference. Our road to getting back into the top half is getting more and more difficult by the day. A few B1G teams are adding numerous significant pieces from the portal.

USC and UCLA are a pic'em right now, IMO. Kiki Iriafen(Stanford ) has now committed to USC. Michigan St is adding talent that should keep them on the upward trend we saw established last season. They may be fighting it out with Ohio St and Indiana for third place in conference. Maryland and Iowa will still be in the mix.

It will be interesting to see if Illinois solidifies themselves as one of the better teams in conference. I don't know anything about Oregon, except they are still attracting good players. Minnesota should be improved. Not sure about Penn St. or Univ of Washington.

If we end up in the top half this coming season, it will signal significant growth for our program.

 

[MGSA99]

It's is going to be a MONSTER of a conference. Our road to getting back into the top half is getting more and more difficult by the day. A few B1G teams are adding numerous significant pieces from the portal.

USC and UCLA are a pic'em right now, IMO. Kiki Iriafen(Stanford ) has now committed to USC. Michigan St is adding talent that should keep them on the upward trend we saw established last season. They may be fighting it out with Ohio St and Indiana for third place in conference. Maryland and Iowa will still be in the mix.

It will be interesting to see if Illinois solidifies themselves as one of the better teams in conference. I don't know anything about Oregon, except they are still attracting good players. Minnesota should be improved. Not sure about Penn St. or Univ of Washington.

If we end up in the top half this coming season, it will signal significant growth for our program.

Give CW B1G Coach of the Year if she gets us in the top half.

 

[Knight Time Fan]

It's is going to be a MONSTER of a conference. Our road to getting back into the top half is getting more and more difficult by the day. A few B1G teams are adding numerous significant pieces from the portal.

USC and UCLA are a pic'em right now, IMO. Kiki Iriafen(Stanford ) has now committed to USC. Michigan St is adding talent that should keep them on the upward trend we saw established last season. They may be fighting it out with Ohio St and Indiana for third place in conference. Maryland and Iowa will still be in the mix.

It will be interesting to see if Illinois solidifies themselves as one of the better teams in conference. I don't know anything about Oregon, except they are still attracting good players. Minnesota should be improved. Not sure about Penn St. or Univ of Washington.

If we end up in the top half this coming season, it will signal significant growth for our program.

If you don't know anything about Oregon - I think you haven't been reading the rumor mill.

So Head Coach Kelly Graves put his house up for sale, yeah, over a million. Sparked all kinds of rumors. So far, he is still there.

The reason it sparked the rumors - besides the obvious - is that most are convinced there is "something" going on at Oregon. Last season (ending 2023) there were games where he was reported as being completely detached on the bench. Their record this season was dreadful, although, there were some injuries I think. They both lost and gained from the portal, I have no idea of a net effect.

In general, I wouldn't worry about Oregon contending at all this season, at least there is no particular reason to think they will. Washington is a solid program, but I suspect will be middle of the pack, based on what little I have seen and that I haven't heard huge portal news.

Enjoy USC and UCLA - my wife and I saw both of them twice this year, and even with some personnel changes and the fact that Arizona hung with them at times during the games - all losses - doesn't negate that they were very impressive. Of the teams we saw in-person, they and Texas were by far the best.

 

[RUcrazee]

They both lost and gained from the portal, I have no idea of a net effect.

This is what I was saying about Oregon. Questions around the coach for the lack of success pretty much since Ionescu and all the talented transfers out is what I am aware of. I also know he has been able to get talent to come into the program despite all the questions.

In general, I wouldn't worry about Oregon contending at all this season, at least there is no particular reason to think they will. Washington is a solid program, but I suspect will be middle of the pack, based on what little I have seen and that I haven't heard huge portal news.

I, too, don't have high expectations for Oregon or Washington. That's why I mentioned them in the same vein as a MInn or Penn St. Most likely middle of the pack with a chance they may end up in the top half.

I forgot to mention Wisconsin and Nebraska. Eh,.... middle of the pack, ... with Wisconsin possibly falling into the lower half of the standings.

Maryland is going to be very interesting with all the new faces and all of them expecting significant minutes. I guess the frosh will be the ones to sit. Good luck regarding team chemistry if some of those frosh happen to be better than the returners and incoming transfers. They just added DeBerry. If she turns out to be a baller, I might just loose it! This lady just keeps getting players even after lackluster results with elite talent that ends up leaving.

 

[RUcrazee]

With the additions by the hour, this thing just keeps changing. USC, with KiKi Iriafen, and now Talia VonO, added alongside JuJu Watkins and a top notch incoming HS class ........ they're my favorite now over UCLA.

Oregon added one from our wishlist, Amina Muhammad. They also added afew more good players from the portal in the last 48 hours. They now are an upper half team in the conference (unless the coach drops the ball or they continue to suffer from the injury bug).

I noticed one of Md's huge incoming transfer group has decided it's too crowded for her. The 6'2" French player, Maye Toure, has switched her committment to Oregon.

 

[RUfanDNT]

I think a lot of teams are a bit crowded. It is going to be very interesting. The year that our team was too crowded was a disaster!!!

I still would like to have a couple of additional players but not so many that they don't get enough playing time.

 

[RUcrazee]

OMG!! She's done it again. Md has an impact portal entrant have second thoughts and leaves. Less than a day later, an equally impactful, if not moreso, commits from the portal.

And what's worse, it is ANOTHER of the players on my wishlist. They got Smikle, then DeBerry, and now Christina Dalce, from Edison, NJ. Brenda keeps getting talented players from right here in our backyard (Diamond Miller, now Christina).
😠 .... 😡 .....🤬 Dagnamit!!!

They may be able to sneak a win off of USC or UCLA. ...... if their chemistry is good.

 

[Brisket and Bourbon]

OMG!! She's done it again. Md has an impact portal entrant have second thoughts and leaves. Less than a day later, an equally impactful, if not moreso, commits from the portal.

And what's worse, it is ANOTHER of the players on my wishlist. They got Smikle, then DeBerry, and now Christina Dalce, from Edison, NJ. Brenda keeps getting talented players from right here in our backyard (Diamond Miller, now Christina).
😠 .... 😡 .....🤬 Dagnamit!!!

They may be able to sneak a win off of USC or UCLA. ...... if their chemistry is good.

Brenda has a history of winning…MD is close to NJ to MD getting talent from NJ is frankly not surprising. Kids gravitate to programs successful now…our 2000 - 2010 success means nothing other than banners collecting dust on the rafters. This program has to completely re-invent itself. Our history is nice and impressive, but tantamount to essentially nothing now.

CW has an unenviable task to resurrect a program in the era of unfettered portal moved and NIL…

Hopefully she has it in her…

 

[RUcrazee]

MD is close to NJ to MD getting talent from NJ is frankly not surprising. Kids gravitate to programs successful now…our 2000 - 2010 success means nothing other than banners collecting dust on the rafters. This program has to completely re-invent itself. Our history is nice and impressive, but tantamount to essentially nothing now.

I get all that about proximity. For me, there is no surprise in seeing Jersey talent go to other schools in the surrounding regions. That still doesn't change the fact that it's frustrating for RU fans to see All-State talent that's from a town bordering the school leave for Md or any other perennial opponent (ie.-Asjha Jones, Diamond Miller).

The point of the post is not about where our program currently stands or our history. It's more an expression of my observations/envy regarding Brenda's ability to pull in talent as easily as making a p-b &j sandwich.

She has had tons of elite talent forever, but in recent years, hasn't done much with it. I'm talking talent that falls just behind those juggernauts at the top (SCar, UConn, LSU- type talent) . Much of the talent leaves......BUT she immediately replaces them.

I guess what I'm saying is that, IMO, she has been underachieving with all that top notch talent, yet we still see high-level players still eager to sign up for it. It makes me start to ask, ..... Is it the DMV area(seafood).... the campus/facilities ... that are the draw......or is she just that charming of a coach???.

I'm with you though, in hoping CW has it in her to get the job done.

 

[richthedentist]

It's is going to be a MONSTER of a conference. Our road to getting back into the top half is getting more and more difficult by the day. A few B1G teams are adding numerous significant pieces from the portal.

USC and UCLA are a pic'em right now, IMO. Kiki Iriafen(Stanford ) has now committed to USC. Michigan St is adding talent that should keep them on the upward trend we saw established last season. They may be fighting it out with Ohio St and Indiana for third place in conference. Maryland and Iowa will still be in the mix.

It will be interesting to see if Illinois solidifies themselves as one of the better teams in conference. I don't know anything about Oregon, except they are still attracting good players. Minnesota should be improved. Not sure about Penn St. or Univ of Washington.

If we end up in the top half this coming season, it will signal significant growth for our program.

We still don't even have close to a full team again if she doesn't make significant pick ups in the portal than we are headed for another disaster and like the men a big man/woman is need number 1

 

[RUcrazee]

We still don't even have close to a full team again if she doesn't make significant pick ups in the portal than we are headed for another disaster and like the men a big man/woman is need number 1

???

Have you been following this board lately?

Post players have been at the center of what we've been talking about.
AND WE GOT OURS!!! As someone here predicted we had a very good chance of doing.

At this point, an experienced point guard could be the finishing touch for this season. People don't want to come here to sit the bench.

 

[RUcrazee]

Any experienced point guards in the portal should be licking their chops to want to come here to RU right now. We've got the super frosh ready to put on a show but could benefit from an experienced mentor.. It's the opportunity to showcase their talent against what is shaping up to be arguably the center of attraction USC and UCLA.

Just when you think USC transfers put them over the top as the B1G's best(maybe the country's best), UCLA goes and gets Timea Gardener, a WNBA-ready talent.

If I'm a talented PG still in the portal, with one year left, I'm looking at the playing time at RU and the more-than-decent supporting players as an opportunity to showcase my ability to lead in front of national audiences.