Stanford is young, much like we are, though with Cox, Jackson and Brown (perhaps inclusive of Juicy) we are experienced in our starting lineup. Stanford defends their home floor pretty well, and when they are hitting their three point shots they can be a tough out. We should beat them, however.
UCONN is a different matter. I looked out there yesterday and saw three national high school Players of the Year on the floor (Williams, Samuelson, and arguably Walker.) Add in Naphrese Collier, who was right near the top three years ago and that is a load of talent to overcome. It tells you something about their program that Walker had a hard time getting on the floor last year.
Our payload of Brown and Cox clearly makes us a formidable team, and we have a very talented group of frosh players, though Egbo is still very raw, Bickle is still in recovery mode from her injury, and we have yet to see what DeCosta can do (though she has physical ability off the charts, and is a very fine passer). NaLyssa is the crown jewel of that group, and Grayson impresses me in the time she is on the floor as having a feathery shooting touch and capable of making good decisions with the ball in her hands. The fact that we are good enough to get leads that allow these frosh players to see minutes on the floor is a real advantage, as it keeps our starter fresh and gives the younger players valuable playing time.
I think that Moon Ursin has the capability to reduce the effectiveness of Williams, but Christyn is relentless and very clever, and she has surprising strength when penetrating. I saw her in All Star games and she dominated in one and struggled a bit in the other, but she is the kind of player you can't take your eyes off of.
UCONN often trades quantity for quality when they recruit. I suspect that Geno deeply regrets that he could no persuade Lauren Cox to join them, and this year, Haley Jones. He thrives on getting the top player, year to year, and his success at that mirrors his success at winning the National Championship.
