Carson Newman Exhibition Arena Pictures

A Few Shots from the New TBA
at the Carson Newman Exhibition Game

Timeout Huddle Up

Shannon Nikki Alex Lex Angie

TBA

Retired Jersey Banners

The New Score Panel

Kelley Shoots A Foul shot

Lex Candace Nikki Cait Shannon Timeout

Vicki Syd Angie Shannon Lex

Pat & Nikki on the Video Screen

Scoreboard for National Anthem

Kelley Vicki Lex Angie

National Championship Banners

The Freshmen

Candace Parker

The Renovated TBA

Beauty in Black and White

Recruiting Advice - 10 reasons to choose Tenn

So you're one of the greatest young women basketball players in the country.
You are entering your Senior year in High School and about to make a choice that will shape your life for the next four years and beyond.

Why should you choose Tennessee as Amber, Alicia, Shekinna, and Brianna have?

Here are 10 reasons to consider

1) Pat Summitt and her Fantastic Four - Winningest college basketball coach of all time with a 947-180 record + Holly Warlick, Nikki Caldwell, Dean Lockwood and Jenny Moshak
You have the honor of being a contributor to her 1000th win coming between the 15th and 20th game of the 2009 season. It's a guaranteed place in history since no coach has ever made the 1000 win mark and it's quite probable that no coach ever will again. But that's just some very impressive icing on the cake of playing for Coach Summitt. Women who play for coach Summitt not only learn how to win basketball games and championships - they graduate - ALL OF THEM GRADUATE - and even more important they learn to win at the game of life.

2) Incredible teammates With the number ONE recruiting class of 2007 already on campus and 3 of the top 10 prospects from the class of 2008 you already know that a team is being assembled that will challenge to expand and possibly surpass the amazing records amassed by the Lady Vols who preceded your arrival at Tennessee. Angie Bjorklund of Washington State, Victoria Baugh of California, Kelley Cain and Alicia Manning of Georgia, Sidney Smallbone and Brianna Bass of Indiana, Amber Gray of Ohio and Shekinna Stricklen of Arkansas already represent back to back recruiting classes unsurpassed in Tennessee recruiting history. They join Cait McMahan and Alex Fuller of Tennessee and possibly Candace Parker of Illinois in one of the most impressive collections of Women College basketball players ever assembled. This terriffic group of great young female athletes comes from across America providing a wonderful national perspective.

3) Excellent Education The point of being a student athlete is quite obviously a superior education. The University of Tennessee is ranked in the top 40 of public universities and is climbing in that regard every year. The educational facilities at Tennessee are second to none. The specific educational advantages for student athletes include the Thornton Academic Center created and designed to offer the student athlete at Tennessee a place to study with the assistance of a qualified staff. The Lady Vols consistently become Academic All Americans and every Lady Vol graduates.

4) The Finest Facilities You will play on average 16 games at home in Thompson Boling Arena undergoing a 15 million dollar renovation this Summer in time for the 2007 - 08 season

Home games will be on the floor named for your famous coach Pat Summitt and practice in the luxury of the brand new Pratt Pavilion Practice facility.

These are simply the finest basketball facilities anywhere built by donations from the greatest fans in the world

5) Unequaled NCAA success. There have been 26 NCAA tournaments in the history of Women's College Basketball and only one program has been to every one. That school is the University of Tennessee. There are no guarantees in life and especially in competitive sports but this amazing record of success is about as close as to a guarantee as possible.
Added to this 26 year history of 26 straight NCAA appearances is the more amazing feat of 26 consecutive Sweet 16's. That's right Tennessee has been in the top 16 teams every year the NCAA Tournament for WCBB has been held. In 18 of those 26 years Tennessee has made it to the Final Four and 12 times Tennessee has reached the National Championship game. 7 of those 12 trips has resulted in a National Championship.

6) The Toughest Conference in the USA is the SEC 31 teams from the SEC have made the final four in NCAA play. Tennessee, LSU, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Auburn, and Alabama have all made trips to the Final Four. The SEC consistently has 4 teams ranked among the top 15 teams in the national polls. Women's College Basketball is taken seriously in the South and at Tennessee you play for the best team in the best conference.

7) A great place for year round sports. From the 107,000 seat Neyland Stadium where the 1998 National Champion Volunteer Football team plays, the new Jones Aquatic Center for the swimming teams, Tom Black Track, the Lindsay Nelson Baseball stadium, to the new facilities for Tennis, Golf, Soccer, and Women's softball and the best in physical fitness and weight training facilities anywhere Tennessee has the greatest infrastructure for students athletes anywhere in the county.

8) There is no better schedule One thing that particularly sets the Tennessee Women's basketball program apart from all others is the schedule played by the Lady Vols every year. No other team in the country plays a schedule that is close to the Lady Vols in degree of difficulty. 50% of the Lady Vol games are played against ranked teams. This great schedule means you will play in front of the best fans across the country since successful teams build strong fan support.
You will travel to California to play Stanford and UCLA and to Arizona to play Arizona State. UNC and Duke will take you to North Carolina and you'll see Austin, Texas, South Bend, Indiana, Piscataway, New Jersey, Norfolk, Virginia and Washington DC. You'll stay south in the winter for the most part with trips to Gainesville, Florida, Baton Rouge, LA., Auburn and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Oxford and Statesville, MS and Columbia South Carolina all reasonably warm places in January and February. Sorry but you won't get those hour long bus trips from Storrs to Hartford and back 12 times each winter in the snow and ice.

9) 450.000 screaming fans Nearly 240,000 people attended the 16 home games at the University of Tennessee last season - an average of over 14,000 fans per game. Add to that the attendance at 14 road games, 3 games in the SEC tournament and 6 NCAA tournament games that always command the largest crowds of the season and you get the maximum number of fans in the seats - more than any other team in WCBB.
Nobody else has the insanely creative MEANIE HEADS who will provide you with your own song and rabid vocal and visible support from the stands and the BOOST HER club - a slightly more conservative support group. You will appear on TV so often you may need a personal hair stylist and a SAG card. And of course you will receive the full support of The SummiTTeers on this most active WCBB message board in college sports. You will also get the full attention of our own Maria Cornelius the best writer in the game for Women's College Basketball on Rocky Top News.
And of course you will get to hear Rocky Top so often you'll be singing it in your sleep.

10) Beautiful East Tennessee From the summit of Clingman’s Dome at 6,643 feet in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park to the beautiful Valley of the Tennessee River which forms just over a mile upstream from Thompson Boling Arena where the French Broad and Holston rivers converge there is no more beautiful place on earth to spend your college career. Within and hours drive there are scenic wonderlands of woods and water that offer a peaceful distraction from the rigors of competitive sports and college courses. You may enjoy a quiet walk along a singing mountain stream or a boat ride on one of the 20 lakes nearby.

Knoxville is big enough to offer a wide variety of restaurants, shopping and entertainment opportunities while maintaining a college town appeal with the University as a dominant part of the cities life. Beautiful Springtimes with the Dogwood Arts Festival and colorful Falls in a botanical wonderland make the transition from mild winters with minimal snow and warm Summers great for water sports on the lake or sitting around the pool at Camp Summitt. Knoxville and East Tennessee is the perfect setting for an exceptional college career.

CAMP SUMMIT with POOL 

We certainly don't wish to add to the pressure of your choice Elena, Glory, April and others that may be considering Tennessee as their home away from home for four years. This is meant to point out some things I'm sure you have considered and maybe something you might have overlooked. We love our Lady Vols here in Tennessee and we wouldn't want you to miss out on the best that WCBB has to offer because we failed to give you every reason we could think of to choose Tennessee. Despite my obvious bias in favor of Tennessee as a choice I want to wish you a great college career wherever you may choose to go.

Kamiko Williams picks Lady Vols

The Tennessee Lady Vols picked up a commitment this week and got a head start on the Class of 2009.

Clarksville's Kamiko Williams announced she would sign with the Lady Vols in November of 2008. The word came after Williams took an unofficial visit to Knoxville.

A junior at Northeast High School, Williams brings an international flavor to the game after living extensively in Europe while her father served in the United States military. Williams is touted as the best player in Europe.

ESPN MESSAGE BOARD PROFILES

The new ESPN messageboard profiles are the best thing ESPN has ever done

Check out Chaffon's Profile and see the comment below
if anybody else want's their profile featured here just add a comment.

and check out Paizleygurls Profile and see her comments below Chaffons

The Lady Vols weblog is going to do a series on WCBB fans this season
so if you want to write up a post as a WCBB fan I will put it in the blog
Just leave a comment here or a private message on The SUmmiTT or the ESPN profile.

Questions of Conduct for Mr Nelson

This fine article by Erica LaLonge once had her name attached in the byline. Her work is now attributed to "HoopGurlz Correspondent" leading several Lady Vol Fans to wonder why.

Caroline Doty's Teeth

A True Blue Chipper

By HoopGurlz Correspondent

Posted Wed, 07/25/2007 - 20:47 A player known for her all-out style of play, Caroline Doty chips her two front teeth while diving for a loose ball.







Erica LaLonge was targeted by fans of Name Redacted when several questioned her integrity and lobbied for her removal as a HoopGurlz correspondent. Surprising since this article was in glowing praise of Name Redacted's 2008 recruit Caroline Doty. Doty is a key figure in the now infamous Wendy's meal in the head coaches office where Caroline says she reached her final decision after eating Wendy's with Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird. Taurasi told the press in an attack on the Tennessee program that she "only talked to players and former players" while visiting Name Redacted in direct contradiction of Doty's statements to the Connecticut press.

In a lengthy discussion on HoopGurlz started July 28, 2007 by Glenn Nelson the publisher began this way:

glenn Publisher

HoopGurlz / Boneyard Controversy

---

Some of the idiots at the Boneyard (not all of the regulars, mind you) have made the outrageous accusation that we are biased toward Tennessee on this website. It is just so off-base that we filled a page over there and the mods have locked the thread - a smart move on their part since something like this shouldn't dominate that forum.

I find the accusations RIDICULOUS because of my relationship with the publishers of that site, the fact that Husky Nan USED TO BE ON OUR RANKING PANEL, plus the fact that we've covered UConn commits as well as any - particularly Maya Moore, but during the past year alone Caroline Doty and Tiffany Hayes and in the past Lorin Dixon and Tina Charles. Not because they were UConn commits, mind you, but because they all were great players.

The first accusations were leveled at us in general. Now they revolve around our use of Erica LaLonge, who is a Tennessee grad and used to be a frequent poster at the SummiTT. I knew of Erica's connection to Tennessee, but all I judge is her work, which has been a positive contribution to our website. Case closed.

If any of the Boneyard posters have the guts to post some of their accusations and rationale over here (which I doubt), I guarantee it won't be deleted, nor will any of them be banned (unless they break forum rules).

So Mr. Nelson these questions are raised by your removal of Erica's byline;
Why would the publisher of Hoopgurlz remove the byline from the work of a writer who's work has "been a positive contribution" to your website?
Did you cave in to demands of the Name Redacted fans?
Do you think it is proper to remove the credit for work by your writers?
Was this done as some kind of retribution against Erica?

NAME REDACTED PROTEST

MY SUPPORT PAT SUMMITT'S DECISON PROTEST

I want to ask everyone's opinion and to clarify what I am doing and why. It occurs to me that I have been remiss in explaining why I am doing what I have done particularly after I learned that volfanincali's Dad is a big Name Redacted fan.

I support Pat Summitt's decision to eliminate Name Redacted from interaction with the Lady Vols. I support her ethical and principled decision to cease to have a relationship with a program and coach that violates her principals.

Since it appears I am in the minority in hoping that The SUmmiTT would follow the example of our coach and eliminate all interaction with NAME REDACTED - I decided to do what several friends have done and just put every NR fan on IGNORE USER as a form of protest in support of Pat's decision.

For that to work it requires one small concession from those of you who wish to continue to interact with the fans of a program our coach has eliminated from her schedule.

Now I wouldn't for a minute try to deny your right to make up your own mind about interacting with Name Redacted fans who just cannot live without posting on The Summitt after our coach has eliminated their team from our reality.

So I am asking as nicely as I know how - please don't quote NR fans in your posts.
If you quote them we still have to read their ignored posts or place those who quote them on ignore.

I realize some of you may think this is silly but I'm serious about what I think is the only right thing to do to support what Pat has done. I think it a small concession on the part of those who still wish to respond to NR posters.

I would truly appreciate your cooperation in this small matter. In the wake of the elimination I feel very strongly about doing what I can to support Pat's decision and this is what I have concluded is the only thing I can do.

If you have some objection to this stand and request I will be happy to consider your replies and respond and I am anxious to hear eveyone's opinion.

It is not that I have anything against a few of the NR posters who have come here and still come here. My decision comes from a desire to support what Pat has done the only way I know how and not because I dislike ALL of the NR posters.

I am using Name Redacted as a form of shunning. A simple declaration that for me NR no longer exists. I intend to continue this protest of what I consider to be unethical behavior on the part of NR's coach until at least an unavoidable resumption of interaction is required by the NCAA tournament.
I won't ask that you join my protest. I just ask your assistance in keeping the board NR free for me and others who do not wish to be confronted with NR posts. That only requires you to cease quoting NR posts in your answers.
Thank you for considering this request and I look forward to hearing your opinions. Feel free to tell me if you think I am wrong or being unreasonable.

Lauren Avant

LAUREN AVANT PHOTO FROM TIME MAGAZINE ARTICLE

The LADY VOLS 2008 - A PERFECT TENN?

It would have been very handy to have a quick reference for the top teams last year so you could find the players, their positions, height, minutes played, and scoring average to do a match up comparison for games. I'm getting a jump on next season this Summer by creating this quick reference for myself to see how well my predictions go this far in advance of play. Might as well share it so you can save it if you like to have access to this information during the season.

First a look at this TENN TEN and last year's stats for reference.

55 Nicky Anosike 6-4 SR F-C
33 Alberta Auguste 5-11 SR F
00 Shannon Bobbitt 5-2 SR G
44 Alex Fuller 6-3 JR F-C
14 A Hornbuckle 5-11 SR G
3 Candace Parker 6-4 JR F-C-G
52 Kelley Cain 6-6 FR C
21 Vicki Baugh 6-4 FR F
5 Angie Bjorklund 6-0 FR G
20 Sidney Smallbone 5-9 FR G
2 Cait McMahan 5-4 RS HEART

Remember that these statistics were gained against the toughest schedule in the nation.

PPG FGM -A % 3ptM A % FTM A % Min played

03 Parker, Candace 19.6 267 505 .529 6 18 .333 166 233 .712 30
14 Hornbuckle, Alexis 10.2 150 341 .440 29 84 .345 49 67 .731 31
00 Bobbitt, Shannon 8.7 98 265 .370 69 167 .413 49 62 .790 26
55 Anosike, Nicky 7.5 100 234 .427 0 0 .000 78 129 .605 27
44 Fuller, Alex 6.0 81 163 .497 15 41 .366 45 58 .776 20
33 Auguste, Alberta 5.0 62 143 .434 5 21 .238 55 82 .671 16

Spencer 11.6 points in 28 min
McMahan & Redding 6 points in 14 min

Some keys to the 2008 season as i see them:

The Lady Vols lose the considerable contribution of Sidney Spencer
who is proving in Los Angeles how truly valuable she is.
Her 11.6 points: 186 from beyond the arc 314 from within with 54 FT's
in 28.6 minutes per game must be made up somewhere.

Cait as a freshman gave us valuable minutes at PG in relief of Shannon
but Cait and Dom combined scored a little less than 6 points in 14 combined min per game.
Remember we don't lose Cait and her contribution from the bench and the locker room will be considerable. There isn't a bigger heart in WCBB.

Enter Angie Bjorklund at 6 feet tall she's a bit shorter than Sidney but she has a high release and is long. Sidney was nowhere to be found on pre-recruitment ranking lists
While Angie is touted to be the 2nd most coveted recruit of 2007

Angie calls to mind a taller quicker Shanna Zolman
Shanna's freshman numbers looked like this
05 SHANNA ZOLMAN. 7.5 95-227 .419 37-96 .385 58-65 .892 18.2
I would think we could expect to see numbers that meet or exceed these from Angie.
Sid shot 39.7 % from 3 point range last year - very respectable but not unmatchable.
Gwen Jackson, Kara Lawson, Loree Moore, Tasha Butts, and Ashley Robinson were the starters Shanna's freshman year with Shyra as the usual first off the bench as a Soph.
Brittany Jackson, Tye'sha Fluker. and Courtney McDaniel also saw significant minutes.
This Lady Vol team is taller and they are defending a National Championship.

But Angie won't have to make up for Sidney's contribution by herself
Alex Fuller at 6'4 is taller and equally as athletic as Sid
Her 3 point percentage in 2007 was .366
With more time on the court from a possible starting slot expect Alex with another year behind her to improve to match or exceed Sidney's offensive output. Increasing her scoring by 6 points a game shouldn't pose a problem.

Bird at 5'11 is the other 'favorite' to replace Sidney in the starting line-up.
Bird and Alexis are like bookends at 5'11 with similar speed and skills.
Birds scoring average went way up at the end of the season her best games coming in the NCAA
From 16 minutes expect Bird's time on court to grow to take up some portion of the 42 minutes vacated by Sid, Dom and Cait and expect her productivity as far as scoring to double with the confidence she gained.

In addition we now have Vicki Baugh
At 6'4 she is a taller more athletic option to Sidney
At times near the end of the season we found Sidney in the paint guarding the likes of Erlana Larkins and Kia Vaughn. Once Vicki gets her feel for the college game she has the height and athletic ability to surpass Sid's excellent job at that particular defensive task. Vicki isn't regarded as a 3 point threat but her ability to rebound and score inside should be better.
If and when Tennessee goes tall Vicki at 6'4 will allow Candace at 6'5 to move to the outside where she certainly has the ability to hit the three.

Kelley Cain at 6'6 is another player who will effect where Candace plays since her minutes in the paint can give Candace more time on the perimeter in Sidney's old spot.
and we cannot forget Sidney Smallbone who is a legitimate 3 point threat anytime she takes the floor.

Tennessee will not lack the ability to score from the perimeter with
Shannon Bobbitt our leading 3 point shooter last year
Angie Bjorklund the best 3 point threat in the entire national incoming class
Candace Parker who has terrific range and will have more opportunity to show it.
Sidney Smallbone - perhaps the 2nd best 3 point threat of all available freshmen
Alex Fuller who has the proven ability and will get the chance to show it on a more regular basis.
Bird Auguste who needs to improve her 3 point shooting this Summer
and Alexis Hornbuckle who can create shots from anywhere

The fact is that these Lady Vols don't actually need a lot of 3 point shooting
This Tennessee team is the tallest and most athletic in memory
6'6 Cain, 6'5 Parker. 6'4 Baugh, 6'4 Anosiki, and 6'3 Fuller along with 6'0 Bjorklund
give the Lady Vols the tallest team in the hunt for this year's National Championship.
Given all that height it's certain that Pat will have the offense going inside as the first option.

With only TEN players this team may be the best combination of height, speed, athleticism, quickness and scoring ability to ever take the floor at TBA. With 6 virtual Seniors to tutor 4 incredible incoming freshmen their development should be should be rapid and excellent.

Between Angie, Sidney, Alexis, and Bird we have the guards to relieve and assist Shannon.

Don't be terribly surprised if this PERFECT TEN gives us and themselves a perfect season ending in NC Eight. There will be a couple of mis-steps along the way with the usual toughest schedule but come tournament time they have to be PERFECT

UP next - comparing the Lady Vols to the top contenders for their crown.

LSU - Can This Be The Year?

The top SEC foe and perhaps the second best team in the country should be LSU

1 Kathy Graham G 5-11 Fr.
3 Latear Eason G 5-8 Fr.
22 Porsha Phillips F 6-2 So.
23 Allison Hightower G 5-10 So.
44 Kristen Morris F 6-2 Jr.
4 Katie Antony G 5-10 Sr.
5 Erica White G 5-3 Sr.
10 Khalilah Mitchell G 5-11 Sr.
12 R LeBlanc G 5-7 Sr.
15 Quianna Chaney G 5-11 Sr.
24 Marian Whitfield G 5-9 Sr.
25 Mesha Williams C 6-3 Sr.
34 Sylvia Fowles C 6-6 Sr.
54 Ashley Thomas F 6-0 Sr.

LSU Players minutes and scoring average vs the LSU schedule

34 FOWLES, S 30.6 16.9
15 CHANEY, Q 26.7 11.8
05 WHITE, E 29.6 8.2
23 HIGHTOWER, A 20.0 6.2
12 LeBLANC, R 26.4 6.1
54 THOMAS, A 23.9 4.7
22 PHILLIPS, P 12.8 3.8
04 ANTONY, K 10.4 2.9

This LSU team of nine seniors has made so many consecutive final fours it is difficult to believe they haven't seen the championship game yet. Could this be their year?

LSU was one of 3 teams to top the Lady Vols last year. They couldn't get it done in Baton Rouge in the first meeting but they really dominated in the second round of the SEC tournament in Duluth in March. LSU shut down Candace Parker and managed to hit from the perimeter with impunity. They actually made Tennessee look as if they didn't belong.

So if the Lady Vols don't play their best and LSU does this is a team that could unseat Tennessee and finally reach the goal they have been so close to attaining for 3 consecutive years. The added incentive is the last time around for 9 Seniors. The downside is that these seniors don't seem to have much 'room' to improve. By that I mean the improvement has to come from each individual player who's minutes will most likely remain close to the same.

Where the Lady Vols can look at 42 average minutes from departed or red shirt players and see who might fill those minutes and what they might do, LSU only adds two freshmen to an established rotation.

Of course there is a new coach in bayou country and the question is what he can do to improve the LSU offensive performance. If he is successful this will be a formidable opponent.

Tennessee only managed 54 points in our last meeting with the Lady Tigers and we were beaten by 9. That was only 4 points better than the final Connecticut performance of the season. LSU trashed Connecticut by 23 a 14 point greater margin. They only managed 35 points in their final game with Rutgers. At times it seemed like LSU didn't recall how to score.

LSU went 30 and 7 last year even though they handily beat two of the better teams in the country prior to losing to Rutgers in the semi-finals. Maybe Coach Chancellor will bring some consistency to the LSU performance and help them get beyond the final four semi-finals. Figuring out how to score consistently will be the trick.

It remains to be seen but I think the Lady Vols upside is far better than that of LSU. The additional height and athleticism of Cain and Baugh giving Sylvia Fowles a bit more to concern herself with besides Candace and NiKKi. It will most likely be the Tennessee LSU show in the SEC and the SEC will be well represented by these two in the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Vols seem to have more offensive weapons and they definitely have more height.

Second Sight on the Scarlet Knights

Last years runners up Rutgers comes back with the entire team and adds one Hoopgurlz top 10 Freshman.

12 ADAMS, KATIE G Sr. 5-10
22 AJAVON, MATEE G Sr. 5-8
5 CARSON, E F/G Sr. 6-0
4 JERNIGAN, D G So 5-11
43 JUNAID, R C So 6-4
24 MCCURDY, MYIA F So 6-1
10 PRINCE, E G So 5-9
35 RAY, B G So. 5-9
15 VAUGHN, KIA C Jr. 6-4
21 ZURICH, H F Jr 6-1
x Rushdan Kadijah G FR 5-10

Last years minutes and scoring average for Rutgers

15 VAUGHN, Kia........ 32.5 12.8
05 CARSON, Essence.... 35.9 12.3
10 PRINCE, Epiphanny.. 32.8 12.2
22 AJAVON, Matee...... 29.5 12.0
35 RAY, Brittany...... 19.4 5.3
21 ZURICH, Heather.... 24.9 4.9
43 JUNAID, Rashidat... 9.4 2.7

This Rutgers team was an enigma last season but when they finally bought into what C Viv was trying to get them to do they became the second best team in the country. Rutgers lost to Pepperdine, DePaul, and Old Dominion before turning things around at season's end and winning the Big East Tournament prior to the run to the NC game. They dropped a game to Duke by 40 and two to Connecticut by 10 and 26 before beating the Huskies by eight in the finals of the Big East.

Five sophomores could offer significant offensive improvement for Rutgers particularly Prince, Ray and Junaid. Rushdan gives them another offensive threat. She is regarded as a "big time scorer" by Scout's evaluation and Prince was the 113 point girl a year ago.

Rutgers has the best upside of the top teams returning all players due to the sophomores and Rushdan. If this team learns to score like they learned defense last year everybody else better watch out. This team is a bit guard heavy and Vaughn and Junaid are the only height.

Tennessee matched up well with Rutgers and when both teams are playing well the Lady Vols should have a significant edge in experience, height, and scoring potential.

Rutgers matches up better against their Big East foe Connecticut. where the size is similar

The Mystery that is Maryland

What is this Brenda? Guards Are Us? With NINE guards and 5 F/Cs this little team is a bit back court heavy isn't it?

25 Marissa Coleman G/F JR 6-1
15 Laura Harper F/C SR 6-4
1 Crystal Langhorne C/F SR 6-2
11 Christie Marrone G SO 5-6
21 Ashleigh Newman G SR 5-10
55 Jade Perry F/C SR 6-1
20 Kristi Toliver G JR 5-7
33 Emery Wallace F SO 6-1
2 S WGatewood G SR 5-9
x Drey Mingo F FR 6-2
xx Kim Rodgers G FR 5-9
xx Kathy Lyons G FR 5-10
xx Mariah Strickland G FR 5-11
xx Anjale Barrett G FR 5-10

Here are last years minutes and scoring average vs an SOS slightly better than UCONN

01 Crystal Langhorne.. 27.4 14.9
25 Marissa Coleman.... 28.7 13.2
20 Kristi Toliver..... 26.7 12.3
22 Shay Doron......... 27.3 11.8
15 Laura Harper....... 22.9 10.4
21 Ashleigh Newman 19.4 6.4
02 Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood 20.3 6.3
55 Jade Perry......... 17.8 5.7

Well the Freeze must have thought that Shay Doron would be hard to replace. She signed the 4th, 24th, 26th, and 31st ranked guards by Hoopgurlz and the 6th best forward in Drey Mingo for the 2nd best recruiting class in the country.

SWG finally got a chance to start near the end of the year but she only managed a 6.3 average in 20 minutes a game. So what is the Freeze gonna do with four new guards?

You've got to figure that Toliver gets one starting slot and SWG the other and Coleman on the wing as the small forward. Ashley Newman is first off the bench and the four freshmen? The line starts at the rear with the sophomore Marrone.

6'4 Harper, 6'2 Langhorn and 6'2 Mingo is as tall as the Terps go. At least these Terps won't be slow. They can run quick little guards til the wheels come off.

These Terps lost to Duke twice, UNC twice, Ga Tech and to Ol Miss to end the season. They lose less than Duke or UNC in the ACC and should most likely be the favorites to take the conference but I don't see how they make it past Tennessee with this team.

This team did win the NC in 06 so they do know how but so does Tennessee.

A New Day for Duke

GG certainly did not leave the cupboard bare for J P McCallie. This is one heck of a group of basketball players. Duke added two top 10's and number 31 from Hoopgurlz for the third best class in 2007 to a team that gets Chante Black back from a redshirt season.

11 Chante Black C 6-5 Jr.
21 Joy Cheek F 6-1 So.
13 Karima Christmas G 5-11 Fr.
30 Carrem Gay F 6-2 Jr.
31 Keturah Jackson G/F 6-0 So.
22 Brittany Mitch G/F 6-2 So.
15 Bridgette Mitchell F/G 6-0 So.
23 Wanisha Smith G 5-11 Sr.
5 Jasmine Thomas G 5-9 Fr.
34 Krystal Thomas C 6-4 Fr.
4 Abby Waner G 5-10 Jr.
2 Emily Waner G 5-8 Sr.

Last year's minutes and scoring average show Duke has 60 minutes to fill and 25 points that need to come from them to stay up with last year.

04 Abby Waner.........28.5 14.1
10 Lindsey Harding....30.4 13.6
43 Alison Bales....... 29.1 11.9
23 Wanisha Smith......27.4 9.4
30 Carrem Gay......... 23.3 8.8
21 Joy Cheek.......... 15.7 5.3
15 Bridgette Mitchell. 12.3 4.9
02 Emily Waner........ 15.0 3.6
22 Brittany Mitch..... 14.9 3.3
31 Keturah Jackson.... 8.9 2.0

Cheek, Mitch, Mitchell and Jackson go from freshmen to sophomores. Black and Krystal Thomas get to take over for Bales, And the Waner's, Smith, Jasmine Thomas, and Christmas get to fill in for Harding. This Duke team has good balance and great scoring potential. Can't wait to see what McCallie can do with these players. She never had it this good in Michigan.

Despite her mini-meltdown v RU in the tournament Lindsay Harding was a POY and will be tough to replace. But Duke has a great guard prospect in Jasmine Thomas who just made the U19 team with Krystal Thomas the center. Duke could even be improved over last years great team with these two and Black back. They can go 6'5 6'4 6'2 6'2 6'1 on the front line with Black, Thomas, Gay, Mitch and Cheek. Better height than any team but Tennessee. And Abby Waner and Wanisha Smith are great guards..

By mid-season this Duke team may be the best in the ACC even with losing more than Maryland. Who knows - maybe McCallie can do what GG couldn't and will this team into the Championship game. No one should be too surprised to see Duke in the Final Four. Don't dismiss Duke.

Next Edition of North Carolina

The 2007-08 UNC Tarheels

2 Erlana Larkins 6-1 F Sr.
3 Trinity Bursey 5-10 F So.
11 Alex Miller 5-6 G Sr.
14 Heather Claytor 5-8 G Jr
15 Christina Dewitt 6-2 F Jr.
21 Iman McFarland 6-3 F Jr.
24 Meghan Austin 5-7 G Sr.
30 LaToya Pringle 6-3 F/C Sr.
32 Rashanda McCants 6-1 F Jr
34 Martina Wood 6-2 F/C Jr.
51 Jessica Breland 6-3 F So
X Italee Lucas 5-8 G Fr
Xx Cetera DeGraffenreid 5-5 G Fr
XX Rebecca Grey 5-10 G Fr

2007 minutes and scoring average with departing Seniors in red

12 Ivory Latta 31.1 . 16.2
20 Camille Little. 28.2 . 13.7
02 Larkins, Erlana.. 26.3 . 12.9
30 LaToya Pringle 23.5 . 9.7
32 Rashanda McCants..21.2 9.4
51 Jessica Breland..... 14.4 . 6.5
11 Alex Miller......... 23.2 . 5.8
14 Heather Claytor.....13.8 . 4.4
15 Christina Dewitt.... 10.9 3.7
21 Iman McFarland......10.5 . 3.1
03 Bursey, Trinity 5.3 . 1.3
24 Meghan Austin....... 4.8 . 0.8

Like Duke UNC must replace two top scorers 30ppg and fill 60 minutes of playing time

UNC has nice balance with 6 guards and 7 F/C on the 13 player roster. Larkins, Pringle, McCants and Breland/DeWitt/McFarland give the heels a very experienced 6'3 6'1 6'1 6'2 6'3 6'3 front line subs. Miller and Claytor are the most experienced guards and Lucas and DeGraffenreid were highly sought recruits.

This should be an excellent UNC team that will be tough to beat come tournament time. The Tarheels will once again fight it out with Maryland and Duke for ACC honors and I would expect them to be an Elite Eight team come March/April. In fact it would not be surprising to see yet another UNC/Tennessee regional final for a spot in the Final Four.

It won't be automatic - Little and Latta were both great players, but there's plenty of talent in Chapel Hill and not much margin between the three ACC contenders.

Latta was the Tarheels only real 3 point threat. Claytor 33% and Miller 25% weren't very good so the Heels need to find some outside shooting to open up the inside.

If UNC's SOS is anything like as weak as last year UNC will have a bunch of cupcakes to bury before getting into the ACC and plenty of time to practice up before the NCAA.

Last year's UNC schedule featured:

177 East Tenn St W 96-35
302 Winston-Salem St W 83-32
264 Elon W 90-36
328 vs Sacramento St W 99-38
112 UNC Greensboro W 103-48
215 Wofford W 95-36
320 South Carolina St W 92-42
210 vs Coastal Carolina W 87-48
153 vs St. John's W 87-43
162 Delaware St W 87-40
222 Tennessee Tech W 93-52
203 Wake Forest

that's 3 of the worst RPI teams in the country (there are only 328)

My guess is that Tennessee will face UNC (a 2 seed) in the regional final again this year and win.

Count on the Cardinal as a Contender

The 2007 - 08 Stanford Cardinal

2 Jayne Appel F/C 6-4 SO
24 Ashley Cimino F 6-3 FR
31 Morgan Clyburn F/C 6-4 JR
20 Hannah Donaghe G 5-11 FR
21 Ros Gold-Onwude G 5-10 SO
33 Jillian Harmon F 6-1 JR
5 Michelle Harrison F 6-3 SO
10 JJ Hones G 5-10 SO
0 Melanie Murphy G 5-9 SO
14 Kayla Pedersen F 6-4 FR
13 Cissy Pierce G 5-10 SR
23 Jeanette Pohlen G 6-0 FR
11 Candice Wiggins G 5-11.5 SR

2007 minutes played and scoring average. (departing Sr. in red)

11 Wiggins, Candice... 30.6 16.9
30 Smith, Brooke...... 32.5 13.9
02 Appel, Jayne....... 19.3 13.2
33 Harmon, Jillian.... 29.4 7.7
43 Newlin, Kristen.... 21.3 7.0
13 Pierce, Cissy...... 18.2 4.9
10 Hones, JJ.......... 24.3 4.5
05 Harrison, Michelle. 11.0 3.5
32 Murphy, Melanie.... 14.6 2.2
04 Bodensteiner, Clare 7.5 1.1
12 Titchenal, Christy. 2.8 0.8
03 Coleman, Markisha.. 4.9 0.7
31 Clyburn, Morgan.... 3.9 0.4

13 players on this new Stanford team. They must replace 5 graduated Seniors but Smith and Newlin were the only two who averaged over 10 minutes and 2 points. Still that's over 60 minutes of court time and 22 points a game that will come from others.

The good news is that Rosalyn Gold-Onwunde and JJ Hones will be back to run the point after injury and super Senior Wiggins will be free to do what she does best and score. Super sophomore Jayne Appel 6'4 with Harrison and Clyburn will be joined by Kayla Pederson 6'4 and Ashley Cimino 6'3 to help offset the loss of Smith and Newlin on the front line.

The Stanford recruiting class has top 10 Pederson and top 20 Pohlen with Cimino, and Donaghe. Pederson needs to work out well for Stanford to be a NC contender. Stanford should be the team to beat in the West and is a good bet to be an Elite Eight 2 seed. Wiggins is one of the best players in the country.

When Tennessee visits Palo Alto early in the season it will be a good test of where both teams stand.

BIG TEN ???

the OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY roster for 2008

55 Allen, Star F 5-11 JR
24 Daniel, Cherise G 5-11 SO.
32 Jamen, Alice C/F 6-3 Sr.
20 Little, Shavelle G 5-8 SO.
33 Mason-Cox, Lesslee F 6-2 SO
14 Moeller, Maria G 5-7 SO
45 Riley, Tamarah G/F 6-2 Sr
51 Walker, Andrea C 6-5 SO
22 Packer, Marscilla G 5-9 Sr.
00 Trebilcock, Ashlee G 5-9 JR.
Xx Lavender, Jantel C 6-4 Fr ranked 3
Xx Brittany Johnson G 5-11 Fr ranked 34

tOSU's 2007 minutes and ppg

50 Davenport, Jessica. 32.5 20.0
01 Hoskins, Brandie... 31.6 14.3
22 Packer, Marscilla.. 29.8 10.4
55 Allen, Star........ 21.4 10.1
00 Trebilcock, Ashlee. 18.8 5.7
14 Moeller, Maria..... 32.7 4.3
51 Walker, Andrea..... 10.1 3.8
34 Blanton, Stephanie. 12.4 3.4
45 Riley, Tamarah..... 13.0 3.2
33 Mason-Cox, Lesslee. 5.1 2.3
20 Little, Shavelle... 10.0 1.8
24 Daniel, Cherise.... 5.1 0.8
32 Jamen, Alice....... 5.2 0.8

tOSU loses their top two scorers (Hoskins was lost before the end of last season to injury) this team lost to Marist in the NCAA. They add number 3 Hoopgurlz Jantal Lavender to replace Davenport and will fight it out with Purdue, Minnesota, and who else in the Big Ten. I don't see them challenging the top 12 above given their tendency of blowing it in the tournament.

PURDUE"S ROSTER FOR 2008

3 Natasha Bogdanova SR Forward 6-4
15 Danielle Campbell JR Center 6-4
14 Brittany Dildine SR Guard 5-9
45 Kalika France SO Guard 5-9
24 Lakisha Freeman RS SO Forward 6-1
55 Laura Garriga SO Forward 6-0
00 Jodi Howell JR Guard 5-11
20 FahKara Malone SO Guard 5-3
11 Lauren Mioton SO Guard 5-9
32 L Wisdom-Hylton RS Forward 6-2
XX Samantha Woods Fr F 6-2 rank 51
Xx Michelle Clark Fr G 5-8 rank 77
Xx Lakeishia Mosley Fr F 6-1 rank 87

Purdue's minutes and ppg for 2007

01 Gearlds, Katie..... 36.7 19.1
32 Wisdom-Hylton, L... 32.8 14.8
35 Lawless, Erin...... 29.5 10.1
20 Malone, FahKara.... 30.5 8.4
00 Howell, Jodi....... 20.6 6.8
15 Campbell, Danielle. 17.4 4.7
24 Freeman, Lakisha... 21.1 4.3
11 Mioton, Lauren..... 9.5 1.2
45 France, Kalika..... 4.3 0.6
55 Garriga, Laura..... 3.2 0.5
14 Dildine, Brittany.. 3.1 0.1

Evidently Lindsey Wisdom-Hylton is now out for the 2008 season putting a real dent in the Boilermaker's chances for 2008. They also lost the recruiting battle for Xavier's Ta'shia Phillips. They do add three top 90 recruits per Hoopgurlz but none over 50. They need a couple of Sidney Spencer's in that group to be a NCAA contender.

MINNESOTA's 2008 Roster

31 Jordan Barnes G 5-10 Sr.
5 Korinne Campbell G 6-0 So
22 Kristen Dockery F 6-4 Fr. 2 star scout pick Smallbone’s teammate
21 Ashley Ellis-Milan F/C 6-2 So.
4 Emily Fox G 5-9 Jr.
20 Zoe Harper C 6-3 So.
34 Lindsey Jaede G 5-7 Sr.
45 Leslie Knight F 6-1 Sr
12 Brittany McCoy G 5-10 So.
35 Katie Ohm G/F 5-11 So.
32 Tanisha Smith F 5-10 RFr.
10 Kay Sylva G 5-8 Jr.

Minnesota minutes and ppg in 2007

03 Roysland, Kelly 29.5 13.2
04 Fox, Emily 33.3 12.9
21 Ellis-Milan, A 27.9 9.1
12 McCoy, Brittany 31.2 8.9
45 Knight, Leslie 20 .8.3
05 Campbell, Korinne 20.8 6.2
35 Ohm, Katie 15.0 4.3
20 Harper, Zoe 11.0 3.0
15 Salley, Breanna 8.6 1.9
31 Barnes, Jordan 12.4 1.8
32 Smith, Tanisha 2.7 0.7
34 Jaede, Lindsey 2.0 0.0

Despite Emily Fox's good showing in the Pan Am games it will be tough for Minnesota to be an NCAA contender given the loss of their top scorer and limited additions to the 17 - 16 2007 squad.

I will take a look at Michigan State and Penn State to add to this later but the Big TEN doesn't look too promising this year so far.

TEXAS A&M - best of the Big 12

2 Buchanan, Damitria F 6'-2" So
3 Starks, Takia G 5'-8" Jr
10 Franklin, A'Quonesia G 5'-3" Sr
11 Gulley, LaToya G 5'-8" Sr
12 Micheaux, La Toya C 6'-3" Jr
21 Atunrase, Morenike G/F 5'-10" Sr
23 Pounds, Katy F 6'-0" Sr
24 Reado, Patrice F 6'-0" Sr
33 Horton, Ashlaa F 6'-1" So
42 McGowen, Adrian G 5'-10" So
44 Limbaha, Katrina F 6'-3" So
55 Gant, Danielle G/F 5'-11" Jr
xz Colson, Sidney G 5’-8” Fr

Last years minutes and scoring average

03 Starks, Takia...... 33.2 14.2
55 Gant, Danielle..... 29.0 10.8
21 Atunrase, Morenike. 26.9 10.0
10 Franklin, A'Quonesi 34.9 9.9
24 Reado, Patrice.... 22.6 7.1
12 Micheaux, La Toya.. 26.0 6.2
42 McGowen, Adrian.... 8.1 3.3
52 Zimova, Lenka..... . 6.0 2.4
23 Pounds, Katy....... 5.6 2.2
44 Limbaha, Katrina.. 7.1 1.7
33 Horton, Ashlaa..... 6.5 1.3
02 Buchanan, Damitria. 4.9 1.1
11 Gulley, LaToya.... . 5.2 0.6
22 Wilks, Jennifer.... 4.9 0.4

Only two Seniors depart the 13-3 in conference A & M team that beat OU twice last year. With 5 Seniors and 4 Sophomores for this season the experience level is up on a team that learned how to win. Since this team seems to know how to top OU they may be the best of the Big 12 contenders.

George Washington knocked A&M out of the NCAA last year and the downside is that essentially the same 7 loss team returns. The record may improve but I don't see how they compete with the other teams profiled thus far in this series of posts.

Mid Majors Xavier, Geo Wash, MTSU

XAVIER with a big frontline

23 Askew, Megan 6-0 Guard FR #153 by Scout
12 Barringer, Alesia 5-6 Guard SO
15 Byorik, Aly 6-0 Guard FR #41 by Blue Star
11 Harris, Amber 6-5 Forward SO
13 Hester, Maureen 6-1 Forward SO
1 Jennings, Special 5-6 Guard FR #99 Hoopgurlz recruit
25 Johnson, Stephany 5-9 Guard FR unranked 3 star by Scout
34 Martin, Der-ryka 6-3 Forward SO
42 Phillips, April 6-0 Forward SO
53 Phillips, Ta'Shia 6-6 Center FR #28 Hoopgurlz recruit
20 Reed, Tudy 5-11 Guard JR
24 Taylor, Jerri 5-7 Guard JR

XAVIER'S MINUTES AND PPG 2007

11 Harris, Amber...... 34.0 16.3
21 Granderson, Suntana 31.0 13.5
01 Clyburn, Joei...... 26.4 11.4
23 Miller, Michele.... 34.1 10.1
03 Green, Miranda..... 33.2 7.8
24 Taylor, Jerri...... 18.5 4.6
42 Mason, Deanna...... 13.8 4.5
13 Hester, Maureen.... 8.5 1.5
12 Barringer, Alesia.. 8.3 1.3
52 McCall, Bionca..... 1.8 0.6
34 Martin, Der-ryka... 2.0 0.0

Signing Ta'shia Phillips the McDonalds 6'6 AA Center to go along with 6'4 Amber Harris gives Xavier a frontline that mid-majors seldom enjoy. Xavier could give GW and MTSU a run for their money as the best of the mid-majors even with the loss of Clyburn and Granderson.

The George Washington 2007 Roster

1 Jessica Adair So. C/F 6-4
3 Whitney Allen Jr. F 5-11
5 Kimberly Beck Jr. G 5-8
11 Robin Murphy Fr. F 6-0
12 Faith Peters So. G 5-10
15 Chantelle John So. F 6-2
20 Kenan Cole Sr. G/F 5-10
21 Jazmine Adair So. F 6-3
22 Stefani Munro Fr. G 5-7
25 Lora Mitchell Jr. F 6-1
32 Sarah-Jo Lawrence Jr. G 5-11
33 Jamila Bates So. F 6-1
34 Ivy Abiona Fr. F 6-2
35 Lisa Steele R-So. G 5-11

Last year's minutes and ppg

32 Lawrence, Sarah-Jo. 31.8 13.4
01 Adair, Jessica..... 24.5 12.9
05 Beck, Kimberly.....36.1 11.3
20 Cole, Kenan........ 31.0 10.8
03 Allen, Whitney.....28.4 6.1
21 Adair, Jazmine..... 15.0 4.9
35 Steele, Lisa....... 7.9 2.8
15 John, Chantelle.... 7.5 2.2
12 Peters, Faith...... 7.7 1.9
33 Bates, Jamila...... 8.2 1.6
55 Murphy, Robin.....5.1 1.2
54 Abiona, Ivy........ 6.1 1.1
10 Munro, Stefani....3.7 0.4
25 Mitchell, Lora..... 2.8 0.3

Sports Illustrated picks GW as the tenth best team in the USA next year and they could be right. The Colonials only lose one senior Kenan Cole who accounted for 11 points in 31 minutes average.

GW does not add any top 100 Hoopgurlz or Scout prospects to the lineup but they get back a more experienced team that lost only to Maryland, Tennessee, UNC and St Joseph's in the finals of the A 10 tournament by 2 points. This team beat Georgia by 12 and Texas A&M by 12 in the NCAA Tournament.

GW may be the best of the mid-majors

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE BLUE RAIDERS

00 Chelsia Lymon G 5-5 SO-1L
1 Amber Holt G/F 6-0 SR-1L
2 Johnna Abney G 5-4 JR-2L
10 Jackie Pickel G 5-10 SO-1L
12 Starr Orr G 5-8 SR-3L
14 Latoya Barclay G 5-4 SR-3L
21 Brandi Brown F 6-2 So-1L
23 Angelique Burtts F 6-0 FR-RS
31 Lakira Boyd F 6-2 SR-3L
Morgan Boyd G 6-1 FR-HS
Alysha Clark F 5-10 JR-TR
Jasmine Duffey F 6-7 SO-TR
Jawanda Duffey F 6-4 FR-HS
Anne Marie Lanning G 5-11 FR-HS
Emily Queen F 6-1 FR-HS

Last years minutes and scoring

22 Givens, Chrissy..... 35.6 22.6
01 Holt, Amber......... 31.0 . 16.7
04 Horton, Krystle..... 24.9 . 9.2
21 Brown, Brandi....... 15.9 7.0
00 Lymon, Chelsia...... 16.3 5.5
02 Abney, Johnna....... 20.5 . 5.5
12 Orr, Starr.......... 29.2 5.5
10 Pickel, Jackie...... 10.0 . 4.8
14 Barclay, Latoya..... 8.6 . 1.9
31 Boyd, Lakira........ 10.4 . 1.7
03 Mason, LaCondra....7.8 . 1.4
11 Tate, Whitney....... 2.4 . 0.3
15 Cobb, Carden........ 2.9 . 0.2

Chrissy Givens is gone but Amber Holt and Brandi Brown are back - Amber led the team in scoring in the NCAA tournament. Insell adds the Duffey sisters and Jasmine was Blue Star #18 - top recruit to ever sign with Ga Tech - at 6'7" she gives the Blue Raiders some height they need. Sister Jawanda at 6'4" give MTSU their version of the Paris twins along with the 6'plus Boyd sisters.

Don't know what happened to Ke Ke Stewart from Oak Ridge who signed up in 06. Anybody know?

Insell has fifteen players and he's a top coach. MTSU will be NCAA material and they have the chance to make some noise. This team won't challenge Tennessee for state supremacy this year.

HOW ABOUT OKLAHOMA?

Oklahoma's 2008 Roster.

1 Nyeshia Stevenson 5-9 F SO
2 Jenny Vining 5-9 G FR
3 Courtney Paris 6-4 C JR
4 Abi Olajuwon 6-4 C SO
5 Ashley Paris 6-3 F JR
10 Carlee Roethlisberger 6-1 F FR
11 Jenna Plumley 5-4 PG SO
13 Danielle Robinson 5-9 PG FR
15 Carolyn Winchester 5-11 F SO
21 Amanda Thompson 6-0 F SO
31 Rose Hammond 5-9 G SO

Last years minutes and scoring average

03 Paris,Courtney..... 30.3 23.5
24 Rush,Leah.......... 26.7 9.8
22 Welch,Chelsi....... 21.1 9.1
05 Paris,Ashley....... 21.6 7.4
21 Thompson,Amanda.. . 15.9 5.7
11 Plumley,Jenna...... 16.4 5.2
34 Higgins,Erin....... 26.9 4.6
33 Brown,Britney...... 17.9 3.9
20 Moore,Kendra....... 13.0 3.7
01 Stevenson,Nyeshia.. 8.5 3.3
04 Olajuwon,Abi....... 3.9 2.2
32 Sanchez,Krista..... 5.6 1.3
31 Hammond,Rose....... 4.5 0.2
15 Winchester,Carolyn. 2.4 0.0

Six Seniors graduate from this OU team that lost to tOSU, T A&M twice, Texas, and Ole Miss leaving 110 game minutes and 32 ppg to fill from 6 Sophomores, 2 freshmen and the Junior Paris twins. Woe be OU if anything happens to Courtney.

It's tough to see how OU improves with 6 Seniors including Rush, Welch, Higgins, and Brown gone. Danielle Robinson is Hoopgurlz #21 and 13th ranked guard.
Jenny Vining is Hoopgurlz #33 and the 17th ranked guard
Carlee Roethlisberger is an unranked 3 star prospect

Looks to me like OU is a year away from being a better team. I'll have to run A & M, Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, and the other Big 12 teams to get a feel for how they stack up but against the nine already profiled I don't see OU in the hunt. Plumley, the Paris twins, and Thompson couldn't get past Ole Miss in April and the new players don't seem to add up to what was lost.