[teejers1]

My hopes are rising, too, Farm, but I still have a little fear that the teams we have beaten are turning out not to be the elite teams they were expected to be.  Gonzaga and Mississippi State are the best two teams we have played by considerable margins, and neither one looks like a final four team to me--and we barely got past Gonzaga.  Can we beat a final four team?  Can we beat Oregon, UConn, or maybe Baylor, South Carolina?  Can we beat Oregon State--twice?

So I am ecstatic with how we are doing so far, but in a reversal of Stanford WBB history the real test is going to be the Pac 12.  UCLA and Arizona look very good this year, Oregon State is ahead of its rebuilding schedule just like us, and Oregon is basically a pro team that beat team USA.  I worry that we (and the players) should not get ahead of ourselves.  It is possible as Tara said that all 4 final four teams are playing in the Pac 12 now and we haven't yet had to match up with them.  It was less than a year ago that Oregon pasted us on our own floor, and they have not gotten any worse.

Yet Tara is a brilliant educator, and her teams usually improve steadily throughout the year.  I would not rule anything out at this stage--but my hopes for this year won't really peak unless we go to the state of Oregon and return with two victories.  If we do that then the sky is the limit.

I agree with you 81.  I'm just taking this season one game at a time.  Pac-12 season will tell the story.  I don't believe we're near FF level yet, but we still have upside and there's always room for improvement.  The injuries to Dodson and Carrington worry me though.  And I can't pinpoint the reasons, but I just have a sense we need a bit more offensive consistency to make a deep run.

Agree with all of this, but I think Gonzaga is excellent.  Not familiar enough with the women's college hoops landscape to say if they are/are not a Final Four team, but they have a very strong and balanced roster and appear well-coached.  They are going to be a tough out in the NCAAs . . . for anyone.  Whether that occurs before or after Elite 8 game . . . hard to say.  But then again, you could say that about 10 teams, I bet.

[teejers1]

My hopes are rising, too, Farm, but I still have a little fear that the teams we have beaten are turning out not to be the elite teams they were expected to be.  Gonzaga and Mississippi State are the best two teams we have played by considerable margins, and neither one looks like a final four team to me--and we barely got past Gonzaga.  Can we beat a final four team?  Can we beat Oregon, UConn, or maybe Baylor, South Carolina?  Can we beat Oregon State--twice?

So I am ecstatic with how we are doing so far, but in a reversal of Stanford WBB history the real test is going to be the Pac 12.  UCLA and Arizona look very good this year, Oregon State is ahead of its rebuilding schedule just like us, and Oregon is basically a pro team that beat team USA.  I worry that we (and the players) should not get ahead of ourselves.  It is possible as Tara said that all 4 final four teams are playing in the Pac 12 now and we haven't yet had to match up with them.  It was less than a year ago that Oregon pasted us on our own floor, and they have not gotten any worse.

Yet Tara is a brilliant educator, and her teams usually improve steadily throughout the year.  I would not rule anything out at this stage--but my hopes for this year won't really peak unless we go to the state of Oregon and return with two victories.  If we do that then the sky is the limit.

I agree with you 81.  I'm just taking this season one game at a time.  Pac-12 season will tell the story.  I don't believe we're near FF level yet, but we still have upside and there's always room for improvement.  The injuries to Dodson and Carrington worry me though.  And I can't pinpoint the reasons, but I just have a sense we need a bit more offensive consistency to make a deep run.

Agree with all of this, but I think Gonzaga is excellent.  Not familiar enough with the women's college hoops landscape to say if they are/are not a Final Four team, but they have a very strong and balanced roster and appear well-coached.  They are going to be a tough out in the NCAAs . . . for anyone.  Whether that occurs before or after Elite 8 game . . . hard to say.  But then again, you could say that about 10 teams, I bet.