What do Charlie Creme, Graham Hayes, LaChina Robinson, and Mechelle Voepel have in common? They all see women's basketball through an East Coast lens. I know Ms. Voepel lives in Kansas, but the PAC12, to these "experts," is something that happens way out in a time zone no one east of the Rockies knows or cares much about.
For example, when asked for their nominee for National Player of the Year, they were unanimous - Rhyne Howard of Kentucky.
It's true that when I've seen her play, she was the best player on the floor. But surely Charlie, Graham, LaChina and Mechelle - if your homes and offices were in the Pacific Time Zone you would know that if she played for Stanford, she would be the third or fourth best player on the team.
And when asked who would be the National Freshman Player of the Year, again all four agreed - Paige Bueckers of UConn.
As you'll recall, if you've been following this blog, we westerners all know Paige is good. But when UConn runs into the Cardinal in the NCAA's, she'll be introduced to the Hull sisters and a Stanford team that plays the kind of help defense that'll make her wish she were back home playing some team from the East. In that game, when we shut down UConn, Cam Brink will emerge as the real National Freshman Player of the Year.
Asked to predict the Final Four, they were forced to acknowledge a hint of the power building in the PAC12:
Charlie: UConn, Louisville (Louisville??), So. Carolina, Stanford
Graham: Arizona, UConn, So. Carolina, Stanford
LaChina: UConn, Louisville, So. Carolina, Syracuse (Syracuse??)
Mechelle: UConn, Louisville, So. Carolina, Stanford
(I think if Louisville and Syracuse played in the PAC12, they'd have a tough time making it to the Final Four of our conference!)
And their picks for the National Champion:
Charlie: Stanford
Graham: UConn
LaChina: So. Carolina
Mechelle: So. Carolina
Charlie, you've gone up considerably in my estimation. I predict we'll beat UConn in the semis and South Carolina in the Final.
GO CARDINAL!!
