Way Too Early 23-24 AA top preseason teams

[blitzinbuc]

1 hour ago, UCSportsFan said:

I’m thinking that Alcoa just figured out that not only can they play with Gatlinburg Pittman they can actually beat them. With the region tournament in Alcoa, they have to be the favorites to win the region tournament.  No one wants to go to Central for a substate game.  Been there done that did not end well.

Beating Gatlinburg again will be tough for Alcoa.  Both McMinn Central and Gatlinburg coaching staffs know all too well that from here on out they have to win out to host substate.  It won't be a problem for Central since no team in their Region can stay within 40 points of them.  I think Central and Gatlinburg the top 2 teams in the state and both have their eyes set on winning it all this year.  Obviously, Gatlinburg's region is much better.

It was just 2 years ago that a 22-12 Alcoa team upset a highly favored 27-4 McMinn Central team in substate action at Central. Looking at Alcoa's schedule and game results this year, I think their recent victory over Gatlinburg was just an anomaly.  It was just a couple weeks ago that Gatlinburg beat Alcoa at Alcoa 58-30.

I'd imagine Central would rather play Alcoa instead of Gatlinburg since Gatlinburg has already proved they can beat Central at Central this year. 

[wtnbballfan]

Looking at the west, does anyone know if westview, Peabody, and GC has any competition in the region or are we looking at another GC vs WV showdown? 

[pioneer42]

12 minutes ago, wtnbballfan said:

Looking at the west, does anyone know if westview, Peabody, and GC has any competition in the region or are we looking at another GC vs WV showdown? 

Westview will have the much easier route. Gibson County will play Peabody in the semis providing both advance and it will be a dogfight as always. When you have 3 good teams in the District and the other District is not as good always good to be second as Westview has done the last two seasons. 

[LetsGoBrandon]

24 minutes ago, wtnbballfan said:

Looking at the west, does anyone know if westview, Peabody, and GC has any competition in the region or are we looking at another GC vs WV showdown? 

I can see the 4th installment of GC and WV, but GC is the favorite coming out of the West and seems to be on a mission. If WV makes it to state this year, they'll be competitive but they're not as dominant as in recent years. 

[TLowns]

56 minutes ago, LetsGoBrandon said:

I can see the 4th installment of GC and WV, but GC is the favorite coming out of the West and seems to be on a mission. If WV makes it to state this year, they'll be competitive but they're not as dominant as in recent years. 

The Bucky 2-3 is capable of keeping a good team under 30 points… that’s only 10 3 pointers for Westview. They’ll be right in the mix. 

Edited February 22 by TLowns

[pioneer42]

13 minutes ago, TLowns said:

The Bucky 2-3 is capable of keeping a good team under 30 points… that’s only 10 3 pointers for Westview. They’ll be right in the mix. 

Yeah the 2-3 zone is lethal up there when shooting seems very difficult. Same teams have been up there and struggled with his zone. Wouldn't surprise me if it causes a bunch more problems. I think they will have a shot to win it again because of the 2-3 zone. They will be opposite Gibson County or Peabody. I do think Gibson County has done well with it this year but I think other teams may not be as fortunate. Gibson County has played them 11 times in 3 years and opponents in Murfreesboro maybe 1 or 2 or 0. 

Edited February 22 by pioneer42

[LadyCavsFan]

On 2/21/2024 at 11:25 AM, UCSportsFan said:

I’m thinking that Alcoa just figured out that not only can they play with Gatlinburg Pittman they can actually beat them. With the region tournament in Alcoa, they have to be the favorites to win the region tournament.  No one wants to go to Central for a substate game.  Been there done that did not end well.

I am confident that GP wins the next matchup by 20.   I don't think it will be close.   GP is really that good.  When you are cruising through the district like they were its hard to stay focused late in the season.  This loss will only make them mad.   

[wtnbballfan]

16 hours ago, pioneer42 said:

Westview will have the much easier route. Gibson County will play Peabody in the semis providing both advance and it will be a dogfight as always. When you have 3 good teams in the District and the other District is not as good always good to be second as Westview has done the last two seasons. 

I was hoping JCM was good enough to advance and mix it up a bit. I've been seeing all the social media posts of Trenton players bashing some of the GC players and its tasteless and annoying at this point. New competition brings mystery lol

[westtn12]

42 minutes ago, wtnbballfan said:

I was hoping JCM was good enough to advance and mix it up a bit. I've been seeing all the social media posts of Trenton players bashing some of the GC players and its tasteless and annoying at this point. New competition brings mystery lol

I have no dog in these two teams. But, I’d  be interested to know what they’ve been saying.. because looking at GC schedule the games were never in question against Peabody? 

[Dadof2]

On 2/21/2024 at 11:25 AM, UCSportsFan said:

I’m thinking that Alcoa just figured out that not only can they play with Gatlinburg Pittman they can actually beat them. With the region tournament in Alcoa, they have to be the favorites to win the region tournament.  No one wants to go to Central for a substate game.  Been there done that did not end well.

Been there several times over the years, won some and lost some but definitely a hard plaice to get a win. I haven’t seen GP this year but they have to be really good to get a win there. Central has two weakness that I’ve seen, first is size but they rebound well as a team and they put so much pressure on the ball it’s hard to take advantage if you can’t get it down the court. Second is depth, they have 6 players and then it’s a big drop off, foul trouble could cost them, especially if it’s one of their two scorers, and I can see that happening because both are really aggressive on defense.  
 

 

[LadyCavsFan]

5 hours ago, Dadof2 said:

Been there several times over the years, won some and lost some but definitely a hard plaice to get a win. I haven’t seen GP this year but they have to be really good to get a win there. Central has two weakness that I’ve seen, first is size but they rebound well as a team and they put so much pressure on the ball it’s hard to take advantage if you can’t get it down the court. Second is depth, they have 6 players and then it’s a big drop off, foul trouble could cost them, especially if it’s one of their two scorers, and I can see that happening because both are really aggressive on defense.  
 

 

Good description of Central.  I think you were spot on but Masengale is a matchup nightmare.   If you put a big on her she will blow by them and smaller guards can't defend her in the paint because she jumps over them.  She also defends the post very well because of her hops.   She definitely can't get in foul trouble.  Their scrappy guards put a ton of pressure on the perimeter and they shoot extremely well.    But my favorite thing about Central is that their half court offense is a thing of beauty with ball screens, face cuts, and back doors.   They run it so well and it’s so tough to defend.  But as you said they are not deep with some freshmen playing key roles.  But most A and AA teams have that problem.   

Edited February 23 by LadyCavsFan

[wtnbballfan]

3 hours ago, westtn12 said:

I have no dog in these two teams. But, I’d  be interested to know what they’ve been saying.. because looking at GC schedule the games were never in question against Peabody? 

Some of the Peabody girls and their families have posted on fb and snap pictures from the GC Athletics page where the girls were awarded all district and were talking trash about a couple of the players saying they didn't deserve the awards. Lots of comments from peabody players or family members antagonizing the issue. Like I Said - tasteless. I hope the GC girls aren't seeing it and letting it affect their game.