Tennessee Lady Vols
 There's no question Duke boasts the best starting five in the country. But when you compare Tennessee to all the other teams in the nation, no one has more depth, balance and experience than the Lady Vols. While Tennessee doesn't have a true superstar on its roster, expect Kara Lawson and Gwen Jackson to step up their games to the All-American levels as hoped. Jackson can really benefit Tennessee if she plays like she did two years ago after Tamika Catchings went down. A healthy Ashley Robinson makes up for losing Michelle Snow, who is an incredible pro but was inconsistent in Knoxville. The major void might be at point guard, especially with April McDivitt's transfer, and Loree Moore must take advantage of the chance to run this team. Players such as Moore, Brittany Jackson, Tasha Butts and Shyra Ely got a lot of playing time last season as Tennessee used 16 different starting lineups. Those minutes, and the addition of some solid recruits, makes the Lady Vols' bench deeper and more productive than it was a year ago. This team has the talent to win a national championship, and this could shape up as one of Pat Summitt's best teams in her 29 years at Tennessee, which is 67-3 in the SEC over the past five seasons and shooting for its sixth consecutive conference title. And don't forget that getting trounced by Connecticut in last year's semifinals was as good a learning experience as anything that could have happened to these players.
Lieberman's top 10
1. Tennessee, 2. Duke, 3. Kansas State, 4. LSU, 5. Stanford, 6. Connecticut, 7. Purdue, 8. Texas, 9. Texas Tech, 10. Georgia
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Duke Blue Devils
 Duke has the requisite star that you need to win a national championship in Alana Beard. But there's a lot more to the Blue Devils: quality depth at each position. Duke has long-wanted to be a powerful team inside -- even with 6-foot-6 Michele VanGorp a few years ago, the Devils weren't "powerful." But they should be this season. Iciss Tillis is stronger, Monique Currie and Wynter Whitley are quick and instinctual and freshmen Mistie Bass and Brooke Smith are expected to contribute right away. Plus, this is a team of natural scorers, led by Beard, Sheana Mosch, Currie and Whitley. Michele Matyasovsky and Vicki Krapohl are dependable and really understand what their roles are. Freshman guards Jessica Foley, Lindsey Harding and Caitlin Howe give the Devils all the more strength at guard. It just adds up to Duke being the top team.
Voepel's top 10
1. Duke, 2. Tennessee, 3. Texas Tech, 4. Texas, 5. Connecticut, 6. LSU, 7. Kansas State, 8. Louisiana Tech, 9. Vanderbilt, 10. Stanford |
