2022 NCAA Team Previews/Preseason Discussion (check for ongoing team updates)

[QuietColours]

Grace McCallum showed a Servente at the Red Rocks Preview

 

[rue_des_plantes]

Btw is there anywhere these previews are available for rewatching? I know there’s a site where people upload most of the meets for streaming but I lost my bookmarks and can’t remember for the life of me what it was called.

Absolutely. You probably mean Gymmultimedia, but people have been uploading stuff on YT lately, too.

UCLA:


Utah:

 

[Jack]

UCLA looked like an absolute joke and once again the coaching squad is squandering the immense amount of talent on their roster. It’s like they don’t even care. It’s such a disappointment and would have never happened under Jordyn’s watch.

 

[RedBirdie]

Ooooh, we haven’t seen that out of Grace since 2018 worlds.

 

[QuietColours]

I’m enjoying seeing some vaults other than a Yurchenko 1/1 or 3/2

 

[irichluck21]

Ooooh, we haven’t seen that out of Grace since 2018 worlds.

Yes, It is 10.0 SV as opposed to the FTY. Grace’s DTY wouldn’t score too well despite the difficulty because she never sticks it. Unless you can completely stick a DTY, it is rare to see it being performed.

 

[irichluck21]

UCLA looked like an absolute joke and once again the coaching squad is squandering the immense amount of talent on their roster. It’s like they don’t even care. It’s such a disappointment and would have never happened under Jordyn’s watch.

Completely disagree with you. The team is definitely much improved from last year and will have the depth that they lacked the previous two years. They could barely scrape together VT/UB line ups following the loss of the Ross cohort.

They looked strong on vault despite not showing many 10.0 SV.
Bars has more options and once Chiles, Padurariu, and Malabuyo get comfortable on this event, it could become one of their best.
Beam will always be beam, but there is a lot of potential there.
Floor looks the best of the 4 events with plenty of talent.
Alexis Jeffrey will be a game changer for the team because she is doing clean gymnastics and can be used anywhere. I wasn’t expecting her to have that impact immediately, but it looks like she is going to be a consistent lead off for them.

In my opinion you are being very critical after just the first look of the team. Especially considering how many new routines are in the line ups. Not to mention Chiles has been at UCLA for one week and Campbell was rested as it appears to be a precaution to prevent injury. Norah Flatley is coming off an injury 2021 season.

I anticipate UCLA building slowly but by March should be contending for Pac 10 against UCLA, OSU, and Cal.

 

[blake]

I don’t doubt that UCLA has the talent and potential to be contending with OU/UMich/Utah/UF, but I don’t have much faith in the coaching staff being able to get this team to peak. Time will tell I suppose.

Bars looking like it might be a struggle piece again for Utah, after finishing 15th on bars last season. Lots of little things to 9.825 them to death on that event. McCallum’s floppy feet stand out more starkly when she’s not doing elite difficulty, Morgan too imo. I picture her career going similarly to Skinner’s - super consistency and high scores but the 10s will be few and far between.

ETA: 90% of ncaa beam sets should be getting a tenth off for low-effort choreo in comparison to Eaker

 

[Caledi]

I agree about Utah’s bars, but they sure were getting high scores there at the end of the season. So I don’t see it holding them back.

 

[irichluck21]

Utah’s bars should be stronger this year.
McCallum’s routine is hot and short, and once she focuses on the execution if she sticks her dismount, it will be 9.950-10.0 each time. Eaker we didn’t get to see compete as she is still easing in and hasn’t shown VT or UB, but without a doubt, Eaker has the necessary skills and execution to be a 9.950-10.0 each time. The rest of the the line up is strong and is returning the end of season lineups and experience. Utah struggled early on but made some huge progress come March and April. Plus they have reigning national co-champion Maile O’Keefe who now has that title on her resume, which always effects scoring.

 

[dweiss324]

Just read Spencer’s Florida preview. Holy crap. I knew they were stacked this year but good Lord.

Not that it will translate necessarily, but yeah if you can’t win a title with that line up… You’re doing it wrong.

 

[irichluck21]

Not that it will translate necessarily, but yeah if you can’t win a title with that line up… You’re doing it wrong.

True, but what we have learned from Oklahoma is that you don’t necessarily need elites to win a National title and what we learned from UCLA is that you can have the most talented team and not always win. They won once with Ross, Kocian, et al.

Michigan is going to be tough to beat again. Utah is also pretty stacked, and LSU get Kai Rivers back.
It will be a super tight competition, not only will semi-finals be a bloodbath, but regional finals could come down to tenths.
Counting a fall is going to eliminate you completely, but also tenths here and there will be costly.

One (or more of) Utah, LSU, Oklahoma, Michigan, Florida will be eliminated from Four on the Floor, so we literally will see a potential champion team out of the running before the final event. All 5 teams could win the championship on any given night. Also, Cal, Minnesota, Denver, Alabama, UCLA, Arkansas, Auburn will be chomping at their heels can could surprise and make that Final Four if the door is open. On top of that, Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, Arizona State, Oregon State will be substantially improved. Georgia and Iowa State are wild cards.

It speaks to the depth of NCAA gymnastics that 19 out of the top 21 teams last year scored above a 197 at least once and have now made regionals more exciting. Look at North Carolina State’s run last year for example.