UConn gained the title, the teaching carousel stopped turning, and the switch portal got here and went. After a protracted and eventful offseason, the ladies’s faculty basketball season is almost right here and there are an limitless variety of inquiries to be answered.
Who’s going to stand up in a seemingly wide-open Massive 12? Now separated, will Olivia Miles or Hannah Hidalgo have the higher seasons? Who fills the stardom void left by Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins? After UConn, is the remainder of the Massive East any good? Which mid-major group goes to shock and shock? Can Mikayla Blakes observe up her stellar rookie marketing campaign by main the nation in scoring? How will transfers like MiLaysia Fulwiley and Ta’Niya Latson work out?
These questions and those under will form the upcoming season.
Is Sarah Robust able to be the bus driver for UConn?
Paige Bueckers is gone. And with all due respect to Azzi Fudd, a supremely gifted shooter and offensive playmaker, Sarah Robust is now the highest participant on this group. The query is: As a sophomore, is she prepared to steer? And can UConn be at its greatest when it runs its offense by means of her? And that doesn’t imply simply throwing the ball all the way down to her within the paint to make sure she’s getting publish touches; it means probably making Robust a point-forward.
There’s different gamers on this roster able to working an offense and creating pictures for others — from KK Arnold to Kayleigh Heckel — however none are as versatile, as gifted, or as sharp as Robust. A season in the past, she was second to solely Bueckers on this UConn group in assists per recreation. Robust was additionally simply one in all 4 gamers nationally final season to common at the least 16 factors, eight rebounds and three assists per recreation. She was the one freshman to take action, did it within the least quantity of minutes per recreation, and had the very best discipline objective proportion of all of them – 58 p.c.
Final yr, Robust had the posh of flying underneath Bueckers’ wing. This yr, the highlight and stress is on her.
What’s going to North Carolina do within the frontcourt?
One may make the argument that a very powerful participant to North Carolina’s resurgence underneath Courtney Banghart was Alyssa Ustby. Over the previous 5 seasons — because the Tar Heels went to 5 NCAA Tournaments, two Candy 16s, and hosted opening weekend video games final yr as a high 16 seed — Ustby was the chief in minutes performed and rebounding, and if there was a stat for hustle and toughness she would have led UNC in that too. Now, in Banghart’s seventh season on the helm, her defensive anchor and do-it-all chief is gone, and along with her is this system’s all-time file for rebounds. Additionally graduated from UNC was dependable publish scorer and rim protector Maria Gakdeng, all 6-foot-5 of her.
Merely put, the Tar Heels had holes to fill within the frontcourt. They grabbed 6-foot-2 ACC veteran Nyla Harris from Louisville through the switch portal, however nonetheless have one spot left unsolved. A number of choices exist:
- Blanca Thomas is a 6-foot-6 sophomore who performed 11 minutes per recreation final season. Of anybody on the roster, she’s most like Gakdeng, however is she prepared for a beginning position?
- Ciera Toomey is a redshirt sophomore and a 6-foot-4 former five-star recruit. She performed about 10 minutes per recreation final season, however has a skillset that’s rather more fitted to a stretch-four sort of position.
- Liza Astakhova is 6-foot-2 and simply arrived from Russia. Frankly, not a lot about her is thought. Can the Tar Heels depend on her in 12 months One?
- Transfer Harris to the 5, Indya Nivar to the 4, begin three guards (most likely Reniya Kelly, Lanie Grant and Elina Aarnisalo) and embrace small-ball.
What North Carolina decides to do with its rotation will probably be one thing to look at all season lengthy.
Which switch class works out one of the best within the ACC?
There was a variety of roster turnover within the ACC this yr, because the league returns simply eight of 25 all-conference alternatives.
A handful of groups that missed the NCAA Event final yr — SMU, Clemson, Miami and Virginia — introduced in massive switch portal lessons littered with some spectacular names. Lieberman Award contender Rachael Rose is at Clemson, FIBA standout Gal Raviv has the keys at Miami, former LSU starter Sa’Myah Smith is prepared for an enormous position at Virginia, and Tyi Skinner appears like one of the best participant on a very reloaded SMU roster.
Which of these massive portal lessons works out one of the best stays to be seen. Elsewhere within the league, some hopeful contenders are going to depend on essential transfers too. Louisville will lean on Laura Ziegler, N.C. State is anticipating massive issues from Khamil Pierre, and Syracuse wants Laila Phelia to be a frontrunner.
Will Gianna Kneepkens be a difference-maker for UCLA?
Final yr, one may make the case that the Bruins had been a very good, however not nice, 3-point capturing group. They made about 33 p.c of their makes an attempt from behind the arc, ok for eightieth nationally. Because the offense ran largely by means of 6-foot-7 middle Lauren Betts, simply two UCLA gamers — Londynn Jones and Timea Gardiner — made a couple of 3-pointer per recreation. Jones is gone, now at USC, however the Bruins landed maybe one of the best shooter out there in the portal in Gianna Kneepkens.
At Utah final season, she ranked ninth nationally in 3-pointers made per recreation (3.0) and was twenty eighth in capturing proportion from deep with a 44.8 p.c mark. That clip was additionally sixth greatest nationally amongst gamers who tried at the least 6.5 3-pointers per recreation final season. Kneepkens is an skilled, dependable and constant 3-point shooter who ought to give UCLA’s offense a reputable risk on the perimeter.
The Bruins are additionally getting Charlisse Leger-Walker wholesome. Within the 2022-23 season at Washington State, she made 2.3 3-pointers per recreation. The mixture of Kneepkens and Leger-Walker ought to give UCLA a brand new wrinkle on offense and forestall defenses from packing the paint on Betts.
How good will USC be with out JuJu Watkins?
The Trojans went to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season again within the spring. Now, they’re about to embark on a season with out the reigning Nationwide Participant of the 12 months, who continues to be recovering from an ACL tear.
Nonetheless, there’s sufficient expertise on this roster that Lindsay Gottlieb’s group shouldn’t have to fret about lacking the NCAA Event. Kara Dunn arrives through the switch portal from Georgia Tech after a career-best and All-ACC season, Londynn Jones joined USC from rival UCLA, and high 2025 recruit Jazzy Davidson ought to type a formidable tandem with sophomore Kennedy Smith.
Measurement is a little bit of a priority following the commencement of Rayah Marshall, however the Trojans introduced in two 6-foot-3 forwards in Dayana Mendes and Gerda Raulušaityte. The previous was an All-WCC choice final season at Washington State, whereas the latter was the MVP of the Lithuanian Ladies’s Basketball League. One other publish, 6-foot-5 Yakiya Milton, joins from Auburn.
USC ought to discover itself within the high 4 of the Massive Ten desk this season with a group able to making the second weekend of the NCAA Event.
What does a Kenny Brooks’ group with out Liz Kitley or Georgia Amoore appear like?
The final time that Brooks coached a group with out a Kitley or Amoore on it was the 2018-19 season at Virginia Tech. That group went 22-12 and 6-10 in ACC play, lacking the NCAA Event for the ultimate time in Brooks’ tenure in Blacksburg. A season akin to that one this yr at Kentucky would certainly be a disappointment, however there’s no want to fret Massive Blue Nation — this roster is just too gifted to not go dancing in March.
Three starters from final season’s group that hosted opening weekend NCAA Event video games return in 6-foot-4 Amelia Hassett, 6-foot-5 Teonni Key and 6-foot-6 Clara Strack. The latter was the SEC Defensive Participant of the 12 months and may be the following Liz Kitley, Key retains getting higher each season and shot north of fifty p.c from the ground final season, and Hassett is bonus publish depth as a participant who can seize robust rebounds and knock down 3-pointers.
Filling Amoore’s sneakers to run the offense this season will probably be Tonie Morgan, who has starred at Georgia Tech for the previous three seasons underneath Nell Fortner. A two-time All-ACC choice, Morgan is coming off a season the place she averaged a career-best 5.6 assists per recreation and shot a career-high 48.9 p.c from the ground.
Kenny’s Kentucky will probably be simply high-quality.
Will another SEC group critically problem South Carolina for SEC supremacy?
A yr in the past, as soon as the calendar became March, the Gamecocks turned a conflict machine and bulldozed their manner by means of the SEC Event and March Insanity. Vic Schaeffer continued his behavior of dropping to Daybreak Staley within the postseason as South Carolina topped his Texas group within the SEC title recreation and on the Remaining 4.
Is anybody else within the convention as much as the duty this season? Possibly.
On paper, LSU appears essentially the most gifted, however the Tigers have misplaced 17 straight to the Gamecocks. Will Flau’Jae Johnson and her teammates lastly break that streak in her senior season?
Kentucky has the dimensions to bang within the paint with a South Carolina group that doesn’t have the identical publish depth it usually has due to two key accidents to Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts. In a styles-make-fights form of matchup, Tennessee may attempt to make South Carolina run with them in an up-tempo fast-paced recreation. Might Aaliyah Chavez or Mikayla Blakes placed on a cape and superhero their method to a win over the Gamecocks? Might Coach Yo lead Ole Miss to a historic win over South Carolina?
Possibly. Possibly. Possibly. But it surely’s greatest to not wager in opposition to Daybreak Staley. If one in all these different SEC groups has a reputable shot on the king, they greatest not miss.
