The WNBA Finals are nearing the end line, which implies the ladies’s school basketball season is simply across the nook.
Whereas stars like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have graduated to the professionals, this stays a sport stuffed with large names and attention-grabbing storylines. ACC Rookie and Defensive Participant of the Yr Hannah Hidalgo returns to Notre Dame, joined within the backcourt by former All-American Olivia Miles who’s now wholesome. Nationwide Freshman of the Yr JuJu Watkins is primed for an encore at USC, the place she’s joined by gifted transfers Kiki Iriafen and Talia Von Oelhoffen. At UConn, Paige Bueckers is again and the Huskies bolstered their roster with the nation’s No. 1 recruit, Sarah Sturdy.
After which, down at South Carolina, the reigning nationwide champs convey again Te-Hina Paopao, Tessa Johnson, Milaysia Fulwiley, Chloe Kitts and different distinctive gamers as Daybreak Staley’s facet makes an attempt to repeat.
Every week in the past, I turned in my preseason poll for the Related Press High 25 Ballot, which was introduced in full on Tuesday.
Listed here are the 25 finest groups within the nation, in line with me, as we enter the season:
Will Fairfield be good once more?
Fairfield freshman Meghan Andersen is a street runner, not a ahead or a submit. The Stags face Indiana within the first spherical of the 2024 NCAA Match. (Picture: Olivia Frzop by way of Fairfield Athletics)
25. Fairfield
24. Gonzaga
23. Stanford
22. Miami
21. Louisville
I wrote in regards to the Stags a handful of occasions final season, how they’ve a distinctive place group identify, how they made a intelligent resume in an try and crack the AP High 25 Ballot, and the way they received 29 straight video games.
Fairfield had its finest season in program historical past final yr, going 31-2. The Stags solely misplaced two video games, falling on the street at Vanderbilt, after which within the first spherical of the NCAA Match at Indiana. After declining curiosity from another main applications within the offseason and signing a three-year contract extension, head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis is again and so are 4 starters and 91% of the Stags’ scoring from final season, together with Janelle Brown and Meghan Andersen.
We’ll discovered fairly earlier how legit Fairfield is with regards to competing on the nationwide stage, with non-conference video games towards Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Villanova.
What’s Iowa with out Caitlin Clark?
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 26: Affiliate Head Coach Jan Jensen of the Iowa Hawkeyes appears to be like on after defeating the Louisville Cardinals 97-83 within the Elite Eight spherical of the NCAA Girls’s Basketball Match at Local weather Pledge Area on March 26, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Picture by Steph Chambers/Getty Photos)
20. Iowa
19. Baylor
18. West Virginia
17. Creighton
16. Kansas State
It appears like numerous of us are overlooking and dismissing the Hawkeyes merely as a result of Caitlin Clark is not any lengthy draining brand 3s for them. And certainly, that’s a significant loss, clearly. And possibly Iowa isn’t a Last 4 contender this season, however they need to nonetheless be a stable crew within the Large Ten able to taking part in in and successful significant video games in March.
The Hawkeyes return two important contributors in Sydney Affolter and Hannah Stuelke – the latter of whom, if you happen to keep in mind, scored 47 factors on 17-of-20 taking pictures in a win final season over Penn State. After which Iowa went and obtained the most effective scorers out of the portal in Villanova’s Lucy Olsen, who was fourth within the nation in scoring with 23.3 factors per sport final season.
On this new period of Iowa basketball below Jan Jensen, Iowa can be simply advantageous.
How briskly will Kentucky bounce again below Kenny Brooks?
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Kenny Brooks hypes up the group throughout Large Blue Insanity on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 at Rupp Area.
15. Ohio State
14. Kentucky
13. LSU
12. Maryland
11. Duke
After spending almost all of his life alongside the I-81 hall in southwest Virginia, Kenny Brooks left Virginia Tech for Kentucky and the riches of the SEC.
Sure, the cash that the SEC will get from its school soccer tv contracts trickles into different sports activities, evidenced by Kentucky handing Brooks a contract with an annual common wage of $1.5 million, making him the third highest-paid coach within the SEC and the seventh highest-paid coach within the nation. Even when Brooks had received a nationwide championship with the Hokies, he was by no means going to garner that form of dough in Blacksburg.
When Brooks left the ACC for Kentucky, he introduced the participant he calls his “mini-me” – firecracker Australian level guard Georgia Amoore – with him. She was an All-American final season, left the Hokies as their all-time chief in assists, and has already been named to the SEC’s Preseason First Staff. Toss in different transfers, like Charlotte’s Dazia Lawrence, Oregon State’s Dominika Paurova, Teonni Key of North Carolina, and one other Virginia Tech standout in Clara Strack, and Large Blue is wanting fairly good on-paper.
The post-Deja Kelly period begins for North Carolina
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 24: Head coach Courtney Banghart of the North Carolina Tar Heels coaches towards the South Carolina Gamecocks within the fourth quarter throughout the second spherical of the NCAA Girls’s Basketball Match at Colonial Life Area on March 24, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Picture by Eakin Howard/Getty Photos)
10. N.C. State
9. North Carolina
8. Iowa State
7. UCLA
6. Oklahoma
Six gamers transferred out of Chapel Hill within the offseason, and none generated extra headlines than Deja Kelly’s resolution to spend her fifth season of eligibility at Oregon. However Kelly leaving UNC may’ve actually been one of the best factor for each side.
Kelly continues to be the focus of an offense for a crew that in all probability must make the NCAA Match to save lots of Kelly Graves’ job. Oregon can also be a spot deeply related to Nike, doubtless a plus for the business-minded Kelly, and Graves has a historical past of growing WNBA expertise, which can also be a stage she needs to play on.
For North Carolina, contemplate this: In video games final season through which Kelly had not less than three assists and tried 14 photographs or much less, UNC was 9-1 – a document that features spectacular wins over N.C. State, Duke and Louisville. When Kelly had two assists or much less and took 15 photographs or extra, the Tar Heels have been 1-7. Merely put, when the ball moved, UNC received. When it didn’t and Kelly took nearly all of the photographs, the Tar Heels misplaced.
On paper, this appears to be like like a crew that may have a by-committee level guard as they introduced in fifth-year guard Grace Townsend from Richmond to pair with Kayla McPherson and Reniya Kelly, and freshman Lanie Grant. Moreover, now wholesome for the Tar Heels is former five-star recruit Ciera Toomey, an extended and versatile ahead who can rating in and out and will complement returning All-ACC Swiss-Military Knife Alyssa Ustby, sharpshooter Lexi Donarski, and an imposing heart in Maria Gakdeng.
What does South Carolina do at heart?
Apr 7, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Bree Corridor (heart) reacts throughout the trophy presentation after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes within the finals of the Last 4 of the womens 2024 NCAA Match at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Necessary Credit score: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports activities
5. Texas
4. Notre Dame
3. UConn
2. USC
1. South Carolina
The Gamecocks deserve the advantage of the doubt right here. They steamrolled their approach to an undefeated season and nationwide title final yr and return a major variety of contributors, from defensive ace Bree Corridor to flooring normal Raven Johnson.
However final season, that crew revolved round Kamilla Cardoso, who led the Gamecocks in scoring, rebounding and blocks. She was the Most Excellent Participant on the Last 4. Within the nationwide semifinals towards N.C. State, Cardoso and Ashlyn Watkins combining for 30 factors and 31 rebounds have been an enormous cause why the Gamecocks received.
With Cardoso within the WNBA and Watkins’ state of affairs unclear, questions stay within the entrance court docket for the Gamecocks. Daybreak Staley’s finest groups – from A’ja Wilson to Aliyah Boston to Cardoso – have had dominant and expert facilities. Who fills that void? Is it 6-foot-5 freshman Adhel Tac? Is it Sania Feagin, Sakima Walker or Maryam Dauda? Is it extremely touted freshman Joyce Edwards? Or is it a mix of some or all of them?
A rematch towards N.C. State in Charlotte on Nov. 10 ought to give us indication of the reply.
