College Sports Madness top 44 previews begins...

[whoopdeedoo]

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/womens-basketball

#44 BYU

#43 Penn

#42 South Florida

#41 Rutgers (this surprised me...i think they will be quite better than 41)

(previews are one a day, just in case...)

#40 Tennessee

#39 USC

#38 Boston College

#37 Marquette

#36 Texas

#35 Florida State University

#34 LSU

#33 North Carolina

#32 Minnesota

#31 Georgia

#30 West Virginia

#29 ASU

#28 TCU

#27 Georgia Tech

#26 Princeton

#25 Kentucky

#25 Missouri State

#24 Michigan

#23 Gonzaga

#22 DePaul

#21 Syracuse

#20 Northwestern 

#19 Oregon State

#18 Texas A&M

#17 Indiana

#16 Arkansas

#15 Notre Dame

#14 Ohio State

#13 Iowa State

#12 Oregon

#11 Kentucky

#10 Maryland

# 9 UCLA

# 8 Louisville

# 7 North Carolina

# 6 Arizona

# 5 Baylor

# 4 Mississippi State

# 3 Stanford

# 2 Connecticut

# 1 South Carolina

Edited November 26, 2020 by whoopdeedoo

[whoopdeedoo]

(from CollegeSportsMadness)

Rutgers:

Arella Guirantes will again lead the Scarlet Knights after averaging 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists during her junior season. Guirantes was the most prolific and consistent three-point shooter on a team that rarely shot from long range. Obviously she does not have to hoist up a bunch of three’s to be a prolific scorer, but it is helpful that Guirantes can remain a threat from beyond the arc in order to open up more space for the rest of the team. Tekia Mack, a 5-11 wing, is another returning senior starter. She tallied 11.5 points and a team high 7.0 rebounds in 2019-2020. Mael Gilles brings that experience to the frontcourt, where she can use her shooting ability to stretch the defense. Diamond Johnson highlights a very impressive recruiting class. She is widely regarded as one of the best point guards in this class and she is expected to take over for the departed Khadaizha Sanders right away. Chyna Cornwell and Sakima Walker will add some depth to the frontcourt as freshmen and that will give Rutgers enough depth to remain competitive in the always difficult Big Ten.

 

Minnesota:

The backcourt trio of Jasmine Powell, Sara Scalia and Gadiya Hubbard will have to carry this team for now. Powell was just a part-time starter as a freshman, but still managed to average 12.1 points and a team high 3.1 assists. Powell is ready to emerge as the team’s top overall scoring threat. Scalia, another very promising sophomore, hit 36.9 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc. Hubbard, the lone returning upperclassmen on the roster, is another double digit scorer and the team’s most prolific three-point shooter. That is a great trio to build around, but the big questions are in the frontcourt where Coach Whalen has brought in a bunch of newcomers to help fill the void. Laura Bagwell Katalinich is a very experienced senior who comes from Cornell where she led the Big Red in scoring and rebounding last season. Kadi Sissoko also has some Division I experience after spending one season at Syracuse where she saw limited playing time. Daja Woodard spent a couple seasons at the junior college level and she should at least be a solid contributor on the defensive end of the floor. The highest rated freshmen are guards Alexia Smith and Caroline Strande, but forward Erin Hedman has the talent to make an impact right away too. Minnesota has a lot of questions after the three returning guards, but this team has talent. If the new pieces can come together, especially in the frontcourt, Minnesota could start to turn things around and be a competitive team in the Big Ten.

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by whoopdeedoo

[whoopdeedoo]

"Daja Woodard spent a couple seasons at the junior college level and she should at least be a solid contributor on the defensive end of the floor."

 

Woodard and Barbora Tomancova have left minnesota (per StarTribune). Woodard has minny disappointed but it didn't sound like Tomancova was ever gonna see time on the floor. 

[whoopdeedoo]

Michigan preview (this was made before announcement on Leigha Brown):

 

Projection:

Naz Hillmon followed up her Freshman of the Year campaign in 2018-2019 with another huge season in 2019-2020. The 6-2 junior led the team with 17.4 points and 8.7 rebounds and connected on 56.7 percent of her shots from the floor. Not many teams can stop Hillmon when she gets the ball in a good position in the paint. Hailey Brown will again start at small forward after averaging 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and totaling a team high 29 blocks. She also hit a team high 56 three-pointers. Izabel Varejao had a very promising freshman campaign, averaging 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and nearly one block per game despite averaging just 14.2 minutes per game. Expect to see Varejao put up bigger numbers with more playing time this season. The backcourt will again revolve around Amy Dilk and Akienreh Johnson. Dilk is a great point guard who can score in a variety of ways and set up her teammates. Johnson is a capable outside shooter, but does most of her scoring attacking the basket. Sophomores Maddie Nolan and Michelle Sidor should again provide quality depth off the bench. Those two can provide a nice offensive spark. The Big Ten has quite a bit of turnover this year, so returning four starters should see Michigan make a decent jump up the Big Ten standings and potentially even push for a conference title.

 

[Cazzie22]

7 hours ago, whoopdeedoo said:

Michigan preview (this was made before announcement on Leigha Brown):

 

Projection:

Naz Hillmon followed up her Freshman of the Year campaign in 2018-2019 with another huge season in 2019-2020. The 6-2 junior led the team with 17.4 points and 8.7 rebounds and connected on 56.7 percent of her shots from the floor. Not many teams can stop Hillmon when she gets the ball in a good position in the paint. Hailey Brown will again start at small forward after averaging 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and totaling a team high 29 blocks. She also hit a team high 56 three-pointers. Izabel Varejao had a very promising freshman campaign, averaging 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and nearly one block per game despite averaging just 14.2 minutes per game. Expect to see Varejao put up bigger numbers with more playing time this season. The backcourt will again revolve around Amy Dilk and Akienreh Johnson. Dilk is a great point guard who can score in a variety of ways and set up her teammates. Johnson is a capable outside shooter, but does most of her scoring attacking the basket. Sophomores Maddie Nolan and Michelle Sidor should again provide quality depth off the bench. Those two can provide a nice offensive spark. The Big Ten has quite a bit of turnover this year, so returning four starters should see Michigan make a decent jump up the Big Ten standings and potentially even push for a conference title.

 

Michigan should be good.  I am impressed by Naz Hillmon.

[whoopdeedoo]

from College Sports Madness:

 

This could be Indiana’s year. The Hoosiers finished last season at 24-7, which was their fifth straight season with 20 or more victories. With six of their top seven scorers returning, the Hoosiers have higher hopes than simply winning 20 games again. The Big Ten has quite a bit of turnover, but that is not the case in Bloomington and that could lead to Indiana’s best conference finish since they won the regular season title in 1983.

 

2019-20 Record: 24-8, 13-5

Coach: Teri Moren

Coach Record: 127-73 at Indiana, 325-203 overall

 

Key Departed Players (starters in bold)

Brenna Wise, Forward, 7.9 ppg

Jorie Allen, Forward, 1.9 ppg

 

Key Returning Players (starters in bold)

Ali Patberg, Senior, Guard, 15.6 ppg

Grace Berger, Junior, Guard, 13.1 ppg

Mackenzie Holmes, Sophomore, Forward, 10.3 ppg

Jaelynn Penn, Senior, Guard, 10.6 ppg

Aleksa Gulbe, Junior, Forward, 9.0 ppg

Chanel Wilson, Sophomore, Guard, 2.5 ppg

Keyanna Warthen, Senior, Guard, 1.4 ppg

Hannah Noveroske, Sophomore, Center, 1.1 ppg

 

Key New Players

Kiandra Browne, Freshman, Forward

Nicole Cardano-Hillary, Junior, Guard, Grad Transfer from George Mason

Chloe Moore-McNiel, Freshman, Guard

Danielle Patterson, Junior, Guard/Forward, Transfer from Notre Dame

Arielle Wisne, RS Freshman, Center

 

Projection:

All-Conference guard Ali Patberg is back for a sixth season after averaging 15.6 points and 5.3 assists in 2019-2020. An efficient shooter and scorer from everywhere on the floor, Patberg will be eyeing even more accolades this year. Grace Berger had a breakout junior campaign, ranking second on the team with 13.1 points per game. The 6-0 junior is not much of a shooter, but she does very well attacking the basket. The backcourt also returns senior starter Jaelynn Penn. Penn was the most prolific three-point shooter on the team last season and it will be important for her to be a more consistent threat on a team that shot just 30.3 percent from beyond the arc last season. Mackenzie Holmes and Aleksa Gulbe are back up front and both are proven interior scorers. If Indiana needed a little bit of depth, they got it with George Mason transfer Nicole Cardano-Hillary and Notre Dame transfer Danielle Patterson. Cardano-Hillary is George Mason’s all-time leading scorer and Patterson has the size to hit the glass and help out the frontcourt. But the Hoosiers still have to prove that they can consistently beat the best the Big Ten has to offer, most notably Maryland. The Terrapins beat IU three times last year and none of those games were closer than ten points.

 

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

 

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 72.6 (38th in nation, 3rd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 59.4 (60, 4)

Field-Goal Percentage: 46.1 (13, 3)

Field-Goal Defense: 36.3 (33, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.7 (274, 12)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.3 (220, 14)

Free-Throw Percentage: 72.3 (96, 5)

Rebound Margin: 4.2 (70, 3)

Assists Per Game: 14.2 (87, 9)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.0 (71, 2)

 

 

 

 

See All Top 44 Women’s Basketball Previews

 

 

 

Edited November 9, 2020 by whoopdeedoo

[whoopdeedoo]

 

Northwestern was well on their way to their first NCAA Tournament since 2015. It would have been just their second appearance under Coach Joe McKeown, who took over the program in 2008. Of course the tournament never happened, but the Wildcats still won a share of the Big Ten title for the first time ever and the 2019-2020 campaign will be remembered in Evanston for a long time. The lack of experience in the frontcourt with the departures of Abi Scheid and Abbie Wolf may keep Northwestern from winning another Big Ten title, but the backcourt should carry them to the NCAA Tournament.

 

2019-20 Record: 26-4, 16-2

Coach: Joe McKeown

Coach Record: 175-160 at Northwestern, 684-334 overall

 

Key Departed Players (starters in bold)

Abi Scheid, Forward/Center, 11.5 ppg

Abbie Wolf, Forward/Center, 11.3 ppg

Byrdy Galernik, Guard, 2.8 ppg

 

Key Returning Players (starters in bold)

Lindsey Pulliam, Senior, Guard, 18.8 ppg

Veronica Burton, Junior, Guard, 11.6 ppg

Sydney Wood, Junior, Guard, 5.1 ppg

Jordan Hamilton, Senior, Guard, 5.0 ppg

Courtney Shaw, Junior, Forward. 3.9 ppg

Laya Hartman, Sophomore, Guard, 0.8 ppg

 

Key New Players

Jasmine McWilliams, Freshman, Guard

Anna Morris, Freshman, Forward

Paige Mott, Freshman, Forward

 

Projection:

Lindsey Pulliam has led the team in scoring for three years. She will make it four in 2020-2021. Last year the senior guard averaged 18.8 points and added 2.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds. She can score from anywhere on the floor and the opposition has had three years to figure out how to contain Pulliam with very little success. Juniors Veronica Burton and Sydney Wood will again join Pulliam in the starting backcourt. Burton is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after totaling an impressive 100 steals last season. But Burton is not just about defense; she also was second on the team with 11.6 points per game and led the Wildcats with 5.1 assists. Wood is also a very good ballhandler and ranked third in the conference with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. Wood will not put up big numbers, but she is a key piece to the backcourt. The frontcourt returns just one contributor in junior Courtney Shaw. She averaged fewer than a dozen minutes per game, but was relatively productive in that time. Northwestern will rely heavily on incoming freshmen Anna Morris and Paige Mott. Morris is one of the best recruits Northwestern has had in the last decade. If that leads to immediate frontcourt productivity, this is a team that will stay right in the mix for a Big Ten title.

 

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

 

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 70.9 (60th in nation, 5th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 57.1 (31, 3)

Field-Goal Percentage: 43.9 (38, 5)

Field-Goal Defense: 37,5 (64, 5)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.9 (165,

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.0 (26, 4)

Free-Throw Percentage: 60.3 (205, 10)

Rebound Margin: 0.6 (168, 10)

Assists Per Game: 18.2 (9, 3)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.0 (12, 1)

 

Madness 2020 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:

#59 Anna Morris

#122 Jasmine McWilliams

 

 

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[whoopdeedoo]

Ohio State Team Page

 

Following a disappointing 2018-2019 season, Ohio State finished 21-12 last season. It may not have been as impressive as their four year run from 2014 to 2018, but it was a step in the right direction. And with six of their top seven scorers returning, Coach Kevin McGuff’s team is poised to compete for a Big Ten title and make a deep NCAA Tournament run.

 

2019-20 Record: 21-12, 11-7

Coach: Kevin McGuff

Coach Record: 134-65 at Ohio State, 389-164 overall

 

Key Departed Players (starters in bold)

Kierstan Bell, Guard, 10.9 ppg

Janai Crooms, Guard, 6.8 ppg

 

Key Returning Players (starters in bold)

Dorka Juhasz, Junior, Forward, 13.2 ppg

Jacy Sheldon, Sophomore, Guard, 9.6 ppg

Braxtin Miller, Senior, Guard, 8.2 ppg

Aaliyah Patty, Junior, Forward, 7.8 ppg

Madison Greene, Sophomore, Guard, 7.7

Rebeka Mikulasikova, Sophomore, Forward, 7.7 ppg

 

Key New Players

Tanaya Beacham, Senior, Forward, Grad Transfer from Toledo

Rikki Harris, RS Freshman, Guard

Gabby Hutcherson, Freshman, Forward

Anyssa Jones, Freshman, Guard

Kateri Poole, Freshman, Guard

Hevynne Bristow, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Providence, not eligible

 

Projection:

Junior forward Dorka Juhasz is the lone returning player who averaged double digits in the scoring department. On top of her 13.2 points, Juhasz added 9.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. She earned All-Big Ten First-Team honors last season and will be among the favorites to earn Big Ten Player of the Year honors this season. Jacy Sheldon had a strong freshman campaign and averaged 9.6 points per game. She is a solid outside shooter and should emerge as the Buckeyes top scoring threat on the perimeter. Madison Greene is another promising sophomore who can shoot the ball. Braxtin Miller will again run the point after dishing out 3.5 assists per game last season. Aaliyah Patty will again start beside Juhasz and Ohio State has plenty of frontcourt depth. Rebeka Mikulasikova spent last season coming off the bench and the 6-4 sophomore will likely play that role again and the addition of Tanaya Beacham, a graduate transfer from Toledo, will give the Buckeyes plenty of experienced options. A solid recruiting class will largely benefit the backcourt with redshirt freshman Rikki Harris and incoming freshman Kateri Poole leading the way.

 

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

 

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 71.5 (52nd in nation, 4th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 65.9 (212,

Field-Goal Percentage: 43.4 (51, 6)

Field-Goal Defense: 39.0 (128, 6)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.4 (57, 3)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.1 (121, 9)

Free-Throw Percentage: 68.6 (198, 9)

Rebound Margin: 0.6 (167, 9)

Assists Per Game: 15.2 (47, 4)

Turnovers Per Game: 15.2 (143, 9)

 

Madness 2020 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:

#32 Kateri Poole

#46 Gabby Hutcherson

 

 

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[whoopdeedoo]

Maryland Terrapins

 

Overall Rank: #10

Conference Rank: #1 Big Ten

 

Maryland Team Page

 

Maryland has won five Big Ten titles since joining the conference six seasons ago. The other year they finished way back in second. Until proven otherwise, the Terrapins will remain the team to beat in the conference. However, the rest of the Big Ten does have some hope in 2020-2021 as Coach Brenda Frese attempts to replace all five starters.

 

2019-20 Record: 28-4, 16-2

Coach: Brenda Frese

Coach Record: 486-128 at Maryland, 543-158 overall

 

Key Departed Players (starters in bold)

Kaila Charles, Guard, 14.3 ppg

Shakira Austin, Forward, 12.0 ppg

Stephanie Jones, Forward, 11.3 ppg

Taylor Mikesell, Guard, 11.2 ppg

Blair Watson, Guard, 7.8 ppg

Sara Vujacic, Guard, 3.5 ppg

 

Key Returning Players (starters in bold)

Ashley Owusu, Sophomore, Guard, 12.0 ppg

Diamond Miller, Sophomore, Guard, 7.7 ppg

Faith Masonius, Sophomore, Guard/Forward, 3.8 ppg

Channise Lewis, Junior, Guard, dnp last season

 

Key New Players

Katie Benzan, Senior, Guard, Grad Transfer from Harvard

Chloe Bibby, Senior, Guard/Forward, Transfer from Mississippi State

Mimi Collins, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Tennessee

Taisiya Kozlova, Freshman, Guard

Angel Reese, Freshman, Forward/Guard

Zoe Young, RS Freshman, Guard

 

Projection:

Despite losing all five starters, Maryland does return a double digit scorer who started half of the team’s games last season. Ashley Owusu had a very productive freshman campaign, averaging 12.0 points and 5.4 assists. She earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year accolades and is suddenly the experienced leader on this team. A couple of other sophomores will look for more playing time this season too. Diamond Miller and Faith Masonius were the clear second and third options for Maryland off the bench in 2019-2020. That experience, and more available minutes, should lead to more production this time around. The only returning upperclassman is Channise Lewis, who missed last season. The point guard was a part-time starter two years ago and dished out 5.4 assists. Three Division I transfers will bring more experience to the roster. Katie Benzan was an All-Ivy League First-Team honoree three times before coming to College Park. Chloe Bibby was a starter at Mississippi State and is a solid rebounder and shooter. Mimi Collins spent just one season at Tennessee where she averaged 5.5 points and rebounds. While all of that experience is great, Maryland fans are most excited about incoming freshman Angel Reese. The 6-3 wing is the highest ranked incoming recruit in Maryland history and will make a huge impact right away. There are a lot of new pieces here, but Coach Frese has the talent and depth she needs to win another Big Ten title.

 

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

 

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 82.8 (4th in nation, 1st in conference)

Scoring Defense: 57.0 (29, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 46.8 (11, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 36.6 (42, 3)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.6 (115, 6)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.6 (16, 2)

Free-Throw Percentage: 70.7 (139, 6)

Rebound Margin: 8.7 (16, 1)

Assists Per Game: 18.3 (8, 2)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.8 (120, 

 

Madness 2020 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:

#3 Angel Reese

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by whoopdeedoo

[whoopdeedoo]

Adia Barnes has the Arizona program turning the corner. known for her recruiting. wouldn't surprise me at all if she has that program a perennial top 15...possibly top 10 team going forward.

 

2019-20 Record: 24-7, 12-6

Coach: Adia Barnes

Coach Record: 68-60 at Arizona, 68-60 overall

 

Key Departed Players (starters in bold)

Dominique McBryde, Forward, 6.9 ppg

Amari Carter, Guard, 5.6 ppg

Tara Manumaleuga, Guard, 2.4 ppg

Lucia Alonso, Guard, 2.3 ppg

 

Key Returning Players (starters in bold)

Aari McDonald, Senior, Guard, 20.6 ppg

Cate Reese, Junior, Forward, 13.6 ppg

Sam Thomas, Senior, Forward, 9.5 ppg

Helena Pueyo, Sophomore, Guard, 6.7 ppg

Semaj Smith, Junior, Center, 3.3 ppg

Mara Mote, Sophomore, Guard, 1.6 ppg

 

Key New Players

Trinity Baptiste, Senior, Forward, Grad Transfer from Virginia Tech

Derin Erdogan, Freshman, Guard

Marta Garcia, Freshman, Forward

Lakin Gardner, Freshman, Guard

Shaina Pellington, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Oklahoma

Lauren Ware, Freshman, Forward

Bendu Yeaney, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Indiana