By: Katelyn Stevens
The end of one season is the beginning of another and college basketball is well underway in the coming week. Women’s college basketball’s season tip-off is next Monday, November 6 and games will start as early as 11 a.m. and as late as 9:30 p.m. for the season opener.
Last season, the LSU Tigers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA women’s basketball championship 102-85. This was the most points scored ever in a women’s title game. Kim Mulkey boosted LSU’s program after their 9-13 record from the previous seasons and have made them one of the most sought after teams in women’s basketball. She led her team to a 34-2 record last season and won her fourth national title. With Angel Reese being a senior this year, she’ll most likely be on a mission again this season to secure another ring on her finger.
Only three women’s basketball programs have won the title in consecutive seasons: UConn, Tennessee and USC. Will LSU be added to the list after this season? We’ll just have to see in April.
In the preseason AP Top 25 poll, LSU is sitting at No.1 for the first time in the program’s history. Although UConn has been struggling with injuries the past couple of seasons, they’re sitting at No. 2 and Iowa is trailing at No. 3.
The Big East and Big 12 each have two teams in the top 25, while the ACC, Big Ten and SEC each have five.
Heading into the 2023-24 season, the Pac-12 will have its last season as a conference. USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon will be in the Big Ten, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will move to the Big 12 and Stanford and Cal will join the ACC. It still remains to be seen if Oregon State and Washington State will move to the ACC or SEC during the 20254-25 season. Although this will be the last season for the Pac-12, when the coaches gathered earlier this month they focused on the possibility of a conference title.
Caitlin Clark will start her season the same way she has for the past 2 seasons being picked for the preseason All-America team. Reese was also selected along with Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech), Cameron Brink (Stanford), Paige Bueckers (UConn) and Mackenzie Holmes (Indiana).
“Caitlin has grown the most this year in her leadership skills. As the point guard, she holds herself and everyone accountable around her,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “She has also learned this summer to become more effective coming off ball screens. She means a ton to our program and it’s hard to put it into words. She helped break the NCAA record for attendance, and she’s growing the sport as a whole, not just for Iowa.”
All six of these players have been honored as AP All-Americans for the past few years. Clark, Reese and Holmes were on the first team and Kitley and Brink were on the second team. Bueckers was a unanimous first-team pick her first year.
Embed from Getty ImagesGoing into the season many of the vets will be putting it all on the line to call themselves champion before they become alumni. Bueckers is back for the first time in two seasons. She missed all of last season due to a torn ACL. Hailey Van Lith is now a Tiger joining Reese and Flau’jae Johnson. Aaliyah Edwards will be sure to dominate for the Huskies this season as she’s a prominent name on every WNBA draft board. Duke transfer, Celeste Taylor is an addition to the Buckeyes that led them to 19-0 during last season.
There’s a mock draft already set for the upcoming WNBA Draft, but let’s not forget about the freshmen who will be trying to make a name or an even bigger one for themselves this season.
JuJu Watkins was the No. 1 recruit and will be playing home at USC for her first season. The two-time gold medalist and Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year averaged 24.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.0 blocks last season for Sierra Canyon. USC hasn’t won a national championship since their back-to-back wins in 1983 and 1984.
“Juju has been in the national spotlight since seventh grade,” Komaki said. “When she first came to Sierra Canyon, she knew that she carried a name with her and she understood that. She understood her responsibility to the game because of who she is. And when she plays in college, she’ll do the same thing. The name on the front will be just as important as the name on the back.”
Katelyn Previews College Basketball Season
Malaysia Fulwiley also decided to stay home and play for the Gamecocks. She is a shooter with a wide range and also uses her speed to attack the basket. Aliyah Boston was drafted to the WNBA, so there is room for Fulwiley to make her mark.
Mikaylah Williams (LSU), Kamorea Arnold (UConn), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Ciera Toomey (UNC Tar Heels), Madison Book (Texas), Jadyn Donovan (Duke), Addyson Brown (Iowa) and Courtney Ogden (Stanford) are all among the top freshmen to look out for during this season.
There’s a lot of uncertainty about who will prevail this season, but one thing’s for sure: each woman on each team will put up a fight to see who will win the ACC, SEC, Pac-12, Big 10 and Big 12.
The women’s Final Four will take place in Cleveland this year at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 5 and 7.
