Twelve Teams We All Love and Probably Your Family's Favorite Player on Each
Brother girldads, sister girlmoms, girlparents and allies of all roles and gender identities… if you are wondering what happened to our Five Things Newsletter, we send you are sincerest apologies! We have some exciting things cooking over here at Girldad Sports, and in the next couple of weeks, we will roll out a slight pivot that we hope you will appreciate. Our preview guides will forever be a part of what we do though, so please see below for our NCAA Basketball Preview (at long last)!
Girldad Sports’ NCAA Basketball Preview Guide
NCAA Women’s Basketball is finally here, kicking off today across the US (and in Paris, where South Carolina and Notre Dame clash in an exciting early-season matchup). With so many of the most recognizable names in college hoops back this year for another go-around, your family will be able to quickly get on track with who’s who and to a certain extent (due to some transfer action), who’s where! We’ll run through 12 teams we all love (as always) and the player on each who we think will be your family’s favorite. But in the meantime, we hope that by now you (like many members of the WBB media world) have switched over fully from an exciting WNBA season to focusing on college hoops! Here’s some great sources for women’s college basketball coverage that you can check out:
[Podcast & Blog] The Next at The IX - the @LockedOnWBB network is prolific with daily podcasts and beat coverage of teams across the country. Howard Megdal does great interviews with coaches and players that aren’t too technical, and the team does well to highlight non-marquee programs with great pieces on HBCUs, Ivy’s and other less heralded programs. Check out this great interview with Ole Miss’s Coach Yo.
[Podcast & Articles] The Athletic’s women’s hoops coverage is strong, and they are continuing their weekly podcast into college hoops season. Lindsay D’Arcangelo is one of the stars of WNBA media, and she brings her in-depth Q&A style coverage to college hoops as well. Check out her preseason preview here and then follow her on Twitter (@darcangel21).
[Podcast] Mark Schindler of basketballnews.com has another great podcast with strong interviews called “They’ve Got Now”. If your family enjoys ‘meeting’ college players, coaches, and other folks in the ecosystem, check him out.
[Blog & Socials] Finally, perhaps the most prolific source for college women’s hoops coverage is at womenshoopworld.com. If you follow them on Twitter (@hoopism), beware the frequent barrages of reposts, but they do a great job of bringing local coverage of college teams to a national audience.
As always, ESPNW’s team (Alexa Philippou and MA Voepel) is strong for women’s college basketball as well. You can check out their content here.
How to Watch
The College Hoops season begins today! And like most other college sports, the first quarter to a third of the season is filled with exciting nonconference matchups, usually taking us all the way through the December holidays. If you are interested in some cool “destination” tournaments to check out next year (or this year if you can swing it), go check out our 5 Things Newsletter from a couple of weeks ago. From January to March, things heat up in college hoops with conference play crescendoing to a conference tournament (at a neutral site) in most cases, followed by the showpiece of all college athletics: March Madness (the three-weekend long NCAA Tournament), which will culminate in this year’s Final Four on April 4-7 in the most wonderful city in the world: Cleveland, Ohio (tickets are already sold out, by the way).
As with other college sports, the ESPN empire is incredibly useful to have for women’s college hoops, and so is the Big Ten Network. And as with other college sports, this is the year we can all throw our hands up at one last bad year of coverage for the Pac-12. But if you are ready to buckle in for the season, it’s worth getting not just ESPN+ but also a subscription that brings you the ACC Network and SEC Network. For Big Ten basketball, the B1G+ package is useful (particularly when it gets to conference play in January). And it’s worth mentioning here as well that while FloHoops is trying to make inroads into the broadcast space, there isn’t much content for them beyond the aformentioned ‘destination’ tournaments.
Stories to Follow
The biggest story in college hoops this year will undoubtedly be the question of who can possibly rival a reloaded national champion in LSU that brought in two of the marquee transfer signings in the offseason. There are some teams that “reloaded” with players coming back from injury, and others who are welcoming heralded first-year players who will make an immediate impact. But truthfully, the story is the teams. So without further ado, here’s our 12-team preview.
Team-by-Team Preview
Louisiana State (Preseason #1)
2022-23 Result: #1 (National Champion)
Conference: SEC
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: #20 Colorado (11/6), Virginia Tech (11/30),
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: The best team in the country got a lot better over the off-season, adding one of the ACC’s best players in Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith and arguably the most prolific scorer in the nation in DePaul’s Aneesah Morrow. Then they added two freshpeople who are sure to play a lot this year in the #2 recruit in the nation, Mikaylah Williams and post player Aalyah Del Rosario. Add in the fact that the highly decorated NIL Queen Angel Reese (aka “the Bayou Barbie”) just hinted that she might come back for her senior year next season (as in 2024-25), and wow, LSU just might never come down off the summit. So… if your family likes superteams who enjoy winning and having fun while doing it, LSU is for you! They are the Las Vegas Aces of college basketball!
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Flau’jae Johnson
Angel Reese is perhaps the most recognizable name in college basketball, but Flau’jae Johnson might have the most transcendent star power. She earned a starting spot as a freshperson last year and really came into her own throughout the season, playing a key role in the NCAA tournament. And her basketball skills are only her other passion. Flau’jae is an incredibly talented second generation rapper who has been making music professionally since her pre-teen years. And she never curses, so your whole family can get excited about listening to her drop bars while watching her drop buckets!
University of Connecticut (Preseason #2)
2022-23 Result: #9 (Elite Eight)
Conference: Big East
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: NC State (11/12), Maryland (11/16), UCLA (11/24), Texas (12/3), UNC (12/10), Louisville (12/16)
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: UConn is one of the most storied programs in women’s basketball, with head coach Geno Auriemma nearing his 40th season in charge of the Huskies. The past couple of years have been difficult for UConn, with headliners Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd sidelined for much of last season alongside much-heralded freshperson Ice Brady. All three are back fully healthy this year, and though highly-touted Egyptian national Jana El Alfy similarly got hit by a season-ending injury before this, her first year, other first years of note include KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade. UConn is a team that everyone knows is going to be good… but no one knows just how good. If your family likes the anticipation of opening presents on holidays and birthdays, UConn is for you!
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Aaliyah Edwards
Aaliyah Edwards was the one who consistently held it down for UConn last year while it seemed everyone around her was dropping. And if you caught her playing for the Canadian national team over the summer at the FIBA Americup, she continues to grow and step up as a teammate and a leader. She’s highly recognizable due to her trademark colored braids and facemask, and her humble work ethic means she’s a great player for your family to look up to and emulate!
Iowa (Preseason #3)
2022-23 Result: #2 (National Runner-Up)
Conference: Big Ten
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: Virginia Tech (11/9),
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: Caitlin Clark is a superstar who embraces her appeal to young fans. Her swagger is unflappable, and she can singlehandedly energize an entire arena. Simply put, if you ever have the chance to watch her in person, do it (the tickets might be jacked up though because she’s that popular—Iowa has sold out their season tickets and saw 54,000+ show up to an exhibition game they played against DePaul in October at their football stadium). But Iowa is not all Caitlin Clark. They return starters Gabby Marshall and Kate Martin, and contributors Hannah Stuelke and Molly Davis who were heavily used last season.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark is a safe bet for your family’s favorite player for years to come. If you don’t like confidence, maybe pick another favorite player, but you have to give Caitlin Clark credit for really bringing the kind of swagger to the game that makes people turn their heads and want to watch. She’s audacious with her offense and unabashedly seeks to do the spectacular every play. She is her own individual dynasty and whatever WNBA team picks her up better be ready to sell out their arena every night!
UCLA (Preseason #4)
2022-23 Result: #13 (Elite Eight)
Conference: PAC-12 (2023-24), Big Ten (2024 and Beyond)
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: Princeton (11/17), UConn (11/24), Florida State (12/10), Ohio State (12/18)
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: UCLA’s highly-touted freshperson class got good last year, and then got better in the offseason by adding Lauren Betts, the best post player in the class, from Stanford. They also welcomed back their leader, Charisma Osborne, who decided at the last minute to un-declare for the draft and return for a fifth year. If your family likes the “Fab Five” kind of vibe, then UCLA is for you. #1 2023 Recruit Kiki Rice, the local phenom Londynn Jones, always improving Gabriela Jaquez, defensive stalwart Lina Sontag, and the hilarious Christeen Iwuala (see this video) are just an incredibly talented group made even better by the addition of Betts, and it will be exciting to watch their chemistry as a group grow.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Charisma Osborne
Osborne decided not to take the leap into the WNBA this summer, and after watching some other guards (like LSU’s Alexis Morris or South Carolina’s Brea Beal) get cut from their WNBA teams, it feels like Osborne made the right choice. She’s a quiet superstar much like Jacy Sheldon of Ohio State, and it will be fun to watch her continue to lead this young team while adapting her play to their improving chemistry. If UCLA makes a deep tournament run, it’ll likely be because of her experience and leadership!
South Carolina (Preseason #6)
2022-23 Result: #3 (Final Four)
Conference: SEC
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: Notre Dame (11/6 in Paris), Maryland (11/12), North Carolina (11/30), Duke (12/3), Utah (12/10)
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: South Carolina is the best brand in women’s basketball, and Coach Dawn Staley is easily one of the greatest sports leaders of her generation, period. She so obviously wants not just what’s best for her players and her program, but for the sport in general, and it is truly amazing to watch players grow under her tutelage. But South Carolina lost five seniors to the WNBA draft last year. So if you love the Gamecocks, you’ll have to get used to some new faces. This is your family’s favorite team if you love tradition—if you love a “program” and what it stands for.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Kamila Cardoso
The star of Brazil’s FIBA Americup-winning team this summer, Kamila Cardoso is perhaps the best post player in college basketball this year, and somehow, she does not seem to mind that not enough people are saying so. If your family likes the kind of traditionally strong post play that you saw from legendary pillars of Dawn Staley’s program like Aliyah Boston or A’ja Wilson, then Cardoso is the heir apparent. Plus you’ll get to tell all your friends “I told you so” when she’s the first post player off the board at the WNBA draft next summer.
University of Southern California (Preseason #21)
2022-23 Result: Unranked (1st Round NCAA Tournament)
Conference: PAC-12 (2023-24), Big Ten (2024 & Beyond)
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: #7 Ohio State (11/6), FGCU (11/10)
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: The “other” USC punched above their weight last year with a team full of transfers, most of whom have graduated. This year, one of the most talented coaches in the college ranks in Lindsay Gottlieb gets to start the year off with not just the top ranked recruit in the nation—Juju Watkins—but also a top-10 recruit from last year in Aaliyah Gayles, who sat the year out while recovering from more than a dozen horrendous gunshot wounds sustained at a graduation party early last summer. The guard-heavy squad is anchored by defensive stalwart Rayah Marshall, and although the Trojans return a few other contributors from last season, Gottlieb is not done building by any means. The team welcomed in three graduate transfers from the Ivy League in the offseason and also will debut another top-100 recruit in Washington’s Malia Samuels.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Rayah Marshall
Our family has a lot of love for Aaliyah Gayles, whose relentless energy and joy from the bench last year was inspiring as she had to relearn how to walk over the summer. But in keeping with the post players from colleges called “USC” trend, we have to suggest your family will love Rayah Marshall for a similar tenacity. Marshall didn’t play that much during her Team USA debut at the FIBA Americup this summer, but her call-up was a nod to just how dominant she was at times last year. In almost every game that USC played well, it was behind a shutdown performance by Marshall, including a convincing display against the highly-touted Cameron Brink of Stanford during home upset of the then-#2-ranked team. Marshall has WNBA talent, and this will be her breakout year.
Ohio State (Preseason #7)
2022-23 Result: #6 (Elite Eight)
Conference: Big Ten
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: USC (11/6), Tennessee (12/3), UCLA (12/18)
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: If you like programs that truly represent their state, then OSU is your team. Three of the Buckeyes biggest stars are Ohioans in Big Ten freshperson of the year, Cotie McMahon, Cleveland’s Taylor Thierry, and Columbus’s Jacy Sheldon. They’ll hit the court alongside standout transfer Celeste Taylor (Duke), who is from New York, and another Ohioan in Michigan State transfer Taiyier Parks.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Jacy Sheldon
Sheldon missed much of last season due to a nagging injury that she tried to come back early from on multiple occasions, only to push her recovery back further. She’s a leader in this team, but when she’s healthy, she impacts the game not just emotionally but because of her play as well. She’s also a great sister—check out this local TV piece about her and Emmy, her high school-aged sibling and biggest fan.
Notre Dame (Preseason #10)
2022-23 Result: #11 (Sweet Sixteen)
Conference: ACC
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: #6 South Carolina (11/6 in Paris), Tennessee (11/29),
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: If you like good point guard play, Notre Dame is for you. While there is no timeline on Olivia Miles’ return from a serious knee injury she sustained late in the season last year, first year phenom Hannah Hidalgo may very well be the first freshperson to turn heads this year, if not the most highly anticipated. Hidalgo is more of a scorer than Miles, but what sets both players apart from the crowd is their court vision and pace. It will be a delight to watch them play together when Miles comes back. Notre Dame also brings back key players from last year in Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld, as well as Kylee Watson and Canadian international, Cass Prosper.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Hannah Hidalgo
It’s hard to put a freshperson in this slot but given that Miles won’t be back for a while, we want to direct your attention to the right part of the court. Coach Niele Ivey has spoken very highly of Hidalgo, and it’s likely that by January, she’ll have turned in a couple of performances that make your family look like geniuses for embracing her early!
Duke (Preseason Unranked)
2022-23 Result:#16 (Second Round NCAA Tournament)
Conference: ACC
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: Columbia (11/14), Stanford (11/19), South Carolina (12/3)
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: Duke is a high-energy and strong defensive team with one of the most electric first-year players in the nation. Like Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, Jadyn Donovan will turn heads early, and without much pressure on their shoulders, Duke can make a splash in the ACC and maybe even in the NCAA tournament.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Jadyn Donovan
The first year player and #3 recruit in the nation (behind USC’s Watkins and LSU’s Mikaylah Williams), Donovan will be impossible to miss in games because she is a player whose style dictates games. She lights up a court, and if you can, she’s another one to go check out in person this year if possible.
Princeton (Preseason Unranked)
2022-23 Result: Unranked (Second Round NCAA Tournament)
Conference: Ivy League
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: UCLA (11/17), Indiana (11/25),
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: The Ivy League is worth paying attention to this year, with another exciting race shaping up between Princeton, Columbia, and Harvard, the latter two of whom met in the WNIT semifinals this spring. Princeton had their own postseason excitement, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after knocking off an NC State team that featured the Minnesota Lynx’s Diamond Miller. With the Ivy League player of the year returning in Kaitlyn Chen, as well as the ‘rookie of the year’ in Madison St. Rose, Princeton may have the upper hand, even despite the superb play of Columbia’s Abbey Hsu. As an Asian American, I can’t wait for Columbia vs. Princeton (Jan 20 & Feb 24), when Chen and Hsu will be the best players on the floor.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Kaitlyn Chen
The senior has to feel that she has unfinished business after Princeton beat NC State in the tournament and stuck with a talented Utah team through the end. Her consistency, whether against conference opponents or teams like UConn and Texas, make it obvious why she’s her team’s unequivocal leader.
University of Mississippi (Preseason #12)
2022-23 Result: #22 (Sweet Sixteen)
Conference: SEC
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: Oklahoma (11/9), Louisville (11/29)
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: There are few other programs in the nation with as compelling of a story as Coach Yo and the Lady Rebels of “Ole Miss”. Coach Yo’s recruiting chops are unlike almost anyone else in the country, and as a result, she has a unique buy-in with her teams that makes you feel emotionally invested watching them even as a neutral. North Carolina’s Kennedy Todd-Williams joins returning starters Madison Scott, Snudda Collins, and Marquesha Davis and five freshpeople. Here’s what Coach Yo had to say about her team’s prospects this year.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Madison Scott
Madi Scott is another senior team leader whose team’s fortunes will rely on her this year. The SEC freshperson of the year in 2020-21, Scott has been there with Coach Yo since the beginning, and in many ways, their legacies are intertwined. Like Coach Yo, Scott is a generous sharer of her time and her love to her community. She has a foundation that supports youth development in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.
Utah (Preseason #5)
2022-23 Result: #8 (Elite Eight)
Conference: PAC-12 (2023-24), Big XII (2024 and Beyond)
Marquee 2023-24 Nonconference Games: South Carolina (12/10)
Why They Should Be Your Family’s Favorite Team: It’s probably not a surprise to anybody in college basketball that Utah is so successful, least of all to the Utah players and coaches. But somehow it always seems like a surprise to see them atop the rankings as they have been, fairly consistently, for a while. And when you are searching for a star, it’s hard to look anywhere but the play of Alissa Pili, the USC transfer who dominated last year in her first year with Utah. Pili is back for her fifth year of eligibility this season, and is looking unstoppable.
Probably Your Family’s Favorite Player? Alissa Pili
Pili’s story is a good one. She’s of Polynesian descent but grew up in Alaska, was an instant success at USC but hit some bumps in the road and then rediscovered her form as a senior last year at Utah. It will be interesting to see how her draft capital rises throughout the year and what pro evaluator’s make of her. What is perfectly clear though, is that Pili will again dominate this year in the last year of the PAC-12 as we know it.
As always, thanks for reading the Girldad Sports Preview Guides! Please send feedback to ameer@girldadsports.net and if you know other folks who might be interested, pass this post on.
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