College Sports Madness Top 44 Countdown 2023-24

[Ignatius L Hoops]

2023-2024 College Sports Madness Women's Basketball Top 44 Previews

www.collegesportsmadness.com

It's that time of year. Here's the running countdown; I'll post the B1G team's and Gopher opponents write ups.

44 Syracuse
43 Toledo
42 Texas A&M
41 Mississippi State
40 Oklahoma State
39 Princeton
38 Gonzaga
37 Michigan
36 Arizona
35 South Florida
34 Villanova
33 Oklahoma
32 Illinois
31 Arkansas
30 Nebraska
29 Washington
28 Kansas State
27 North Carolina State
26 Washington State
25 Oregon
24 Duke
23 Kansas
22 Baylor
21 Louisville
20 Colorado
19 Florida State
18 Southern Cal
17 North Carolina
16 Creighton
15 Mississippi
14 Virginia Tech (Rose Micheaux)
13 Maryland
12 Texas
11 Notre Dame
10 Tennessee
9 Ohio State
8 Stanford
7 South Carolina
6 UCLA
5 Indiana
4 Utah
3 Iowa
2 UConn
1 LSU

 

[SHGopher]

Minnesota is rising up from hitting bottom last season.

The Gophers only won 4 conference games last year. Fan attendance to games was way down. It seemed interest in the team had vanished among the community.

Entering last season, most of the team had transferred out. The Gophers had only one player with playing time, sophomore Rose Micheaux. Everyone else left. Gophers had two freshman players coming back who were injured the season before and didn't play, Katie Borowicz and Maggie Czinano (played a couple minutes).

Yet last year had a lot of promise and talent too. The best recruiting class in school history had come in last year: Amaya Battle, Mara Braun, Mallory Heyer and Niamya Holloway. That was exciting!

Now is a new chapter. We have a new coach.

The talented Fab Four recruiting class is one year along.

Coach P brought in a top-100 recruit in wing Grace Grocholski plus another promising center from Wisconsin Ayianna Johnson, both freshman. Plus more incoming recruits from Whalen's era we just don't know much about yet.

The next target is getting to 9 conference wins which should get them into the NCAA Tournament. Getting to 6-7 wins for this team looks easy. That's a 50%+ increase from last year. Who do the Gophers then beat to get to 9?

They have the talent but still young. Will this take a year? Or two? Or now?

On paper the Gophers look tantalizing. A star-caliber shooting guard in Braun. A highly-rated point guard from THE Hopkins High School in Amaya Battle. A power forward with size who moves, runs, and shoots from the perimeter and around the court in Mallory Heyer. A wing who isn't going to be pushed around and plays good defense while reliably sniping 3's in Grace Grocholski. And several other players we've seen flash or we just don't know yet except talent. Like Maggie Czinano, a versitile player without a specific position but plays smart basketball, probably playing from power forward this year. Veteran transfer-in guard Janay Sanders provides leadership.

And center Sophie Hart transferred in earlier last season too, one of the top recruits in the nation coming out of high school. Now the situation looks really good.

Hart too? Yea, the talent looks really good. We can envision them making a run in an NCAA Tournament. But when. This season? Next?


Minnesota Big Ten Conference Wins in the Last Seven Years

2017-18: 11 (the last time the Gophers made the NCAA Tournament)

2018-19: 9 (Whalen's first season)
2019-20: 5
2020-21: 7
2021-22: 7
2022-23: 4

2023-24: ? (Coach P's first season)

A new chapter begins with good talent and more young talent we don't know much about yet.

 

[adamj95]

I know choosing a top 44 team list is arbitrary, especially at the bottom but Syracuse?

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

#37 Michigan Women's Basketball 2023-2024 Preview

www.collegesportsmadness.com

At 37 is the first of the B1G teams: Michigan

Michigan Wolverines

Overall Rank: #37

Conference Rank: #7 Big Ten



2022-23 Record: 23-10, 11-7
2022-23 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Kim Barnes Arico
Coach Record: 241-119 at Michigan, 511-325 overall

Key Departed Players:
Leigha Brown, Guard, 17.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 5.8 apg
Emily Kiser, Forward, 15.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.9 apg
Maddie Nolan, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.0 apg

Key Returning Players:
Laila Phelia, Junior, Guard, 16.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.4 apg
Cameron Williams, Senior, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.3 apg
Jordan Hobbs, Junior, Guard, 4.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.8 apg
Greta Kampschroeder, Junior, Guard, 3.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.6 apg
Chyra Evans, Sophomore, Forward, 2.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.5 apg
Elise Stuck, Senior, Forward, 1.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.5 apg
Alyssa Crockett, Sophomore, Forward, 1.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.7 apg

Key New Players:
Elissa Brett, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Bowling Green
Macy Brown, Freshman, Guard
Katy Eidle, Freshman, Guard
Lauren Hansen, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Missouri
Taylor Williams, Senior, Forward, Transfer from Western Michigan
Taylor Woodson, Freshman, Forward

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.5 (42nd in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.4 (153, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.4 (12, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.6 (192, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.9 (173, 11)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.9 (68, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 77.7 (20, 2)
Rebound Margin: 4.6 (56, 2)
Assists Per Game: 15.6 (40, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.1 (208, 9)

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

#32 Illinois Women's Basketball 2023-2024 Preview

www.collegesportsmadness.com

It's Shauna Green's Illini at #32

Illinois Fighting Illini

Overall Rank: #32

Conference Rank: #6 Big Ten


2022-23 Record: 22-10, 11-7
2022-23 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Shauna Green
Coach Record: 22-10 at Illinois, 178-85 overall

Key Departed Players:
Jayla Oden, Guard, 4.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.0 apg

Key Returning Players:
Makira Cook, Senior, Guard, 18.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.2 apg
Genesis Bryant, Senior, Guard, 15.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.6 apg
Adalia McKenzie, Junior, Guard, 13.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.2 apg
Kendall Bostic, Senior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.0 apg
Jada Peebles, Senior, Guard, 6.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.8 apg
Brynn Shoup-Hill, Junior, Forward, 6.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.1 apg

Key New Players:
Cori Allen, Freshman, Guard
Shay Bollin, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Duke
Gretchen Dolan, Freshman, Guard
Camille Hobby, Senior, Center, Transfer from North Carolina State
Aicha Ndour, Senior, Center, Transfer from JC

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.3 (29th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.2 (199, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.8 (17, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.3 (175, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.2 (80, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.2 (11, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.6 (53, 8)
Rebound Margin: 4.9 (52, 1)
Assists Per Game: 14.0 (110, 13)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.9 (27, 2)

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

#30 Nebraska Women's Basketball 2023-2024 Preview

www.collegesportsmadness.com

The Huskers at #30....really?

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Overall Rank: #30

Conference Rank: #5 Big Ten

Nebraska Team Page

2022-23 Record: 18-15, 8-10
2022-23 Postseason: WNIT
Coach: Amy Williams
Coach Record: 110-95 at Nebraska, 303-204 overall

Key Departed Players:
Isabelle Bourne, Forward, 12.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.2 apg
Sam Haiby, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.9 apg

Key Returning Players:
Jaz Shelley, Senior, Guard, 14.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6.2 apg
Alexis Markowski, Junior, Center, 11.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.1 apg
Allison Weidner, Junior, Guard, 10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.4 apg
Maddie Krull, Senior, Guard, 6.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.8 apg
Annika Stewart, Senior, Center, 5.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.3 apg
Callin Hake, Sophomore, Guard, 4.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.6 apg
Kendall Moriarty, Junior, Guard, 3.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.8 apg
Maggie Mendelson, Sophomore, Center, 2.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.2 apg
Kendall Coley, Junior, Forward, 1.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.7 apg

Key New Players:
Logan Nissley, Freshman, Guard
Jessica Petrie, Freshman, Forward
Natalie Potts, Freshman, Forward
Darian White, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Montana State

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.2 (64th in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.3 (202, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.2 (141, 11)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.5 (138, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (27, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.7 (112, 10)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.0 (176, 10)
Rebound Margin: 4.5 (61, 3)
Assists Per Game: 15.8 (31, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.2 (146, 7

 

[SHGopher]

#30 Nebraska Women's Basketball 2023-2024 Preview

www.collegesportsmadness.com

The Huskers at #30....really?

Yea, Nebraska should be back behind Illinois for sure.

Well, it's a fun opinion list but not ESPN.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

#13 Maryland Women's Basketball 2023-2024 Preview

www.collegesportsmadness.com

Maryland at #13 and 4th in the B1G

Maryland Terrapins

2023-2024 Overall Rank: #13

Conference Rank: #4 Big Ten

2022-23 Record: 28-7, 15-3
2022-23 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Brenda Frese
Coach Record: 563-146 at Maryland, 620-176 overall

Key Departed Players:
Diamond Miller, Guard, 19.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.9 apg
Abby Meyers, Guard, 14.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.3 apg
Elisa Pinzan, Guard, 3.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.9 apg

Key Returning Players:
Shyanne Sellers, Junior, Guard, 13.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.9 apg
Brinae Alexander, Senior, Guard, 9.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.0 apg
Lavender Briggs, Senior, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg
Faith Masonius, Senior, Forward, 6.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.0 apg
Bri McDaniel, Sophomore, Guard, 3.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.4 apg

Key New Players:
Summer Bostock, Freshman, Guard
Jakia Brown-Turner, Senior, Guard, Transfer from NC State
Hawa Doumbouya, Freshman, Center
Emily Fisher, Freshman, Guard
Allie Kubek, Junior, Forward, Transfer from Towson
Riley Nelson, Freshman, Guard
Zen Nuako, Freshman, Guard
Mary Sareen, Freshman, Guard

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 79.1 (11th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.7 (279, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.7 (33, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.4 (240, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.8 (95, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.4 (21, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 78.6 (12, 1)
Rebound Margin: -1.6 (235, 10)
Assists Per Game: 16.9 (15, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.4 (40, 3)

 

[SHGopher]

2023-2024 College Sports Madness Women's Basketball Top 44 Previews

www.collegesportsmadness.com

It's that time of year. Here's the running countdown; I'll post the B1G team's and Gopher opponents write ups.

44 Syracuse
43 Toledo
42 Texas A&M
41 Mississippi State
40 Oklahoma State
39 Princeton
38 Gonzaga
37 Michigan
36 Arizona
35 South Florida
34 Villanova
33 Oklahoma
32 Illinois
31 Arkansas
30 Nebraska
29 Washington
28 Kansas State
27 North Carolina State
26 Washington State
25 Oregon
24 Duke
23 Kansas
22 Baylor
21 Louisville
20 Colorado
19 Florida State
18 Southern Cal
17 North Carolina
16 Creighton
15 Mississippi
14 Virginia Tech (Rose Micheaux)
13 Maryland
12 Texas

Louisville at 21 would be a slip.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

#9 Ohio State Women's Basketball 2023-2024 Preview

www.collegesportsmadness.com

The Buckeyes featuring Cotie McMahon at #9

Ohio State Buckeyes

2023-2024 Overall Rank: #9

Conference Rank: #3 Big Ten

2022-23 Record: 28-8, 12-6
2022-23 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Kevin McGuff
Coach Record: 172-97 at Ohio State, 427-196 overall

Key Departed Players:
Taylor Mikesell, Guard, 17.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg
Hevynne Bristow, Guard, 3.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.7 apg

Key Returning Players:
Cotie McMahon, Sophomore, Forward, 15.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.4 apg
Taylor Thierry, Junior, Forward, 13.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.3 apg
Jacy Sheldon, Senior, Guard, 13.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.5 apg
Madison Greene, Senior, Guard, 10.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.0 apg
Rebeka Mikulasikova, Senior, Forward, 10.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 apg
Rikki Harris, Senior, Guard, 6.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.2 apg
Eboni Walker, Senior, Forward, 4.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.5 apg
Emma Shumate, Sophomore, Guard, 1.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.5 apg

Key New Players:
Kennedy Cambridge, sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Kentucky
Faith Carson, Freshman, Center
Diana Collins, Freshman, Guard
Taiyier Parks, Senior, Forward, Transfer from Michigan State
Celeste Taylor, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Duke

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.1 (8th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.4 (274, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.1 (15, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.8 (296, 11)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.2 (78, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.5 (77, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.5 (197, 11)
Rebound Margin: -2.2 (251, 12)
Assists Per Game: 17.1 (14, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.7 (61, 4)

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

#5 Indiana Women's Basketball 2023-2024 Preview

www.collegesportsmadness.com

At #5 and 2nd in the B1G: Indiana

Indiana Hoosiers

2023-2024 Overall Rank: #5

Conference Rank: #2 Big Ten

2022-23 Record: 28-4, 16-2
2022-23 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Teri Moren
Coach Record: 200-93 at Indiana, 399-223 overall

Key Departed Players:
Grace Berger, Guard, 12.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.8 apg

Key Returning Players:
Mackenzie Holmes, Senior, Forward, 22.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.2 apg
Sydney Parrish, Senior, Guard, 12.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.8 apg
Yarden Garzon, Sophomore, Guard, 11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.0 apg
Chloe Moore-McNeil, Senior, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.8 apg
Sara Scalia, Senior, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.6 apg
Lilly Meister, Sophomore, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.2 apg
Lexus Bargesser, Sophomore, Guard, 2.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.9 apg

Key New Players:
Lenee Beaumont, Freshman, Guard
Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Tennessee-Martin
Julianna LaMendola, Freshman, Guard

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.9 (6th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.1 (110, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.7 (2, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.7 (94, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.2 (80, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.9 (12, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.5 (38, 5)
Rebound Margin: 4.2 (66, 4)
Assists Per Game: 18.2 (7, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 (20, 1)

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

#3 Iowa Women's Basketball 2023-2024 Preview

www.collegesportsmadness.com

Hawkeyes at #3

Iowa Hawkeyes

2023-2024 Overall Rank: #3

Conference Rank: #1 Big Ten


2022-23 Record: 31-7, 15-3
2022-23 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Lisa Bluder
Coach Record: 494-246 at Iowa, 851-387 overall

Key Departed Players:
Monika Czinano, Forward, 17.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.4 apg
McKenna Warnock, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.9 apg

Key Returning Players:
Caitlin Clark, Senior, Guard, 27.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 8.6 apg
Kate Martin, Senior, Guard, 7.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.6 apg
Hannah Stuelke, Sophomore, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.6 apg
Gabbie Marshall, Senior, Guard, 6.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.6 apg
Molly Davis, Senior, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.7 apg
Taylor McCabe, Sophomore, Guard, 3.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.4 apg
Sydney Affolter, Junior, Guard, 2.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.0 apg
Addison O’Grady, Junior, Center, 2.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.2 apg

Key New Players:
Kylie Feuerbach, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Iowa State
Kennise Johnson, Freshman, Guard
Ava Jones, Freshman, Forward

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 87.3 (1st in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 71.8 (321, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 51.1 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.1 (170, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.2 (7, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.0 (7, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.8 (35, 4)
Rebound Margin: 4.2 (67, 5)
Assists Per Game: 20.9 (1, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.3 (91, 5

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

#2 Connecticut Women's Basketball 2023-2024 Preview

www.collegesportsmadness.com

The circus plays The Barn on the 19th

Connecticut Huskies

2023-2024 Overall Rank: #2

Conference Rank: #1 Big East


2022-23 Record: 31-6, 18-2
2022-23 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Geno Auriemma
Coach Record: 1,180-156 at Connecticut, 1,180-156 overall

Key Departed Players:
Lou Lopez Senechal, Forward, 15.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.6 apg
Dorka Juhasz, Forward, 14.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 3.2 apg

Key Returning Players:
Aaliyah Edwards, Senior, Forward, 16.6 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.4 apg
Azzi Fudd, Junior, Guard, 15.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.9 apg
Aubrey Griffin, Senior, Forward, 11.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.3 apg
Caroline Ducharme, Junior, Guard, 7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.2 apg
Nika Muhl, Senior, Guard, 7.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 7.9 apg
Amari DeBerry, Junior, Forward, 2.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.8 apg
Ayanna Patterson, Sophomore, Forward, 2.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.6 apg
Ines Bettencourt, Sophomore, Guard, 1.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 1.2 apg
Paige Bueckers, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Key New Players:
KK Arnold, Freshman, Guard
Ice Brady, Freshman, Forward
Jana El Alfy, Freshman, Center
Qadence Samuels, Freshman, Guard
Ashlynn Shade, Freshman, Guard

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA

By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.9 (27th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.8 (47, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.4 (3, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 34.8 (7, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.1 (159, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.7 (26, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.4 (73, 6)
Rebound Margin: 10.5 (5, 1)
Assists Per Game: 18.8 (5, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.4 (223, 10)