One yr in the past, with future WNBA draft decide Alissa Pili spearheading an skilled staff, the Utah girls’s basketball staff was the preseason favourite in the Pac-12.
This yr, in the Utes’ first season in the Big 12, expectations are a bit completely different.
Utah is projected to complete sixth in the Big 12, based on the league’s preseason ballot launched Thursday that's voted on by coaches.
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BYU, in the meantime, is predicted to complete twelfth in its second yr in the league.
Kansas State is the preseason favourite, edging out Iowa State each in complete factors (211 to 209) and first-place votes (7 to six). Behind these two are Baylor, TCU and West Virginia, which spherical out the high 5 in the preseason ballot.
The Utes are coming off their third straight season making the NCAA match, a yr when Utah went 23-11 regardless of coping with a number of accidents to key gamers. Utah superior to the second spherical of the NCAAs.
Gone is the All-American Pili, although Utah will profit from the return of guard Gianna Kneepkens, who missed most of final yr after breaking a number of bones in her proper foot in early December in a win over BYU.
Kneepkens — a two-time first-staff All-Pac-12 honoree who has profession averages of 14.0 factors, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per sport — was named to the preseason All-Big 12 staff launched Thursday. She obtained a medical redshirt final season and will likely be a junior this yr.
The 6-foot Kneepkens isn’t the solely skilled participant Utah has again, although. Forward Jenna Johnson and guards Kennady McQueen, Ines Vieira and Maty Wilke return, together with a number of function gamers. They’re joined by three freshman guards and switch forwards Maye Toure and Chyra Evans.
The Cougars, in the meantime, are coming off a 16-17 season the place they went 6-12 in league play and misplaced in the first spherical of the Women’s Basketball (*12*) Tournament.
BYU returns six gamers however could have fairly a bit of roster turnover, as the Cougars will likely be with out their two high scorers from final season in Lauren Gustin (commencement) and Kailey Woolston (LDS mission).
The Cougars do return three gamers who began 10 or extra video games final season in Amari Whiting, Emma Calvert and Lauren Davenport, and people gamers will likely be joined by a newcomer group that features 5 freshmen and 4 transfers.
BYU and Utah will play twice this upcoming season — the Cougars will host the Utes in Provo on Jan. 25, adopted by a sport in Salt Lake City on March 1 in the common-season finale for each groups.
2024-25 Big 12 girls’s basketball preseason ballot
- Kansas State (7 first-place votes), 211 factors
- Iowa State (6), 209
- Baylor (2), 194
- TCU, 185
- West Virginia (1), 184
- Utah, 149
- Arizona, 136
- Kansas, 128
- Colorado, 113
- Texas Tech, 84
- Oklahoma State, 80
- BYU, 59
- Cincinnati, 56
- UCF, 54
- Arizona State, 51
- Houston, 27
2024-25 Big 12 preseason girls’s basketball superlatives
Preseason Player of the Year: Ayoka Lee, Kansas State
Preseason Co-Newcomers of the Year: Aaronette Vonleh, Baylor and Hailey Van Lith, TCU
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Tabitha Betson, Colorado
Preseason All-Big 12 Team
- Sarah Andrews, Baylor
- Aaronette Vonleh, Baylor
- Kaitlin Peterson, UCF
- Audi Crooks, Iowa State*
- S’Mya Nichols, Kansas
- Ayoka Lee, Kansas State*
- Serena Sundell, Kansas State
- Hailey Van Lith, TCU
- Gianna Kneepkens, Utah
- JJ Quinerly, West Virginia*
*Indicates unanimous choice
