Big questions about Big 5 women’s basketball teams this season
Here’s something to know about each team as the tipoff of college basketball season approaches.
With the local college basketball season about to tip off, here are some key story lines to know about the area’s women’s teams.
Can Temple recapture March’s magic?
A year ago at this time, the Owls were about to go into a campaign in which they were picked ninth in the American Athletic Conference. But they beat the odds, finishing third and reaching the tournament semifinals.
Many of last year’s key contributors graduated, and this year’s squad is pretty young. Top scorer and No. 2 rebounder Tiarra East (13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game) is back, though. Temple was picked eighth in the AAC preseason poll, and we’ll see if it defies skeptics again.
» READ MORE: Temple coach Diane Richardson's adopted daughter just won a WNBA championship
Will St. Joseph’s live up to the hype?
The Hawks were picked No. 2 in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, and got four first-place votes. There are good reasons for that, including the returns of veteran forwards Talya Brugler (15.6 points per game last season and Laura Ziegler (14.3 points and 9.4 rebounds).
If the talent is there to get St. Joe’s to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014, the schedule is, too. Coach Cindy Griffin scheduled nonconference games at Utah and Syracuse, and a potential home game with Northwestern as part of a four-team mini-tournament St. Joe’s is hosting in late December.
» READ MORE: St. Joe’s men’s and women’s hoops teams get spotlight in Atlantic 10 preseason polls
Will Drexel reach a second straight NCAA Tournament?
The Dragons were the only local team, men or women, to go dancing last March, sparing the city a second straight NCAA shutout. They got there by shocking the Coastal Athletic Association, winning the tournament after finishing seventh in the regular season.
This time, the preseason poll voters are paying attention. Drexel was picked No. 2, with sophomore guard Amaris Baker making the all-conference first team. With nonconference visits to Penn State and Florida State on deck, coach Amy Mallon has done her part to try to keep her team in the spotlight.
» READ MORE: Philadelphia to host 2027 NCAA women’s basketball tournament regional games
What will Penn’s Mataya Gale do for an encore?
Last season’s Big 5 and Ivy League rookie of the year exploded onto the scene, getting big minutes out of the gate and rewarding coach Mike McLaughlin with 14.3 points and 3.1 assists per game. In the Ivy tournament, she scored 20 points against a Princeton team that was repeatedly nationally ranked in the regular season, and Penn lost by only 59-54.
At a time when Ivy Leaguers are now big-time on the college basketball transfer market, Gayle could have easily parlayed her season into a move to a school with lots of NIL money. But she decided to stay, and is set to be a key Quakers player again.
» READ MORE: Penn has lost some women’s basketball standouts, but the Quakers see change as a good thing
Will Villanova’s hosting of the Big 5 Classic triple-header be a success?
Wildcats coach Denise Dillon certainly thinks so, and after her team’s high profile in recent seasons, it’s easy to understand why. But Lucy Olsen isn’t around anymore, and Maddy Siegrist is only watching from the stands.
The inaugural women’s triple-header will be held on a Friday, Dec. 6, which isn’t ideal for drawing a crowd. If fans of the other local schools don’t travel to the Main Line, some folks might wonder whether the event is better off not just on a different date, but at the Palestra. (We’ll get to the Wells Fargo Center conversation some other day.)
Of course, the Finneran Pavilion has lots more parking and more comfortable seats, and for many ticket buyers, that’s as important as anything. We’ll probably only be able to answer this question in hindsight.
» READ MORE: Villanova’s women’s basketball team begins life after Lucy Olsen
Who will play for La Salle?
Coach Mountain MacGillivray’s squad this season has five freshmen and eight transfers. At the Atlantic 10′s preseason media day, he admitted it would be a challenge to build chemistry, but he believes his players are getting there.
“To the person, our returning players and the new players that are coming in made a commitment to really connecting as individuals, and becoming the tightest group that they can become,” he said. “We’ve made a commitment as a group every day to get better. What that’s going to look like at the end of the year, time will only tell, but I think it’s going to look pretty good.”