South Carolina is the favorite to win the title. The South Carolina is the front-runner in the SEC. What will conference races look like in other leagues?
Will the streak of 12 consecutive regular-season titles in the Big 12 come to an end, or will Texas or Iowa State return to the throne? Does anyone have the ability to challenge Cardinal in the conference? Can Iowa win the Big Ten regular-season title?
The top half of the SEC will be good. Will Louisville, NC State or Notre Dame win the title in the conference?
Which is the most competitive conference in the country?
The winner of the Power 5 races will be predicted by M.A. Voepel and others.
Predicted champion for each conference.
Nine teams were put in my preseason brackets. The SEC is the best conference in the country even though they are the two best.
The SEC's average seed was 5.8 compared to the ACC's 6.4 in our preseason projections. The SEC had two No. 1 seeds, as well as the defending national champion, giving it the edge. The SEC is the better league at the moment, even though the ACC has the most compelling race.
Charlie said that the title "best" still tilts toward the SEC, considering how strong South Carolina's chances are. There are a lot of intriguing games to watch for the Atlantic Coast Conference. The league in women's basketball was taken over by Notre Dame and Louisville when they joined the Atlantic Coast Conference. NC State has excelled in pushing back.
North Carolina and Virginia Tech joined the conference in 2004. Can NC State, North Carolina and Duke all play in the same season for the first time in three years?
Philippou: I'm going to the Atlantic Coast Conference. The SEC is home to South Carolina, but the conference will be much deeper by the time it's over. Below, each of us focused on a different team we considered the best in the league, not to mention other strong teams such as North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Miami -- not to mention Florida State, Georgia Tech and possibly Duke.
The tide turned last season when the Bears lost in the Big 12 tournament for the second year in a row. Texas won the league tournament for the first time since 2003 and the Longhorns hope to win the regular-season title for the first time since 2004. The last group of teams to win the Big 12 title was the Sooners in 2009. The only Big 12 regular-season title that Iowa State ever won was in 2000. Getting the second would be a huge achievement for Iowa State'sAshley Joens.
This season might feel a little more like the Bears are actually her squad in her second year at the helm. Both NaLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo are in the league. The Bears have two players who were selected as preseason Big 12 newcomers and freshman of the year, so they will still be very good.
This will be the last season. I think the Bears will finish in the top four. Texas and Iowa State appear to be better teams.
Iowa State brought back four of its top five players, including Lexi Donarski, Emily Ryan, and Morgan Kane, as well as two-time NAIA Player of the YearStephanie Soares, in order to return to the NCAA tournament. The Sooners beat the Bears twice last season and could be even better this time around.
The Longhorns defeated the Bears in the conference tournament title game for the second year in a row. The Longhorns lost a few pieces to graduation and the transfer portal, but the talent that was acquired might be better. Texas appears to be on the verge of a breakthrough.
Philippou thinks that the streak is likely to be broken, but that the Bears will not finish as low as Charlie predicted. Iowa State and Texas both received four of 10 first-place votes in the conference preseason poll. I think Iowa State will win it all because they have more returning and proven pieces in Ames than Texas does. Come the playoffs, the new-look team will likely have a lot of success.
Philippou said that Tennessee has the best chance. The Lady Vols were considered to be the most dangerous team in the country prior to last year's stumbles. The Lady Vols seem to be ready to take over without Rae Burrell. It will be fascinating to watch how KellieHarper incorporates her big-time transfers.
I am not sold on how things will work out at LSU with so many new people. Even though Kim Mulkey is a Hall of Fame coach, it's not easy to move on from four starting players.
Tennessee appears to be a serious challenger. The Lady Vols may be equal on the glass with South Carolina, and the Gamecocks' perimeter shooting is a concern. Destanni Henderson, the only reliable shooter a year ago, is now in the NBA.
Aliyah Boston is still a part of the South Carolina team. They know how to make a big game happen. South Carolina is the favorite in the SEC. The lack of consistent perimeter shooting will be the reason why the team fails.
Voepel was asked if it was a challenge. It might be possible. Do you want to finish before? It's not likely. The Gamecocks have been carrying the favorite's weight in the SEC for a long time, so that won't affect them. Having stronger teams around them should help the team win the league title.
The experience and hunger brought by fifth-year seniors such as Pointer helped LSU last season. LSU should look a lot like traditional Mulkey teams. We don't know a lot about how LSU will look, but the talent is there and it won't be wasted.
The sport as a whole seems to be getting a lot of excitement around this season's Tennessee team.
Coach Adia Barnes' Arizona team has two of their top players back for their fifth year. Esmery Martinez and Lauren Fields were both all-conference second-team performers last season. When Arizona plays Kansas and Baylor in December, they will see how prepared they are for the conference.
Arizona is the second best team in the conference. Right behind is Oregon. If Te-Hina Paopao becomes the star we have seen, the team could be trying to chase down the Cardinal. Kelly Graves will need a big season out of Sedona Prince in the post and some production from another highly regarded recruiting class, but the assembled talent is good enough to get Oregon to its fifth Sweet 16.
Voepel and Creme identified the two teams that have the best chance of making respectable NCAA tournament runs, but UCLA, fresh off a berth to the WNIT semifinals, should simply be better after recent bad luck with injuries There is a lot of attention on their freshman, including Londynn Jones, who will be a senior. The future looks bright in L.A. if the potential of the Bruins' recruiting class is realized this year or later on.
Center Elissa Cunane was one of the key players that NC State lost. The Wolfpack are supposed to lose the top spot in the league this year. Over the years, coach Wes Moore has been able to rebuild his teams. The transfers, led by Saniya Rivers, have to produce quickly and players such as Jakia Brown-Turner will need to move into bigger roles. Moore will be happy with this challenge.
Five teams could compete to be the answer in the conference. I think Notre Dame is my favorite. The Irish have more stability among their top players than any of the other teams in the conference. He has the potential to be a first-team All American. Notre Dame will have a point guard who can carry a team in critical moments this season.
"There is no one that has done it as consistently, since Muffet, as @CoachJeffWalz."@debbieantonelli's pick to win the @accwbb title: @LouisvilleWBB 🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/RkK24x0jYP
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) October 11, 2022
Philippou wondered if it was possible we were sleeping on Louisville. It will be interesting to see how quickly he'll incorporate Chrislyn Carr and Morgan Jones into his system after losing three starters from last year. The team has a player who could be on the verge of a big season. In the last few years, Walz has the best track record in the conference when it comes to winning consistently.
I don't know if it will be the best team in the conference, but Virginia Tech has one of the most dynamic guards in the country in Elizabeth Kitley, so basketball fans should be excited.
Iowa lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament last year but comes into this season with a lot of confidence. Clark was the leader in points and assists in Division I, while Czinano was the leader in field goals. The Hawkeyes won eight in a row before they lost to the Bluejays.
Clark is expected to repeat as the Big Ten player of the year, as Iowa has had the honor for the last four years.
I also like Iowa, but Indiana is intriguing. The return of Clark and Czinano overshadows Indiana's return of Berger andHolmes. The addition of Sara Scalia, the conference's second-most productive 3-point shooter last season at Minnesota, could improve the offense, which is so important in trying to compete with the Iowas. Indiana has the potential to win the Big Ten and reach the Elite Eight if Moren can duplicate the chemistry she had last season.
As the Big Ten coaches voted in their preseason poll, Iowa is still the clear favorite, especially with Michigan and Maryland potentially having "down" years, and a big personnel shakeup at the latter. Ohio State and Indiana have the potential to be challengers.
| Creme | Philippou | Voepel | Consensus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACC | The University of Notre Dame. | There is a city in Kentucky called Louisville. | The NC State is located in the state of North Carolina. | No consensus |
| America East | Maine is located in the United States. | The capital city of the state of Albany. | The capital city of the state of Albany. | The capital city of the state of Albany. |
| American | South Florida is located in the United States. | South Florida is located in the United States. | South Florida is located in the United States. | South Florida is located in the United States. |
| Atlantic 10 | The University of Massachusetts. | The University of Massachusetts. | The University of Massachusetts. | The University of Massachusetts. |
| Atlantic Sun | FGCU is an acronym for Florida Gulf Coast University. | FGCU is an acronym for Florida Gulf Coast University. | FGCU is an acronym for Florida Gulf Coast University. | FGCU is an acronym for Florida Gulf Coast University. |
| Big 12 | Texas is located in the United States. | The Iowa St. is located in the state of Iowa. | The Iowa St. is located in the state of Iowa. | The Iowa St. is located in the state of Iowa. |
| Big East | The University of Connecticut. | The University of Connecticut. | The University of Connecticut. | The University of Connecticut. |
| Big Sky | The Montana St. is located in Montana. | The Montana St. is located in Montana. | The Montana St. is located in Montana. | The Montana St. is located in Montana. |
| Big South | There is a town called Longwood. | There is a person named Campbell. | There is a person named Campbell. | There is a person named Campbell. |
| Big Ten | Is there a state called Iowa? | Is there a state called Iowa? | Is there a state called Iowa? | Is there a state called Iowa? |
| Big West | There is a state called Hawaii. | There is a state called Hawaii. | There is a state called Hawaii. | There is a state called Hawaii. |
| Colonial | There is a city called Towson. | The name of the school is Drexel. | The name of the school is Drexel. | The name of the school is Drexel. |
| Conference USA | It's Middle Tennessee. | It's Middle Tennessee. | Charlotte is a city in the state of North Carolina. | It's Middle Tennessee. |
| Horizon | The Green BayPackers | The city of Youngstown. | The city of Youngstown. | The city of Youngstown. |
| Ivy | The city ofPrinceton. | The city ofPrinceton. | The city ofPrinceton. | The city ofPrinceton. |
| MAAC | There is a city called Manhattan. | There is a city called Manhattan. | The state of Connecticut. | There is a city called Manhattan. |
| MAC | There is a city in Ohio called Toledo. | There is a city in Ohio called Toledo. | There is a city in Ohio called Toledo. | There is a city in Ohio called Toledo. |
| MEAC | There is a person named Howard. | There is a street named Norfolk St. | There is a person named Howard. | There is a person named Howard. |
| Missouri Valley | There is a person named "belmont." | There is a person named "belmont." | Missouri St. is located in the state of Missouri | There is a person named "belmont." |
| Mountain West | The University of Nevada, Las Vegas. | The University of Nevada, Las Vegas. | The University of Nevada, Las Vegas. | The University of Nevada, Las Vegas. |
| Northeast | Fairleigh Dickinson is located in the state of New Jersey. | Fairleigh Dickinson is located in the state of New Jersey. | Mount St. Mary's is located. | Fairleigh Dickinson is located in the state of New Jersey. |
| Ohio Valley | Tennessee Tech is part of the state of Tennessee. | Tennessee Tech is part of the state of Tennessee. | Tennessee Tech is part of the state of Tennessee. | Tennessee Tech is part of the state of Tennessee. |
| Pac-12 | There is a university named after a person named "STANFORD." | There is a university named after a person named "STANFORD." | There is a university named after a person named "STANFORD." | There is a university named after a person named "STANFORD." |
| Patriot | Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts. | Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts. | Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts. | Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts. |
| SEC | South Carolina is located in the southern part of the United States. | South Carolina is located in the southern part of the United States. | South Carolina is located in the southern part of the United States. | South Carolina is located in the southern part of the United States. |
| Southern | There's a person named Mercer. | There's a person named Mercer. | There's a person named Mercer. | There's a person named Mercer. |
| Southland | Houston Christian is a Lutheran church. | Texas A&M is in the state of Texas. | Texas A&M is in the state of Texas. | Texas A&M is in the state of Texas. |
| SWAC | St. | St. | St. | St. |
| Summit | The South Dakota St. is located in the state of South Dakota. | The South Dakota St. is located in the state of South Dakota. | The South Dakota St. is located in the state of South Dakota. | The South Dakota St. is located in the state of South Dakota. |
| Sun Belt | Troy is one of the greatest athletes of all time. | Troy is one of the greatest athletes of all time. | Troy is one of the greatest athletes of all time. | Troy is one of the greatest athletes of all time. |
| West Coast | ||||
| WAC | Stephen F. Austin is a fictional character. | Stephen F. Austin is a fictional character. | Stephen F. Austin is a fictional character. | Stephen F. Austin is a fictional character. |
The consensus pick in each conference is the team listed first/alone.
Our panel picked the winner of the conference race.
NC State, Louisville, and Notre Dame are not unanimous.
America East includes Albany, Maine.
South Florida is an american state.
The Atlantic is named after the University of Massachusetts.
The Florida Gulf Coast is in the Atlantic.
Texas is in the Big 12.
The Big East includes the University of Connecticut.
Montana State is known as Big Sky.
The Big South includes Campbell.
The Big Ten includes Iowa.
Hawaii is a big West state.
The colonial is Drexel.
Middle Tennessee is part of Conference USA.
The league includes Green Bay.
The Ivy League is made up ofPrinceton.
Manhattan is a metropolitan area in the state of Connecticut.
Toledo is a mid- American city.
Norfolk State's mascot is Howard.
The Missouri Valley has a state called Missouri State.
The Mountain West includes UNLV.
Fairleigh Dickinson is in the northeastern part of the country.
Tennessee Tech is located in Ohio Valley.
The conference is called the "Pac-12."
The league includes Boston U.
South Carolina is part of the SEC.
Southern: espn.com/womens-college-basketball/team/_/id/2382/mercer-bears">Mercer*
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is located in the southern part of the state.
Jackson State is part of the SWAC.
South Dakota State is in the summit league.
The Sun Belt is called Troy.
The West Coast is named after a basketball team.
Stephen F. Austin is in the Western Athletic Conference.
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