Which women’s mid majors are ready to break through this year? These are some of the great underdog stories that everyone looks for. In the women’s game, recently these programs have been able to attract better talent and win NCAA tournament games. Florida Gulf Coast and Central Michigan made the dance, and Missouri State has made it to the sweet sixteen in consecutive seasons. This year, there are five new programs that are on the rise. These are the top 5 to watch!
Top Five Women’s Basketball Mid Majors
Troy University
Troy is an up-and-coming mid-major that made waves last season by almost beating Texas A & M as a 15 seed in the first round. They got absolutely robbed in the last seconds of the game! This season they have seven seniors back from that team which went 22-6 overall. Having a wealth of experience will help this team immensely in Sun Belt conference play as well as early on. They have a great coach in Chanda Rigby who has 6 20-win seasons. This season they have a tough schedule out of the gate with games against “Missouri, Duke, Wake Forest, Tulane, and Mississippi State” (Troy Women’s Basketball.) These five games will help determine if this team is for real or not. Missouri only has two seniors on their roster, which makes this team potentially vulnerable to an upset. Mississippi State is having a coaching change because McCray stepped down because of health concerns; this makes them vulnerable to an upset. If Troy can steal three or four of these big games, then there is no reason that this team can’t gain national recognition and a potential at-large bid if needed.
South Dakota State University
SDSU is bringing back a ton of fantastic players: Myah Selland, Lindsay Theunick, Hailey Greer, Tori Nelson, and Tylee Irwin. These five players helped carry them to an NCAA tournament appearance last season. If Selland can stay healthy, this team will be an absolute force to be reckoned with this season. Last year after Selland got hurt, they struggled on offense. Their schedule is impressive this includes: Mississippi State, Iowa State, Kansas State, Missouri State, and they compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase where they could face UCLA, St. John’s, Penn State, or Iowa State (South Dakota State Women’s Basketball Schedule.) If they can win 2 of those first four games and maybe upset UCLA in the showcase, they will be off to an amazing start. SDSU has great three-point shooting, which should give them a chance in games like these. As the season goes on, SDSU will be a team to watch out for once again and create a great resume for the committee.
Belmont University
Belmont brings back two important players Tuti Jones and Conley Chinn. These two players dominated in the Ohio Valley Conference last season and are set to do it again. They helped lead their team to an upset of Gonzaga in last year’s NCAA tournament. This season they have key games against “Auburn, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, UCF, and Louisville” (Belmont Women’s Basketball.) They have a strong chance at beating Auburn, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, and UCF. The Louisville game is the toughest game on Belmont’s schedule this season. If they can challenge that team and give them a game, it will show America that Belmont is back. Their three-point shooting will keep them in games and give them a chance to pull off a few of these upsets but they will struggle against teams with a lot of size.
Ohio University
Ohio has Cece Hooks, Erica Johnson, and Caitlyn Kroll as their key players returning. This team had more potential last year, but they did not play well in the end. They struggled with foul trouble and against size. With another year of experience, they can make some noise this season. Some tests they have on their schedule include: Notre Dame, Cincinnati, and Minnesota (Ohio Women’s Basketball Schedule.) They could have built a stronger non-conference schedule but last year they beat Notre Dame and they will do it again. When they do, it will be a statement win that will strengthen their resume. Ohio should be the favorite in the MAC now that Mackayla Kelly is gone. It won’t be easy because Buffalo and CMU always have good teams, but they have the ability to get it done this season because of their elite guard play and three-point shooting.
Cal Baptist University
This pick may sound like it is out of left field, but Cal Baptist was 26-1 last season. This year is the first time they are tournament-eligible, and they have a few good non-conference tests. These tests include “Oregon State and TCU (Cal Baptist Women’s Basketball Schedule.)” The Oregon State game will be their biggest test of the season. If they can contend and challenge Oregon State, then they will show that last year was not a fluke. I wish they could have been in the tourney last year, but now that they can they have a chance to succeed. If they can win one of their two tests, then I will start believing that this team is a force to be reckoned with out west. They probably won’t get a great seed because of their schedule but they have a ton of players back from last year’s great team and should have another great season. This team plays great defense and forces their opponents to have to make difficult decisions, which helps them win big games. I look forward to seeing what this team can do in their first year of tourney eligibility.
Looking forward to a new season full of surprises!
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