NCAA Season Preview: The Mid-Majors

To begin our No Cap Space previews for the NCAA women's basketball season, we look at the Mid-Majors first and who has the chance to play spoiler in March.

Kendall Warner//The Virginian-Pilot

With the NCAA Women’s Basketball season right around the corner, No Cap Space WBB is here to preview every end of the country. We start with a general mid-major preview then dive into the power conferences, priming you for one of the most anticipated women’s basketball seasons in recent memory.

Welcome, dearest gentle reader. Are you ready for (hopefully) calmer discourse? The NCAA women’s basketball season is coming fast and so we want to get you up to date on everything you need to know heading into the year.

One of our mission statements at NCS is being proactive media in women’s hoops. We want to let you know of players and teams before they get big. We don’t want you asking ‘why is this player not being covered?’ because we want you to have already seen them here. So hang with us for the next month and change because by the time we’re done, you’ll be an expert ready to battle on the social media streets armed with superior ball knowledge. Let’s start with the Mid-Majors…

The Teams You Know:

Drake -

2023 Record & Result: 29-6 (19-1 MVC) NCAA Tournament First Round

One of the most aesthetically pleasing offenses in college basketball, Allison Pohlman continues a proud tradition built by Lisa Bluder and continued by Jennie Baranczyk. In just three years, a .500 team in the Missouri Valley Conference is now the class of the region. While they haven’t gotten that major upset in the NCAA Tournament under Pohlman just yet, it feels like it’s coming. Katie Dinnebier, the MVC’s Player of the Year, is back to lead the Bulldogs after a 18.1 PPG, 6.9 APG, 2.4 SPG season. Joining her is back-to-back MVC Defensive Player of the Year Anna Miller while the rest of the roster fills out the depth. Make no mistake, it’s a two person team at the top but Drake’s beauty in their game is in their passing. Whether it’s big-to-big or high-low, the Bulldogs ball movement is a thing of beauty. If they can force some stops here and there, they will be a force nationally this season.

Florida Gulf Coast -

2023 Record & Result: 29-5 (16-0 ASUN) NCAA Tournament First Round

Everyone’s favorite giant killer is back and will be everyone’s nightmare in March. Remember the name Emani Jefferson now so, come March, you’ll be up on game. The reigning ASUN Player of the Year is another elite star in a long line of FGCU centerpieces from Kiersten Bell to Whitney Knight. What makes the Eagles special is their ability to find great guards who can shoot well and this season they’ve reloaded in the transfer portal. Skylar Gill is a former ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and will be asked to play the role of lockdown defender while Northern Kentucky transfer Khamari Mitchell-Steen will be an instant addition to the starting five. The thing I love about Karl Smesko’s program is there are no positions listed on their team site. Everyone is listed ‘S’ for shooter. And boy, do they do that well. Expect another 11 or 12 seed come March and woe be the 5 or 6 seed that draws FGCU.

Gonzaga -

2023 Record & Result: 32-4 (16-0 WCC) NCAA Sweet Sixteen

The standard bearer in men’s and women’s basketball among mid-major programs, the Zags are back and ready to try and make another second weekend run in the NCAA Tournament. National Mid-Major Player of the Year Yvonne Ejim returns fresh off a 2024 Olympic trip with Team Canada and will be the focal point of the Bulldogs offense again. The big question is replacing the guards, as Gonzaga graduated out the Truong sisters and Brynna Maxwell. St. Mary’s transfer Tayla Dalton is a versatile scorer who has 83 career starts while Ines Bettencourt brings a good culture pedigree, coming from UConn. There may be some early growing pains but the non-conference schedule is pretty light (Stanford, Cal and Texas Tech are the toughest three). Do they have the same firepower as last year? Likely not. But Ejim is good enough that she will keep them atop the WCC this year. It’s also worth a mention and a wish of thoughts and good vibes for head coach Lisa Fortier, who announced this summer she has breast cancer. Give em hell, Coach. We at NCS are rooting for you this year and always.

South Dakota State -

2023 Record & Result: 27-6 (16-0 Summit) NCAA Tournament First Round

After losing Dru Gylten and Myah Selland to graduation it felt like South Dakota State might take a step back and they did slightly. The Jackrabbits were bounced out of the opening round of the NCAA Tournament by Utah. But this year one of the true hometown programs is likely to reload in The Summit League. All-Freshman guard Jenna Hopp is back and will anchor the backcourt with Madison Mathiowetz. Much like past years, the star of the Jacks resides in their front court. Brooklyn Meyer is the reigning Summit Player and Defensive Player of the Year. One thing I like about head coach Aaron Johnston is he always schedules hard in non-con to battle test his team for later and this season is no different. Duke, Creignton (both at home), on the road at Texas and a trip to Hawaii for the North Shore Showcase. It’s been six years since SDSU made the Sweet Sixteen but they do have enough firepower returning to be a force come Tournament time.

The Teams to Watch:

Cal Baptist -

2023 Record & Result: 28-4 (18-2 WAC) NCAA First Round

Jarrod Olson is one of my favorite coaches in that he’s one of the only people in college basketball to have an undefeated season and not make a postseason. As CBU was moving up from Division II, the Lancers found themselves 26-0 and WAC regular season and tournament champions. Because of the eligibility rules of new programs, they missed a chance at March Madness and the bid went to Utah Valley. But that hasn’t stopped Olson from building the Lancers into a top end mid-major. The battle for the WAC title was one of the most interesting races in basketball last season between them, Grand Canyon and Stephen F. Austin. This year, the Lancers will have to replace reigning WAC Player of the Year Chloe Webb but return several rotational players from Khloe Lemon (11.6 PPG) to forward Grace Schmidt (12.1 PPG). There isn’t a bonafide star you can point to just yet but it’s worth noting that Webb exploded onto the scene in 2024. Trust Jarrod Olson, he’s earned that at this point.

Eastern Washington -

2023 Record & Result: 29-6 (16-2 Big Sky) NCAA Tournament First Round

Jodie Gleason’s Eastern Washington Eagles were a Big Sky surprise last season, getting oh so close to upsetting Gonzaga and Cal in the non-conference. With a conference that was thought to belong to Northern Arizona or Montana State, EWU ran through the beginning of the calendar year and punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament where they fell to eventual Elite Eight entrant Oregon State. That said, this may be one of the most extensive turnovers among the mid-majors. Gone is Player of the Year Jamie Loera and All-Big Sky honorees Aaliyah Alexander and Jaleesa Lawrence. There’s plenty of roster size — five players list over 6’2 — but there isn’t a lot of experience and big game basketball on the roster. I’d expect there to be some growing pains early in the season but Gleason has shown she can built winners in Cheney. It may be presumptuous to call them a team to watch but I think this might be a slow burn in the PNW.

Fairfield -

2023 Record & Result: 31-2 (20-0 MAAC) NCAA First Round

Everyone’s favorite Cinderella from last season is making a push to become Gonzaga of the Northeast. Don’t believe me? Hear it from head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis. The Stags have been a historically relevant program before but appear to be punching their way into a new weight class among mid-majors. They hung with Indiana in Bloomington for a half in the NCAA Tournament and bring back leading scorer and MAAC Freshman of the Year Meghan Anderson. They return MAAC Player of the Year Janelle Brown, who was the engine of their backcourt and Thibault-DuDonis has filled out the roster well through a combination of portal and prep recruiting. Jillian Huerter joins the team from Rutgers (her brother, Kevin, plays for the Sacramento Kings), and will lean on grad transfer Raiana Brown, a WBCA All-American Honorable Mention and 3 time All-Lone Star Conference First Team. While the MAAC didn’t provide much of a challenge last year, Fairfield responded by packing their schedule with quality opponents. They host Arkansas and Richmond as well as matchups with Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Villanova and St. John’s. We’ll learn a lot about the Stags this year early and hopefully not have to have the “are they really that good?” discourse again.

Grand Canyon -

2023 Record & Result: 24-8 (16-4 WAC) No Postseason

While Olson’s Cal Baptist team replaces a star with a sum of its’ parts approach, Molly Miller’s GCU Antelopes are reloading a team that narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament last season. With just another season in the WAC before joining Gonzaga and others in the West Coast Conference, there is one shot to make a big statement. Mostly through portaling, Miller has built a great supporting cast around 2024 Puerto Rico Olympian and defensive stalwart guard Trinity San Antonio. UNLV transfers Alyssa Duazo-Frescas and Nneka Obiazor (2022 MWC Sixth Player of the Year) will add scoring and size while WAC Sixth Player of the Year Laura Erikstrup is back for another season. The player to watch is the 6’2 guard Kristyna Jeskeova, a Long Beach State transfer who sat out last year due to injury. In 2023 she was the Big West Defensive Player of the Year while returning guard Tiarra Brown is the scoring and offensive engine. I’ll confess upfront, I really like this Lopes team. While it might be a little late at night, I’d recommend watching GCU and paying attention to the program Molly Miller is building.

Mid Tenn State -

2023 Record & Result: 30-5 (16-0 C-USA) NCAA Tournament Second Round

Rick Insell’s crew brings back much of the firepower from last year’s Conference USA championship team. And, after a first round upset of Louisville, the Blue Raiders want more. The name to know here is a 6’6 center from Moscow, Russia named Anastasiia Boldyreva. As a junior, she took a leap from a mid-level starter to C-USA Defensive Player of the year averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. Notably, she expanded her range last year, shooting 35 three pointers which was up from 12 the season prior. Next to her will be a former C-USA DPOY in Elina Arike, who won in 2022-2023 before transferring from UTEP to Texas Tech and now to Mid Tenn. Jaylynn Gregory and Purdue transfer Emily Monson will play key roles as will Arizona transfer Courtney Blakely who could be a revelation if given the right environment to shine. Circle the calendars for November 12th, when the Blue Raiders see Kim Caldwell’s Tennessee Volunteers. MTSU also plays Kansas State, Iowa State and Purdue in the non-con. Plenty of time to get caught up on what may be one of the most interesting mid-majors this year.

Norfolk State -

2023 Record & Result: 27-6 (13-1 MEAC) NCAA First Round

Hey, it’s your annual reminder to stop sleeping on HBCU women’s basketball. And that means YOU, NCAA Tournament committee. That this Norfolk State team ended up with a 15th seed was absolutely criminal and indicative of the powers-that-be’s general dismissal of HBCU programs. Larry Vickers’ Spartans are going to likely run the MEAC again this year behind a returning crew that, at least on paper, can contend with some of the best mid-majors in America. While there isn’t a “big” per se on the roster — no one lists above 6’2 — reigning MEAC Player of the Year Kierra Wheeler is a force inside. Last year’s top HBCU women’s basketball player finished the year with 17.6 points per game along with 9.7 rebounds per game. Against Stanford in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, she finished with 17 and 8 albeit on a relatively inefficient 8-23 shooting. But with a full offseason and a full complement, from star guard Diamond Johnson to assist leader Niya Fields and, Norfolk feels like they will cruise to another MEAC title. Hopefully they catch one or two of their non-con marquee opponents (Missouri, Alabama, Washington State, Green Bay, North Carolina or Auburn) slipping and make a seeding case that the Committee can’t ignore.

UNLV -

2023 Record & Result: 30-3 (17-1 Mountain West) NCAA Tournament First Round

May I introduce, new Gonzaga. The book on the Zags, in both men’s and women’s basketball, was a team that cruised through the season and on paper looked poised to make a deep run in March. And every year, they’d bust your bracket by being upset. For the last two seasons, I’ve loved UNLV as an upset pick and each year I’ve been surprised to see them fall short. So in 2024, Lindy La Rocque’s crew is in ‘prove it’ mode. Gone is Runnin’ Rebel legend Desi-Rae Young, one of just two players in program history to record 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. The hole left by the two time Mountain West Player of the Year is massive and while redshirt freshman Meadow Roland may not immediately be that level of dominant, her head coach she’s shades of Young in Roland’s game. All-MWC guards Kiara Jackson and Sixth Player of the Year Amarachi Kimpson are back and EWU transfer Aaliyah Alexander bolsters the rotation. The year depends on which frontcourt presence steps up to the plate. Then we can talk who they can handle in the NCAA Tournament.

The Three Best Players You Know:

Yvonne Ejim (Gonzaga) - 19.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.3 APG

2024 AP All-American Honorable Mention

2024 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year

2024 WCC Player of the Year

2024 WCC Defensive Player of the Year

Emani Jefferson (Florida Gulf Coast) - 16.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.8 APG

2024 WBCA All-American Honorable Mention

2024 ASUN Player of the Year

2024 ASUN Defensive Player of the Year

2024 ASUN Newcomer of the Year

Diamond Johnson (Norfolk State) - 20.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.9 APG

2024 MEAC Tournament MVP

2024 MEAC Newcomer of the Year

2022 ACC Sixth Player of the Year

The Five Best Players Need to Know:

Kierra Wheeler (Norfolk State) - 17.6 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.5 BPG

2024 HBCU Player of the Year

2024 MEAC Player of the Year

Katie Dinnebier (Drake) - 18.2 PPG, 6.9 APG, 2.29 SPG

2024 Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year

2024 MVC Tournamnet Most Outstanding Player

Meghan Anderson (Fairfield) - 15.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.5 APG

2024 MAAC Rookie of the Year

2024 All-Met Rookie of the Year

Anastasiia Boldyreva (Mid Tenn State) - 14.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.89 BPG

2024 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year

Trinity San Antonio (Grand Canyon) - 11.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.25 SPG

2024 Olympian (Puerto Rico)

Cinderella Story:

Mid Tenn State - It was between Mid Tenn and Grand Canyon for who is going to be the media’s darling this year. But I absolutely love all the returning firepower on a team that managed to upset a semi-down-but-still-talented Louisville team. Had Boldyreva not gotten into foul trouble, maybe that second round matchup against LSU goes differently. If you remember, Rick Insell called out the free throw disparity (LSU’s 37 to Mid Tenn’s 9) in the postgame press conference in Baton Rouge. With so much returning talent and portal infusions from Monson and Blakely, the Blue Raiders are not the team I want to see in any way this season.