let’s continue our look at the Non-Conference slate
Earlier on, I covered the first half of the Bulldogs’ non-conference schedule and it’s time to continue our initial dive into those teams. The back half of this schedule kicks off after Thanksgiving with the team traveling to the Bahamas where they will participate in the Paradise Jam.
Missouri State: November 28th – Neutral (Paradise Jam)
Situated in southwestern Missouri about an hour north of Branson and a couple hours away from the Cherokee Nation, the Lady Bears have a pretty impressive basketball pedigree for a school of their size. They’ve made seventeen NCAA Tournaments, reached the Sweet Sixteen 5 times and Final Four 2 times, won their conference tournament 30 times, and took home the 2005 WNIT Championship.
Head Coach Beth Cunningham enters her third year at the helm. She and the team will be looking to continue their streak of seven years with 20+ wins and reach her first NCAA Tournament with the program. After finishing the ‘23-24 campaign 23-10 (15-5) and third in the MVC, Cunningham will have her work cut out after losing three players, Kennedy Taylor, Indya Green, and Jade Masogayo, that combined for a per game average of 70 minutes, 29 points, and 14 rebounds per game.
As such, expectations seem to be a bit tempered this year with the MVC Preseason Poll, which is selected by coaches, sports information directors and media members, having Missouri State ranked 5th. However, this team is no slouch as the Lady Bears bring back some top level talent in 5’4” senior guard Lacy Stokes. She finished last season as the team’s leader in scoring, 12.8, assists, 4.6, and steals, 2.6, which earned her a selection to the ‘23-24 All MVC Team and the 2024 All-MVC Tournament Team. In the aforementioned MVC Preseason Poll, she represents the lone Missouri State player selected to the ‘24-25 Preseason All-MVC First Team.
On the surface, the Lady Bears strength looks like it will come in the form of their guards with players like Lacy Stokes, 6’0” sophomore guard Kyrah Daniels, and incoming transfer from 5’10” guard Zoe Stewart who joins from Murray State. As such, I’m wondering how much their style of play will change from last season’s squad that saw them average just 14.6 three’s per game, 322nd nationally, although looking at the rest of their offensive numbers, Head Coach Cunningham looks to run a fairly slow and defensive-first system that has limited teams to an average of just 66 and 64 points per game in her two previous seasons. This could be an intriguing test for the Bulldogs offense.
Transfers Out
Natasha Barnes, 5’9, G, Fr. (0.9 PPG)
Jaiden Bryant, 5’9, G, So. (1.1 PPG) → SIUE
Louis Volker, 6’1, F, Fr. (2.9 PPG) → George Mason
Jade Masogayo, 6’3, F, So. (8.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG) → Colorado
Indya Green, 5’11, F, Jr. (10.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG) → Georgia Southern
Kennedy Taylor, 6’3, F, Jr. (10.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG) → Kansas State
Transfers In
Sarah Linthacum, 6’3, F, Jr. (0.6 PPG) Missouri → Missouri State
Makennah White, 6’2, F, Sr. (3 PPG) Seton Hall → Missouri State
Cady Pauley, 5’11, G, So. (2.9 PPG) Virginia → Missouri State
Zoe Stewart, 5’10, G, Fr. (8.9 PPG) Murray State → Missouri State
Texas Tech: November 29th – Neutral (Paradise Jam)
After a 15 year stretch of annual March Madness visits from ‘89-90 to ‘04-05 and a National Championship in ‘90-91, the Red Raiders have hit the doldrums. Since that time, Texas Tech has only made two NCAA Tournaments, losing in the first round on both occasions, and have only had 20+ wins four times in the subsequent twenty years.
If the Big 12 Preseason Poll and Awards are to believed, things are looking more of the same for Lubbock as they enter the ‘24-25 campaign. Last season, the team went 17-16 (5-13) and finished 11th in their conference. This season, they are predicted to finish 10th in the conference and don’t have single player selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
However, this is the ‘24-25 Big 12 we’re talking about. In the ESPN’s Women’s Basketball Way-Too-Early Top 25 that featured sixteen teams, the Big 12 had four representatives. In the AP’s Preseason Top 25, three Big 12 teams officially made the cut with Iowa State, Kansas State, and Baylor checking in 8th, 12th, and 13th, respectively, and three others receiving votes in Iowa, TCU, and Utah.
As such, I wouldn’t read to much into Tech’s rankings in the preseason polls and instead would focus on the players as this team is returning largely intact with only one of their exiting transfers featuring in last year’s starting lineup, albeit in a limited role. They return the majority of their scoring and, like Missouri State above, the majority of this coming from the guard position. Here, they have a nice one-two punch in 5’8” junior guard Jasmine Shavers and 5’10” junior guard Bailey Maupin with the two combining for a per game average of 29.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.6 steals in ‘23-24. Last season’s leading big, 6’3” forward Jordyn Merrit who averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in the previous campaign, will get support from incoming transfer Maya Peat who stands at an absurd 6’6” and averaged 10.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game at Arkansas Pine Bluff.
Transfers Out
Saga Ukkonen, 5’9, G, Jr. (2.1 ppg) → Fresno State
Ashley Chevalier, 5’7, G, Jr. (2.8 ppg) → Houston
Elina Arike, 6’2, F, Sr. (3.7 ppg) → MTSU
Jazion Jackson, 5’9, G, Sr. (11.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg — 2022-23 at UTEP) → Arizona State
Jojo Nworie, 6’5, F/C, So. (12.6 jpg, 8.1 rpg — 2021-22 at Southern Idaho) → Colorado
Transfers In
Maya Peat, 6’6, C, Sr. (10.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg) Arkansas Pine Bluff → Texas Tech
Denae Fritz, 5’11, G, So. (1.6 ppg) Baylor → Texas Tech
Jalynn Bristow, 6’2, F, Fr. (5.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg) Iowa State → Texas Tech
Adlee Blacklock, 6′, G, So. (3.5 ppg) Oregon State → Texas Tech
Florida State: November 30th – Neutral (Paradise Jam)
FSU looks like a very dangerous team. They finished last season 23-11 (12-6), fifth in their conference, and made the NCAA Tournament where they were bounced in the opening round by an Alabama team that Gonzaga in the non-conference slate last season.
They are currently ranked #19 in the AP’s Preseason Top 25, have been predicted to finish 5th in the ACC with 1335 votes and have two players, Ta’Niya Latson (G-Jr.) and Makayla Thompson (F-Sr.), that were selected to the Preaseason All-ACC Team. Latson has also just recently been selected to Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year watch list.
Both of the aforementioned players will likely be cornerstones for this ‘24-25 Seminole team as Ta’Niya finished last season with 21.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals while Makayla finished with 14.3 points, 10 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 2.6 blocks.
This will be an incredibly tough matchup for the Bulldogs and represents the cherry on top for a Paradise Jam that will likely test the team’s perimeter defensive capabilities to it’s limits. If the Zags can secure the win in their third game in as many days, it would go a long way to easing the tension on this team to reach March Madness again.
Transfers Out
Lucia Navarro, 6′, F, Fr. (1.2 ppg) → Oregon State
Sakyia White, 6’1, F, Jr. (2.5 ppg) → UL Monroe
Transfers In
Malea Williams, 6’4, F, Sr. (8.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg) Cincinatti → Florida State
Sydney Bowles, 6′, G, So. (3.5 ppg) Texas A&M → Florida State