Conference Predictions: MAC Commonwealth
Even though we’re less a month away from the start of the season, I promise we’ll get through every conference before games tip off on Nov. 8. Today, we’ve got the MAC Commonwealth, one of 15 leagues that sent multiple teams to last season’s national tournament. And we’ll get into that in just a second.
But first, I wanted to let you know that Scott Peterson and I will be hosting a season preview livestream tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET, talking about a variety of topics surrounding the 2024-25 season, including NPI, teams to watch, key players, and more. If you have any questions for us to answer on the show, DM them to Scott or I on X/Twitter — (@ZayasRiley) and (@scott_peterson4) — or email me at rileyzayas@gmail.com. You can also leave a comment at the bottom of this post. We’re looking forward to it, and even if you can’t watch live, it’ll be available on-demand on YouTube.
As for the MACC…
Pick to Win: Messiah
I know Messiah is the typical pick in the MACC, and I also know that Widener was really impressive last season, winning the conference tournament title. But Messiah has so much going in its favor entering this season, as the Falcons look to play for the MACC title for the 10th straight year. In each of the last nine seasons, Messiah has either won the MACC championship or finished as the runner-up, reaching the NCAA Tournament in seven of those years.
Mike Miller is unquestionably one of the best coaches in D3 women’s hoops history, and it seems that every season, he has his team in the national conversation. The Falcons have put up seven straight 20-win campaigns (the only exception being during Covid, when Messiah played an abbreviated 11-game schedule…and went 11-0). Under his direction again in 2024-25, Messiah, at least on paper, is the favorite in the MACC. 66.7% of the roster from last year’s 23-6 team returns, and that includes four starters. Losing leading scorer Morgan Adams (16.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG) to graduation is tough, but Reese Harden (15.9 PPG in 33.2 min/game) and Chloe Milanesi (9.4 PPG, 2.1 steals/game) returning as grad students is a huge positive. That duo, along with junior guard Charlotte Milanesi (3.1 APG, 5.6 PPG) and senior guard Sydney Hoffman (25 starts in 2023-24) leads Messiah into upcoming year, and bringing back four starters is a great indication of the success that may potentially be ahead for the Falcons.
As for that fifth starter to replace Adams, forward Liv Monturo is also back as a graduate student. She averaged just 16.5 min/game in 23-24, but tallied 5.2 PPG and 3.2 RPG within that limited action. Monturo should aid Messiah in the frontcourt, completing a solid starting lineup that has a very good chance of guiding Messiah to yet another league title.
What about Widener? Well, the Pride will lose at least one starter in leading scorer Jordan D’Ambrosio, a graduate student who put up 16.8 PPG in Widener’s first 20-win season since 2019-20. But there is still a chance they bring back four starters in juniors Mia Robbins and Lindsay Kutz, senior Mary McFillin, and Gianna Samuels, if she uses her 5th year of eligibility. That’s a solid returning core. Similar to Messiah, there’s not a ton of scoring depth on the bench from what I can see right now (Widener’s 2024-25 roster is not out yet), but you never know who might step up in any given year, especially offensively. Robbins should be one of the league’s top post players this season, after averaging 12.0 or more points per game in each of her first two college seasons. Her role will be even more important this season, without D’Ambrosio there to aid in the scoring.
Widener is my No. 2 pick in the MACC, especially after what I saw from them last season. The step forward they took was tremendous, after going 11-6 the year prior. And let’s not forget that they advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after beating Springfield, 57-50, in the opening round. And in that second round matchup, a 79-69 loss to Bates, Widener kept it close until Bates’ fourth-quarter surge. I don’t expect the Pride to be too different this season, even without D’Ambrosio, and they’ll certainly compete with Messiah for the MACC championship.
I wouldn’t overlook York, either. With 92% of last year’s roster returning, including all five starters, York could be the dark horse in this MACC race. Breana Grim was one of the league’s top guards last season and should be once again, leading York in scoring (12.3 PPG) and the entire conference in assists (4.6).
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Reese Harden, Messiah: As the Falcons’ top returning scorer, Harden could seen an expanded scoring role without Adams in the mix. She shot 45% from the field last season, 20-of-55 from 3-point range, dished out 81 total assists, impacting the Messiah offense even when she wasn’t the one putting the ball through the net.
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Charlotte Milanesi, Messiah: Messiah had the top defense in the MACC last season, allowing just 53.0 PPG, and Milanesi certainly contributed to that. Her 65 steals (2.2/game) were the second-most of any MACC player in 2023-24 and she’s in position for another big year on the defensive end.
Picks so far → AMCC: PSU Behrend, A-R-C: Wartburg, ASC: ETBU, AEC: Marymount, Centennial: Johns Hopkins, CUNYAC: Baruch, C2C: Christopher Newport, CCIW: Illinois Wesleyan, CCS: LaGrange, CNE: Western New England, MACC: Messiah
Up Next: Empire 8 Conference