Early Preseason Top 30: Part I
Looking at teams #26-#30 in my early Preseason Top 30
Hope everyone’s week has gotten off to a good start! We’re almost halfway through August, and I’ve finalized my early preseason Top 25. Putting together something like this was tougher than I had initially expected because of the variables from year to year. Coaching changes, graduating seniors, and incoming transfers all factored into this early look at the Top 30 teams entering the 2023-24 season.
I kept to 30 teams, fully aware that I’m leaving out teams that have excellent cases to be on this list. I put together a group of at least 45 teams that I think could be ranked by the time the season tips off, and I’m well aware that this ranking is by no means perfect. It’s simply a projection as the upcoming season starts to come into view. Programs like Hope, Hardin-Simmons, Calvin, Washington & Lee, St. John Fisher, and Ithaca are all right there on my list, and have potential for really good seasons. Don’t be surprised if they end up in my Top 25 at some point within the first few weeks of the season!
But with all that said, I’ll be releasing the Top 30 in five-team segments, counting down from 30 to 1. Today, I’ve got #26-#30….
#30: Marietta (2022-23 record: 22-8): The Pioneers really impressed me down the stretch in OAC play last year, entering the conference tournament on a seven-game win streak that included an upset of #8 Baldwin Wallace on the road. They beat BW again in the OAC Tourney and edged Ithaca in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for a Sweet 16 appearance.
They return 62% of their roster, but lose two of their top three scorers in Devin Hefner and Erin Hahn. That led me to put them a little lower, though I think Olivia Gribble and Paige Tolson could be in for big seasons for Marietta. The Pioneers first real test (in my opinion, of course) will come at Ohio Wesleyan on Nov. 18. I almost put OWU in my Top 30, and could see them finishing the season as a Top 25 team.
#29: Puget Sound (2022-23 record: 21-5): Another team that nearly ended up in my Top 25, Puget Sound has a ton of upside this season. They first caught my eye when they beat UMHB and nearly took down Trinity (TX) in Texas before Christmas last year. The Loggers also beat Whitman once, though their season ended prematurely with a loss in the NWC semifinals. I think this could be a breakout year (and another 20-win season) for Puget. It won’t be easy with a very good Whitman team also sitting in the NWC, but I’m expecting Puget to be one of the better west coast teams.
Returning 86% of their roster and leading scorers Kennedy Brown and Sophie Nilsson will be huge. Look for them to make some noise in the midwest, opening the season with games against UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire and Illinois Wesleyan. They fly to Eau Claire for the first two games, then return to Holland, Michigan a week later to face IWU (and Bushnell).
#28: Illinois Wesleyan (2022-23 record: 16-11): The Titans were a tough team to figure out at times last year, making a statement at the DePauw Tourney in late November, with wins over DePauw and WashU. But an 18-point loss to Carroll a week later took away some of that momentum. Losses to Wheaton, La Verne, and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps before Jan. 1 pretty much removed them from further Top 25 consideration.
But expectations are high in Bloomington this season, and for good reason. 88% of last year’s team is back, including Lauren Huber, who averaged 18.7 PPG as a sophomore. Huber will have help in the backcourt as Ava Bardic transferred in from D2 Illinois-Springfield, where she started 22 games as a freshman last year. With Bardic’s presence, and most of last year’s squad back, I see IWU ending up in the heart of the CCIW title race. They’ll have some RRO opportunities as well, playing Hope (probably), Whitewater, and Chicago in non-conference.
#27: Washington & Jefferson (2022-23 record: 24-3): A very low strength of schedule kept W&J out of the tournament last year, but this is a squad that has plenty of talent and experience heading into 2023-24. 88% of last year’s team is back, including their entire starting five, which will be very notable amongst the top teams in Region 7. Meghan Dryburgh averaged a double-double last year with 13.3 PPG and 11.5 RPG, and the expectation is that she will lead the charge for the Presidents once again.
The SOS probably won’t be much better for W&J than it was last year, so they’ll need to win that AQ to get into the NCAA Tournament, something they are fully capable of doing. Playing Ohio Wesleyan and Marietta could give W&J a pair of RRO results early in non-conference action.
#26: Emory (2022-23 record: 17-8): Always competitive in the UAA, Emory is in for a very strong season. Their schedule is set up almost perfectly, with a .630 projected SOS according to Scott’s model. Matchups against Christopher Newport, Washington & Lee, and Hardin-Simmons in non-conference will certainly help, and the UAA schedule will be daunting as always.
I try not to base too much of my rankings in the preseason on rsults from the previous year. But the win at Chicago in early February of last season really caught my eye, considering how well Chicago was playing at the time, and the fact that Emory was on the road. If Claire Brock did graduate (she has two years of eligibility remaining but was listed as a senior) that will challenge Emory’s scoring ability early, but Morgan Laudick and Daniella Aronsky are expected to be back after putting together strong sophomore seasons. Emory is a bit of a wild card for me, but I definitely think that at this point, the Eagles are a borderline Top 25 team.
Coming tomorrow —> Teams #21-#25
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