ST. LOUIS – For the first time in program history, the University of Northern Iowa has been tabbed as the preseason favorite in the MVC women’s basketball race in the annual survey of the league’s coaches, sports information directors and media.
The Panthers will vie for their first regular season title since the 2015-16 season. UNI finished third in the regular season race a year ago and have appeared in the top five in the final Valley standings every year since 2009-10.
UNI received 33 of 48 first-place votes and 517 total points, out-distancing Drake (482, 12 1st place votes) and Illinois State (433, 2 1st place votes).
Preseason voters have correctly selected the conference’s regular-season champion 24 times in 40 seasons, but since the poll was expanded to include sports information directors and media in 1994-95, pollsters have accurately predicted 19 of the 29 champions. Preseason favorites have played in 31 postseasons, including 22 NCAA Tournaments with two Sweet 16 and one Final Four appearance.
The 2023-24 regular season campaign begins Monday, November 6, with conference play starting on December 30.
#1 UNI PANTHERS
- Head coach Tanya Warren, in her 17th season, looks to overtake Cheryl Burnett (Missouri State 1988-02) as No. 2 all-time for overall wins in MVC history and Burnett and Cindy Scott (Southern Illinois 1983-98) as the all-time leader for league wins in MVC history. Warren needs 16 overall wins to claim the No. 2 spot and 8 Valley wins to become the all-time leader.
- The Panthers return eight of their top-10 scorers from last season. These players include forward Grace Boffeli, guard Maya McDermott, guard Emerson Green, guard Kayba Laube, guard Taryn Wharton, guard Cailyn Morgan, forward Rachel Heittola, and forward Ryley Goebel. Boffeli, McDermott, and Goebel finished with All-Conference honors at the end of the season including first-team honors for Boffeli, second-team honors for McDermott, and freshman-team honors for Goebel.
- The Panthers look forward to a number of tough tests in the non-conference slate this upcoming season highlights by a number of matchups. The highlight of the non-conference slate comes on November 12 when the Panthers welcome in the defending Big Ten champions and NCAA runners up in Iowa, seeking their first win against the Hawkeyes since 2019. Another big set of opponents come during the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas, Nevada where the purple and gold will take on Syracuse and Vanderbilt.
#2 DRAKE BULLDOGS
- Bulldogs coming off a 2022 MVC Tournament title and berth in 2023 NCAA Tournament.
- Return reigning Defensive Player of the Year/Sixth Player of the Year Anna Miller, All-MVC Third Team/MVC All-Defensive Team member Katie Dinnebier, and All-MVC Third Team Grace Berg.
- Another challenging non-MVC schedule includes trips to Iowa, Minnesota, Saint Louis plus visits from Creighton and Iowa State.
#3 ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
- Illinois State won the program’s first Missouri Valley Conference regular season title since 2010, and first under Kristen Gillespie, as they shared the 2022-23 MVC regular season title with conference newcomer, Belmont.
- ISU would go on and advance to the first round of the WNIT, marking the third consecutive postseason appearance for the Redbirds under Gillespie and first time as a program since 2011-13.
- The Redbirds bring back nine returners from last season’s MVC regular season champions and WNIT team, including All-MVC Second Team member, DeAnna Wilson.
- Ahead of the 2023-24 campaign for the Redbirds, Illinois State added five new faces to the program, including former Bradley Brave Caroline Waite. The Redbirds also welcomed Shannon Dowell (O’Fallon, Ill.), Molly Lenz (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Brooke Coffey (St. Charles, Mo.), and Savannah McGowan (Plymouth, Minn.) as the 2023-24 freshman class.
#4 BELMONT BRUINS
- Belmont captured a regular season title in its first season in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2022-23. Going 17-3 against the Valley, the Bruins won their sixth regular season conference championship in seven seasons. Earning its ninth regular season conference title in program history, Belmont won its 16th combined conference championship in its NCAA era, including the regular season and league tournament.
- For the second consecutive year, the Bruins won 23 games and finished 23-12 overall. After reaching its third-straight conference tournament title game, Belmont earned its 10th national postseason bid in 11 seasons. The Bruins received an at-large bid to the 2023 Postseason WNIT where they made their third WNIT appearance and first since 2014.
- Belmont welcomes six newcomers for its 2023-24 campaign, including talented freshmen guards Jailyn Banks and Kensley Feltner. Georgia Tech transfer forward Carmyn Harrison, junior college All-American guard Claire Hyde and Marquette transfer guard Emily La Chapell, along with junior guard Liz Suder, have joined the Bruins since mid-May.
#5 MISSOURI STATE LADY BEARS
- Missouri State is coming off its eighth consecutive postseason appearance following a WNIT berth last season. The Lady Bears finished 20-12 overall and 14-6 in the MVC, securing a sixth straight 20-win season, as Beth Cunningham became just the second head coach in program history to record at least 20 wins in her first season at the helm.
- The Lady Bears return six players, including three starters, from a year ago. The group is highlighted by All-MVC third team selection Kennedy Taylor, MSU’s most experienced player in Paige Rocca and last season’s MVC Freshman of the Year, Jade Masogayo. A team known for its dominance on the glass, Missouri State returns 61 percent of its rebounding, including its top two rebounders in Taylor and Indya Green, from a 2022-23 squad that ranked 26th nationally in rebounds per game.
- MSU’s group of newcomers consists of three transfers and five freshmen. The Lady Bears look to build on the success of last season’s impact transfers as they welcome in Lacy Stokes (Missouri Southern), Katrine Jessen (Kansas) and Angel Scott (Stephen F. Austin). Meanwhile, Missouri State also ushers in its largest freshman class since the 2018-19 season.
#6 UIC Flames
- The 2022-23 season was a historic one for the Flames, as UIC competed as members of the Missouri Valley Conference for the first time. UIC finished its inaugural regular season in the MVC with a 9-11 record against conference opponents. The team held an overall record of 19-17, which was the second-most wins in program history. UIC’s 17-game win turnaround from the previous season’s record was also the second-largest win turnaround in the nation.
- With seven returning players from the previous season and the addition of eight new impactful athletes to the roster, the Flames are prepared to surpass the success found in their first season under the direction of head coach Ashleen Bracey.
- The Flames welcome eight new faces to the roster. Keimari Rimmer is a graduate transfer from DePaul. Krystyna Ellew comes to UIC after playing two seasons at Wisconsin. Makiyah Williams, a Chicago native, has two two years of eligibility remaining after transferring from Marquette. Juco transfer, Sandra Frau-Garcia will also be joining the Flames as a point guard. Dais’Ja Trotter is most recently coming from Cinncinati, while Tara Green made a stop at New Orleans. Two freshman, Erin Henry and Megen Sanaj, round out the squad for the 2023-24 season.
#7 MURRAY STATE RACERS
- Racers enter their seventh season under head coach Rechelle Turner and second season in the MVC. Murray State qualified for the MVC tournament in their inaugural season and made the quarterfinals.
- Katelyn Young led the MVC in points and points per game in the 2022-23 season. She earned MVC First Team honors in the Racers’ first year in the conference. Young was tenth in the NCAA in points per game in the end of the 2022-23 season.
- The Racers return six letterwinners from and three of five starters from last season.
#8 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS
- The Salukis go into their second season with Kelly Bond-White as the head coach. In her first season in charge, SIU posted a record of 12-19 and 8-12 in conference play.
- Southern Illinois won a MVC tournament game for the third consecutive season this past March when the Salukis defeated Indiana State. The last time the Salukis didn’t win a game in the tournament, besides 2019-20 when it was cancelled, was in 2018-19.
- In 2022-23, the Salukis were amongst the top teams in the Valley in terms of offense. SIU averaged 73.4 points-per-game, which was third and ranked only behind Drake and UNI.
#9 INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
- Indiana State is coming off a season in which the Sycamores won 11 games overall and six in MVC play. The Sycamores increased their conference win total by one while winning double-digit games for the second straight season, marking the first time since the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons that the Sycamores had back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins.
- 2022 MVC All-Freshman Team selection Bella Finnegan and frontcourt starters Chelsea Cain and Mya Glanton headline the returners for Indiana State. Finnegan was one of two MVC freshmen to average double-figure scoring in conference play (10.2ppg vs. MVC opponents), while Cain ranked among the top 25 in the conference in both scoring (11.6) and rebounding (5.7). Glanton is Indiana State’s active leader in points and rebounds.
- 10 newcomers join the fold this season, including a pair of Indiana HS All-Stars in Saige Stahl and Asia Donald. The duo gave Indiana State multiple Indiana All-Stars in the same signing class for the first time in 40 years. Former four-star prospects Savannah White (Wisconsin) and Chloe Williams (Tulsa) headline the incoming transfers for the Sycamores, while junior college transfers Olivia Medford and Deja Jones both led their teams to national tournament appearances.
#10 VALPARAISO Beacons
- Three of Valpo’s top four scorers from last season return in 2023-24, as the Beacons return the majority of their production from last year’s squad. In all, Valpo returns 64.7% of its minutes played, 66.4% of its scoring and 72.1% of its rebounding from the 2022-23 team.
- Headlining Valpo’s returnees is fifth-year guard Olivia Brown. The Beacons’ leading scorer last year at 12.0 points/game, Brown was one of the Valley’s top shooters, ranking third in the conference in 3-point percentage and sixth in 3-pointers/game. Brown enters the 2023-24 campaign just 75 points away from hitting 1,000 points for her collegiate career.
- Senior forward Leah Earnest took a leap forward last season, averaging 9.8 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game — the latter mark good for sixth in the Valley. Earnest was especially proficient on the defensive glass, with a defensive rebounding rate of 28.3% — 13th-best nationally among players with at least 100 defensive boards.
#11 EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
- It will be a new look team for the Evansville Purple Aces in the 2023-24 women’s basketball season. With 10 new players on the roster for the upcoming season, the Aces have recruited talent with championship experience at all levels. Among UE’s 10 new players, three come from winning junior college programs, three from winning high school programs, and one with national team experience. Evansville will look to improve on their best season record in six years with their 2023-24 roster.
- Along with several new players to the team, the Aces welcome back four returners in sophomore Kynidi Mason Striverson, graduate student Barbora Tomancova, redshirt senior Celine Dupont, and junior Lexie Sinclair. Tomancova and Mason Striverson return as the team’s points leaders after being in the 2022-23 Top 5 in scoring. A consistent starter, Tomancova brings experience in big situations to the young team, while Mason Striverson and Dupont were key bench players looking to make the move to the starting five.
#12 BRADLEY BRAVES
- Head Coach Kate Popovec Goss enters her second season on the Hilltop after five season on the staff at Northwestern.
- Three seniors return for the Braves: Ruba Abo Hashesh, Isis Fitch and Dajia Powell as Bradley has five newcomers for the upcoming season, Claire McDougall, Halli Poock, Armoni “Moni” Strozier, Sheyene Neale and Old Dominion transfer Kaylen Nelson.
- McDougall, a graduate of local Washington High School, was named to the First Team All-State Illinois squad with an average of 17.5 points per game. Poock comes from neighboring Iowa and became the only player in Waterloo West High School history to score 2,000 points in a career.
Preseason All-MVC Team
The 2024 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament will return to Vibrant Arena at The MARK in Moline, Ill., for the ninth-straight season. Affectionately coined “Hoops in the Heartland,” the four-day event (Mar. 14-17) will showcase all 12 MVC schools as they compete for The Valley’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
With its 2024 neutral site championship, The Valley is the only Division I stand-alone women’s basketball event to be held in the same city nine or more consecutive years. In fact, Hoops in the Heartland 2024 matches the ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 Conference Tournaments, as the only Division I stand-alone women’s basketball championships to be held at a neutral site for more than 16 consecutive years.
The 2024 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament title game on Sunday, March 17, will be aired on ESPNU for the third-straight season. The first 10 tournament contests will be shown exclusively on ESPN+.