2024-25 BIG EAST preview

“Women’s basketball, over the last 50 years since Title IX was passed, has seen its shares of stars, dynasties, including in the college, pro and national team levels, but the landscape today does feel palpably different. That said, there still seems like there’s a lot of room to grow, and it is my hope that the BIG EAST can continue to do our part to provide the showcase that players and coaches in our programs deserve, and help write exciting new chapters of women’s basketball,” Ackerman said.

The BIG EAST is a competitive and exciting conference with star players, elite coaching and emerging rivalries. Headed into the season, let’s take a look at how the conference’s coaches expect the standings to shake out, and dive into team-by-team analysis for each program.

2024-25 BIG EAST women’s basketball preseason coaches’ poll

1. UConn — 100 (10 first-place votes)
2. Creighton — 91 (1)
3. Providence — 71
4. St. John’s — 67
5. Georgetown — 66
6. Villanova — 56
7. Seton Hall — 51
8. Butler — 46
9. DePaul — 24
10. Marquette — 23
11. Xavier — 10

Unless otherwise hyperlinked, player statistics for team previews are from Sports-Reference, Her Hoop Stats or team media notes.

Click the links below to skip to your favorite teams:

UConn | Creighton | Providence | St. John’s | Georgetown | Villanova | Seton Hall | Butler | DePaul | Marquette | Xavier

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UConn

2023-24 season: 33-6, (18-0 BIG EAST, 1st), NCAA Tournament Final Four semifinal

After four years in Storrs, UConn’s All-American point guard Paige Bueckers said she’s approaching her final season as a Husky with a “sense of urgency” to accomplish what she came to UConn for — a national championship.

“Anybody that’s watched her play will know that when Paige was a freshman there was nobody in the country better than Paige — obviously, she got every national player of the year award. And then she kind of disappeared from the spotlight because of some injuries … putting a player like Paige on your team automatically makes you a national championship contender,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma told reporters.

Last season, an injury-limited roster came within two points of making an appearance in the national championship game, ultimately falling to Iowa in the final moments of the Final Four. UConn has advanced to the Final Four in three of the last four seasons, failing to make it only when Bueckers was sidelined with an ACL injury in her junior year.

Looking ahead, the Huskies hope to cross that finish line and hang a 13th banner in Storrs, capping off Bueckers’ career with some hardware. Bueckers wants to etch her name in Husky lore by hoisting the NCAA championship trophy in Tampa this April, and has a supporting cast of both players returning from injury and newcomers to help her get there.

“Obviously Azzi [Fudd] is coming back, Caroline [Ducharme], Aubrey [Griffin] coming back … but it’s like right now, most people on the court are new to the game, or second years in the game, or [transfer] Kaitlyn [Chen], just new to the UConn program,” Bueckers said at media day. “So it’s challenged me in different ways to grow as a leader — how to talk to people, who responds to what, who’s receptive to things and who’s not receptive to things. Like it makes you grow in your relationship with them as well off the court, because you get to know them as people, and how they respond to things, and how you can communicate with them.”

The timelines vary for the return of Fudd, Ducharme and Griffin, as each of them works their way back into the lineup following major injuries. Those roster gaps will be bridged in the backcourt by All-BIG EAST First Team selections in sophomores KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade, both of whom stepped into starting roles last season as freshman, and Kaitlyn Chen, 2023 Ivy League Player of the Year and three-time Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2022, ’23, ’24). In the frontcourt, UConn adds to the rotation 6’5 redshirt freshman center Jana El Alfy, a dominant post presence who fine-tuned her craft with the Egyptian national team before tearing her Achilles weeks before her freshman season at UConn. She, alongside Ice Brady, is expected to make up for the absence of the departure of All-American forward Aaliyah Edwards.

In another chapter of UConn’s history of the rich getting richer, they also add one of the nation’s strongest incoming freshman classes, including 6′ guard Allie Ziebell and 6’2 wing Morgan Cheli and led by forward Sarah Strong, No. 1 recruit and BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year.

Given Strong’s talent and potential, it’s no surprise that Auriemma just signed a five-year contract extension during the offseason at the twilight of his career. The Hall of Famer wants his team to return to the top of college basketball this spring in Tampa, but he also has his sights set on adding a few more banners to the rafters before hanging up the whistle.

“[During recruitment] it became if we get Sarah to come into our program, we will significantly change the trajectory of our program … it’s not like we’ve been losing all the time and now this is gonna change, I don’t mean that kind of trajectory. … But what I really mean is the four year close the gap,” Auriemma told reporters. “That’s not like a one year close the gap and then leave … this is an opportunity to close that gap for four years in a row and keep it closed.”

Creighton

2023-24 season: 26-6, (15-3 BIG EAST, 2nd), NCAA Tournament second round

The Creighton Bluejays have put themselves firmly on the national radar, reaching the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons. Last season ended in heartbreak that was nearly jubilation, as the Bluejays fell just short of their second Sweet Sixteen appearance in three seasons, losing to UCLA in a hard-fought 67-63 defeat on the Bruins’ home court of Pauley Pavilion.

Fortunately for the Bluejays, they’ll have a chance at revenge against UCLA this December in the Bay Area Women’s Classic at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

“They kicked us out of the tournament last year, and I think we’re really excited to get another shot at them,” said Creighton graduate guard Molly Mogensen.

Mogensen, alongside Lauren Jensen, Emma Ronsiek and Morgan Maly have comprised the Bluejays’ core four over the past three seasons, leading Creighton to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, a .739 winning percentage and even a 3×3 national championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the summer of 2023.

Although Ronsiek is no longer a Bluejay — transferring to Colorado State during the offseason to play with her sister Hannah — Creighton has its sights set on another successful campaign that ends with a postseason run in the spring. The Bluejays enter the season as the preseason No. 2 in the BIG EAST, and they understand that finishing on top requires dethroning the mighty UConn Huskies.

“Earning respect — I feel like we have some, but not as much as I feel like we deserve or command, but part of that is because we haven’t knocked off UConn yet. … We beat a few good non-conference teams, we take care of most BIG EAST opponents, but UConn’s still that to-do. We know that there’s no more opportunities, at least personally, [to defeat UConn],” Maly told reporters.

Head coach Jim Flanery, who signed a contract extension in the offseason, infused new talent into the roster that he hopes will keep the Bluejays soaring towards the top of the conference. He signed graduate transfers Sydney Golladay (Fremont, Neb.) and Brooke Littrell (Green City, Mo.), both standouts at the Division II level, and added two freshman in 6’1 guard Allison Heathcock and 6’3 center Elizabeth Gentry.

“This year we’ve had the most newcomers on the team than we’ve had since we’ve been freshmen,” Mogensen said on media day. “Just trying to bring them along and be vocal leaders, but leading by example as well, and just making sure they’re on the same page as us. And we went on a Europe trip this past summer, and I think that really helped with our chemistry and getting to know them.”

Coach Flan is a master at roster building and finding roles for each of his players in his signature team-oriented offensive sets. If the past three seasons are any indication, expect Creighton to sustain its winning ways, remain in the conference’s top tier and put itself in a position for a postseason run this March.

Providence

2023-24 season: 13-21, (6-12 BIG EAST, 9th), WNIT second round

Following a ninth place finish in the conference last season, some may be surprised at the Friars’ No. 3 preseason ranking. One person who isn’t concerned about the rankings? Graduate guard Grace Efosa.

“I feel like we feel the same. We’re gonna go into to practice the same way we’ve been feeling before. Rankings are just rankings — we’re just trying to handle business every game and just collect wins,” Efosa said.

Including Efosa, Providence returns each of its starters from a season ago — 6’3 post Olivia Olsen, guard Brynn Farrell, wing Marta Morales Romero and forward Emily Archibald. The Friars also return senior guard Kylee Sheppard, who started in each of the six games she played last season before missing the final 28 games to an injury.

Second-year head coach Erin Batth, the energizer behind Providence’s resurgence, laid out three major goals for her team this season: reduce turnovers, get more second chance points and defend without fouling.

“I hope we’re able to show everybody our unity — we are family, they are sisters. I am telling you — we’re high-fiving, we’re chest-bumping, we’re gonna be on the floor. I want everyone to see our enthusiasm for being out there together,” Batth told reporters on media day.

During the offseason, Batth was able to add some depth to the roster at the guard position, a luxury she didn’t have during her first season as coach. When asked, Batth described the potential she sees in some of the new Friars.

“I’m going to start with [freshman guard] Orlagh Gormley. Oh gee, honey, she is a terror. I love it. She’s quick as a hiccup, she really can push her pace. We’ve already become faster with her on the floor. She has angle, she’s such a good deliverer of the ball,” Batth said. “I tell the big girls, you better have both your eyes open and your ears ready because the ball is coming, whether you think it’s coming or not. So Orlagh, for sure. MacKayla Scarlett is a great addition coming from Xavier at the point guard position, which I needed that to help Orlagh as a freshman.”

Since her introductory press conference at Alumni Hall in March 2023, Batth has had the chance to set the foundation for the program she envisions — one that prioritizes relationships, trust and honest communication. Batth is humbled by the No. 3 preseason ranking from her peers in the coaches’ poll and, with a year of experience under her belt and some new talent, she’d like to “prove them right.”

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St. John’s

2023-24 season: 18-15 (11-7 BIG EAST, 5th), WBIT second round

In a college sports recruiting landscape that has changed drastically as a result of new NIL and transfer rules, St. John’s head coach Joe Tartamella has managed to find a winning approach to roster creation.

“You try to identify kids you’ve recruited, you’ve seen, you kind of know what they can do, more than maybe somebody else, right? When I look back at [transfers] Jayla Everett and Jillian Archer and Mimi [Reid], they all possess different things that you know most of the time what it is — but then sometimes you get a little more, sometimes you get a little less, but the one thing you usually get, for the most part, is you’re getting experience and experiences,” Tartamella told the media. “So you’re getting a player who’s had multiple NCAA Tournament runs, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight — feels it, knows what it looks like, who can impart that. Those that can handle being in the atmosphere that we’re in in the BIG EAST, you know, being in New York and all those things.

“We try to identify, I think not only just the talent part, but who’s the right personality. And two years ago, you know, coming off probably my worst year in terms of record, probably — I think we really were able to figure that formula out.”

Team captains Jailah Donald and Ber’Nyah Mayo lead a 2024-25 St. John’s squad that includes eight returning players, four incoming transfers and two freshmen. The talented transfer class features 6’2 forward Jade Blagrove (Manhattan), 6’2 forward Kylie Lavelle (Penn State), 5’9 guard Ariana Vanderhoop (Monmouth) and 5’6 guard Lashae Dwyer (Miami). Blagrove and Lavelle add experienced frontcourt depth to the roster, while 2023-24 All-CAA selection and champion Vanderhoop and combo guard Dwyer steady the backcourt with a combined seven seasons of experience, including postseason runs.

Freshmen A’riel Little, a scrappy 5’4 guard from South Shore High School in Brooklyn, and Janeya Grant, a 6′ guard from South Shore Christian Academy (Mass.), round out a talented cohort of newcomers that has the potential to keep St. John’s in the conference’s top tier.

“It didn’t happen overnight, right? So it was a mix of transfers, mix of JUCO kids, which was basically transfers, and the freshmen just have to get better,” Tartamella said. “And then you got to be able to retain your core … so I think the portal has been good. I think it’s good and bad in general. But, you know, I think for us, obviously, I think we’ve identified pretty well what we need, and then it’s about them coming in and being able to to execute and produce.”

Georgetown

2023-24 season: 23-12, (9-9 BIG EAST, 6th), WBIT second round

It’s difficult to put into words the range of emotions experienced by the 2023-24 Georgetown Hoyas. The program navigated the painful, tragic loss of its head coach, Tasha Butts, to breast cancer in the days before the season tipped off. Darnell Haney, who had left his head coaching position at Jacksonville University to serve as Butts’ associate head coach, was named the interim head coach.

The Hoyas honored Butts with their “Tasha Tough” play all season, ending the regular season 22-11 as well as 9-9 in conference play. As a No. 6 seed in the conference tournament, the Hoyas advanced to the BIG EAST championship game for the first time in program history. Led by Haney’s passionate leadership, the Hoyas ended their season with a WBIT appearance, the program’s first postseason run since 2019.

‘Tasha Tough’ Hoyas make history

Coach Haney demonstrated last season that he is a special kind of coach and person, earning the respect of program vets Kelsey Ransom and Graceann Bennett and getting the most out of a roster he inherited. In March 2024, the Hoyas dropped Haney’s interim tag and made him the head coach at Georgetown. He attributes his effectiveness to his honest and compassionate approach to leadership.

“I’m gonna tell you like it is, right? I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I’m gonna tell you what it is,” Haney told reporters. “Kelsey, if you’re not playing well, I’m gonna tell you, ‘Kelsey, you’re not playing well,’ but Kelsey, if you are playing well, I’m going to tell you, ‘Kelsey, you’re playing well.’ So one of the things that I really think that helps our staff and helps us with our young women, the only way that you can build trust is by being honest. They know [when] they haven’t played well, they know what they do. I’m not going to tell them something they don’t know, and I let them know that in advance, right? I let them know that a lot. So just them knowing that they feel like they can trust me, I hope.”

Although Bennett left the program to graduation, Ransom returned for a fifth season and embodies the heart and spirit of the Hoyas. Voted the BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season and Preseason All-BIG EAST Team for this upcoming season, Ransom enters the season as one of the conference’s most elite players. She’s one of six returning Hoyas who will be joined by a new cast of players who were recruited to the program through the transfer portal or as high school seniors.

“[The] offseason was a grind — we brought in seven new players. Our staff worked their tails off to bring in some really good pieces with some talented pieces,” Coach Haney said. “They just got to learn how to play Georgetown basketball, and they’re learning. They’re coming along really, really well, and I’m excited about them, and I’m excited about our newcomers, our returners as well.”

With several new pieces in place, the Hoyas have the same high expectations established by Haney and his staff a year ago. Following a magical run last season, the Hoyas intend to be a team that consistently advances to and competes in the the postseason.

“Expectations are expectations, but what do we need to do to achieve them again. It’s all about intense bonds,” Ransom said on media day. “So our intensity is higher, we’re finding our skill where we’re sharper, and our goals and expectations are to play in March.”

Villanova

2023-24 season: 22-13, (11-7 BIG EAST, 4th), WBIT championship game

For the second consecutive season, the Villanova Wildcats enter the season without their previous season’s star on the roster. Last season, the Wildcats began the season without Maddy Siegrist, who had left for the WNBA. This year, they kick things off without last season’s leading scorer, Lucy Olsen, who took her talents to Iowa via the transfer portal.

Olsen was one of eight players who left Villanova’s roster last season either to the transfer portal or graduation. As a result, head coach Denise Dillon and her staff have been forced to completely revamp their roster, looking to the portal to find players who fit into Villanova’s methodical system of play that has kept the program towards the top of the BIG EAST.

“I mean, obviously we have a style, we have a system, and we feel we got the right players, the right people that fit just that,” Dillon told the media. “So it’s our job to guide them and get the most out of each and every one of them. But I will tell you, we’re really pleased with the group that we’ve assembled, and from our returnees to some new players in the transfer area and then our freshmen, they’ve been great. They’ve been on board from the jump”

Ryan Allen, a transfer from Vanderbilt and a local standout, has seamlessly integrated into the team, showcasing her natural fit with Villanova’s style of play. Becoming a Wildcat is a bit of a homecoming for Allen, an Archbishop Wood High School (Warminster, PA) alum and 2021 Pennsylvania state champion, a peak she reached alongside Villanova senior Kaitlyn Orihel.

Bronagh Power-Cassidy, a transfer from Holy Cross, brings leadership and a winning mentality to the backcourt. She’s a two-time Patriot League Tournament MVP and last season’s Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year. As a Crusader last season, she started all 32 games she played in and averaged 16.8 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per contest. Last season the 5’10 guard from Ireland shot 45.1% from the field, 40.0% from 3-point range and 77.5% from the charity stripe.

“The success that she had at Holy Cross, very well coached program under Maureen Magarity, and just she’s a competitor, and you see it every time she steps on the floor. So her recognition of what it takes to be a part of a winning program, championship program … we keep telling her, like, be you. Don’t try and be something else. Now that you’re in the BIG EAST and all this, you continue to play the way you play,” Dillon said.

The team recently returned from a successful 10-day trip to Italy, which fostered team bonding and helped build chemistry. The ongoing development of that chemistry will be critical for a new-look Wildcats team that hopes to sustain its historic success in the BIG EAST.

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Seton Hall

2023-24 season: 17-15, (8-10 BIG EAST, 7th), WBIT first round

Facing the loss of its two leading scorers — Azana Baines and Micah Gray — sophomore guard Savannah Catalon and graduate guard Amari Wright will look to lead the Pirates this season. Catalon, an honorable mention selection on the All-BIG EAST team, has averaged 7.4 ppg, 2.2 rbg and 2.1 apg in her career in South Orange. Wright, who finished second in the conference in assists per game last season (5.3) maintains her role as facilitator.

Seton Hall head coach Tony Bozzella is looking forward to building chemistry among his new roster, which includes four experienced transfers in 6’1 graduate student forward Faith Masonius (Maryland), 5’8 sophomore guard Nicole Melious (La Salle), 6′ graduate student wing Kaydan Lawson (Virginia) and 6’2 junior forward Messiah Hunter (West Virginia).

Locked On Women’s Basketball: How Tony Bozzella navigates the NCAA transfer portal

Masonius is an especially intriguing transfer as she returns to her home state, where she was a dominant athlete at Manasquan High School. Following a high school career that included 2,000 career points at Manasquan and three straight NJSIAA Group 2 titles, Masonius earned four-star recruit status and was the No. 10 overall wing by ESPN in her graduating class.

Although Masonius was recruited by Seton Hall coming out of high school, she ultimately landed in College Park at the University of Maryland. During a successful five-year career as a Terrapin (2019-24), Masonius evolved into a leader on and off the court, earning the nickname “team mom” and demonstrating grit and resiliency to come back from a season-ending ACL tear in her junior season. With five years of guidance from championship-winning head coach Brenda Frese, Masonius now returns to Jersey to finish out her collegiate career, hoping to enjoy the remaining time in front of her friends and family.

“Hopefully I have enough tickets to go around, because I have a lot of aunts and uncles and cousins, but it just is kind of cool to be full circle back in my home state, representing New Jersey,” Masonius said during media day.

Butler

2023-24 season: 15-17, (6-12 BIG EAST, 8th), WNIT second round

When Butler head coach Austin Parkinson was hired in April 2022, he had his work cut out for him to turn around the fledging program. The Bulldogs had just completed the 2021-22 season with a dismal 1-27 record, including a winless conference play campaign (0-18).

While the program is still a work in progress, Parkinson has led the helm, as Butler has made significant strides over the past few seasons. Following an 11-19 (6-14, BIG EAST) finish in 2022-23, the Bulldogs improved to a near .500 record of 15-17 on the season, advancing to the second round of the WNIT on their home court of Hinkle Fieldhouse, eventually falling to Purdue, Parkinson’s alma mater.

“We talked about the offseason goals — get the postseason, NCAA or WBIT. That’s where we want to go. We’ve scheduled pretty tough. We play two Big Ten teams. We play at Vanderbilt. We potentially play Texas in the second round [of the Gulf Coast Showcase]. So we’ve put together a schedule that should help us from a NET standpoint, and then in conference, we’ve got to stay healthy.”

The good news for Butler as it navigates an early-season gauntlet is that it returns seven of its eight top scorers from a season ago, led by Preseason All-BIG EAST Team selection Caroline Strande. Last season Strande contributed 15.0 ppg on 44.2% shooting from the field (44.6% from 3-point range).

“She loves ball,” Parkinson told reporters. “She’s about ball. She can really score the ball. She maintains composure. She’s not a kid that is very high and low. She’s not afraid. It doesn’t matter who we play, there’s no fear in who we’re playing. She knows she belongs. She believes she belongs.”

With Strande as the team’s leader and an infusion of new talent, including Belmont transfer Kilyn McGuff and four freshmen — highlighted by 5’11 Australian guard Lily Carmody, who has professional experience in the Australian’s WNBL — don’t be surprised if Butler’s continued ascent exceeds its preseason No. 8 ranking.

DePaul

2023-24 season: 12-20, (4-14 BIG EAST, 10th), BIG EAST Tournament first round

BIG EAST media day simply didn’t feel the same without one of the conference’s legendary coaches, DePaul head coach Doug Bruno. Bruno is the program’s all-time wins leader and has been at the helm since 1988. In early October it was announced that he will be stepping away from the program indefinitely following a “medical incident” that occurred in September.

Stepping into head coaching role on an interim basis is DePaul associate head coach Jill Pizzotti. Pizzotti was a student-athlete at Southeast Missouri State and since then has held a variety of assistant and head coach positions. Pizzotti joined the Blue Demon staff prior to the start of the 2011-12 season, helping DePaul to six BIG EAST regular-season titles and five tournament titles (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020).

DePaul, despite returning its No. 2 and No. 3 scorers — 6′ forward Jorie Allen and 6’1 guard Kate Clarke, respectively — opens the season as a relatively inexperienced group. Pizzotti likes what she’s seen so far from the squad, appreciating the energy of the newcomers and the dedication of the returning players,

“Our [team has] six freshmen. What’s great about them? They’re all vocal, which is awesome. They come in, they work hard, and they’re all very coachable. They really want to get better every day,” Pizzotti said on media day. “And our four sophomores they seem like veterans on this team, but they’re four women who didn’t have a ton of opportunity to play last year. So with the 10 of them, it’s just putting in time and getting better, and again, just encouraging them and and emphasizing the fact that they’re going to be become better players every week if they just continue to work hard. And that’s what they’re doing.”

Allen, who returns to the Blue Demons for a sixth year after gaining two years of eligibility as a result of the COVID season and a season-ending injury during her junior year, is an experienced leader poised to lead the newcomers this season, instilling in them a culture of teamwork she’s learned from her mentor, Bruno. Since landing at DePaul for her sophomore season after transferring from Indiana, Jorie has been around as DePaul has stumbled from its perennial postseason success. Following a WNIT second round appearance (2020-21) and an NCAA Tournament first round appearance (2021-22), DePaul has failed to make the postseason the past two years.

“Since I’ve been at DePaul, the basketball has not been glamorous … but what’s wonderful about college basketball is the relationships that you make on and off the court. And I’m in a position now where I’m the oldest one on my team, and all of my younger teammates, they look up to me just because I know what I’m doing, and it’s we,” Allen said on media day. “It really feels like they’re my little sisters. And it’s fun to be in this position … I’m really excited to watch everybody develop throughout this next couple months.”

Marquette

2023-24 season: 23-9, (11-7 BIG EAST, 3rd), NCAA Tournament first round

Following an NCAA Tournament first round appearance last season, former Marquette head coach Megan Duffy left the program, accepting the head coaching job at Virginia Tech. At the same time, the Golden Eagles’ three leading scorers also left the program — Liza Karlen (transferred to Notre Dame), Jordan King (graduation) and Mackenzie Hare (transferred to Iowa State).

While key pieces have left Milwaukee, there has been one notable return, newly-hired head coach Cara Consuegra. A graduate of the University of Iowa, where she competed from 1997-2001, Consuegra returns to Marquette, where was served as an assistant coach from 2004-11.

“I have a unique perspective, because I was at Marquette during really formative years under [former Marquette head coach] Teri Mitchell and all the success that we had. And [when] I left, I was able to watch the other coaches continue to build it and now come back,” Consuegra told reporters on media day. “I just think I have a really unique perspective, because I respect and love what the program has been, but also I’m really excited and energized to continue to build and help us grow.”

Cara Consuegra right at home as Marquette’s head coach

After her time as an assistant coach at Marquette, Consuegra took over the head coaching stop at Charlotte, where she was 225-169 in 13 seasons with seven postseason appearances, including a NCAA tournament berth in 2022. She inherits a roster with six returning players and six transfers, including point guard Olivia Porter, who followed Consuegra from Charlotte to Marquette.

“I brought Liv into Charlotte last year. She was a transfer from Michigan State, and it became really clear very early that she was going to be my starting point guard,” Consuegra told reporters. “Liv is from a coaching family. Her dad coaches football [in] North Carolina and coaches’ kids are just different, they’re just different. And you could tell from the minute she got on campus. She works hard, she brings great attitude. She wants to be really good. You can challenge her hard. She’s not going to back down.”

Despite the uncertainty of an untested roster, Coach Consuegra hopes to maintain the standard of excellence that has characterized Marquette women’s basketball, a program that has strung together eight consecutive seasons with a winning record.

“I mean, we’ve been a first round NCAA tournament team, and I really want to be the coach that’s able to get us over that hump and get to the second round, get to the Sweet 16, and pump out some more professionals and things of that nature,” said Consuegra. “So really high aspirations, but I think, again, with the care I have about the past and the vision I have for the future.”

Xavier

2023-24 season: 1-27, (0-18 BIG EAST, 11th), BIG EAST Tournament first round

Following a challenging transition season for the Xavier program under first-year head coach Billi Chambers, there is renewed energy and optimism in Cincinnati as the roster begins to reflect the vision that Chambers has for the future. Compared to last season’s team, there are eight new players competing for the Musketeers this season.

Chambers clearly prioritized overseas recruitment to form the bulk of her roster. Xavier enters the season with 12 international players, the most in NCAA D-I Women’s Basketball this season, from the following countries: Spain (4), Finland, Australia, Slovakia, Croatia, Germany, Serbia, England and Republic of Georgia.

“It’s a work in progress every single day, right? The one thing is, they don’t all speak the same language, so they all can’t be mad at me at the same time,” Chambers joked. “But basketball is a unifier, right? They’ve all played. They all understand the game, maybe at a different type of pace or a different type of physicality or whatever the case may be, but they all know that they’re passionate about the one thing. So when they come together, it’s exciting to see them learn the world through each other’s eyes, but also to just get out there and compete at a high level.”

One of the international recruits, 5’9 guard Meri Kanerva, played in Finland alongside Xavier Hall of Famer Taru Tuukkanen who, at the age of 46, is still playing basketball as a professional. Coach Chambers sees tremendous potential in Kanerva as the team’s point guard.

“She has been playing great at our point guard spot. She’s so interesting to watch. She just walks around with this quiet confidence. We’re begging her to speak up and just start to verbalize that a little bit more. But she’s played in a league where she’s playing with pros. She played with Taru, who is a Xavier Hall of Famer, who’s still playing at 46 … she’s had that opportunity to run teams with elite players, and you see her starting to come in her own.”

With the addition of versatile international talent and local standout, 6′ guard/forward MacKenzie Givens, there is reason for hope in Cincinnati as the Musketeers look to dig themselves out of the BIG EAST’s bottom tier.

Howard Megdal contributed reporting to this season preview.

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