The Wolverines, who finished with a 23-10 record last year, lost three starters after their second-round exit in the NCAA tournament, including All-Big 10 standout Leigha Brown, who was drafted in the second round of the 2023 WNBA Draft, two-year starter Maddie Nolan, who transferred to Colorado, and Emily Kiser, who is now hooping overseas in Greece. For Barnes Arico, different is now the Wolverines’ reality. “This is really, really different,” Barnes Arico said in the Detroit Free Press. “We’re the type of program, we build it, you pay your dues, you come in [as a] freshman and work hard then leave as an all-conference player…that’s kind of been the history of our program, you come in, you work and reap the benefits later. With three players graduating, we needed to fill those holes with experience…that was the direction we had to go in this year.”

Barnes Arico and her coaching staff got right to work during the offseason by taking advantage of the transfer portal and bringing in three graduate students to help lead this Wolverine squad. There’s former Missouri starter Lauren Hansen, who averaged 12.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game last season and excels off the court, too—the 5-8 guard graduated from Missouri with a degree in communications.

Australian standout guard Elissa Brett made a name for herself at Bowling Green, where she is ranked No. 7 all-time in threes made and 15th all-time with 1,358 points. Meanwhile, Michigan native Taylor Williams is a 6-2 forward who led Western Michigan in rebounds for three years and topped the 1,000-point mark for her career in her final game with the Broncos. According to Barnes Arico, the Wolverines needed a point guard, someone to hold it down on the post and rebound, and a sharpshooter “who can bang down threes.” 

Michigan also has some returning bucket-getters, including junior Laila Phelia, who spent time with Team USA and, while there, focused primarily on her defense. According to the Detroit Free Press, the 6-0 guard says she’ll be “emphasizing that defense and being able to bring that ability to the team along with leadership, because we did lose some of the best,” which is exactly the kind of energy the Wolverines will need in a stacked Big 10 conference that includes powerhouses like Iowa and Ohio State.

With a remaining roster that includes seniors Cameron Williams, Whitney Sollom and Elise Stuck, a solid junior class that features guards Greta Kampschroeder and Jordan Hobbs (both of whom had multiple starts last season), sophomores Chyra Evans and Alyssa Crockett and freshmen Taylor Woodson and Macy Brown, the Wolverines might be deemed “inexperienced” by some, but not us. Don’t sleep on ’em. Suiting up in maize and blue comes with high expectations.  

“When you’re at the University of Michigan, the expectation every year is that you win championships,” Barnes Arico told the Detroit Free Press. “Even though this is going to be a year with some inexperience, I think because we are back to a little bit of an underdog, a little bit
of a chip on our shoulder, our players have something to prove.” 

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With a standout freshman already logging big-time minutes and a roster that’s equipped with five juniors and five seniors, plus French graduate student Kenza Salgues, who played at Miami and made her Gators debut earlier this season, it’s looking like this team will be holding its own in the SEC this year. 

After finishing 19-15 last season and making the NCAA tournament in 2021-22, the Gators will look to improve upon a first-round exit to UCF. If they do, they’ll make history: the last time the Gators made it to the second round was in 2014, and they’ve yet to advance past the Elite Eight. Things are already looking up, though. With head coach Kelly Rae Finley at the helm, the Gators had their first 20-win season since 2015-16 under Finley’s guidance, going 21-11 in 2021-22.

They’ve also got SEC legend—and former SLAM cover star—Rhyne Howard on staff as an assistant coach and director of player personnel this year. The Atlanta Dream star also comes from Gator royalty. Her mom, Rhvonja, played for the team from 1987-91 (captain in ’90-91) and still holds multiple program records, including top-10 in career steals. 

“I always knew at some point that I would have the connection back with this school, and just to be here and to be loved and to feel how much of a family it is already just confirmed all that,” Howard said in an official school press release. 

The Gators are already off to a fantastic start; as we went to press, they were 6-2, their only losses coming from a combined 7 point differential. Their spark, as Kyle said after the team’s season opener, largely comes from sixth-year senior guard Zippy Broughton, who is back after being out for the past 20 months due to a shoulder injury. The former Rutgers transfer persevered through the rehab process and has returned as not only a pivotal scorer, but a leader. 

“She brings a different kind of spark to our team,” said Kyle, via an article on FloridaGators.com.

Adds Coach Finley: “Her ability to fight through adversity when a lot of people might choose to hang it up…I’m just excited and happy she’s chosen our team to chase her dreams. She’s doing so fearlessly every day. It means a lot to our program that she is willing to have great determination to get back on the court.”

That spark is exactly what the Gators will need this season to take them on what could be a potentially deep postseason run.  

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Six players departed through the portal but Coach Porter Moser matched that number with incoming transfers ahead of this season. The ex-Loyola Chicago leader is building a culture in his new colors, bringing his fiery and passionate personality to the sideline. 

Even with all the fresh faces, Sooner fans still have some familiar hoopers to cheer for. Case in point: Milos Uzan, a 2022-23 Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection. “Los,” as he’s been called, showed promising potential in his first year, doing a little bit of everything offensively. That finishing package, though, is special. And his classmate Otega Oweh? He knows a thing or two about filling it up, too, especially in clutch time. Just ask Andy Enfield and USC. 

Putting it bluntly, this group just has a bunch of athletes. Like, guys who can actually jump out of the gym.

“We’ve got a lot higher athletes. Guys who can put their head at the rim. We didn’t really have that last year too much,” Uzan said in October. “[We have] more of a paint presence, as well.”

Junior guard Javian McCollum is part of that presence. A recent transfer from Siena, where he was the go-to player for the Saints on the offensive end, McCollum hoops like there’s no tomorrow. You can’t even tell he’s the shortest player in Moser’s rotation. McCollum merges shiftiness and an elite handle to display some showstopping creativity. Just weeks into his career as a Sooner, No. 2 took home MVP at the Rady Children’s Invitational. But he’s not the only creator on the perimeter. Rivaldo Soares is a dangerous wing threat off the bench, and Le’Tre Darthard, a transfer from Utah Valley, is a difference-maker with and without the ball. 

In the frontcourt, John Hugley IV, the former main man at Pitt, can shake things up on both ends. During the 2021-22 campaign, only three players in the ACC averaged more rebounds per game than he did. The ex-Panther is just one former member of the ACC on OU. Jalon Moore, a dynamic slashing wing from Georgia Tech, owns some real hops that make him a force in Moser’s starting unit. 

OU has a history of seeing its walk-ons reach success. That trend continues with this team. Just two seasons ago, Sam Godwin was coming off the bench for Wofford College. He received a walk-on offer from OU, and the rest is history. Now, he’s contributing to the starting five of a Big 12 program. If you need a rebound, Moser’s first call is an obvious one. Few are better at earning a second chance in the halfcourt than Godwin. 

Boomer Sooner. 

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It all starts with the man in the middle, Armando Bacot. Bacot decided to forgo the NBA draft and return to Chapel Hill for a fifth and final year. The highly decorated senior is North Carolina’s all-time leader in rebounds and double-doubles. A mainstay in the starting lineup since he first touched down on campus, Bacot is the heart and soul of the program and the perfect piece to build a culture around. There’s arguably nobody in the country with more expectations to succeed this year than Bacot, who was voted a Preseason First Team All-American and named one of 20 candidates on the preseason watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation’s top center. Aside from his physical ability, his wealth of experience will prove to be the most valuable asset for this Carolina squad. Being one of NIL’s biggest beneficiaries certainly helped make his decision to return easier, but the team-first big has his eyes set on making one more historic run in the tourney. 

RJ Davis is another senior who’s had a lot of major moments at UNC and decided to return for another run at a title. The 6-0 guard from White Plains, NY, is destined to see his notable work ethic and commitment to excellence pay off. His game, along with his confidence, has grown each year, and that makes him a tough cover for whoever his matchup is on any given night. Voted to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, RJ is motivated to prove himself as one of the best point guards in the nation. UNC’s leading assist man for the past few seasons, he’s one of the most reliable guards in the ACC when the game is on the line. It’s no secret that the key to success in March is having good guard play, and that should be of no concern for the Tar Heels with RJ leading the backcourt.

Freshman guard Elliot Cadeau is the most highly touted recruit thus far in the Hubert Davis era. He reclassified up a year after committing to UNC and is expected to make an instant impact this season. The Diaper Dandy was voted 2023-24 Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year and will have every opportunity to solidify his place at the top of his class.

Other newcomers to keep an eye on are two snipers: 6-5 graduate transfer Cormac Ryan by way of Notre Dame, and 6-7 junior transfer Harrison Ingram by way of Stanford, who was voted to the preseason watch list for the Julius Erving Award.

It’s early, but this year’s Tar Heels have started the season full steam ahead. Will they be able to carry the momentum and bring home their seventh national championship come April? It won’t be easy, but they have the makings of a team ready to cut down the nets in Phoenix. 

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“I think we’re lucky that that’s been the foundation, that it’s just the next people up,” she told The Oklahoman in November. 

“We’re the gatekeepers of this program. So that’s what we look at less than how we need to replace people.”

Baranczyk’s squad will have to play without the injured 6-2 redshirt senior Liz Scott, who averaged a career-high 8.6 points and 6.3 rebounds last season, but as Baranczyk told the press, her “leadership” will be expected as she steps into a new role. Kelbie Washington, who redshirted last season after starting 16 games in 2021-22, will also not be suiting up this year. 

So, what can Sooner fans expect? 

A roster full of versatility and ranging skill sets. Oklahoma native Lexy Keys transferred to Oklahoma after three impressive seasons at Oklahoma State, where she started 71 games and dropped buckets on her current squad, including two 14-point performances as a junior and a 20-point gem as a sophomore. From her shooting to her off-ball movement and ability to hold it down on the defensive end, Baranczyk describes her in The Oklahoman as “just somebody that you have to have in your program.”

The Sooners also have two former five-star products suiting up this year, including 5-10 freshman forward Sahara Williams and junior Payton Verhulst, who transferred in from Louisville. Williams averaged a double-double as a senior at Waterloo West High School, was a McDonald’s All-American and won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2022 3×3 FIBA World Cup. Meanwhile, Verhulst was ranked No. 12 in the country by ESPN during her time at Bishop Miege HS and played a pivotal role as a freshman during the Cardinals’ Final Four run. With expectations on Williams to grow into a star and Verhulst’s elite court vision, the Sooners have two valuable pieces. 

“Take the star out, I don’t care if she’s two-star, you’re going to love her,” Baranczyk said of Williams in The Oklahoman. “But you can see why she is [a five-star]. She’ll develop her skill set. She’ll have days where, you know…‘Oh my God, she’s only a freshman,’ then other times you’re like, ‘OK, yeah, she’s a freshman.’”

Williams isn’t the only freshman who posted a double-double in high school—6-3 center Landry Allen averaged 20.6 points and 10.3 rebounds as a junior en-route to leading Tuttle High School (OK) to its first state championship; and as a senior, Allen was ranked the No. 10 center in the Class of 2023. Sophomore Beatrice Culliton’s family is state royalty—her grandmother dropped 58 in a high school game, shattering the Oklahoma scoring record at the time. As for Culliton, she was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team last season and appeared in every game, so best believe this isn’t her first rodeo on the big stage. 

Go up and down the roster and you’ll see a solid squad that can drop buckets and hold its own on the court. Don’t just listen to us; tune in this season and see for yourself. 

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The sign, according to CBS 17, was created by the players. It’s not only a reminder of the task at hand—to make it all the way to the Final Four for the first time since ’07—but the type of time they’re on before they even step foot in the locker room. It’s a sentiment UNC head coach Courtney Banghart embraces. 

“If that’s what you want, this, this, this and this aren’t good enough. But I also don’t want to squash their dreams. You shouldn’t come to the University of North Carolina if you’re afraid to try to win a national championship,” Banghart told CBS 17. 

The Tar Heels are led by four returning seniors who know what it’s like to play on the brightest stage: Deja Kelly, Alyssa Ustby, Anya Poole and Alexandra Zelaya were all part of the squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2022. The Tar Heels held their own against the eventual champs (South Carolina), as Kelly led the way with a smooth 23 points. Despite the 69-61 loss, it was the first time the Tar Heels had made it that far in the postseason since 2015. 

After falling to Ohio State in the second round of the 2023 NCAA tournament, UNC is back. It’s still early, but their standout seniors Ustby and Kelly were named to the John R. Wooden Award
Watch List; Kelly was also named to the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List. The Texas native, who led the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game as a junior, had quite the offseason. When Kelly wasn’t training and working on her game, she was hosting her very own show with WSLAM, The 411 with Deja Kelly, where she interviewed some of the biggest names in the game, including Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas and Liberty standout Betnijah Laney right in the SLAM HQ studio in NYC. She also attended WNBA All-Star Weekend and was deemed one of the “NCAA stars ready to lead the WNBA’s next generation” by Just Women’s Sports.

So, yeah, she’s been booked and busy. The standout guard returned to Chapel Hill for her final season poised and ready to embrace her role as one of the team’s vital pieces, and leaders, on the Tar Heels. “I’m the oldest on the team now by age. I don’t think it’s hit me yet. But yes, we’re starting to feel it a little bit, but I don’t think it’s fully hit us yet, until, like, Senior Night comes around. But I think we’re carrying that veteran role now,” she told CBS 17.

As of this writing, UNC is 5-3. Don’t sleep, though, they’ve got a talented squad that can hold its own on both ends of the floor. From Kelly knocking down midrange jumpers and dishing out dimes and Ustby snagging boards in the paint to the addition of transfer Lexi Donarski, who was the 2022 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year at Iowa State, where she spent the past three seasons, there’s no end to the skill on this squad. 

Whether the Tar Heels will achieve their mission is yet to be determined, but best believe, they have every intention of making it all the way.

Final Four team loading… 

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Led once again by former Fab Five member Juwan Howard, UMich is equipped with a new-look squad. The program lost two players to the NBA (Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin), three to the transfer portal and two to graduation, but Howard and his coaching staff haven’t let that slow them down; they were busy in the portal, too. And let’s not forget about the players who stuck around in Ann Arbor. The combination of those two things makes this an intriguing group. 

There’s a new “Duggie McBuckets” in college basketball. We all remember Doug McDermott and the prolific shooting touch he brought to the Creighton Bluejays. In 2023, the Wolverines’ Dug McDaniel owns that title. The sophomore guard from the nation’s capital is as tenacious as they come on the defensive end. Only Bufkin averaged more steals than No. 0 for Michigan last season. He isn’t the only player on the team that is a force defensively, either. Tarris Reed Jr knows how to send shots in the other direction, too. 

As for McDaniel’s skills with the ball, Bill Raftery put it perfectly on a broadcast earlier this season: “He’s a magician.” Someone else called him “The Blur.” We are here to endorse both. Break an entire Rick Pitino press? Done. Right-hand dribble drive, step back into a tough jumper? He does that in his sleep.

The man is a highlight waiting to happen. His touch in the lane is what separates him. To be able to stop on a dime in front of a shot blocker and float it in with either hand is something special. With Nimari Burnett now in the frontcourt, Big Blue has another perimeter scorer to pair with McDaniel. Don’t sleep on Terrance Williams II and Tray Jackson, though. The two upperclassmen know how to fill it up from anywhere. 

Bringing in transfers was a big part of UMich’s offseason, and none were bigger than Olivier Nkamhoua. You’re probably like, Wait, that name sounds familiar. When you were on your couch watching March Madness just nine months ago, Nkamhoua was out there balling against everybody who came across his path, including a blue blood. He was knocking down fadeaways over Kyle Filipowski and throwing down game-clinching one-hand slams. That was when he donned orange and white. Now the Finnish forward reps the maize and blue. Different school. Same results. 

Having lost the program’s top three scorers from last season, Howard needed some firepower. Nkamhoua is that. He’s a jolt of energy on both ends of the floor. Listed at 6-9, there is so much that the ex-Volunteer brings to the floor. Ferocious rebounding. An increasingly more consistent three-point shot. To top it all off, he’s got some bunnies. His talent for cutting allows him to use those hops more than most. Against UNC Asheville earlier this season, Nkamhoua piled up five dunks. 

Off the bench, Will Tschetter adds even more offensive production. The sophomore forward can stretch the floor while doing all the little things that help accentuate the talents of others around him. 

Adding up all the pieces—new and old—has this Wolverines squad set up to make Ann Arbor proud. How far can they go?

We can’t wait to see. 

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Coach Golden has been meticulously building his program in two ways: through  recruiting—both the transfer portal and prep ranks—and instilling a winning mentality and commitment to collective success that all starts on the defensive end. The Gators climbed into the top 10 in KenPom’s defensive efficiency ratings at a point during last season, and they finished ranked eighth in the nation in blocks per game with just over five. Between a mix of highly touted transfers and returning players who’ve improved their games, the Gators added some offensive firepower to the fold, which should make for an exciting brand of basketball.

Riley Kugel is a player many people are expecting to have a breakthrough season. A lot are surprised he even returned to college after the skills he showcased last year and the potential he had to jump to the NBA. The former top-100 recruit earned SEC All-Freshman honors and averaged 12.6 ppg in conference play, the most by a Florida freshman since Bradley Beal in 2011-12. This year, Kugel was voted to the Coaches’ Preseason All-SEC Team.

The 6-5 swingman is the main building block for the Gators, and he’s off to a great start this season, showing why he’s destined to be a first-round pick whenever he does decide to take that step. He dropped a smooth 25 points and 9 rebounds on No. 13 Baylor and continues to thrive in his role despite being at the top of opponents’ scouting reports. Luckily for him, he doesn’t have to bear the burden of offensive output alone. His backcourt partner is proving to be just as lethal.

That partner is Walter Clayton Jr, a 6-2 combo guard transfer by way of Iona, who earned 2023 MAAC Player of the Year. He creates tempo and is going to be a key ingredient to what Florida is aiming to accomplish this season and beyond. His scoring prowess has been on full display, with an early season-high of 28 points against the ACC’s Pittsburgh Panthers. It appears that playing for Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino the last few years at Iona has paid off. Making the jump from mid-major to high-major, Clayton Jr seems right at home. While Kugel might be the player who receives most of the attention due to his NBA frame and pro-style game, Clayton Jr is the head of the snake whose production will dictate how far this Florida team goes.

Other key players include 6-4 graduate transfer Zyon Pullin and 7-1 Micah Handlogten, a sophomore transfer from Marshall. Pullin is a three-time All-Big West honoree who poured in over 1,300 points during his four years at UC Riverside, and Handlogten is a versatile big who was the 2023 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year.

On paper, this Florida roster can compete with anyone in the country. And by the looks of things early on, they might be ready to go dancin’ come March. 

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