The Baylor Bears women’s basketball team is hoping to make a big jump in their fourth season under coach Nicki Collen.
The Bears are coming off a season in which she took them to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time since former Bears coach Kim Mulkey bolted for LSU. Baylor went 26-8 and finished in a tie for fourth in the Big 12.
But, that trip to the Sweet 16 whetted everyone’s appetite for what could be a huge season for the Bears, who return most of last year’s best players and brought in one of the top transfers to play in the paint.
Is this the year Collen gets the Bears back to the Final Four?
Here’s a preview of the Baylor Bears’ upcoming season.
Odds
Vegas Insider gave Baylor +10000 odds to win the national championship earlier this year. The Big 12 coaches voted the Bears to finish third in the preseason poll, with the Bears receiving two of the 16 first-place votes.
Three Players to Watch
G Sarah Andrews: She is the most veteran player on the team and is returning for one final run after she led the Bears by averaging 11.4 points per game a year ago. An All-Big 12 selection last season, the coaches gave her a preseason nod in October. She’ll be one of the best guards in the conference once again.
G Jada Walker: The former Kentucky player made a huge impact in the back half of the season as she emerged as a great scoring complement to Andrews. By season’s end she averaged 8.4 points and had 112 assists, second only to Andrews.
F Aaronette Vonleh: The Bears needed a veteran inside presence and they got it when Vonleh transferred from Colorado. She averaged 14 points and 5.1 rebounds for the Buffs, who reached the Sweet 16 and eliminated Kansas State in the second round. She’ll be a great fit in this conference.
Biggest Strength
Experience. Andrews is a multi-year starter. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Bella Fontleroy, previously all-Big 12 freshmen selections, are in their third seasons with the program. Walker is in her second year. Vonleh is in her first year with Baylor but she’s a senior. There are two freshmen on the roster. Everyone else outside of Vonleh has at least one year at Baylor.
Biggest Weakness
Depth. It’s not that the Bears don’t have it, it’s how proven it is. It’s less of an issue on the perimeter, where Jana Van Gytenbeek is a capable guard that can play on the point or off the ball. There is also Yaya Felder, who can provide scoring off the bench. It’s more about what’s behind Vonleh. Madison Bartley was hurt for part of the season and didn’t play much. Kyla Abraham has had trouble cracking the rotation consistently. Who gives her a spell, and the quality of that play, will be worth tracking.
Season Prediction
There is a lot of talk about Kansas State and Iowa State, and that’s justified. But Baylor is just as experienced as the pair and Vonleh can be a true difference-maker for Baylor in games where they have to face high-level forwards and posts. The Bears won 26 games last season. They should have 21-24 wins before they get to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
