NCAA Women's Basketball Preview: Iowa State Lands at #8
There is no offseason in women's basketball. As soon as the WNBA season ends, it is time for college hoops to tip off.
This upcoming season is hotly anticipated given the star power in the NCAA women's landscape. My father, Douglas Lundberg, took on a passion project of providing preseason rankings for the 2024-2025 campaign. Which I have prepared to unveil from 10-1, continuing with Iowa State.
8. Iowa State
Last year: 21-12, lost in second round to Stanford 87-81
Key returnees: Audi Crooks/6-3/C/So; Emily Ryan/5-11/G/Sr; Addy Brown/6-2/F/So; Kelsey Joens/5-10/G/So; Arianna Jackson/5-9/G/So
Newcomers: Kenzie Hare/5-9/G/Jr; Sydney Harris/6-1/G/Jr; Lily Hansford/6-2/G/Jr; Lilly Taulelei/6-3/C-F/So; Aili Tanke/5-11/G/Fr
The case for Iowa State:
This team can really shoot! Coach Bill Fennelly, in his 30th season at Iowa State, can trot out seven players who shot near 40% or better from 3-pt range. Plus, their top freshman recruit, Aili Tanke, won a national 3-pt shooting tournament and shot nearly 50% from 3 point range in high school.
On the inside Audi Crooks averaged 19 ppg and 8 rpg while shooting almost 58%. Emily Ryan is a All Big 12 caliber point guard who epitomizes toughness and leadership. A sure third starter will be Addy Brown who averaged 13 and 8 as a freshman.
Those three will be surrounded by shooters including Kenzie Hare who transferred in from Marquette after averaging 14 ppg and 43% from three. Other sweet shooting transfers are Lily Hansford from Oregon State and Sydney Harris from TCU. Returnees Joens and Jackson and the freshman Tanke will also compete for spots in the rotation.
What can go wrong:
Defense: They can really shoot, but can they defend well enough to make a deep run?
Depth in the post: Fennelly is counting on UMass transfer Lilly Taulelei to provide some depth on the inside behind Crooks.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!