Junior forward Jordan Obi is about to dribble past two Villanova players in last season’s game at Palestra on 22 November 2021. credit: Julia Van Leer
After a disappointing year for Penn Women’s Basketball, the Quakers are returning with an exciting line-up in hopes of earning their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2017. Let’s take a look at Penn’s potential and the rest of the Ivy League as we head into 2022. -23 seasons.
1. Princeton (2021-22: 25-5, 14-0 Ivy)
The only one among the Ancient Eight, Ranking In the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association (WBCA) preseason poll, Princeton holds the league’s favorite spot for the 2022-23 season.
The Tigers are back from a great 2021-22 season. Ivy remains undefeated in his league games, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, defeating No. 6 seed Kentucky as No. 11 and falling just short of No. 2 and No. 3 Indiana. I was. Round.
Ivy League Coach of the Year Carla Velvet leads a line-up piling up All-Ivy honors and accolades, including Ivy League Player of the Year Abby Myers.
2. Colombia (2021-22: 25-7, 12-2)
Columbia is about to enter the program’s most winning season in history and will be a formidable contender for the number one spot in the Ancient Eight.
Last season, the Lions’ conference losses were all against crown-winning Princeton, so the Tigers have shown themselves to be the stronger contenders. This season, Columbia will try to recruit a more experienced roster to their advantage.
The pack is headed by 7 seniors and 4 juniors, led by decorated juniors Abby ShuThe two-time All-Ivy League selection is the Lions’ leading scorer last season, breaking the single-season conference record for three-point shooting. The maturity and experience of the majority of the upper-class roster may give Columbia a much-needed advantage.
3. Pen (2021-22: 12-14, 7-7)
Penn, who just missed out on a spot in the Ivy League tournament last spring, can use last season’s 5th-place finish in the conference as motivation to fight for a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Senior captain Kayla Padilla will lead the Reds and Blues after retaining the Ivy League’s top scorer title last season, averaging 18.6 points per game. Padilla was integral to the Quakers’ success last season, as he set numerous program records in just two of his season plays.
A key figure in the roster for the 2021-22 season is set to return. Jr. Jordan Obi, Sr. Mandy McGurk and Sr. Sidney Caldwell contribute to the Quakers’ reliable scoring and defensive depth.
4. Yale (2021-22: 16-11, 9-5)
In its first season with former WNBA player Dalila Eche as head coach, the Bulldogs will have to go through the 2022-23 season without one of their star players, Camila Emsbo.
Emsbo’s season-ending injury is taking a toll on the Yale roster. The senior forward abruptly ended her Yale career after possibly her best season, leading the Ancient Eights in blocks per game, double-doubles and field goal percentage. Emsbo also joined her club with her 1,000 points and unanimously earned first team her All-Ivy selection.
With four additions to the coaching staff, three new players to the roster and one senior member missing, the program has issues that need to be resolved to make the conference a success. There are quite a few.
5. Harvard (2021-22: 13-14, 7-7)
Harvard posted the same conference record as Penn last season and is in strong contention for the fourth and final spot in the 2022-23 season’s Ivy Tournament.
Notable names in the Crimson lineup include co-captains Mackenzie Forbes and Maggie McCarthy. selected for the team. McCarthy started all 27 games last season and won the league’s most accurate title, posting a 0.452 field goals his percentage and a 0.352 his 3 points his percentage.
Without wins against top-ranked conference teams, this season could prove stagnation for Harvard.
6. Cornell (2021-22: 9-16, 4-10)
Big Red has started a promising 2021-22 conference play 45-36 win A loss to Dartmouth, but a three-game losing streak that followed was devastating.
Only three of the program’s top five scores from last season return.
Coach Dana Smith leads the Big Red program for a comfortable 19th straight season. The pressure is on for more wins in the 2022-23 season, even though she earned the title of winningest coach in Cornell University history last season.
7. Dartmouth (2021-22: 3-23, 2-12)
Having one more win than Brown to keep the program at the bottom of Ivy’s standings last season is something Big Green is looking for a big boost. And the addition of five new players might just be what they need.
One of the new faces is Leiya Stuart, who moved to Dartmouth after two years in Vermont. Her junior her guard, along with her two freshmen over six feet, help strengthen the team’s defensive front. 2021-22 Season, Dartmouth Averaged 18 points per game I underperformed my opponents in almost every defensive category.
8. Brown (2021-22: 6-20, 1-13)
During his first season playing under head coach Monique Leblanc, Brown won just one conference victory in the 2021-22 season.
Near the end of last season’s slate, the program fell out of the close-quarters success it experienced early in conference play. It’s starting to return blowout losses instead. Any improvement will require more than the return of last season’s top six top scorers.
