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/ BASKETBALL PREVIEW / WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks look ahead to Big 12 opponents
BAYLOR BEARS (27-10,9-7)
Vs. Kansas: 7 p.m., Jan. 19,
Lawrence
Key Losses: Morgan Medlock
Key Newcomers: Odyssey Sims,
Makenze Robertson
Breakdown: Coming off an NCAA Championship final Four appearance last season, coach Kim Mulkey and the Bears have high expectations for their season. They are listed No. 2 in the Lindy's Sports Annuals and Sporting News and No. 4 in Athlon Sports' preseason listings. Four starters return — Kelli Griffin, Melissa Jones, Shanay Washington and Brittney Griner. They are set to play five teams that are listed in the preseason top 10 polls, including two Big 12 conference teams (Texas A&M, Oklahoma). The team will be looking for last year's Freshman of the Year (Griner) to control the inside with her height, athletic ability, and her 7-foot-4 wingspan. Baylor will open its season when it hosts Florida International Nov. 12.
Kate Goff
COLORADO BUFFALOES (13-17, 3-13)
Vs. Kansas; 8 p.m., Jan. 12,
Boulder; 7 p.m. Feb. 2, Lawrence
Key Losses: Bianca Smith
Key Players: Rachel Hargis, Shae
Kelley, Ashley Wilson, Brittany
Wilson
Breakdown: The University of Colorado women's basketball team will be led by first-year coach
Linda Lappe. Lappe played for CU from 1998 to 2003 and was a team captain and an All-Big 12 honorable mention. Lappe was the coach at Metropolitan State College in Denver for the past three seasons, where she amassed a record of 50-36.
Senior forward Brittany Spears will lead the Buffaloes. Spears averaged 17.7 points and 7.8 rebounds last season. Her accomplishments earned her an All-Big 12 honorable mention.
Twin sisters Ashley and Brittany Wilson, both 5-foot-8, join the Buffaloes from Long Beach Poly High School, where they won two D LAA state titles in California.
Last year, CU finished with a 13-17 record and 3-13 in the Big 12 conference to finish eleventh in the conference.
Big 12 coaches have picked CU to finish 12th in the league this season.
Kansas will travel to Boulder on Jan. 12. CU will come to Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 2.
-Ethan Padway
IOWA STATE CYCLONES (25-8, 11-5)
Vs. Kansas: 7 p.m. Feb. 9, Lawrence;
7 p.m. Mar. 1, Ames, Iowa
Key Losses: Anna Florzak, Alison
Lacey, Genesis Lightbourne, Shellie
Mosman, Denae Stuckey
Key Newcomers: Elly Arganbright,
Hallie Christofferson, Kelsey
Harris
Breakdown: Iowa State made it to
the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament last year before losing to Dayton, 74-36. Though there are only three returning starters from last year's team, Iowa State is ranked 17th in the nation, according to a preseason poll released by The Sporting News. Expectations are high for the upcoming season, even though the team lost its star guard, Alison Lacey, who averaged 15.8 points, 6.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game last season. This year's recruiting class consists of freshman guard Elly Arganbright, who averaged 18.2 points per game during her senior season at Panorama High, in Panora, Iowa. One of last year's returning members is sophomore center Anna Prins, Prins averaged 9.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, and is expected to have a break-out season this year. The team will also rely heavily on 6-foot senior guard Kelsey Bolte, who averaged 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Adam Buhler/KANSAN
— Lauren Drummond
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (14-18, 5-11)
Krysten Boogaard and Rhea Codio force a turnover on Texas guard Erika Arriaran. Kansas lost in double overtime to Texas 82-85 last season.
Vs. Kansas: 2 p.m., Jan 29,
Manhattan; 6:30 p.m., Mar. 5,
Lawrence
Key Losses: Kari Kincaid, Ashley Sweat
Key Newcomers: Chantay Caron,
JuliAnne Chisholm, Emma
Ostermann, Stephanie Wittman,
Brianna Kulas
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— Christian Lucero
MISSOURI TIGERS (12-18, 2-14)
and Shalin Spani, will also be called on to lead a young team with five new faces to work in the system.
oreakdown: Kansas State's women's basketball program celebrated historical success last season, becoming the 11th program in Division I history with 775 women's college basketball wins. Besides that and the men's team, there wasn't much else to cheer for in Bramlage Coliseum. Deb Patterson, already first in wins in school history, will lead five returning players in search of redemption following a rare losing season — Kansas State's first in 10 years. One of those returners, Brittany Chambers, will be relied on heavily. Chambers' season averages from a year ago (12.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game) were ranked second or better in her freshman campaign. The Wildcats' two seniors, Kelsey Hill
Vs. Kansas: 7 p.m., Jan. 26, Columbia, Mo
Key Losses: Jessra Johnson, Amanda Hanneman, Toy Richbow Key Newcomers: Paige Speizet, Tori Niemann, Maggie Flynn, Kishaun Williams
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Breakdown: Missouri was ranked last in the Big 12 and projected to finish 11th this year. The Tigers struggled last season, 2-14 in Big 12 conference play — both wins at home — and 12, 18 overall.
The Tigers' averaged 61.9 points per game and 36.2 rebounds per game.
The Tigers have a new coach - Robin Pingeton from Illinois State. She said her focus is to cultivate relationships with players. Trust is a main point that Pingeton plans to use to make a successful team. Missouri may be a team to watch in the upcoming seasons. The coach plans on focusing on in-state recruitment and moving forward in that aspect, among others. The Tigers are hopeful, despite grim projections for the 2010 season.
Missouri has four new players this year: Kishaun Williams, a 5-foot-8 guard from Baton Rouge, La.; Maggie Flynn, a 6-foot-1 forward from Troy, Mo.; Paige Spieetz, a 6-foot-3 forward from Brimfield, Ill.; and Tori Neimann, a 5-foot-11 guard from Canton, Mo.
Last season, the Jayhawks met the Tigers in Columbia, Mo., and won 61-59. This year will play on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.
- Sara Kruger
Vs. Kansas? 2 p.m., Jan. 16, Lincoln,
Neb.; 7 p.m., Feb. 26, Lawrence
Key losses: Kelsey Griffin, Cory
Montgomery
Key newcomers: Jordan Hooper,
Katie Simon, Kellie McCann-Smith,
Adriana Mauer
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (32-2, 16-0)
Breakdown: The Nebraska women lost three of their top four scorers from a 2010 team that went undefeated in the Big 12 and 32-2 overall, enough for a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament and a trip to the Sweet 16. Senior Dominique Kelly looks to lead the new look Huskers as they search to fill the void left by senior leaders Kelsey Griffin and Cory Montgomery;
SEE WOMEN'S ON PAGE 9
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