Baylor coach Nicki Collen knew her workforce may very well be one thing particular this 12 months even earlier than the Bears went to Paris to tip off their season towards Duke.
After a win over the Blue Devils, the Bears moved up 9 spots to No. 7 within the AP High 25, however the work was executed within the offseason. Baylor gamers spent quite a lot of time this summer season bonding and taking part in basketball.
Collen is mixing in a veteran group with proficient switch Taliah Scott.
“I believe it’s a bunch that has means to place the ball within the basket,” Collen mentioned in a telephone interview.
Scott joins a veteran core that has established an ideal tradition across the program. She averaged 26.5 factors within the Bears’ two wins. Scott, now at her third faculty, began at Arkansas after which transferred to Auburn earlier than coming to the Bears.
“We’ve a very good locker room and we now have a very good apply setting,” Collen mentioned. ”Children compete on the apply ground, they’re coachable.”
Even after a win over Duke, Collen is aware of the Bears, who improved to 16-1 when not taking part in within the U.S, are nonetheless a piece in progress.
“How we share the basketball was a power of our final three groups,” she mentioned. “Be balanced and share the basketball. We had assists on 75% of our baskets the previous couple of years and we’re not doing that proper now.”
The Bears returned 4 four-year gamers, which is uncommon at the moment with the switch portal. Jana Van Gytenbeek, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Kyla Abraham and Bella Fontleroy all have been by means of Collen’s system.
The Bears can be examined over the subsequent month earlier than the beginning of convention play. They play at UNLV after which face Iowa on a impartial court docket in addition to rival Texas. That sport can be nationally broadcast.
“We do it to have distinctive alternatives to play impartial website video games to earn money,” Collen mentioned. “I want we’d play Texas house and residential due to our fan bases and expertise we now have with one another, but it surely makes extra sense to play them at Fort Value. The opponents we select to play problem us in numerous areas.”
Convention supremacy
The Energy 4 conferences have gotten off to sturdy begins. The SEC solely had one loss by means of the primary week — Tennessee to N.C. State. The Huge Ten wasn’t far behind with solely two losses and the Huge 12 had three. The ACC had 9. In addition they had sturdy showings within the ballot. The Southeastern Convention has eight groups within the High 25, together with 4 within the high 10. The Huge Ten is subsequent with seven colleges within the ballot. The ACC has 5 and Huge 12 4.
Key video games this week
No. 3 UCLA vs No. 11 North Carolina. The basketball powers will play in Las Vegas in a WBCA Showcase. Fairfield and USF are additionally within the two-day occasion.
No. 18 Notre Dame vs No. 13 Michigan. This Shamrock Traditional can be a rematch of final season’s second-round NCAA Match sport the Irish received 76-55. It is going to characteristic two of essentially the most proficient gamers within the nation in Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and Michigan’s Syla Swords. The sport can be performed at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit.
No. 2 South Carolina at No. 9 Southern California. The Gamecocks will head west to face the Trojans in a home-and-home collection dubbed “The Actual SC”. Saturday’s sport can be performed at Crypto.com Area and subsequent 12 months’s sport can be performed in Greenville, South Carolina.
No. 17 TCU at No. 10 N.C. State. The Wolfpack proceed their tough nonconference schedule dealing with the Horned Frogs, who added switch Olivia Miles from Notre Dame this offseason.
