North by Northwestern

After a fantastic 11-1 start to last year’s season, Northwestern went 4-14 in Big Ten play, failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and losing in the first round of the WNIT. The ‘Cats almost made a postseason resurgence in the Big Ten Tournament, winning their first three games before losing in the semifinals. It’s easy to forget that NU was the No. 12 team in the nation this time last year, and a talented core of seniors will be doing everything they can to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

Tim Hackett: 20-9 (10-6 B1G), WNIT Third Round

There’s no hiding that women’s basketball disappointed last season. They made the NCAA Tournament in 2014-15 after a stellar year, and then failed to get motivated in the first round of the WNIT and lost to an inferior San Diego team. Are the Wildcats ready this year?

Maggie Lyon and her timely scoring on the perimeter are gone. How will she be replaced? There seems to be quite a few in-house options, as a semblance of a legitimate bench appears to be in the cards this year. That would be crucial for the ‘Cats’ stars in Nia Coffey and Ashley Deary, neither of whom had consistent backups last year. Coffey is a star and Deary excels in more than a few areas. So they’re fine. Who else will help out? I’m looking squarely at Christen Inman, who turned in her share of good games, to be sure, but was inefficient at times and went through quite a few cold streaks.

Ultimately, it’s going to be up to a bunch of underclassmen to save their seniors’ seasons. Can Lydia Rhode jump in and contribute? Will Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, Oceana Hamilton, someone else, or a combination thereof provide a solid presence down low? If so, the ‘Cats could be back in the dance. Ultimately, though, they are going to just miss again – though, hopefully, if they accept the bid to the WNIT, the fans get a better showing from a capable team.

Max Goodman: 23-6 (11-5), NCAA Tournament Round of 32

After failing to reach the NCAA Tournament last season, head coach Joe McKeown and the Northwestern women’s basketball team are poised for a huge bounce back season in 2016-17. Similar to last year’s campaign, the Wildcats drew a favorable non-conference schedule to kick the season off and barring one unforeseen loss (like last season’s surprising loss at home to Depaul), I see the women entering Big Ten play nearly perfect, with a record of 12-1.

And their impressive run won’t stop there. Led by the senior big three of Nia Coffey, Ashley Deary and Christen Inman, along with upstart freshman point guard Byrdy Galernik and sophomore forward Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, the ‘Cats will dominate in their conference, falling only to the likes of Ohio State and Maryland. I predict NU will secure a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and win a first-round game, but will fall in the second round, ending a short postseason run.

Although the ‘Cats aren’t at the point where they can go deep in the NCAA tourney, returning to the tournament will be huge for a team with a young core that needs experience in order to step it up one year from now with the impending loss of five integral seniors.

Will Fischer: 18-11 (8-8 B1G), WNIT Champions

Nia Coffey, Ashley Deary and Christen Inman - NU’s three senior leaders and best players - aren’t satisfied. After making the NCAA Tournament their sophomore year, the ‘Cats struggled to give their big three the help they needed to be successful last year, and it showed. 

It doesn’t seem like much will change this year. The addition of Oceana Hamilton, a transfer from Alabama, and the return of Lauren Douglas (who had a season-ending injury last year), along with some exciting freshman in Byrdy Galernik, Abi Scheid and Abbie Wolf will contribute, but I’m not convinced it will be enough. The ‘Cats desperately need at least one or two more players to step up and be consistent scorers, and it’s unclear who that will be.

After more struggles in conference play, primarily in rebounding, defense and bench scoring, the ‘Cats will fail to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. However, that’s when the magic will begin. Powered by a hungry Coffey, Deary and Inman, all not quite ready to leave college basketball, NU will run the table in the WNIT, leaving a fighter’s legacy and going out champions.

Hayden King: 20-9 (9-7), NCAA Tournament Round of 64

The main question heading into this season: will this be the Northwestern team we saw win three games in the Big Ten Tournament last year, or will it be the team that went 4-14 in conference play? Coach McKeown’s squad loses last year’s second leading scorer, Maggie Lyon, but they finally seemed to find their rhythm last year in tournament play without Lyon in the lineup.

The ‘Cats’ big three of Nia Coffey, Christen Inman and Ashley Deary are all in their senior seasons. Coffey is fresh off a year where she averaged a near double-double (20.3ppg, 9.8rpg, 2.1bpg), and there is nothing to suggest those numbers are due for regression. Ashley Deary averaged over four steals per game, and she and Inman averaged a combined 27 points per contest.

If last year showed us anything, though, it is that the ‘Cats cannot depend too much on their stars. If players like Jordan Hankins and Lauren Douglas can provide additional scoring, and others like Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah and Allie Tuttle offer a presence inside, this NU team will be able to return to the NCAA Tournament.

Evan Denton: 21-8 (10-6), NCAA Tournament Round of 32

As long as Nia “cream on the side” Coffey is on the roster, the women’s team has a chance to be successful. Combined with experienced starters Ashley “pick your pocket” Deary and Christen “smooth operator” Inman, the Wildcats have the firepower to remain in ball games with the B1G’s best. The biggest issue for the Wildcats this season will be consistent three-point shooting, as Maggie Lyon has graduated.

In the non-conference, the Wildcats play a plethora of teams that reached a postseason tournament of some sort a year ago. A home game on Nov. 25 against Florida, a team that went 22-9 a season ago, will cause trouble for the Wildcats, and a trip out west to play Gonzaga is never easy. I think the Wildcats will struggle against tournament-level teams early.

In conference, last year’s 4-14 conference record scares me. However, NU catches a break by playing No. 6 Maryland only once. With that in mind, I see a strong conference record in 2016.