Bobcats, Vandals lead preseason women’s basketball polls

BIG SKY CONFERENCER PRESS RELEASE

A season after splitting the regular season and tournament titles, the Idaho Vandals and the Montana State Bobcats were selected to finish at the top of preseason conference polls, the league announced on Tuesday.

The Vandals, who finished the 2015-16 season with a record of 21-9 overall, and 13-5 in league play, swept through the Big Sky Women’s Basketball Championship, in Reno, Nevada. Idaho would defeat Idaho State, 67-55, in the championship game, advancing to an NCAA tournament berth to face No. 1 seed Baylor.

Idaho was voted first in the coaches’ poll, receiving four first-place votes. The Vandals were selected as the runner-up in the media poll, with two first-place votes. Idaho forward Geraldine McCorkell, a preseason All-Big Sky selection, will help lead the Vandals.

Montana State rolled through Big Sky play in the regular season, rolling to a 21-8 record, including a record of 14-4 in league play, earning the first outright league title in program history. However, the Bobcats were downed in thrilling fashion in the quarterfinals by upset-minded Idaho State, 52-50, losing on a half court heave at the buzzer. MSU fell in the first round of the WNIT at Utah the following week.

The Bobcats earned six first-place votes in the media poll, edging Idaho for the top spot. The Bobcats were selected third in the coaches’ poll, with three first-place votes. Montana State will return two preseason all-conference seniors in Peyton Ferris and Riley Nordgaard. The Bobcats must replace three seniors, including Big Sky MVP Jasmine Hommes.

Montana women’s basketball coach Robin Selvig retired after 38 years and 865 wins during his time at the helm in Missoula/ photo by Brooks Nuanez

The Montana Lady Griz will have a brand new look after Robin Selvig’s retirement. Former Lady Griz All-American Shannon Schweyen, an assistant for Selvig for more than 25 years, will replace the league’s all-time wins leader. The Lady Griz were selected to finish third in the media poll, with a fourth place selection in the coaches’ poll. Montana will have to live up to those expectations without senior forward Kayleigh Valley, who was selected as the preseason MVP, before suffering a season-ending injury in practice.

The Eastern Washington Eagles advanced to Big Sky Tournament semifinals in 2016, but lost one of the conference’s top players in Hayley Hodgins. The Eagles still return a strong core, led by preseason All-Big Sky pick Delaney Hodgins, and were selected third by the media, with three first-place votes. Eastern Washington was selected fifth by the coaches’ poll.

North Dakota made it to the semifinals in 2016, before falling in the WBI to league foe Weber State. The Fighting Hawks have been selected to finish second in the league by the coaches, finishing with four first-place votes. The media selected North Dakota to finish fifth.

A season after the Bengals stormed to the Big Sky championship game in spite of a ninth seed, Idaho State was a consensus selection to finish sixth in the Big Sky Conference. The Bengals won five straight games, knocking off eventual league champion Idaho in the final game of the regular season, before falling to the Vandals in the championship game.

Like the Bengals, Sacramento State was a consensus pick to finish the league in seventh place. The Hornets, who will be led by preseason All-Big Sky guard Brianna Burgos, tied with Weber State in the coaches’ poll.

Weber State, coming off a runner-up performance in the WBI, is selected to finish in eighth place, by the media. The Wildcats return players like Kailie Quinn and Deeshyra Thomas in coach Bethann Ord’s fifth season in Ogden.