Titans Predicted To Finish Second In WIAC Basketball Standings
Defending champion UW-Oshkosh is predicted to finish second in the 2018 WIAC women's basketball standings, according to a preseason poll by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
UW-Whitewater (22-6, 10-4 WIAC last season) is projected to win this year's WIAC title. The Warhawks finished as the runners-up to the Titans in last year's league standings before going on win their first WIAC tournament title.
UW-Stevens Point ranks third in the WIAC preseason poll. The Pointers are followed by UW-Eau Claire in fourth, UW-La Crosse in fifth, UW-River Falls in sixth, UW-Stout in seventh and UW-Platteville in eighth.
Last season UW-Oshkosh (26-4, 13-1 WIAC) captured its first regular-season league title since 2006 and its 12th championship overall.
The Titans were followed in the 2017 WIAC standings by second-place UW-Whitewater, third-place UW-La Crosse (16-11, 9-5 WIAC) and UW-Stevens Point (17-9, 9-5), fifth-place UW-Eau Claire (13-13, 7-7), sixth-place UW-River Falls (9-18, 3-11) and UW-Stout (7-18, 3-11), and eighth-place UW-Platteville (6-19, 2-12).
UW-Oshkosh welcomes back two starters and 11 letter winners from a squad that reached the third round of the NCAA Division III Championship and won more than 20 games for the league-leading fifth straight season. The Titans are also one of just eight programs to win at least one game at each of the past four NCAA Division III Championships.
Senior forward Eliza Campbell returns for the Titans after receiving All-WIAC first team honors the past two seasons. Campbell, who scored in double figures 20 times last year, ranked second on the team with 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 2017.
UW-Oshkosh's returning players also include senior starting guard Emma Melotik, sophomore guard Olivia Campbell, senior guard Jaimee Pitt, junior guard Chloe Pustina, junior forward Isabella Samuels and senior forward Madeline Staples, who each averaged more than 10 minutes per contest last season.
Melotik paced the Titans with 42 3-pointers last season while Samuels had a team-leading .628 field goal percentage.
UW-Oshkosh led the WIAC in several statistical categories last season, including scoring defense (50.5), scoring margin (+14.5), field goal percentage (.413), field goal percentage defense (.354), 3-pointers (192) and turnover margin (+4.40).
UW-Whitewater brings back four starters, including All-WIAC first team selections in senior guards Malia Smith and Brooke Trewyn. Smith recorded a WIAC-leading 76 steals last year, and Trewyn led the league with 15.2 points per game. The Warhawks scored a WIAC-best 67.2 points per contest a year ago.
UW-Stevens Point returns a pair of starters but just six letter winners from a squad that led the conference with a +4.5 rebounding margin last season.
UW-Eau Claire, last season's WIAC leader with 6.77 3-pointers per game, returns four starters, including All-WIAC first team sophomore forward Anna Graaskamp. Graaskamp ranked third in the league with 14.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest a year ago.
UW-La Crosse has three starters back, including senior guard Elise DeNoyer, the WIAC's leading returning rebounder at 7.8 per game.
UW-River Falls, the 2016 WIAC regular season champion, returns a pair of two-time all-league first team selections in senior forward Taylor Karge and senior guard Brynn Liljander. Karge led the Falcons in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots last season. Liljander is back after missing most of last year due to injury.
UW-Platteville and UW-Stout both bring back four starters. UW-Platteville ranked second in the conference with 66.8 points per game last year while UW-Stout averaged a league-leading 12.72 assists per contest.
UW-Oshkosh begins the 2017-18 season on Nov. 18 against Otterbein University (Ohio) at the Main View Tipoff Tournament in Manchester, Ind. The Titans open their 14-game WIAC schedule at UW-Whitewater on Jan. 3.