FARMINGTON, Utah (October 20, 2021) – A year after claiming the Big Sky women's basketball regular season and conference tournament titles, the coaches in the Big Sky Conference and select media members have picked Idaho State as the preseason favorite in 2021-22.
In the Big Sky Women's Basketball Coaches Poll, Idaho State was the unanimous favorite and received 10 first-place votes and 100 points. Since coaches were not allowed to vote for their team, Montana State received the last first-place vote. The Bengals received 17 first-place votes and 235 points in the Media Poll.
"Being picked in these preseason polls is great, and it's a testament to the work our program has put in, but these polls are meant as fun for the fans," said Idaho State head coach Seton Sobolewski. "We are a long way away from being a top team again. There are several very good teams in the Big Sky this year who are capable of being the champs. We've got our work cut out for ourselves."
The Bengals return their core group of players from their championship run last season that saw the Bengals finish with a 15-2 record in conference play and a 22-4 record overall. Two returners for Idaho State received All-Big Sky honors last year, and both led the Bengals in scoring. Dora Goles led ISU with 12.4 points a game and shot 43 percent from the field. Goles will be joined by Diaba Konate, who averaged 11.9 points per game last season and shot 48 percent. Also returning in a Bengals uniform this season are Estefania Ors and Callie Bourne.
Montana State was selected to finish second in both the coaches and media polls, receiving a first-place vote in each poll. The Bobcats received 85 points in the coaches' poll and 203 points in the media poll.
MSU is coming off last season's third-place finish where they went 13-3 in conference play and finished the year with a 17-7 record overall. Darian White returns as the leading scorer for the Bobcats, where she averaged 14.6 points per game last season and led the conference in steals with 2.7 per game.
Idaho was picked to finish the season in third place in both polls and received 82 points in the coaches' poll and 202 points in the media poll. The Vandals finished last season in second place after putting together a 14-3 record in conference play. Junior Beyonce Bea returns as Idaho's leading scorer. Last season she averaged 16.2 points per game while shooting 42 percent.
After the top three spots, the coaches and media poll were different in their projected order of finish.
Northern Arizona (72) was selected fourth in the coaches poll, while Montana (59) was picked fifth.
Southern Utah (53), Northern Colorado (45), Sacramento State (43), Portland State (29), Weber State (21), and Eastern Washington (16) round out the coaches poll.
In the media poll, Southern Utah was selected to finish in fourth place and received 183 points. Northern Arizona, who was picked by the media to finish the season in fifth, received 171 points and a first-place vote.
Northern Colorado (141), Montana (140), Portland State (79), Sacramento State (70), Eastern Washington (58), and Weber State (33) round out the media poll.
Tune in to the Big Sky Tipoff on November 4 to get a full breakdown of the preseason polls. The Tipoff will be streamed on ESPN+.
Follow the Big Sky Conference on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for up-to-date information from around the conference and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated. For more women's basketball content, follow #BigSkyWBB on Twitter at @BigSkyWBB.
2021-22 Big Sky
Women’s Basketball Coaches' Poll |
|
2021-22 Big Sky
Women's Basketball Media Poll
|
|
School |
Pts |
|
|
School |
Pts |
| 1. |
Idaho State (10) |
100 |
|
1. |
Idaho State (17) |
235 |
| 2. |
Montana State (1) |
85 |
|
2. |
Montana State (1) |
203 |
| 3. |
Idaho |
82 |
|
3. |
Idaho (3) |
202 |
| 4. |
Northern Arizona |
72 |
|
4. |
Southern Utah |
183 |
| 5. |
Montana |
59 |
|
5. |
Northern Arizona (1) |
171 |
| 6. |
Southern Utah |
53 |
|
6. |
Northern Colorado |
141 |
| 7. |
Northern Colorado |
45 |
|
7. |
Montana |
140 |
| 8. |
Sacramento State |
43 |
|
8. |
Portland State |
79 |
| 9. |
Portland State |
29 |
|
9. |
Sacramento State |
70 |
| 10. |
Weber State |
21 |
|
10. |
Eastern Washington |
58 |
| 11. |
Eastern Washington |
16 |
|
11. |
Weber State |
33 |