Coach P's squad made a memorable run to the national championship game last year, falling just one win short of the crown. This year, the Spartans are an early favorite to make a similar run. Senior guard Lindsay Bowen will shift over to point guard to fill in for the departed Kristin Haynie, while the low-post responsibilities will fall mostly to senior forward Liz Shimek. In their hands, the team's dream of another shot at the title is in good hands.
Five things to keep an eye on this season
1. Leadership: The Spartans lost only two players from last year's Big Ten Championship team. They return four players that had key roles in their late season run, and would seem to go as these four players go.
2. Youth Movement: Depth is something MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie loves to have and this year, the bench is going to be young and talented. Freshman guard Tiffany Shives and forward Aisha Jefferson will be two key components.
3. Schedule: The Spartans will have their hands full this season. They face 12 teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season. Eight of those teams are non conference opponents.
4. Record Breakers: Bowen and Shimek both will make a run at the school record for career points. If all goes right, they should end up with the No. 1 and 2 spots on that list.
5. Coach P: McCallie has turned the program around in her short time here at MSU. If her team stays healthy, she could find herself making a return trip to the Final Four, something that might have been unthinkable before she arrived on the scene.
Four games to circle on your calendar right now
1. Nov. 24 vs. Tennessee (Paradise Jam-U.S. Virgin Islands) - One of the most memorable games from the NCAA Tournament last year was the semi-final matchup between these two teams. The Spartans found themselves down 16 points in the second half before making a comeback.
2. Dec. 28 @ LSU - The Tigers have the reigning National Player of the Year in Seimone Augustus. This road game will be a true test for the Spartans and should be a highly talked about game at the midway point of the season.
3. Jan. 5 vs. Penn State - Penn State has had the Spartans' number in recent years. The Nittany Lions won the only regular season matchup between the two last year, but MSU got even in the Big Ten Tournament.
4. Feb. 20 @ Ohio State - The two preseason Big Ten favorites will meet up in a late season game. If last year is any indication, this could be a game to remember.
Three reasons why the Spartans could win it all
1. Leadership, leadership, leadership. The Spartans are returning a large contingency of players from their NCAA run last year. Nothing beats experience and the Spartans have a bunch of it. The maturity of this team will have a large part in how successful MSU is this season.
2. This is a team that knows how to win. The Spartans found themselves down late in games last year and continually found ways to win them. Knowing how to finish off games and make comebacks is a huge part of a winning team.
3. This team has a lot of heart and works very hard. The Spartans always talk about being a blue-collar team and working together. Both of these are integral parts of a team and MSU has seemingly mastered both.
Two things standing in their way
1. The schedule will either help the Spartans immensely or kill them slowly. If the Spartans win the big games, McCallie will be a genius. But should the Spartans stumble along the way, she will likely be criticized.
2. No early-season depth could be a problem. McCallie and the coaching staff will try to build up the bench early in the season. If the depth doesn't develop, it could turn out to be deadly for MSU.
One quote to remember at the end of the season
"Every team in the country would love to have the one-two punch that resides in East Lansing. Although the Spartans lost two important players from their NCAA runner-up team, Liz Shimek and Lindsay Bowen return. And the seniors are as talented as any duo in the nation."
-Peter Newmann, ESPN.com
