BIG EAST Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll Announced at Media Day

NEW YORK - Xavier women's basketball was picked to finish 11th in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. The poll and the preseason all-conference team was announced on Wednesday morning at BIG EAST Media Day at Madison Square Garden.

Head Coach Billi Chambers, Loren Christie, Aizhanique Mayo and Daniela López met with members of the media on Wednesday to preview the upcoming season. Digital assets for in-season use by the BIG EAST Digital Network, CBS and FOX were also captured during the annual event.

PRESEASON COACHES POLL

1. UConn – 100 (10 first-place votes)
2. Creighton – 91 (1)
3. Providence – 71
4. St. John's - 67
5. Georgetown – 66
6. Villanova – 56
7. Seton Hall – 51
8. Butler – 46
9. DePaul – 24
10. Marquette - 23
11. Xavier - 10

PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST

BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year – Paige Bueckers, UConn, R-Sr., G
BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year – Sarah Strong, UConn, Fr., F

BIG EAST Women's Basketball Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Caroline Strande, Butler, Gr., G
KK Arnold, UConn, So., G
Azzi Fudd, UConn, R-Jr., G
Ashlynn Shade, UConn, So., G
Lauren Jensen, Creighton, Sr., G
Morgan Maly, Creighton, Sr., G/F
Kelsey Ransom, Georgetown, Gr., G
Olivia Olsen, Providence, Sr., F
Grace Efosa, Providence, Gr., G
Ber'Nyah Mayo, St. John's, Gr., G

Honorable Mention
Kaitlyn Chen, UConn, Gr., G
Jorie Allen, DePaul, Gr., F
Savannah Catalon, Seton Hall, So., G

SCHEDULE NOTES

The Musketeers open conference action on Wednesday, Dec. 4 vs Creighton at Cintas Center.
Xavier will play two games on national television: Jan. 8 at UConn (SNY) and Feb. 8 at Seton Hall (FS1).
Xavier will play six home non-conference games at Cintas Center, including four straight to open the 2024-25 season. The Musketeers will play a total of 15 home games during the season (including nine home BIG EAST games).
Xavier will play teams from six different leagues during non-conference action: Mid-American (4), Horizon, Sun Belt, Big 12, Mountain West and Northeast. The Musketeers non-conference opponents combined to make three postseason appearances last season.
The Musketeers play host to Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 15 in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. Xavier has won three straight home games in the series, most recently at 48-35 win on Dec. 9, 2022.
Xavier will play three opponents for the first time in program history in Arkansas State, Mercyhurst and San Jose State.
San Jose State is coached by former Musketeer, April Phillips ('10). The all-conference performer helped the Musketeers capture two Atlantic-10 Titles and advance to three NCAA Tournaments, including the 2010 Elite Eight. The Long Beach, Calif., native finished her career ranked seven in career rebounding (6.9).
Xavier will be playing Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Temple and Youngstown State for the second time in as many seasons.

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

Xavier enters the season with 12 international players, the most in NCAA DI Women's Basketball this season. The 12 international players are from the following countries: Spain (4), Finland, Australia, Slovakia, Croatia, Germany, Serbia, England, Republic of Georgia.
Xavier returns six letterwinners from the 2023-24 season, highlighted by Aizhanique Mayo who earned All-BIG EAST Freshman Team honors. The guard ranked second in conference only games among freshman in scoring, averaging 9.8 points per game. The Musketeers also return graduate student Tae'lor Purvis who led the team in assists (69) and steals (43) a year ago. The guard ranked 12th in the BIG EAST in steals last season.
The Musketeers also welcome back sophomores Júlia Garcia Roig and Daniela López. The Spanish guards combined to average 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds during their freshmen campaigns, while adding 82 assists and 37 steals.
Second-year head coach Billi Chambers welcomes eight newcomers to the team this summer, including local standout MacKenzie Givens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton HS). Xavier also returns Loren Christie who brings a wealth of experience to the frontcourt, having played in 104 games during her college career - including a game in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. She missed the 2023-24 season due to injury.

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