Oklahoma State Cowgirls Basketball Projected Rotation: Who Starts, Who Backs Up, What's Unsettled
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For the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, it’s just about time to begin what might be the program’s most anticipated season in history.
Oklahoma State will host Southern on Monday at 5 p.m. in the Cowgirls’ regular season opener. It’s been an incredible offseason, with head coach Jacie Hoyt taking in the country’s top transfer class and the Cowgirls are everyone’s pick to win the Big 12. Now, it’s time to start putting that to the test.
For the next two months, the Cowgirls will play with different rotations and alignments to see how this team fits together going into conference play in December. Let’s look at their projected starting lineup and their projected bench rotation. Plus, what’s left to settle?
Starting Five
G Liv McGill
Assuming Liv McGill is healthy, she’s going to play. After Tuesday’s scrimmage — when McGill didn’t play — head coach Jacie Hoyt told reporters that McGill was “day to day.” She didn’t elaborate why McGill was “day-to-day.”
She averaged 22.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game last season for Florida and was named an honorable mention all-American. When she’s ready, she’ll play.
G Stailee Heard
Stailee Heard is the lone holdover from last year’s team and is in her fourth year with the Cowgirls. She’s one of the most consistent players in the Big 12. Last year she averaged 11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game. It was her third straight season with double-digit points and there’s no reason she can’t make it a fourth.
G Nene Ndiaye
Nene Ndiaye started in the exhibition game and it’s not clear if that is because McGill didn’t play or if she’s a part of the starting lineup. Last season at Rutgers she had her best season, averaging 14.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. She also shot 41.6% from the arc. Odds are she’ll be in the lineup when McGill returns.
G Yuting Deng
Yuting Deng played at Baylor last season and averaged 6.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. She’s going to score more on the drive and only shoots 42% from the floor. She also started in the exhibition game and dropped 20 points on Langston. It will be interesting to watch how she plays against better competition next week. If anyone flips out of the starting lineup, it’s Deng.
C Audi Crooks
All the focus is going to be on her because she was the No. 1 player in the transfer portal and the Cowgirls were able to land her. Last season with Iowa State she averaged 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists. She’s scored more than 2,000 points for her collegiate career and she’s looking forward to playing in Jacie Hoyt’s faster-paced offense.
Bench
I think the Cowgirls are going to use a heavy rotation off the bench to start the season, considering the wealth of talent they took in from the portal.
G Ellie Brueggemann
Depending on what Hoyt wants, Ellie Brueggemann could start at off-guard after she averaged 14 points and shot 44% from the 3-point line last season. If she comes off the bench, she’s instant offense.
G LA Sneed
LA Sneed started in the scrimmage for McGill and when McGill starts, she’ll be the backup point guard. Last season at Utah she averaged 6.3 points and 3.3 assists per game.
G Talexa Weeter
Everyone is looking forward to seeing how the Division II player of the year handles the transition to Division I basketball. With Fort Hays State, she led NCAA Division II in scoring at 27.5 points per outing. Additionally, she broke the MIAA's scoring record with 852 points.
G Zoe Canfield
Zoe Canfield missed most of last season due to injury and she played eight minutes in the exhibition game. She has the potential to be a solid option behind the 3-point arc but she’ll have to work to get playing time.
C Mojca Jelenc
The freshman is 6-7 and she’s the only player on the roster taller than Crooks. In some cases, Hoyt will go to a smaller lineup. In others, she’ll give Jelenc some run. But she has to get on the floor first. She didn’t play in the scrimmage.
What’s Left to Answer
When Does Callin Hake Fit into This?
Callin Hake, the former Nebraska player who transferred to Oklahoma State after getting a fifth year of eligibility in October, wasn’t on the floor for the scrimmage on Tuesday. That doesn’t mean that she won’t be available for the opener. It just means that it’s not clear what her role will be early this season. She probably needs time to integrate into a role that will likely be as a backup guard and defensive specialist.
Can Cowgirls Elevate Defensively?
If the Cowgirls want to go from a good team to a great team, they are going to have to level up their defense from a season ago. Last season, OSU gave up 64.2 points per game. In the context of the Big 12 that was solid. But nationally it was middle of the road, ranked No. 173 in the country. The Cowgirls need to elevate into the Top 75 in the country in that category to be the kind of team Hoyt wants them to be.
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Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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