North Carolina A&T emerges as best team in HBCU women's basketball
Yesterday at 03:29 PM
The North Carolina A&T women's basketball program is drawing attention for the upcoming season, and after their impressive finish last year, it's easy to see why. The Lady Aggies are ranked preseason No. 17 in the collegeinsider.com poll, marking the highest preseason ranking in program history.
A&T is coming off a successful 22-12 season, finishing 13-5 in conference play and making a postseason appearance in the WNIT. They won two games before being eliminated in the Super 16 by Troy University, 89-75.
The Aggies return all five starters from last season, including first-team preseason All-CAA selection Maleia Bracone, second-team selection Chaniya Clark, graduate guard D'Mya Tucker, and rookie standout Paris Locke. Jordyn Dorsey, a unanimous first-team preseason All-CAA selection, is also a key player to watch as she approaches 1,000 career points this season.
The Aggies are ranked 149 out of 360 Division I women's basketball teams nationwide and are projected to win the Coastal Athletic Association conference this year.A key matchup to watch this season will be against Norfolk State, the only other HBCU ranked in the first College Insider's Mid-Major Women's Basketball Top 25 poll for the 2024-25 season.
Now in its 15th season, the mid-major poll highlights the top teams from various conferences, including America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Coastal Athletic, Conference USA, Horizon, Independent, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast, and Western Athletic.
With notable transfers like Elon's Ajia James and Darrionna Howard from the University of Delaware, the Aggies are poised for a deeper postseason run. Howard, who had 146 rebounds and a .540 field goal percentage as a freshman, brings added size and agility. James, a 6-foot-1 shooter, excelled at Elon, making 310 three-pointers in three years, including 89 in just 71 games last season. She also contributed 310 rebounds and 470 blocks.
When asked about being favored after another 20-win season, Coach Tarrell Robinson expressed confidence. "We're right where we want to be; this is the standard and expectations," he said.
The Lady Aggies will open the season on the road against SMU on November 4, followed by a game at Rice on November 7. They will host their home opener against the University of North Carolina on November 12 at 7 p.m. inside Corbett Sports Center.
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