BYU Women’s Basketball 2024 Season Preview: Key Players, Forecasts, and Betting Odds Analysis
BYU Women’s Basketball team is preparing for the upcoming season of the sport, with Amber Whiting leading them as a coach. She transitioned directly to the Division I head coach role and is hailed for leading the team to unprecedented heights in just four seasons. Fans have even termed her duration as the Amber Whiting era, which many reports say will now continue.
BYU’s tally in the last 2 seasons is 32-33, also reaching the postseason in both seasons. However, they now have some catching up to do, as two important players are about to miss their appearances. According to reports, Kailey Woolston has missed the entire season due to a mission trip, and Lauren Gustin is out of eligibility.
Key Players to Watch
A total of three players will now take center stage. These are Amari Whiting, Emma Calvert, and Kemery Congdon. Amari Whiting sounds familiar because she is, in fact, the coach’s daughter. It is natural to doubt her caliber, but her stats speak pretty decently. Amari has averaged 10.6 points, with 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists, respectively. She is now tasked with scaling up her game in the absence of notable players from the side.
Emma could be a potential player to kick start a huge senior year. She was a rotation player last season but averaged 7.4 points along with 4.1 rebounds per game. She is believed to have been battle-tested, which instills a sense of confidence among her fans and the followers of BYU.
Kemery will enter her sixth collegiate season after putting up an average of 10 points in two consecutive seasons. She is likely a more reliable replacement with a lot to prove. Her average comes to 10.6 points and 3.7 rebounds for the Golden Bears in the previous season.
Season Predictions and Betting Odds
Suffice it to say, all three key players hold the key to filling the gap that Lauren Gustin and Kailey Woolston have created. Projections, per some of the best NBA betting sites, are 15-17 wins with the side moving on to the Big 12 Tournament. BYU will have to navigate its way around the weakness, which is likely to be a rotational strategy. The side will have to utilize 10 players with college experience.
Whiting has brought in top talent such as Naia Tanuvasa, Brinley Cannon, Kambree Barber, and Delaney Gibb, but the season will test them as games progress. The opening pair is likely to be Whiting and Congdon. Hattie Ogden and Marya Hudgins could be rotated. They feature an average of 7.5 points and 7.7 points, applicable in the same order. Odds specific to their wins will be revealed on platforms soon.
Key Games and Challenges
BYU were last seen losing 59-60 to Santa Clara. Their crucial matches are now set up to happen in the initial moments of the tournament. A face-off with Idaho and Wyoming will set the pace for how things roll out in the later games. The BYU Cougars are capable of achieving better results than a 16-17 record or even the one projected in the absence of star players. The key would be to focus on standings and eliminate games that are less likely to be in their favor—this translates to being aggressive during the losing moments.
