COLUMN: Four Storylines I’m following this Lady Raiders Basketball Season

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — After two exhibition wins, the Lady Raiders start their 2022-23 campaign tomorrow night in Macon, Ga., taking on the reigning Southern Conference Tournament Champion Mercer Bears at 6 p.m. CT, with TV coverage on ESPN+ and radio coverage on WGNS 101.9 FM / 1450 AM, Smyrna – WGNS 100.5 FM – The Varsity Network App.

As expected, given the caliber of opposition, MTSU took care of business against Christian Brothers and UT Southern in their first action on the schedule. But it left plenty of topics for Lady Raider fans to follow in the weeks and months ahead for a team that head coach Rick Insell thinks has "Sweet 16" potential if all goes well.

With that in mind, here are four topics that I'm watching closely as the season tips off tomorrow evening.

1) The Lady Raiders will be tested early in non-conference play. Can the veterans on the team keep the same winning culture together early?

We'll start with what MTSU has back from last year's WNIT semifinal squad, which is almost everybody. While Dor Saar will need to be replaced at point guard, and Amanda Whittington's valuable bench presence as well, so much of what made the Lady Raiders dynamic last season is ready to go in 2022.

Courtney Whitson's two-level scoring ability and leadership. Jalynn Gregory's absurd range beyond the arc. Alexis Whittington's perimeter defense and three-point shot. Anastasiia Boldyreva's touch around the basket. Ksenyia Malashka's inside out game at the 4 or the 5. Courtney Blakely's energy on defense and dynamism with the ball in her hands.

Those six returnees, plus Marshall transfer Savannah Wheeler, make up Rick Insell's "seven starters" at the start of the season. Lady Raider fans know what to expect out of each of them at this point, though they were treated to few interesting wrinkles new from last year during the exhibitions, like Gregory running at point guard, a role she last did regularly in high school, or Malashka and Boldyreva sharing the court at the same time, a rarity last season.

Given the success from last season, keeping the culture strong through tough road games at Mercer, Southern Illinois and Memphis, to say nothing of home games against Louisville, Houston and Belmont, will be key ahead of C-USA play. But outside of an injury that kept Blakely out of the first exhibition, things have looked like they picked up where they left off last March.

2) Another year, another elite point guard transferring into Murfreesboro. Can Savannah Wheeler pick up where she left off in C-USA, just in blue instead of green?

The sense of relief Savannah Wheeler felt stepping on the court for the first time as a Lady Raider, rather than as a visitor from Marshall, was apparent immediately after she scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting against Christian Brothers.

"It felt amazing," Wheeler said after the game. "I was getting chill bumps last night just thinking about tonight."

MTSU fans will certainly be excited Wheeler is playing for the Lady Raiders rather than their opponent this season. In just two exhibitions, Wheeler averaged 19.0 points and shot 13-for-20 from the field (65 percent), making all nine of her free throws. She was a perfect fit at the one in Rick Insell's system, displaying the ball handling, drive ability and outside shot that made her an All-C-USA player just last season in Huntington.

Keeping her acclimated will be key to this team's success long-term, as she is as close to a one-to-one replacement for Dor Saar as the Lady Raiders could've hoped to find in the transfer portal this offseason. Early results point to great success long term, Wheeler comes in with two years of eligibility. And Insell is already raving about her skillset rubbing off on the team.

"We're very talented," Insell said. "We've got a lot of basketball IQ. Savannah coming in helped with our basketball IQ."

3) The freshmen class has shined in the two exhibitions. How will they fit into the team's chemistry this year?

Lady Raider fans got their first glimpse of the team's three freshmen (Ta'Mia Scott, Lanae Riley and Meioshe Mason) in the team's two exhibitions, and while it'll be hard to top what last year's class did, with both Gregory and Boldyreva making the C-USA All-Freshman team, early signs are that Rick Insell's staff found some more players that can contribute right away.

Scott, who should see immediate minutes on the wings for MTSU, earned a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against UT Southern, while Riley, who likely will see plenty of time at forward for MTSU, showed great touch beyond the arc in the two games, shooting 4-for-5 from three. Mason, who played more sporadically than her two classmates, also had good production, grabbing seven boards in just 11 minutes on the court in the two exhibitions.

"We knew how good of players they were when we recruited them," Insell said. "Lanae, if she's not the best, I thought she was the best in the state of Ohio. And Ta'Mia I thought was the best in the state of Tennessee last year, and we were very fortunate to be able to get them."

Minutes, as always, will be hard earned with this group. But it's easy to see the potential in all three, and why they were brought to Murfreesboro. How they develop will be key to figuring out this team's ceiling as the year goes on.

One thing is for sure, however: these three already understand the standard set by their teammates.

"In high school, we had high expectations there, so I think it's not a big difference," Riley said of the difference between high school and college ball. "The biggest difference is that I need to play up to everyone's standard and play up to my standards to be the best player I can be for this team."

4) Early signs indicate depth at every position. Will it stay that way throughout the season?

Easily the most intriguing storyline this season for me is how deep can this team go on its bench with regularity this year. Last season covering men and women's basketball in the Glass House was a ton of fun to cover for a wide variety of reasons (not losing a game at home during the regular season for both teams certainly helped with that!), but what was most interesting was the contrasting styles each team played.

Nick McDevitt's program used its bench fully, pressing a lot of the game for that very reason, while Rick Insell's program kept his bench typically to seven, sometimes even six players in crucial times, resulting in an efficient but more methodical pace by necessity. In 2022-23, I don't think that will be the case for the Lady Raiders, with Insell already projecting playing as many as ten players Monday night in Macon.

"What helps us more than anything is that we're able to play a lot of people," Insell said. "Whereas in the past, I had six or seven young ladies, now I'm playing, and let's hope I can do that Monday night, 10 or 11."

Fans saw a lot of that depth on display over the two exhibitions, but also some new schematic wrinkles, like a more present press the team ran most of the first half against UT Southern. Already a good defensive team, I'm excited to see what the continued development of players like Jada Grannum and the freshmen mean for some of the defenses MTSU will be able to run this season. I can't wait to see it play out.

"Just to not be able to rely on a select few, but to have a deep bench is meaningful for everybody," Grannum said. "It's great for us, we're having fun."

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

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