Quinnipiac Bobcats
Overall Rank: #38
Conference Rank: #1 MAAC
Quinnipiac had a magnificent 2016-2017 season and hope to build off that momentum. The Bobcats once again dominated the MAAC with a 17-3 record during the conference slate, but the team was ready for more than just a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats earned a #12 seed and proceeded to upset #5 Marquette in the first round. They then slipped by #4 Miami in the second round and reached the Sweet Sixteen. At that point Quinnipiac ran into top seeded South Carolina and were no match for the Gamecocks, but the Bobcats made their mark.
2016-17 Record: 29-7, 17-3
2016-17 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Tricia Fabbri
Coach Record: 379-276 at Quinnipiac, 379-276 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Adily Martucci, Guard, 10.4 ppg
Morgan Manz, Forward, 6.1 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Jen Fay, Junior, Forward, 10.5 ppg
Aryn McClure, Junior, Guard/Forward, 9.1 ppg
Paula Strautmane, Junior, Forward, 8.1 ppg
Edel Thornton, Junior, Guard, 3.1 ppg
Sarah Shewan, Senior, Forward, 7.4 ppg
Brittany Johnson, Senior, Guard, 6.5 ppg
Carley Fabbri, Senior, Guard, 5.4 ppg
Vanessa Udoji, Sophomore, Guard/Forward, 3.1 ppg
Brittany Martin, Junior, Guard, 3.0 ppg
Paige Warfel, Sophomore, Forward, 1.7 ppg
Jaden Ward, Sophomore, Forward, 0.9 ppg
Taylor Herd, Sophomore, Guard, 0.7 ppg
Katie Grant, Sophomore, Center, 0.1 ppg
Key New Players
Chiara Bacchini, Freshman, Guard
Danelle Bradley, Freshman, Guard/Forward
Projection:
Coach Tricia Fabbri had a dozen players who started at least two games last season. Ten of them are back. Jen Fay, Aryn McClure, Paula Strautmane and Sarah Shewan are not the tallest players around, but they form a very talented and productive frontcourt. Edel Thornton, Brittany Johnson, Carley Fabbri and Brittany Martin will eat up most of the minutes on the perimeter. With so many different and experienced options, Quinnipiac can mix and match based on the situation. That proved to be a successful formula last season and should be even more potent in 2017-2018. Reaching the Sweet Sixteen again may be a bit of a stretch, but this group has been there before and reaching that milestone again, or even beyond, should be their goal.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.4 (104th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.6 (51, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 39.2 (202, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.9 (39, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.8 (81, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.1 (183, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.6 (93, 4)
Rebound Margin: 1.0 (151, 3)
Assists Per Game: 16.2 (24, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.7 (107, 2)
