‘Anything But Mid’ Podcast: CAA, CUSA and Horizon women’s basketball previews

Earlier this week, we took a look at the CAA, C-USA and Horizon men's basketball conferences. Now, let's see how things are shaping up on the women's side of things.

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Charleston went 27-6 last season while winning the regular season and the conference tournament, resulting in the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. However, the Cougars lost their three key players in twins Taryn and Taylor Barbot and Grace Ezebilo. This opens the conference up for other programs to ascent. Stony Brook has an excellent defensive team and is returning key players Caitlin Frost and can have breakout seasons from Johanna Potter, Alex Brown and Jada Cook. Under new coach Ali Jaques, Campbell will also continue to compete. Returning sophomore Jasmine Felton was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team while returning senior Jessica Woods provides stability and depth to the backcourt.

Louisiana Tech has always been the powerhouse of this conference, steamrolling to a staggering 17-1 record in conference play last season but left for the Sun Belt. This leaves a major question mark and makes CUSA a very interesting conference. Middle Tennessee is a team that will compete, as CUSA Freshman of the Year Blair Baugus is a massive return for the Blue Raiders. Sophomores Kirston Verhulst and Carsyn Swaney can step up in production while Baugus looks to build upon her incredible freshman season. Historic Missouri State can potentially be an early favorite, as returner Kaemyn Bekemeier led the team in points with 17.2 and rebounds with 8.2. Lainie Douglas is another key returner, averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. FIU will also compete, but losing Rhema Collins to Texas Tech is a big loss.

Green Bay is the defending conference and tournament champion after going 17-3 in conference play last season. However, the Phoenix lost a majority of their roster, leaving yet another conference question mark heading into the season. Youngstown State finished two games behind Green Bay, finishing with a 15-5 conference play record and losing in the conference championship. Danielle Cameron provides solid shooting. Sara Baker has a strong frontcourt presence. Erica King will lock down the frontcourt, and Paulina Hernandez has size and versatility inside. All these pieces make the Penguins a strong contender. Robert Morris can also be a contender after going 11-9 in conference play last season. Mackenzie Blackford is a big transfer for Robert Morris after averaging 10.6 points at Duquesne last season. Similarly, Marshall transfer Timberlynn Yeast was named to the WNIT All-Tournament Team last season. If their strong returners and transfers mesh well, Robert Morris can be a big sleeper in the Horizon.

Make sure to tune into the next episode of "Anything But Mid" for more mid-major coverage as we get closer to the season!