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8. Ohio State 18-13, 7-9 After missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002, Ohio State made a change at the top. Former Xavier coach Kevin McGuff replaced Jim Foster and takes over a program looking to reload. That won't be easy to do quickly, particularly with scoring guard Tayler Hill (21.1 ppg) having graduated. Center Ashley Adams (9.9 ppg, 7.0) will anchor the middle, but she's yet to live up to her potential. Perhaps in her senior year, she finally will. Guard Ameryst Alston (6.5 ppg) will take on a bigger role, after being on the Big Ten All-Freshman team last season. But otherwise, the roster looks thin, especially considering Foster didn't recruit a 2013 class, leaving McGuff without a single freshman. Seto, who played eight minutes a game two years ago. Expect junior point guard Shannon Smith to make a big impact in her first season eligible for Michigan; the former UNC Tar Heel spent last season at a community college, where she averaged 16 points per game. Michigan suffered a setback in early October when Kelsey Mitchell, who missed last season with an ACL injury, broke a bone in her foot. The forward had averaged 9.3 points and 10 rebounds during Michigan's August summer tour. 11. Northwestern 13-17, 5-11 Coach Joe McKeown's team might be a year away, but with a solid group of freshmen and sophomores, the Wildcat boss feels like his team can compete. That group — NU has only four upperclassmen — is led by sophomore Maggie Lyon (12.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg), the 2013 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year. She'll have to do even more now, with former frontcourt mate Kendall Hackey, the Cats' leading scorer last season, having graduated. Karly Roser (9.4 ppg), an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection, could pick up some of the slack, particularly if she's improved from the perimeter. McKeown thinks his team will be able to score better than a year ago, when it averaged only 61.4 points per game, the fourth-lowest average in the Big Ten, particularly if it can keep its turnovers down. The Wildcats had the league's second-to-last turnover margin last season. 9. Illinois 19-14, 9-7 The Fighting Illini have three starters returning this season, but the two who have departed were big-time contributors. How quickly Illinois can replace the production of Karisma Penn and Adrienne Godbold, who combined to average about 35 points and 17 rebounds per game last season, will go a long way toward determining success now, in Year 2 of the Matt Bollant Era. Bollant led the Illini to a surprising 2012-13, when they recorded their best winning percentage since 2006-07 and advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals. But his work continues; Guards Amber Moore (12.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Ivory 12. Indiana Crawford (11.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) are good building blocks. 11-19, 2-14 But eight newcomers will have chances to earn playCurt Miller's first season trying to rebuild ing time as well. the Hoosiers wasn't easy, as they won only two of their 16 games in the Big Ten. 10. Michigan Year 2 might be equally difficult. IU, which could 22-11, 9-7 barely score last season, averaging a Big Ten-worst 55 In Kim Barnes Arico's first season at Michpoints per game, loses its top two scorers. igan, she guided the Wolverines to a program-record 22 The Hoosiers' leading returning scorer is fifth-year wins and a victory in the NCAA Tournament. 6-4 senior center Sasha Chaplin (6.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg), who That'll be hard to replicate this season, with UM having will try to team with sophomore guard Nicole Bell (5.7 lost 89 percent of its scoring. Only starter Nicole Elmblad ppg) and senior forward Milika Taufa (4.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) (4.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg) returns, as do reserves Madison Ristovsto lead what is an otherwise young group. ki (2.3 ppg) and Cyesha Goree. IU has seven freshmen and three sophomores, each Several Wolverines are returning from injuries that of whom will get an opportunity for playing time. j forced them to the sidelines last season, including Kendra f IllustrateD volume 24, issue 2 95