Green Street | Getting to know Canisius & Bradley

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Sign up for our daily basketball newsletter here Welcome to "Green Street," your dose of women's college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Joe Vozzelli.

He'll offer up insight on Shauna Green's Illini team and the women's game at large every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

With the 2024-25 season tipping off in less than two months, the Illini's full schedule has now been released with a 29-game slate on tap for Shauna Green's third Illinois team.

We'll preview each of the Illini's nonconference opponents.

Today, we'll take a look at Canisius and Bradley.

vs.

Canisius Monday, Dec.

2 Their best player is ...

to be determined.

New coach Tiffany Swoffard had to totally remake her 2024-25 roster with 10 new players joining the Canisius program after the coaching change with Sahar Nusseibeh leaving Buffalo, N.Y., to take the job at Eastern Michigan.

How their 2023-24 season went ...

a further progression in wins.

After winning six games in 2021-22 and nine games in 2022-23, the Golden Griffins surpassed that combined wins total last winter with Canisius finishing with a 17-14 record.

The 2023-24 season ended with a 77-64 loss to 25th-ranked Fairfield in the semifinals of the MAAC tournament.

Still, that was the first winning season for the program in 15 years.

What success looks like for them ...

repeating what Nusseibeh was able to do.

That might be difficult given the near-complete roster turnover in the offseason.

What to watch for ...

this will be the Illini's only true road game of nonconference play.

But Canisius had a NET ranking of 249 at the end of last season.

In other words, playing the Golden Griffin falls into Quad IV territory or a can't-lose game.

It still will be a cool experience for Illini sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan , who will play in her hometown and will see Illinois coach Shauna Green , who remains the all-time leading scorer for the Canisius women's basketball program, coach in familiar confines at the Koessler Athletic Center.

vs.

Bradley Thursday, Dec.

12 Their best player is ...

Kaylen Nelson .

The guard from Tulsa, Okla., had an impressive start to her junior season last season, including dropping 31 points against Kansas City in the season opener.

Nelson, an Oral Roberts transfer, averaged 15.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game through her first five games with the Braves.

But a promising season ended with a torn ACL in late November against Bethune-Cookman.

How their 2023-24 season went ...

not well.

After a 2-3 start, Bradley was 4-23 once Nelson went down to injury.

It means third-year coach Kate Popovec-Goss is 10-54 so far in Peoria.

What success looks like for them ...

anything representing progress really.

It's been a tough run for the Bradley program after posting a 17-12 record in 2020-21.

What to watch for ...

how much pressure is on Popovec-Goss? The Braves' coach was suspended 10 games in nonconference play last season, a decision the university said was "made in accordance with the university's commitment to upholding the values and standards expected of its staff." When she returned to the sideline for the start of Missouri Valley Conference season in late December, Popovec-Goss didn't offer an details about the reason for the suspension..

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