At 4 this afternoon, Villanova will visit La Salle to launch the season and Big Five competition.
Here is a look at each of the schools:
Temple. Senior center Lady Comfort was voted the most improved player in the Big Five and the A-10 last season.
The Owls' key departure was forward Kamesha Hairston, a first-round WNBA draft pick who was Temple's second consecutive A-10 player of the year.
Senior point guard Ashley Morris, a Public League star at Central, gets a chance to build on last season's finish under Dawn Staley, the coach who earned international acclaim at the same position.
Sophomore guard LaKeisha Eaddy was the first freshman to start for Staley, now in her eighth season. The Owls hope she can offset some of the scoring lost with Hairston's departure.
Sophomore Shenita Landry became a threat in the post, which also had freshman Jasmine Stone off the bench. However, Stone will miss some time because she did not meet NCAA eligibility requirements.
Two newcomers draw the word impact from Staley. They are junior-college transfer Shanea Cotton, a 6-foot-4 forward, and freshman guard Lindsay Kimmel of Binghamton, N.Y.
The Owls will have to maintain their new rebounding reputation to challenge George Washington in the conference and earn another NCAA bid.
Temple is also a Big Five win from matching St. Joseph's record streak of 15.
La Salle. The Explorers rocketed to 19-11, their best record since 21-7 in 1996-97, but they did so with senior Crista Ricketts, an inside force.
Senior Carlene Hightower will become Tom Lochner's new No. 1 option.
A possible impact player is freshman Ashley Gale, a guard from Cheltenham who was the PIAA's player of the year.
Junior guard Tara Lapetina is a strong threat on the perimeter, while senior forward Melanie Gibbons provides depth.
Picked 10th in the A-10, the Explorers easily could improve on that forecast.
