Welcome back, folks. It's time for college basketball.
This is Bill Koch, sports writer with the Providence Journal. I'm joined by Nick Coit, the sports director at ABC6 and a weekend co-host of Cordischi and Coit on WEEI-Providence. It's great to be back with you after a long summer away.
This is the second of three parts -- our women's preview in Rhode Island. We hit the four Division I teams here and follow with one more podcast this week -- our bold (or not so bold) predictions. Our men's preview went online Wednesday afternoon.
The University of Rhode Island women (1:20) are favorites to repeat as Atlantic 10 champions and reach the NCAA Tournament. Brown (14:40) looks to continue its climb in the Ivy League after making progress in 2022-23. Providence (22:25) has a new coach in Erin Batth and looks to surprise in a tough Big East. Bryant (32:25) brings back an alum on the sidelines in Lynne-Ann Kokoski, who replaces retired Hall of Famer Mary Burke.
And a bonus, thanks to Coit -- a nod to Rhode Island College (42:30) and hopes they can capture the same magic that led to a Division III Final Four run last season.
We'll be in this space at least once a week until the nets are cut down in early April. Looking forward to the journey with all of you.