Anything less than repeating last year’s successful run to the NCAA Tournament will be a disappointment for the women’s basketball team at Idaho State University.
They will have the proverbial bulls-eye on their back all year.
“Being the defending champs, teams are going to get up to play us. It’s going to be a lot of tough games,” said ISU head coach Seton Sobolewski
Sobolewski’s biggest challenge in repeating will be replacing his fifth-year senior, Chelsea Pickering.  She led the Bengals in scoring with 12 points per game and was named Big Sky Tournament MVP, as well as Big Sky All-Conference First Team.
The Bengals are going to miss her big-shot ability and her deep three-point shooting.
Kara Jenkins is the logical choice to replace Pickering in the starting lineup.  There isn’t going to be one player who will make up for Pickering’s offensive production, but rather a combination of players. Sobolewski said that he expects better overall play out of his returning players to make up for the loss of Pickering.
The Bengals are returning the majority of their team and that typically bodes well for collegiate teams. They return four starters; Kaela Oakes, Ashleigh Vella, Lindsey Reed and Cydney Horton.
“The continuity helps things run a little bit smoother in terms of practices and routines and our chemistry will allow us to take another step,” said Sobolewski.
Last year the Bengals went with a three-guard lineup with Pickering, Reed and Oakes, with Vella and Horton anchoring the middle. This year Sobolewski will have the same perimeter-oriented attack and continue to look for the best available shot.
“Whoever has the open shot is going to shoot,” said Sobolewski.
The Bengals will play an exhibition game against Colorado State-Pueblo this Saturday at 12 p.m. at Reed Gym.  The season officially starts for the Bengals on Nov. 9 on the road against Kansas State. Conference play starts Dec. 20.