Jenna Guyer鈥檚 breakthrough season with Green Bay has the fifth-year senior reconsidering her post-college plans.
For now, though, she is trying to put off those choices by delaying the end of her college career as much as possible.
Guyer has Green Bay back in the for a third straight year after scoring 21 points in the Phoenix’s 57-49 championship game victory over Youngstown State. Green Bay (25-8) will try to advance beyond the opening round of the NCAAs for the first time since 2012 on Friday at Minnesota (22-8).
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of been our main goal this year, is getting into the tournament, but we don鈥檛 just stop there,鈥� the 6-foot-2 forward/center said. 鈥淲e say we want to win a game and do some damage there.鈥�
Green Bay showed it could play at this level last year, when the 12th-seeded Phoenix trailed Alabama by just five points with seven minutes left before This year, Guyer wants to help her team take the next step.
鈥淜nowing we can compete with anybody is huge going into this tournament,鈥� Guyer said.
Guyer played 15 minutes off the bench in that Alabama game as part of a senior-laden team, but she needed to take on a greater role this season. She also had to adapt to playing power forward as well as center.
She responded by averaging 15.1 points and 6.3 rebounds as the Horizon League player of the year. Guyer also was the most valuable player of the Horizon League Tournament.
Guyer graduated with a degree in human biology in December 2024 and is on track to finish her master鈥檚 program for applied biotechnology this fall. Guyer plans to pursue a career in the medical field but could put that on hold to play basketball overseas.
鈥淚 feel like this year I鈥檝e had so much fun,鈥� Guyer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of hard to put so much time into something and then it just be over. I鈥檓 kind of maybe just thinking about playing a year or two and seeing where that takes me.鈥�
Guyer is one of several women鈥檚 players from one-bid conferences who bear watching in this year鈥檚 NCAA Tournament. Here鈥檚 a look at some others.
Taryn and Taylor Barbot, Charleston
Opening game: Friday at Duke.
Notes: These twin sisters from Floral Park, New York, have helped Charleston reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. Taryn Barbot is a two-time Coastal Athletic Association player of the year who has scored at least 30 points four times this season. Taryn is the CAA鈥檚 leading scorer, while Taylor tops the league in assists and assist-turnover ratio. Taryn scored 23 points in the while Taylor had 16 points and eight assists.
Kaety L鈥橝moreaux, Fairfield
Opening game: Saturday vs. Notre Dame at Columbus, Ohio.
Notes: This 5-6 guard leads the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in points per game (17.6) and was named the league鈥檚 player of the year. She also has 5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game. L鈥橝moreaux showed her ability to produce against major-conference foes by collecting 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds in a L鈥橝moreaux will be looking to bounce back after totaling five points and nine turnovers in her last two MAAC Tournament games.
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison
Opening game: Saturday vs. Kentucky at Morgantown, West Virginia.
Notes: McDaniel had 28 points, 10 assists, four assists and four steals in James Madison鈥檚 triumph over Troy. The 6-footer was named the tournament鈥檚 most outstanding player. She has earned first-team all-Sun Belt honors each of the last two seasons. McDaniel is averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State
Opening game: Friday vs. Washington at Fort Worth, Texas.
Notes: Meyer is one of five finalists for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award. She has scored over 2,000 career points. The 6-2 forward has averaged 22.4 points, 8 rebounds and 2.7 assists this season. That includes a 27-point performance against Duke and a 20-point effort against Texas. Meyer had 19 points and eight rebounds in South Dakota State鈥檚 over Oklahoma State last season.
Mia Nicastro, Western Illinois
Opening game: Friday at North Carolina.
Notes: Nicastro is one of five finalists for the Becky Hammon Award. The 6-2 forward has averaged 24.2 points and 9.9 rebounds as the Ohio Valley Conference player of the year. She has three straight double-doubles, including 21 points and 12 rebounds in an over Lindenwood. Nicastro had 20 points and seven rebounds in a loss to Iowa this season. This is her second year at Western Illinois after two seasons at Saint Louis.
Madison St. Rose, Princeton
Opening game: Saturday vs. Oklahoma State at Los Angeles.
Notes: After a torn anterior cruciate ligament limited her to four games last season, St. Rose has come back to earn first-team all-Ivy League honors while leading the Tigers to the league鈥檚 regular-season and tournament titles. The 5-10 guard has 16 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. She scored 22 points in an in 2024. St. Rose had 20 points in a loss to Maryland this season.
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