There are a few things known about the 2012-13 Idaho State womens’ basketball team.

    They are deep, experienced and have the talent to compete and win every night they take the floor.

    The team, comprised of 11 juniors and seniors, already has a Big Sky championship to its credit, and with 68 wins in his four years at ISU, head coach Seton Sobolewski has proven that he can prepare his team to win.

    What know one knows, however, is whether the Bengals can do something that ISU womens’ basketball has never done — repeat.

    No one is shying away from that distinct, specific goal. Win the Big Sky regular season title and bring home the tournament championship, just like in 2011-12.

    “The expectation really is to take the next step,” Sobolewski said. “It’s not to do what we did last year, because I don’t think doing what we did last year will be good enough this year. We’ve got to be a little bit better.”

    But how does a team that lost only twice at home and whose 24 wins was the second most in the program’s history improve?

    Especially considering that fifth-year senior Chelsea Pickering — a first-team all conference selection — and her 12 points per game are gone.

    “There might be some people out there thinking, ‘Well, can they win it without her?’” And that’s our motivation, I think,” Sobolewski said. “She was a great player for us, and we love Chelsea Pickering to death. But we want to kind of see if we can prove those people wrong that might think, ‘Well, she was the reason why they won.’”

    The duty of seamlessly replacing Pickering’s production and leadership falls on the shoulders of players like seniors Kaela Oakes and Ashleigh Vella.

    Oakes is the leading returning scorer. She averaged 11.3 points per game in 2011-12, and is one of three Bengals who averaged double figures last season along with Vella and junior Lindsey Reed.

    Cydney Horton, another junior, is the fourth starter back for the title defense. In total, the Bengals return six players who started 138 games in 2011-12.

    The returning experience and the players’ familiarity with Sobolewski’s system has allowed the coaching staff to structure practice around areas beyond the basics.

    “You have people who know what’s going on, (so) things have run smoother. We’re going to implement a few new things on offense, see if we can score a few more points,” Sobolewski said. “And I think we have the flexibility to do that because people kind of know what to expect in other areas in terms of our defense, preparation and things like that.”

    Sobolewski may look for ISU to push the pace and score more than last year, but defense remains the bedrock of the Bengals’ success.

    Idaho State finished in the top two of the Big Sky in scoring defense, and was 31st in the nation for field goal percentage on its way to the championship.

    The Bengals controlled the boards, too, with the biggest rebounding margin in the conference.

    Again, though, what is in the past is only history now.

    “When we were going through our preseason individual workouts and our conditioning, I was thinking, ‘Last year, did I work this hard? Am I meeting my expectations that I had last year?’” Oakes said. “And then I have to push myself a little bit harder because, obviously, we can’t stay at the same level we were last year.

    “And I think a lot of that has to do with accountability. I’ve been talking about making sure everybody has the same mentality, because we’re not going to be successful this year if we don’t keep on pushing ourselves and pushing each other.”

    The Bengals’ season starts Nov. 3 against Colorado State Pueblo in an exhibition match-up at 12 p.m.