Uncertainty is the only certain thing about Ivy League women's basketball. Even though some perennial powerhouses are always favored to capture the Ivy crown, don't be surprised if a darkhorse unexpectedly appears on the horizon.

"There always is someone in the Ivy League [who] surprises you and emerges," said Harvard Head Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith.

Early-season polls have predicted that Penn, Dartmouth and Harvard will be the main teams in contention for the championship by the end of the season, but teams such as Brown and Yale, which return this season with deeper, more experienced rosters, will try to play the role of spoiler.

Don't make any postseason bets yet.

Brown

After suffering a six-year drought since its last Ivy title, Brown is poised to make a run at the league championship again this season. The Bears will rely heavily on sophomore guard Barbara Maloni, who averaged more than 20 points per game last season and was named second-team All-Ivy for her offensive prowess.

Maloni made her mark on Brown's record books last season after lighting up Penn for 40 points as a freshman, destroying Brown's single-game scoring record.

With five rookies and seven returning players, Head Coach Jean Marie Burr will depend on the leadership and athleticism of centers Rachel McDonald and Keri Larkin to anchor the team.