Hartford, Connecticut — quite a few outlets — ours include — I wrote last week about the lack of quality games in the first week of the college basketball season. Men’s college basketball. Because that’s not how things work on the female side. And on Sunday, they showed it off at the runway lights.
Need some excitement, agitation and some serious competition in November? Find out where Women’s Games is streaming. There have been so many “upsets” (in this case defined as a lower ranked team beating a higher ranked team) as the best teams in the country actually play against each other.
Coaches who schedule their talented non-conference slates into the season with just a handful of games are big winners this week. I pay my respects to them.
“There are few great teams. And there are many more good teams,” UConn (3-0) head coach Geno Auriemma said on Sunday. “Once you can do that, what happens next is good teams start beating other good teams. Let’s go
The season kicked off two weeks ago, but we’ve already seen two of the most undisputed best teams in the country face off in a regularly scheduled series. No. 1 South Carolina forced his ABC into overtime and took advantage of his two bad mistakes from No. 2 Stanford to win, 76-71.
According to the College Poll Archive, since 2000, the first and second place women’s teams have met 34 times, while the men’s teams have met only nine times. Twenty-one of his women’s matches are intentionally scheduled as non-conference matches, compared to his six on the men’s side. This is a rate of him once a season, not once every four years.
“I think what we see in women’s basketball is that teams are not afraid to have great competition,” said Stanford University head coach Tara Vanderbier. said before the game via Mercury News. “Everybody plays each other and I think that’s great.”
Sunday Slate was phenomenal from start to finish. Then – no. 5 UConn treated then-No. 10 North Carolina, 91-69, in the early afternoon. After that, still unanimous No. 1 and reigning champions South Carolina returned to Stanford.
“This is what women’s basketball is all about. This game just serves both teams,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said.
Meanwhile, then – no. 19 Maryland got by then-No. 17 Baylor, 73-68, and – no. 4 Iowa survived the mighty Belmont Squad, 73-64.
This is something that men’s coaches should pay more attention to. Everyone loves his March, but November and he can’t help but see the excitement in December.
Loser: The Associated Press Top 25 Poll
The Associated Press’ Top 25 poll had several hits this weekend. This is good! We want it and we have to respect it for what it is. In short, an excellent basketball from a wide range of ascending programs.
“This is a great sign for women’s basketball,” said Auriemma. “Now I think it’s more than just stepping into the gym and rolling out. Yes, we’re a top 10 team in the country that can be overthrown. [you] Because you are not ranked. I think those days are over. I don’t think anyone is good enough to do that. And those other teams are too good now.
Listen, let me be clear. People who vote in this poll are not losers here. Ranking the best teams from over 350 programs at the Division I level is an incredibly difficult task. Unlike the Pro League, where up to 32 teams all face similar opponents. There is plenty of subjectivity that only time will clear up.
Still, only a few teams have similar schedules, so it’s hard to say for sure. No. 12 LSU (5-0) currently leads the nation with an average of 108.8 points per game. It’s unbelievable until you see it played in Bellarmine, Mississippi Valley State, Western Carolina, Houston Christian and Northwestern State. Bless their hearts.
UConn has beaten back-to-back top 10 opponents in Texas and North Carolina, but it still raises questions. With point guard Lori Harmon still absent, Texas is on a three-game losing streak, and the Wolfpack looks quite different from last season’s near Final Four group.
Loser: Whatever the last 30 seconds of Stanford vs. South Carolina are called
roller coaster? meltdown? chaos? congestion? His 28.8 seconds at the end of overtime was a rough way to end the annual Stanford-South Carolina showdown.
Stanford fouled two downs and profited when Victoria Saxton missed both. But Laetitia Amichele held the rebound to keep South Carolina in possession. The Cardinals didn’t foul again this time and got exactly what they wanted when Agnes Emma Nunop stripped Camila Cardoso. This left a huge 10 seconds on the clock, a meager 2 point deficit.
It was short-lived. Stanford, on the inbounds he fought back with a violation with 5 seconds remaining, fouled with 5.6 seconds remaining and Blair was still alive as his beer missed his two free throws. Sophomore forward Kiki Iliafen, who had subbed in for Cameron Brink, secured the rebound after Cameron Brink fouled out. By giving away two free throws and a possession, we essentially ended the game.
“We were leading and it was very disappointing that we didn’t finish the job,” said Vanderbier.
It was a thrilling game, the first of four on ABC this season. And then Haley Jones lobbed inside Blink, and Bully Hall pushed his lead to his four with his three points, hitting his one of his four blocks on Brink, It was a great tight overtime. Chalking up the final seconds until it’s week two of the season.
Winner: Kiki Jefferson, James Madison
All the usual suspects had a big day this weekend. UConn’s Azzi Fudd (again, 32 points), Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (33 points), LSU’s Angel Reese (23 points, 19 rebounds), Maryland’s Diamond Miller (32 points), Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles (13 points, 19 rebounds). 11 assists, 7 rebounds) and Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist (41 points, 16 rebounds).
James Madison’s Kiki Jefferson had an equally strong day. The senior guard scored a 30-point, 10-rebound double in a 76–65 loss to No. 13 North Carolina. She also added 5 assists and hit her 4 of her 10 3-pointers, her team’s best this season.
The Tar Heels (4-0), voted third in the ACC, received early notice of the upset. James Maddison (3-2) led for much of the first half, and he was within five with three minutes remaining, including a 34-30 at halftime.
Jefferson has scored at least 20 points in all five games, averaging 22.8 points, 8 rebounds and 1.5 steals. She’s hitting her 62.75% of her shots and from across the arc she’s 11 of 19 (57.9%). Going into the season, Jefferson said she was a 3-34% shooter.
What to see this week
of Click here for the Thanksgiving Week tournament viewing guideA few highlights:
Thursday
No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 18 Oregon, ESPNU 5pm — North Carolina is an ACC favorite, but Oregon is a different team than expected after Sedona Prince underwent surgery.
Friday
DePaul vs. No. 14 Maryland, 11am ET — DePaul sophomore Aneesah Morrow is averaging the nation’s best 30.3 ppg in Division I.
Belmont vs. No. 23 Villanova, 1:30 PM ET — Two strong early programs. Villanova’s senior his Siegrist has averaged 29 points and 13.3 rebounds over four games.
No. 3 UConn vs. Duke, 6 PM ET — UConn and Duke.
No. 9 Iowa vs. Oregon, 8:30 PM ET — The Hawkeyes face an early hurdle despite Clark scoring 26.8 points per game.
Sunday
Princeton at 2:19 PM ET Texas — Texas needs Harmon to get the ship back to right. If that doesn’t happen before the Tigers, it could be another notch in the wrong row.
1. South Carolina (4-0)
2. Stanford (5-1)
3. UConn (3-0)
4. Ohio (4-0)
5. Iowa (4-0)
6. Indiana (5-0)
7. Notre Dame (4-0)
8. North Carolina (4-0)
9. Iowa (4-1)
10. Louisville (4-1)
11. Virginia Tech (3-0)
12.LSU (5-0)
13. North Carolina (4-1)
14. Maryland (4-1)
15. Arizona (4-0)
16. Clayton (4-0)
17. Utah (4-0)
18. Oregon (3-0)
19. Texas (1-3)
20.UCLA (5-0)
21. Balor (3-1)
22. Michigan (4-0)
23t. Tennessee (2-3)
23t. Villanova (4-0)
25. Kansas (5-0)
Other voters: Oklahoma 69, Marquette 65, Gonzaga 33, Kansas 11, Drake 8, South Florida 5, Duke 5, Ole Miss 4, South Dakota 4, Princeton 3, Nebraska 1, Georgia 1
