Women’s Basketball Games of the Week 01/02 – 01/05
Although this week’s early basketball action features several strong contests from the Big East and the Big 12, another “Big” game takes place in another “Big” conference, the Big Sky. Otherwise, the week’s early action features several strong games that should help kick off conference play.
No. 13 MIAMI at NORTH CAROLINA (7 p.m. Monday at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
Atlantic Coast Conference action kicks off tonight with two big national teams facing off in the opener. Miami (11-2) has losses to ranked teams in Tennessee and Georgetown but has a two-game winning streak against Holy Cross and Virginia Commonwealth. The Hurricanes dominated VCU, 91-61, behind Morgan Stroman’s 23 points. North Carolina (10-2) is on a three-game winning streak, the last win a 79-42 romp over North Carolina Central as Clay Shegog recorded 20 points and five blocked shots. The Tar Heels have losses against Penn State and South Carolina. These teams, based on non-league records, should be among the top schools in the ACC.
NORTHERN COLORADO at IDAHO STATE (9:05 p.m. Monday at Reed Gymnasium in Pocatello, Idaho)
Two B teams in the Big Sky – the Bears and Bengals – face off in an early-season Big Sky showdown. Northern Colorado (9-5, 1-0) began league play with a 77-71 win over Northern Arizona on New Year’s Eve, keeping the Bears a half-game behind league leader Sacramento State. Following losses to South Dakota and UTEP, the Bears have won four in a row. Idaho State (8-5) has not started conference play yet but comes in having won three of its last four games. The Bengals walloped Great Falls 86-42 in their last contest. South Dakota has been the lone blemish on Idaho State’s play as of late.
MARQUETTE at No. 14 LOUISVILLE (7 p.m. Tuesday at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky)
Only in the Big East can a team have five losses and be down close to the bottom of the league standings. Such is the case for Marquette (9-5, 0-1), which has recovered nicely from its 95-42 thumping against Notre Dame in the Big East opener for both schools. Arlesia Morse had 14 points and four rebounds in a 69-60 win over Toledo in the team’s last contest. Louisville (12-2, 1-0) has losses to Texas A&M and Kentucky, but the Wildcats have a five-game winning streak since their last setback. In a 70-57 win over Tennessee-Martin, Shoni Schimmel had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. Keep in mind seven teams have 1-0 records in league play, so it’s far too soon to tell who will be on top come tournament time.
No. 23 DePAUL at No. 9 GEORGETOWN (7 p.m. Tuesday at McDonough Arena in Washington, D.C.)
DePaul and Georgetown are two of the seven teams with identical 1-0 records in Big East play, but one of those teams will drop to 1-1 following this contest. DePaul (13-2, 1-0) beat St. John’s 69-52 in its league opener last month, and the Blue Demons have a five-game winning streak under their belts. Anne Martin scored 30 points in a 65-46 win over Northern Illinois as DePaul coach Doug Bruno picked up his 500th victory. Georgetown (12-2, 1-0) dominated Pittsburgh 82-54 in its Big East opener, part of an 11-game winning streak for the Hoyas since a 1-2 start. Sugar Rodgers was very sweet for Georgetown in a 77-38 win over Dartmouth, as her 39 points were a huge part in the victory.
SYRACUSE at No. 16 RUTGERS (9 p.m. Tuesday at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey)
Although Syracuse dropped its initial Big East contest, the Orange look forward to playing spoiler when they travel to Rutgers. This is one of three strong contests that night in Big East action. Syracuse (11-4, 0-1) lost by four points to West Virginia in league play and has also lost to Arizona, Brigham Young and Oklahoma. Syracuse dominated Colgate 83-32 behind Iasia Hemingway’s 31 points and 13 rebounds. Rutgers (11-2) has losses against Miami and Tennessee, but the last game was more favorable as the Scarlet Knights got 23 points from Monique Oliver in a 75-54 win over George Washington.
No. 10 TEXAS A&M at KANSAS STATE (6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bramlage Arena in Manhattan, Kansas)
The first big showdown in the Big 12 Conference takes place as Texas A&M travels to the nation’s midsection for a matchup with Kansas State. Texas A&M (9-2) has won three straight since back-to-back losses against Purdue and Connecticut. Tyra White and Kelsey Bone each scored 19 points as the Aggies topped McNeese State 72-52 in the last victory. Kansas State (9-3) has lost to Hofstra, UNLV and Purdue, so these teams do have something in common. Kansas State nearly picked up its fourth loss over the New Year’s weekend but the Wildcats recovered for a 57-56 win over Marist.
MISSOURI at No. 1 BAYLOR (8 p.m. Wednesday at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas)
This is the second Big 12 Conference game on the Wednesday docket that could shape how the conference looks at the end of the season. Missouri (10-1) has only a four-point loss to Northwestern blemishing its record, but the Tigers have won five in a row since that setback. The last victory was against Sam Houston State, 66-48, but the next games will be harder. Missouri has Baylor and Texas Tech back to back in Big 12 action. Baylor (13-0) just keeps rolling, as Brittney Griner’s 20 points in 27 minutes enabled the Bears to swamp Mississippi Valley State 93-55. That marked the sixth time in 13 games this season that Baylor crossed the 90-point mark. Baylor must be careful, because this is the first of four games for the Bears before the big showdown Jan. 18 against Texas Tech.
No. 8 GEORGIA at No. 7 TENNESSEE (7 p.m. Thursday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee)
Two top-25 teams and two unbeaten teams in the Southeastern Conference… yup, this has all the makings to be a good early-season SEC contest. Five teams are undefeated in SEC play, including these two, so the ranks of the undefeated will slim a bit. Georgia (12-2, 1-0) shot 10 3-pointers and picked up 19 points from Jasmine Hassell in a 67-57 win over Arkansas Sunday. The Bulldogs, who have losses to Georgetown and Gonzaga, have won four in a row. Tennessee (9-3, 1-0) has lost to Virginia, Baylor and Stanford, but the Volunteers have largely recovered from the shock of that opening Virginia loss. Meghan Simmons notched 20 points in a 73-52 win over Auburn, the Vols’ seventh win in eight games.
