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Charlie CremeESPN.com
With tournaments and events from the Bahamas to Las Vegas, Thanksgiving weekend will be filled with women’s college basketball and the big games. Stanford, Maryland, BYU and Oregon State All have played multiple matches against the top 25 teams. Team resumes have been enhanced or damaged in just a three-day period.
However, the schedule is even better this week as the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and 12/SEC Grand Challenge open up. Thursday alone would be the best basketball day of the entire non-conference season: a top 15 tie, Kara Lawson’s first national televised game Blue Devil Duke, who faced Caitlin Clark and Iowa, and Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers, to face someone State of Iowa.
These games may fade from memory as the convention seasons begin, but they become critically important as the NCAA tournament selection process progresses. The tournament’s hopes and seeds could be altered by what unfolds over the next few days. We’ve got you ready to watch with the players and the most important games like four of the five biggest conferences in the country will clash over the next five days.
Rank the games that will have the greatest potential to influence Bracketology
No. 2 NC State in 6th place Indiana
7 p.m. ET Thursday, ESPN2
This is a match between the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and a rematch from the Sweet 16. Wolfpack have dominated Maryland and Washington State in the Bahamas, just as they have the rest of the competition since last season’s opening loss. South Carolina. They are the current solid No. 1 seed along with South Carolina and UConn. But fourth place on the top line is still open.
Losing to Stanford and struggling to beat Miami had fallen short on Indiana’s resume, but this was an opportunity for the Hoosiers to get back into the mix. In their game in March, Indiana was able to control 6-foot-5 Elissa Cunane, the All-American Center of the State of NC. But Hoosiers couldn’t handle the size of Stanford on Thanksgiving Day. Their ability to recover and protect their inner workings will be important to the State of NC. It could also be the key to the Hoosiers’ season.
No.12 Michigan in 10th place Louisville
7 p.m. ET Thursday, ESPN
Michigan appears to be undervalued at 12th place in the AP poll. The Wolverines have overcome more to become undefeated than any other team in the country. They played most of their seven games without the guards starting Amy Dilk and Leigha Brown. Naz Hillmon even miss a game with an illness. Brown is now back and Hillmon is averaging a double (21.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG). After victories over Oregon State and Mississippi State at the Daytona Invitational, Michigan could be sure to slip down to second seed if it wins here.
With Liz Dixon and Olivia Cochran, the Cardinals are sized to throw at Hillmon, but can also use some more offensive punches. Louisville averages just 67.8 points per game and needs a win by a margin. Kentucky and UConn are the only NCAA-sized tournaments left on the schedule before ACC’s game kicks off at the end of the month.
15 Texas in 17th place Texas A&M:
4 p.m. Sunday ET, SEC Network
Within a couple of years this will be a conference game as Texas officially transitions to the SEC and we’ll likely enjoy it every season. For now, it’s a hugely important non-conference meeting that will have major seed ramifications that will take place in March. The Aggies are another team that is playing better than what the pollsters are saying. Texas A&M (7-0) is promoting a #2 seed in Bracketology. What the Aggies, who have impressively beaten DePaul and Northwestern, are missing is a win as good as the Longhorns’ win at Stanford.
Texas won’t have as much of a chance to win resume building in the Big 12 as the Aggies will in the SEC, so this game and the game against Arizona in Las Vegas on Dec. 19 will go a long way. long to determine the seed of Longhorns .
Number 9 Iowa in Duke:
9 p.m. ET Thursday, ESPN
The Hawkeyes and Blue Devils should be in the NCAA, but this is the first chance to see either team. Positive COVID-19 tests forced Iowa to cancel three games, including a trip to the Cancun Challenge, so the Hawkeyes (4-0) have not competed since Nov. 14’s season. they basically start over, making them the biggest wild card in one of these intraconference events. The hole in Iowa’s schedule adds even more importance to this game against Duke. Next week’s trip to Iowa State is the Hawkeyes’ only other major non-event opportunity.
The original return to the Kara Lawson era in Durham is very positive. The Blue Devils are undefeated (6-0). They have scored more than 90 points twice in six matches. Transfer Celeste Taylor, Lexi Gordon and Elizabeth Balogun quickly formed a veteran core. However, the level of competition was too low. That changes compared to Iowa. With a win, Duke could rise as high as a 6th seed in the next Bracketology and make an announcement about its place in the ACC.
Number 14 State of Iowa in LSU:
9 p.m. ET Thursday, ESPN2
Seeing Kim Mulkey on the sidelines of LSU still feels weird after 21 seasons at Baylor, but watching her coach a team at a higher level doesn’t. The Tigers, especially in defense, have been getting better since their only loss just over two weeks ago to Florida’s Gulf Coast. The state of Iowa will test that innovation. The Cyclones are averaging 82.6 points per game and leading the nation with 87 triples.
While this is the first meeting between the two schools, Bill Fennelly, in his 27th season coaching Iowa State, is all too familiar with Mulkey after coaching her for years in the Big 12 while she was at Baylor. A loss wouldn’t be significantly detrimental to the Cyclones if they come back and beat Iowa next week, but as an expected bubble team, every game like this has big implications for LSU. A win here provides some stepping stone to the gloves that await in the SEC. The Tigers inaugural Games played with consecutive games against Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas A&M.
If I could only watch one game in both challenges, what would it be?
Gary Blair’s announcement that this would be his last season coaching Texas A&M made the Aggies-Longhorns a must-see. If not at the NCAA tournament, this will be the last time Coach Blair will play former assistant Vic Schaefer. They teamed up to give Texas A&M its only national championship in 2011. As Schaefer went on to rehabilitate the Mississippi State program as head coaches, the two stood on opposite margins. in some epic games in the SEC.
Blair’s offensive plans against Schaefer’s intense defensive play plans are fun to watch. Schaefer had an 8-4 head-to-head advantage over his former boss, but when they met in this same game last season, Schaefer’s first as head coach of the Longhorns, Blair and the Aggies won. 66-61.
Which game is the most likely to cause discomfort?
Missouri end Baylor (8 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPNU). The bears played as if they were still adjusting to the new coaching staff, new style, and new staff. They still don’t quite look like Nicki Collen. Last week, Baylor lost to Maryland, which is languishing through injury and illness, and looks vulnerable once again against an improved Tigers team offensively and what looks to be a big first win. for several seasons.
Who are the five best players on Thursday’s field?
Naz Hillmon, Michigan: Catching up right where she left off last year, Hillmon has four doubles and a 30-point game to her credit. She was instrumental in helping the Wolverines through trauma, something that should be remembered when the national player of the year election is held.
Caitlin Clark, Iowa: It looked like she had some work to do because of those missed games for the Hawkeyes, but Clark still averaged 21.5 points and 6.8 assists; ranked fifth nationally.
Diamond Johnson, State of NC: Cunane would be the expected choice for a Wolfpack player on this list, but Johnson is only so good in the Bahamas. Her 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 robberies against Maryland can only be surpassed by the 24 points at the 10/16 shooting and the 7 rebounds she has against Washington State in one The game where each of her teammates struggled. Johnson is predicted to be the difference-maker for Wes Moore, and so far she has exceeded those expectations.
Ashley Jones, State of Iowa: As usual, Jones is quietly getting on with his business and delivering the big numbers (20.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG). Her shot rate is down a bit, but Jones is also getting more help, especially from her little sister. Sophomore Aubrey Jones has nearly tripled her scoring average (13.4 PPG) from a season ago and has hit 27 3s.
Veronica Burton, Northwest: One of the country’s more underrated players, Burton is also one of the more productive. She is averaging 17.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. The two-time Big Ten defense also tops the nation in steals, and she throws a block per game for a good result.
Who are the five under-watch players we should be keeping an eye on?
Danielle Rauch, Michigan: The numbers (8.1 PPG, 2.6 APG) won’t surprise anyone, but leaders should. When Dilk injured his foot in the season opener, Rauch joined as the Wolverines’ main point guard. Her average minutes per game has doubled from a season ago, and Michigan hasn’t missed a beat.
Jada Boyd, State of NC: Boyd’s return from a hand injury seems to give the Wolfpack some extra strength in the Bahamas. She also gave Moore another athletic wing to combine with Kayla Jones and Jakia Brown-Turner to create more lineup options.
Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State: The Buckeyes need even more production from Sheldon after teammate Madison Greene went missing for the season with a knee injury. She averages 19 points per game and shoots 60% longer. Ohio State remained undefeated going into Wednesday’s meeting with Syracuse.
Aijha Blackwell, Missouri: If the Tigers return to the NCAA tournament after a one-season absence, Blackwell will take the lead. A ferocious rebounder with just 6-0 (11.7 RPG), Blackwell remains a consistent goalscorer (16.6 PPG) who has been more efficient so far this season.
Taylor Soul, Boston College: The Eagles vs Penn State won’t get much attention for the rest of the schedule, but Soule is worth the time. She averages 19.0 points per game, and as a 5-11 underdog, she leads the ACC with 66.7% shots from the field.
