Week 2 of the 2020-21 women’s college basketball season is packed with good games. These are the four that I think qualify as must-see.
This is the game of the week. The battle between team No. 1 in the country and No. 8 in the state of NC marks our first clash between the top 10 teams of the 2020-21 season. The spotlight will be on the painting, with the country’s best post-players competing face to face – Aaliyah Boston and Elissa Cunane.
Gamecocks play a fast-paced game and thrive from transition points. Wolfpack has to find a way to slow them down and win the rebound game. On the other hand, all five Wolfpack beginners have a two-digit average score. NC State is coming out of its second highest percentage of shooting in the program’s history, shooting 68 percent from the ground.
South Carolina plans to extend its record streak of 29 consecutive games. The last time these two teams met was in 2011, with NC State taking home the victory by two points.
The game will be at 7 pm ET on Thursday, December 3, on ESPN2.
This will be an exciting Pac-12 showdown with All-American stars at Michael Onyenwere of UCLA and Arizona Aari McDonald. Last season, the two teams won against each other in front of their fans.
Wildcats will have to find their rhythm beyond the bow. In their last game against Northern Arizona, they hit just three 3s (all from McDonald’s) in 13 attempts. Cate Reese has risen and is leaving a 21-point performance, the game record, which took some pressure off McDonald’s goal. Adding Shaina Pellington to the mix also added some scoring depth to the Wildcats’ attack.
As for the Bruins, Onyenwere is UCLA’s offensive threat, but she will have the help of Pac 12 Player of the Week, Charisma Osborne. She is coming out of a 31 point performance in the match against Fullerton at the opening of the Bruins’ season.
The conference clash will be at 9 pm ET Friday, December 4, on the Pac12 Network
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Naismith’s defensive player of the year, DiDi Richards, returns to the court after a spinal cord injury in a pre-season workout left her temporarily paralyzed – but she is still playing DiDi basketball. In the clash against South Florida, we saw Richards churning at both ends of the court and bringing his infectious energy to help the Bears achieve their 1,000th victory on the show.
NaLyssa Smith – Baylor’s best scorer – is not afraid to attack the basket and hit the boards, so Arkansas will have to find a way to get it out of play. As for Arkansas, Destiny Slocum and Makayla Daniels collectively took some of the pressure off the scorer Chelsea Dungee. If Razorbacks manage to win the rebound game and start well beyond the arc, they will remain competitive.
You can tune in on Sunday, December 6 at 6pm, ESPN2 Eastern Time.
Former conference rivals will meet when No. 12 Texas A&M faces No. 25 Texas. We haven’t seen that match in six years.
All eyes will be on Texas Junior Charli Collier, after having a prominent performance with 44 points in his debut at home against North Texas. Collier was dominant in painting with 16 rebounds and two blocks. Texas (2-0) entered the top 25 of the AP, in the 25th position, under the command of the new coach Vic Schaefer.
Texas will have to find a way to gain the edge of the glass and limit Aggies’ points in the painting. They were dominant by scoring 54 paint spots against DePaul.
The SEC / Big 12 showdown will be at 8 pm on Sunday, December 6, on ESPN2.