Here are the women’s college basketball games I’m most looking forward to this week, including two big ones on Sunday.
On Sunday, there is a rematch on Big 12, when No. 9 Baylor faces Iowa.
The Bears will seek revenge against the state of Iowa, after falling to the Cyclones by four points this season. That ended Baylor’s 61-game streak at home.
We told you to stay tuned … #Cyclones
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– Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneWBB) January 17, 2021
Ashley Joens scored 14 points in the fourth period alone and finished with 27 points against Bears. Joens eliminated the Bears last season with a decisive free throw in the last second of the game to break Baylor’s 58-game winning streak at the conference.
Remember that Bears came off a two-week break due to the COVID-19 protocols. But Baylor has yet to find a way to take down Joens, who scores 24.6 points per game, the eighth in the country. She shot 10 to 15 from the floor and 7 to 10 from the free-throw line in the win against Bears.
Later on Sunday, No. 8 Texas A&M faces No. 22 Georgia.
Texas A&M leads the country with 15 wins. This is a credit to the Aggies for having several weapons to score, led by Aaliyah Wilson with 14.1 points per game.
Sunday’s victory against Missouri marked the eighth time that Texas A&M had four players scoring double digits. But the key for Aggies is to win at the tables. Texas A&M is 13-0 when it hits its opponents. A&M’s only loss this season was to LSU in overtime with the Tigers winning the glass 40-31.
Georgia, on the other hand, is coming out of a loss to the unclassified LSU, after a big win over then No. 19 Arkansas, 75-73, in a winning game dagger by Gabby Connally with 0.9 seconds remaining.
No. 3 UConn will travel to another showdown outside the conference when facing No. 19 Arkansas. What is the best way to prepare for March right? It will be interesting to see how the Huskies respond to another SEC test after almost dropping to No. 25 Tennessee.
This is the second time in history that these two teams have faced each other. This will be a homecoming for Christyn Williams of UConn, who is from Little Rock.
UConn was without playmaker Paige Bueckers in Saturday’s game against Georgetown after she sprained her ankle that same week against Tennessee in the fourth quarter.
The Huskies will need their gunner to return against Chelsea Dungee’s Big 3 Razorbacks, Destiny Slocum and Amber Ramirez. Dungee leads the team with 21.6 points per game.
11-6 Arkansas has dropped to five of its six ranked opponents so far, including consecutive defeats against South Carolina and Georgia. I’ll be watching to see if the Razorbacks can recover and take down the unbeaten Huskies.
Result: Arkansas 90, UConn 87
You can go back and forth from the UConn / Arkansas game to watch this battle at the SEC when No. 4 in South Carolina faces No. 21 in the state of Mississippi.
It will be fun painting with Aaliyah Boston from South Carolina facing Jessika Carter from the state of Mississippi.
Boston is in its third straight game, registering a double-double. In fact, Boston has had double-digit rebounds in each SEC game and has had four performances of more than 20 points at stake at the SEC so far. Boston’s dominance helped Gamecocks to a 7-0 record in conference games.
The state of Mississippi is 3-3 in a conference game and has been battling SEC classified opponents falling to Kentucky, Alabama and recently Texas A&M. Carter was left with just two points in the defeat to the Aggies.
Boston’s defense – she’s fifth on the block, hitting three per game – will be a difficult test for Carter, and the Bulldogs will need more Carter scores to come out on top.
Result: South Carolina 75, State of Mississippi 52
SUPPORTS: The NCAA women’s basketball bracket for 2021, due shortly after mid-season