Sunday is packed with action and rematch to end week 13 of women’s college basketball. Thirteen top 25 teams are preparing to finish their last regular season games with conference tournaments almost here.
Here are four mandatory games that I will be watching:
No. 4 NC State vs. North Carolina | 12h on Sunday, February 21st | ESPN2
Sunday begins with a heated rematch between rivals in the state, when the 4th state of NC faces North Carolina.
Earlier this month, Tar Heels gave Wolfpack their second loss of the season just days after NC State hit zero. 1 Louisville. This was a game that came to an end and was decided by single digit points.
It was Alyssa Ustby’s clutch shot from North Carolina that helped UNC come out on top. NC State allowed Ustby to go 8-to-10 off the ground, with Tar Heels scoring 11 points out of 3 points as a team.
North Carolina will try to take NC State’s internal game out after Tar Heels was dominated by Wolfpack. UNC will try to limit Wolfpack’s touches within Elissa Cunane, who leads Wolfpack in scoring.
No. 11 Michigan vs. No. 15 Ohio State | 14h on Sunday, February 21st | ESPN2
There will be another rematch on Sunday, but this time on the Big Ten, when No. 15 Ohio State faces No. 11 Michigan. With three Big Ten games remaining until the conference tournament, Michigan will try to recover to strengthen its curriculum since dropping to 14th place in Indiana on Thursday.
Ohio gave Michigan its first defeat of the season before the Wolverines were hit with a two-week COVID-19 break. The Big Ten clash marked a record performance for striker Naz Hillmon, who scored 50 points against the Buckeyes.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, Hillmon did a double-double performance, picking up 16 boards. Hillmon made 20-30 on the floor and won 10 of his points on the free throw line, but it was not enough to keep Ohio State out.
Make sure to focus on the painting in the Big Ten clash, which features the Big Ten’s two best rebounds. Ohio State’s Dorka Juhasz will be tasked with closing Hillmon without getting into trouble.
Naz Hillmon of Michigan with his 50 points and message from LeBron
No. 2 South Carolina vs. No. 17 Kentucky | 3 pm on Sunday, February 21 | ESPN
Sunday continues to heat up with another SEC rematch, when No. 17 in Kentucky faces No. 2 in South Carolina. Gamecocks came out with a 75-70 victory when these two teams clashed in January.
To reach the top, the Wildcats will have to control the fast pace of South Carolina. This month, UConn and Tennessee were able to disrupt the Gamecocks, limiting their opportunities for quick breaks.
Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard led the attack with an impressive 32 point performance, but the Wildcats still shot just 37.8% as a team.
South Carolina’s domestic game will also be crucial to wrap up. Gamecocks feature a double-double machine and gunner Aliyah Boston. The last time these two teams met, South Carolina overtook the Gamecocks, 46-31, by placing 23 points for a second chance.
No. 8 UCLA vs. Oregon State | 4 pm on Sunday, February 21 | ESPN2
Later on Sunday, UCLA No. 8 faces the state of Oregon. The Pac-12 showdown was originally set to mark the new year. The state of Oregon has been plagued by many game postponements this season, but the Beavers will try to end on a high.
Oregon State’s Aleah Goodman will be the Bruins’ main target to slow down in attack, along with their defensive duo Sasha Goforth. Goodman leads the Pac-12 by 3 percentage points, shooting 52.4 percent beyond the arc, averaging 16.3 points per game.
Taylor Jones brings an internal presence to the Beavers, averaging 12.1 points per game and is number 2 in percentage of field goal in Pac 12, throwing 57.4% off the ground.
As for UCLA, the Bruins are third in the Pac-12 standings, with big wins over Stanford and Oregon. UCLA will look to their top scorer duo Michaela Onyenwere and Charisma Osborne, who are in the top four when it comes to scoring in Pac-12, averaging 36 points together.