Games to Watch Week 2
Purcell Pavilion is the place to be…
We’re one week in to the 2019–20 college basketball season, and we’ve already had three upsets. Missouri State upended №23 Minnesota 77–69 on opening day, South Florida 64 took down №15 Texas 57, and №8 South Carolina 63 beat №4 Maryland 54. The matchups were all highlighted in our Week 1 Games to Watch.
Our other two Week 1 Games to Watch weren’t upsets, but they were quite close: Drake beat Iowa State 86-81, while №12 Florida State overcame LSU 70-62.
Week 2 has a bunch of good games, but no standout like last week’s Gamecocks vs. Terrapins tussle. There are only two ranked-versus-ranked games this week, although when rankings come out on Monday there may be some adjustments. The matchup of highest-ranked teams this week is Thursday night’s game in South Bend, when №16 Notre Dame hosts №17 Michigan State. Both teams are 2–0 on the season, but this will certainly be the first real test for each, and it’ll be worth watching.
Tennessee at #16 Notre Dame— 11/11 at 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
This is a matchup between two of women’s basketball’s biggest historical powers, but unlike national runner-up Notre Dame, Tennessee is looking to get back on the upswing under new coach and Lady Vol alumna Kellie Harper. Both had tough openers on the road, so this will definitely be one worth tuning in for.
Tennessee eked out its opener, 72–68, against East Tennessee State in Johnson City, giving Harper her first win as head coach. Tennessee followed the ETSU win with a 63–36 blowout of Central Arkansas. The Lady Vols are doing a good job distributing both playing time and scoring early in the season, which should help them as the season gets tougher. In both of their first two games, every player that appeared saw at least 13 minutes of action and every player who saw action but one scored. In the ETSU game, four players notched double digits.
Notre Dame lost its entire starting lineup from its national runner-up squad last year, and is looking for new leadership, both on-court and off, this season. They’re hoping some of it comes from the freshmen Sam Brunelle and Anaya Peoples, both unanimously named to the ACC Newcomer Watch List. Brunelle tied for the lead in scoring in the Fordham win with 14. Peoples notched 11 in the Fordham win, and added 19 in the Loyola Maryland win, good for (a tie for) second-leading scorer in that game. Brunelle was also the only one to connect from three in the game against the Rams, as the Irish are 3/22 from beyond the arc so far, a stat they will need to improve as the season gets rolling.
#17 Michigan State at #16 Notre Dame, 11/14 at 8:00 p.m. EST (ACCN)
This game will be a rematch of a second round NCAA tournament game from last season, a game Notre Dame won 91–63. It will be a matchup of experience versus youth, as the Spartans return four of their five starters, while the Irish are replacing all five.
The one starter Michigan State lost, Jenna Allen, left big shoes to fill, as she was a three-year captain, led the team last year in total points and rebounds, and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection to end the year. The Spartans will look to their leading scorer from last year, Shay Colley, who was first-team All-Big Ten last year and preseason All-Big Ten to start this season, to keep the Spartans going.
As mentioned earlier, the Irish got a close win at Fordham, but followed it up with a much easier 84–60 win against Loyola Maryland at home at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish only outscored Fordham in the fourth quarter (although both teams scored 11 in the third), and the high scorers for the Irish in that game, Sam Brunelle and Katlyn Gilbert, only notched 14 apiece. In the Loyola game, Gilbert once again led the Irish, dropping 24. The whole team played better across the board, improving their field goal and free throw shooting by 11.99% and 10.22%, respectively.
#6 Texas A&M at Rice — 11/17 at 3:00 p.m. ET (ESPN+*)
Both Texas A&M and Rice have taken on Little Rock already this season, which gives both teams a rare opportunity to look at common opponent film this early in the season. The Aggies demolished the Trojans 78–35, while the Owls also won in convincing fashion, 66–40. Both teams also have their conference’s preseason players of the year, as Texas A&M junior Chennedy Carter and Rice senior Erica Ogwumike captured the SEC and Conference USA honors, respectively. Both players were also named to the Wooden and Naismith Award preseason watch lists.
The Aggies are coming off a Sweet 16 defeat to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame and have a solid chunk of their production back. In addition to Carter, the leading scorer from last season, the Aggies return their second- and third-leading scorers, juniors Aaliyah Wilson and Kayla Wells, and their two leading rebounders, juniors N’dea Jones and Ciera Johnson.
Rice is coming off a first-round NCAA tournament loss, but won the C-USA title for the first time in the program’s history. The Owls went undefeated through the conference season, including the tournament, led by Ogwumike and fellow now-senior Nancy Mulkey, the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year and conference tournament MVP.
#20 Arizona State at #23 Minnesota — 11/17 at 4:00p.m. ET (BTN)
Arizona State and Minnesota started the season in opposite fashions, as the Sun Devils demolished Air Force 87–56, while the Golden Gophers dropped their opener at home to Missouri State 77–69. That said, the caliber of team faced in each case was quite different, as the Falcons were 8–22 last year, while the Lady Bears made the Sweet Sixteen. It will be interesting to see what happens in this game, as both teams notched wins in their second games. ASU defeated Army 83–51, while Minnesota defeated Vermont 90–58.
Minnesota’s opener was a clear showing of things that will need improvement if the team wants to go far this season. During the Missouri State game, the Golden Gophers only pulled down 21 rebounds, a number they improved significantly in the Vermont game, notching 41.
Arizona State started the season, as noted above, playing two of the service academies and performing well, but the Minnesota game will certainly be their stiffest test so far, and it will be interesting to see how they respond. The Sun Devils lost their two leading scorers from last season, Kianna Ibis and Courtney Ekmark, and their leading rebounder, Charnea Johnson-Chapman. In the Air Force game, the Sun Devils had four players notch double-figure points and all 11 who saw action notched at least two points, a solid sign for a team looking to build off a third-round NCAA tournament loss.
Gonzaga at #3 Stanford — 11/17 at 8:00 p.m. ET (PAC12N+)
The last Game to Watch of the week is a late one for anyone who has to get up Monday morning, but a good one, as expectations are high for both the Cardinal and the Bulldogs. Stanford was picked to finish second behind Oregon in the Pac-12, while Gonzaga was picked to win the West Coast Conference for the seventh straight year.
The Zags are coming off a second-round loss to Oregon State in the NCAA tournament. They played that game (and their first-round win against Little Rock) without Laura Stockton or Jill Townsend, two of their five leading scorers from last season. Stockton has since graduated, as has last season’s leading scorer and rebounder, Zykera Smith, but Townsend returns. In their first game this season, Gonzaga won 92–48 against CSU-Bakersfield and had four players score in double figures.
Coming off an Elite Eight loss to Notre Dame, expectations in Palo Alto are sky high again. Not only do the Cardinal return four of their five leading scorers and rebounders from last season, but add consensus №1 recruit Haley Jones, last season’s WBCA and Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year. They also add Fran Belibi, who gained national attention last year for her viral dunks, but was also the only freshman named to the Katrina McClain Award watch list among the 20 players.
We know it’s hard to keep track of all the Games to Watch, especially the midweek ones, so we’ve started a Google Calendar. You can find it here, with the iCal link here. You can also follow Her Hoop Stats on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for your women’s basketball coverage.
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All stats (from Her Hoop Stats) & rankings are for games through November 10.
