Top 5 (AND 1!) Games to Watch - December 31st - January 6th

2018 has come and gone. Each team will be looking to start 2019 on a good note and we have some great match-ups to start off the new year.

Let’s take a look at the Her Hoop Stats Top 5 (AND 1!) games of the week.

#1 UConn at #8 Baylor - 9:00PM (ESPN)

The number one team in the country heads to Waco, TX to face off against the #8 Baylor Lady Bears. The Lady Bears’ only blemish is a 68–63 loss at #6 Stanford on December 15.

This will be a tall task for the Huskies, who do not have the size to match up against the frontcourt of 6'4" Lauren Cox and 6'7" Kalani Brown. The Huskies also have not played since December 22 whereas the Lady Bears who played their last game on December 31 when they dominated UT Rio Grande 98–37.

Look for this to be a high pace and a high scoring game. UConn is second in the country in points per play (1.04) and third in the country in effective field goal percentage (57.3%). They also have four players, Christyn Williams, Katie Lou Samuelson, Napheesa Collier and Crystal Dangerfield, who are in the top 10% in points per scoring attempt. UConn knows they can win on the road after beating Notre Dame in South Bend in early December. Look for Geno Auriemma to get freshman Christyn Williams in her offensive flow early in this game just like he did against the Fighting Irish when she scored 28 points on 69% shooting.

Baylor leads the country in field goal percentage (53.4%) and assists per game (23.6). They are second in the country in three-point field goal percentage (43.2%). The Lady Bears also lead the country in block rate (19.7%). Look for Baylor to establish a presence down low with Cox and Brown early in the game to open up their three-point shooters to put pressure on the Huskies defensively.

#23 South Carolina at #21 Texas A&M - 9:00PM (SECN)

The Gamecocks will be looking to get a quality win on the road to start 2019 but will have to find a way to stop Texas A&M’s Chennedy Carter who is 18th in the country in points per game (21.0) while dishing out a team leading 4.3 assists per game. She is 12th in the country in field goal attempts per game, averaging 18.1.

South Carolina is 32nd in the country in points per 100 possessions (104.8). They have had balanced scoring from Te’a Cooper (12.3), Tyasha Harris (10.8), Alexis Jennings (10.3) and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (8.2). Harris is also in the top 10% in assist percentage (26.9%).

Texas A&M is 25th in the country in three-point field goal percentage (37.6%) and is 30th in the country in field goal percentage (45.5%). The Aggies rebound 39.5% of their misses, ranking 33rd in the country and they have a total rebound rate of 57.2%, ranking 12th in the country. They have 133 trips to the free throw line, ranking 10th in the country.

#24 DePaul at #20 Marquette - 8:00PM (FS1)

Marquette will be looking to defend their home court as the speedy DePaul Blue Demons try to get back on the winning track. Look for this game to be played at a high pace with lots of scoring.

DePaul is forth in the country in points per game (86.4) and love to play at a fast pace. They are ninth in the country in possessions per 40 minutes (79.1). Their thee-point rate of 46.1% ranks forth in the country. The Blue Demons score a higher percentage of their points from outside the arc (44.1%) than inside of it(41.5%). As of January 1, DePaul has attempted 471 three pointers, ranking first in the country (this is 54 more than 2nd-place Syracuse).

Marquette is 10th in the country in points per game (83.9). They are 16th in points per play (0.94) and are 19th in field goal percentage (46.8%). They only turn over the ball 15.1% of the time, ranking 14th in the country. Their assist to turnover ratio of 1.37 ranks 10th in the country. The Golden Eagles’ two primary scorers are Allazia Blockton (16.5) and Natisha Hiedeman (16.2).

Missouri at #10 Tennessee - 2:00PM (ESPN2)

Mizzou travels to Knoxville, TN for an early SEC matchup against the Lady Vols. Tennessee’s only loss this season was on December 18, at home against Stanford.

Mizzou only gives up 56.4 points per game, ranking 30th in the country. They like to play at an extremely slow pace, averaging only 66.4 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks in the bottom 10%. Their three point rate (40.8%) ranks 11th in the country. They are led by senior Sophie Cunningham who averages 15.5 points and 6 rebounds per game and junior Amber Smith who averages 14.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, both ranking in the top 10% in their categories respectively.

Tennessee averages 82.8 points per game. They love to play at a fast pace, unlike Mizzou, averaging 77.4 possessions per 40 minutes. The Lady Vols rebound 42.5% of their misses, ranking 11th in the country. Tennessee is led by Evina Westbrook, Rennia Davis and Meme Jackson. Westbrook averages 16.2 points per game and 5.4 assists, Davis averages 15 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game and Jackson averages 13.8 points per game and 2.2 steals per game.

If Mizzou is able to dictate the pace of play in their favor and slow down the Lady Vols, there could be an upset brewing in Knoxville.

#13 Texas at West Virginia - 4:00PM (ESPN2)

The number 13 team in the country travels to Morgantown, WV for a primetime matchup against the Mountaineers.

Texas averages 107.4 points per 100 possessions, ranking 26th in the country. The Longhorns’ field goal percentage of 46.6% ranks 20th in the country. More impressively, they rebound 47.9% of their misses, ranking second in the country. Their total rebound rate of 60.6% ranks third in the country. The Longhorns have four players who average 10 points or more per game: Jatarie White (12.1), Sug Sutton (11.2), Destiny Littleton (10.0) and Danni Williams (10.0).

West Virginia only gives up an average of 66.8 points per 100 possessions, ranking first in the country. They average 0.94 points per play, ranking 17th in the country. The Mountaineers make 38.3% of their three-point tries, ranking 20th in the country. Their steal rate (16.8%) ranks fifth in the country. They are led by Tynice Martin and Naomi Davenport who rank in the top 10% in points per game, rebounds per game and steals per game. Martin averages 17.5 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, and 2.3 steals per game. Davenport averages 13.4 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 2.0 steals per game.

#16 Kentucky at #7 Mississippi State - 5:00PM (SECN)

The Wildcats travel to Starkville, MS to round out our Top 5 (AND1!) games of the week for a highly anticipated SEC matchup. This is a battle of the one loss teams. Kentucky lost to #3 Louisville on December 9 by a score of 80–75, and Mississippi State lost to #5 Oregon on December 18 by a score of 82–74.

Kentucky averages 80.3 points per game, ranking 24th in the country. They only give up on average 75.1 points per 100 possessions, ranking seventh in the country. The Wildcats are sixth in the country in three-point field goal percentage (40.9%) and are sixth in steal rate, 16.7%. They are lead by Rhyne Howard, Maci Morris and Taylor Murray, who all rank in the top 10% in points per game. Howard averages 17.6 points, Morris averages 16.1 and Murray averages 14.1.

Mississippi State ranks first in the country in points per game (93.2). Their field goal percentage of 52.1% and points per play average of 1.02 both rank third in the country. They dominate the offensive boards, rebounding 51.2% of their misses, and their total rebound rate of 51.2% ranks second in the country. The Bulldogs are led by Teaira McCowan and Anriel Howard. McCowan averages 17.0 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5 offensive rebounds (which ranks third in the country), and 3.0 blocks per game. Howard averages 16.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, with 3.8 of those rebounds being offensive rebounds.

Please note, all statistics listed above are as of 1/1/2019.

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