Top 5 Games to Watch - January 14th - 20th

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Her Hoop Stats

6 min readJan 14, 2019

We have some great match-ups this week as teams fight for conference standings. Before we get to the Her Hoop Stats games of the week, take a look at the results from last week’s games.

Last Week’s Top Games Results:

Her Hoop Stats Top 5 Games for this week:

# 22 Iowa at #23 Minnesota - 1/14 at 7 PM ET (ESPN2)

The Golden Gophers have struggled in Big Ten play, with three straight losses after a strong 12–0 start. They’re looking to break the losing streak at home against a strong Iowa offense led by senior Megan Gustafson. Iowa, 2–2 in conference play, is looking to move up the Big Ten ranks. Tune in to see if Minnesota can step up defensively to limit her effectiveness.

Iowa’s offense has been strong. The Hawkeyes are 9th in the country in points per 100 possessions (111.6) and fifth in effective field goal percentage (55.5%). Defensively, they have not been as successful, ranking in the bottom third in opponents points per 100 possessions (96.1). Gustafson has been a powerhouse, leading Division I in points per play (1.36). Her effective field goal percentage (70.0%) is fifth in the country and she is also in the top two percent in blocks per game. She will pose a challenge for Minnesota’s defense.

Over the season, the Gophers have limited their opponents to an average of 80.6 points per 100 possessions, 24th in the country. They have not been as effective recently, though, allowing more than 95 points per 100 possessions in their last three games. Their rebounding is also strong, ranking in the top 10 percent for total rebound rate (55.3%) and offensive rebound rate (40.1%). Senior Kenisha Bell is in the top five percent nationally in points per game (18.5), assists per game (4.3), and steals per game (2.3); she’s in the top 10 percent in rebounds per game (6.5). She has struggled with turnovers in the last two games, with 7 against Illinois and 4 against MSU. Her 3.5 turnovers per game ranks in the bottom five percent nationally.

#9 Maryland at #17 Michigan State - 1/17 at 6 PM ET (BTN)

The Spartans are coming off a big win over Minnesota and looking to improve their 2–2 Big Ten record. Though Maryland has a stronger record, Michigan State has faced a challenging schedule, including a loss to undefeated NC State and wins over Oregon and Iowa.

Maryland has limited their opponents to 79.9 points per 100 possessions, 18th in the country. Offensively, freshman guard Taylor Mikesell ranks in the top 10 percent in the country in effective field goal percentage (57.1%), points per scoring attempt (1.18), three-point percentage (42.0%), assists per game (3.2) and points per game (14.9). Kaila Charles leads the Terps in points per game (16.6). However, both Mikesell and Charles are in the bottom 10 percent nationally in turnovers per game.

Michigan State has also put up impressive offensive numbers, ranking 13th overall in points per 100 possessions (110.3). Their success has come by spreading the ball around. Taryn McCutcheon, Nia Clouden, and Shay Colley all rank in the top 10 percent nationally in assists per game. They are eighth in the country in assisted shot rate, with 68.8 percent of field goals coming from an assist. Jenna Allen leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game with a 61.8 percent effective field goal percentage, and rebounding, with 7.9 rebounds per game.

#15 South Carolina at #7 Mississippi State - 1/17 at 7 PM ET (ESPN)

This match-up features the top two teams in the SEC, both undefeated in conference play. Mississippi State’s only loss this season was to Oregon and South Carolina is coming off of eight straight wins, with their last loss to Baylor on December 2nd. The Bulldogs’ strong play will be a challenge for a rebuilding South Carolina team.

The Gamecocks struggled with a tough schedule early in the season but still rank in the top 20 percent of the country in points per 100 possessions (103.2) and opponents points per 100 possessions (84.7). After the graduation of star player A’ja Wilson, Coach Dawn Staley has tried a number of lineups, with only Tyasha Harris playing more than 24 minutes per game on average. South Carolina’s ensemble crew will need to find their stride to match up with a formidable Mississippi State team.

The Bulldogs have been prolific scorers this season, ranking first in the country in points per 100 possessions (124.3) and in offensive rebound rate (52.1%). Three players rank in the top 10 percent in points per scoring attempt and effective field goal percentage: Teaira McCowan (1.35, 66.5%), Chloe Bibby (1.26, 60.8%), and Anriel Howard (1.20, 57.2%). McCowan also leads the country in total rebound rate (27.3%) and ranks 15th in blocks per game (13). Jazzmun Holmes is sixth in the country in assists to turnovers (3.90). This well-rounded team will be tough to beat.

#19 Arizona State at #5 Oregon - 1/18 at 9 PM ET (Pac-12 Network)

Led by junior Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon has only one loss this season and is undefeated in Pac-12 play. Arizona State, coming off of a loss to Stanford and close win over Cal, are looking to improve their 3–2 Pac-12 record. The Sun Devils have played a tough schedule, with close losses to Baylor and Louisville early in the season. Their solid defense will try to limit Oregon’s efficient scorers.

Arizona State’s defense has limited their opponents to just 55.7 points per game, 18th in the country. They rank fifth in defensive rebound rate, grabbing 75.4 percent of their opponents’ misses. They rank in the top 10 percent in offensive rebounding as well, grabbing 38.6 percent of their own misses. The Sun Devils scoring has not been as strong, with an average of 68.4 points per game.

Oregon has been impressive offensively. The Ducks are top in the country in effective field goal percentage (58.9%) and points per scoring attempt (1.23). They rank second in points per 100 possessions (123.8) and field goal percentage (51.2%), and third in turnover rate (13.4%). Ionescu is in the top one percent in the country in points per game (19.3) and assist rate (38.4%). All of Oregon’s starters average at least 1.16 points per scoring attempt: Ionescu, Maite Cazorla, Satou Sabally, Ruthy Hebard, and Erin Boley. This high-powered offense could prove challenging for Arizona State’s defense to contain.

Virginia Tech at #8 NC State- 1/20 at 12:30 PM ET (ACCN Extra)

NC State, the only remaining undefeated team, looks to continue their winning streak at home. Virginia Tech, undefeated entering conference play, has yet to beat an ACC opponent.

Virginia Tech’s scoring has been stymied during ACC play. Over the season, they average 104.7 points per 100 possessions, but their last three opponents have all limited them to under 90 points per 100 possessions. Taylor Emery leads the Hokies in scoring, with 18.9 points per game, which is in the top two percent in the country. Regan Magarity is third nationally in rebounding, pulling in 13.2 boards per game. She also ranks in the top 10 percent in points per game (13.8) and block rate (5.0%).

NC State’s winning streak has continued despite the loss of two key players to season-ending injuries, Kaila Ealey at the beginning of the season and Grace Hunter earlier this month. They rate in the top five percent nationally in points per 100 possessions (109.1). Junior Aislinn Konig ranks in the top three percent in effective field goal percentage (61.7%), shooting 44.0 percent from behind the three-point line. Kiara Leslie ranks in the top 10 percent in points per game (14.4). She’s also a strong rebounder, pulling in 8.1 boards per game.

Please note all statistics listed above are as of 1/14/2019.

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