Top 5 Games To Watch — November 26th - December 2nd
Last week’s NCAA women’s basketball games were spectacular and thrilling, especially the Her Hoop Stats Top 5 games of the week, all of which were Thanksgiving-tournament games. These Thanksgiving tournament games created an atmosphere similar to the NCAA tournament due to both teams playing on a neutral site. If last week’s games were a preview of what could happen in the NCAA tournament, it goes to show in a winner-take-all situation, anything can happen!
Last Weeks Top 5 Game Results:
- #10 Texas 56, Quinnipiac 55 (Gulf Coast Showcase)
- #5 Louisville 58, #19 Arizona State 56 (South Point Thanksgiving Shootout)
- Michigan 70, #21 Missouri 54 (Gulf Coast Showcase)
- #7 Maryland 58, Georgia 51 (Puerto Rico Clasico)
- #14 Syracuse 83, #16 DePaul 81, OT (Cancun Challenge — Mayan Tournament) See the video below of the last second shot made by Tiana Mangakahia to give Syracuse the win.
Let’s take a look at the Her Hoop Stats top 5 match-ups for this coming week.
#16 DePaul at #2 UConn — Wednesday, November 28 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on SNY Network/ESPN3
The friendship between Geno Auriemma and Doug Bruno always makes this game interesting. Being a UConn fan, this game is always on my radar due to the familiarity between the two head coaches and their similar style of play. If you love offensive games, this will be a fun one to watch.
UConn is ranked fourth in the country in two-point field goal percentage at 58.9%. They also rank second in the country in scoring margin per 100 possessions, 48.8. They average 1.05 points per play, ranking fourth in the country and their assist to turnover rate of 1.67 ranks third in the country.
DePaul averages 77.7 possessions per 40 minutes, 10.1 more possessions than UConn averages, which shows they like to play fast and will try and dictate the pace of play. DePaul’s three-point rate of 48.8% ranks second in the country. The Blue Demons score 37.8% of their points from two-point field goals, ranking fourth in the county, and 43.6% of their points from three-point field goals, ranking seventh in the country.
#14 Syracuse at #23 Minnesota — Thursday, November 29 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on Big Ten Network
This will be one of the first big tests for Minnesota head coach Lindsay Whalen, who is in her first season at her alma mater. Syracuse has played a tough schedule to start the season. They have already faced #3 Oregon, #20 Texas A&M and #16 DePaul. It will be interesting to see the game plan Whalen has for the Golden Gophers to stop Syracuse’s Tiana Mangakahia, who has established herself as one of the top point guards in the country.
Minnesota ranks third in the country in opponent’s points per game, allowing only 47.0 points per contest. They have held their opponents to just 0.57 points per play, which is sixth in the country.
Syracuse has made 208 field goals, ranking fourth in the country, and 61 three pointers, ranking third in the country. Mangakahia is averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. Her assist rate of 37.6% ranks in the 98.4 percentile.
#12 Iowa at #1 Notre Dame — Thursday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2
Notre Dame is coming off a great showing at the Vancouver Classic. In the championship game the Irish defeated #9 Oregon State 91–81. The Irish were down 50–41 heading into the third quarter and outscored Oregon State 50–31 in the second half. Iowa lost to Florida State 67–71 in the championship of the Junkanoo Jam.
The Hawkeyes will be looking to get back on track and will need exceptional play from senior leader Megan Gustafson to knock down the Irish at home. Gustafson is averaging 25.0 points per game, ranking sixth in the country, and 11.2 two-point field goals made per game, ranking first in the country. Look for a high pace game with lots of scoring. Iowa is first in the country in points per 100 possessions (131.1) and third in points per game (96.0). The Hawkeyes points per scoring attempt (1.34), points per play (1.10), and effective field goal percentage (64.5%) all rank first in the country. Also look for Iowa to crash the offensive boards. The Hawkeyes have an offensive rebound rate of 47.9%, ranking forth in the country.
Notre Dame is 13th in the country in points per 100 possessions, 111.9. They average 88.8 points per game, ranking fifth in the country. The Irish score 1.11 points per scoring attempt and 0.93 points per play. Notre Dame has four players averaging 14 points per game or higher.
#6 Mississippi State at #10 Texas — Sunday, December 2 at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on Fox Sports 1
If you like a “battle between the bigs,” this will be a fun game to watch. Both teams have exceptional post players that can score, defend, and crash the boards. Texas averages 49.4 total rebounds per game, compared to Mississippi State which averages 50.5 total rebounds per game. Texas has a 43.7% offensive rebound rate and Mississippi State has a 50.5% offensive rebound rate.
Mississippi State ranks first in opponent’s points per 100 possessions, 59.6, margin per 100 possessions, 68.8, and scoring margin per game, 53.0. They are also first in the country in blocks per game, 9.8, and have a block rate of 22.8%. This is in large part due to 6'7" Teaira McCowan, who is averaging 4.0 blocks per game, ranking her first in the country. She has a field goal percentage of 75.4%, ranking 13th in the country, and is averaging 18.8 points per game.
Texas ranks eighth in opponent’s points per game only giving up 48.4 points per contest. The Longhorns have held their opponents to a 27.6% field goal percentage, ranking third in the country. They have also held their opponents to 0.68 points per scoring attempt, ranking second in the country. Jatarie White and Charli Collier will be players to watch for the Longhorns as they try to contain McCowan. White is shooting 59.6% from the field and is averaging 11.8 points, 4.0 defensive rebounds and 2.6 offensive rebounds per game.
#2 UConn at #1 Notre Dame — Sunday, December 2 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN
This is the most anticipated game of the 2018–2019 season to date due to the history between these two teams and heightened by the dramatic game winning shot last season at the Final Four that secured the win for the Irish. No one has played the Huskies better than the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. From April 2011 to March 2013, Notre Dame won seven out of eight match-ups with the Huskies, including four straight. Not even Tennessee when coached by the late Pat Summit beat UConn four consecutive times (the Lady Vols did beat UConn three consecutive times twice in their history).
Since April 2, 2011, Notre Dame and Connecticut have played 16 times, resulting in eight wins by the Irish and eight wins by the Huskies. There will be a hostile crowd at Purcell Pavilion and the UConn Huskies will learn a lot about themselves. The Huskies have not forgotten the way their season ended last year to the Irish and will need bench support in order to knock off the Irish at home who returned all their starters from last season. They will also need to control the boards and limit second chance points in order to come out with a win at Notre Dame. The Irish have three players averaging over 7 rebounds per game. They also have two players that average over 2 offensive rebounds per game in Jessica Sheppard and Brianna Turner, 3.8 and 2.8 offensive rebounds per game, respectively.
This will be a highly competitive game and there will be some nerves for both teams to start the game due to the anticipation of the game. Make sure to have your popcorn ready because this game may come down again to the team who has the last possession.
Please note, all statistics listed above are as of 11/25/2018.
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