Each week, the Chronicle will report on the top teams in women's college basketball that No. 2 Duke will either play during regular season play or possibly face during the NCAA tournament. Following a victory against Marquette Sunday afternoon, the Blue Devils will play in the Paradise Jam tournament at the U.S. Virgin Islands over Thanksgiving week.
It's invitational holiday tournament time in women's college basketball.
Thanksgiving week will feature a slate of games with little to no matchups of top-10 caliber teams. The lack of parody in women's college basketball will certainly be on display. These mismatches will provide a greater bearing for Duke to understand the character of it's future opponents as the margin of victory will speak to the tenacity of each squad. The main focus of the past week was a narrow victory for No. 4 Louisville against an unranked Florida State squad in overtime, 69-59. The Cardinals are certainly a talented bunch, but they continue to have issues commanding the course of play like many other top-ranked teams. Louisville will face No. 7 Kentucky Sunday Dec. 1 in what will be a closely-contested game that will determine the makeup of the No. 4 team in the nation. Following a loss to Connecticut, No. 6 Stanford dropped down in the rankings allowing now No. 3 Tennessee to pull right behind Duke in the rankings. Rounding out the top-five is ACC contender No. 5 Notre Dame.
No. 1 Connecticut crushed all of its opponents during the week handing teams like St. Bonaventure nearly 50-point losses. These dominant victories do not bode well for the Blue Devils as the Huskies remain without sharp-shooter Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis who is out indefinitely with an arm injury. Even without a full lineup head coach Geno Auriemma and Connecticut have remain unfazed against any opponent. Duke at full strength and without senior forward Haley Peters has shown its weaknesses, including a lack of concerted rebounding and defensive effort in its victories this week, while the Huskies continue to play at a higher level than the Blue Devils. One thing is certain, and that is Auriemma, respected for his ability to motivate his players, will keep Connecticut rolling heading into a looming Dec. 17 matchup with Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Game to watch: No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 7 Kentucky, Sunday, 1:00 P.M.
Key ACC Matchup: No. 2 Duke vs. Kansas, Saturday, 3:30 P.M.
Upset Alert: No. 7 Kentucky over No. 4 Louisville, Sunday, 1:00 P.M.
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