Teams entered conference play this week and it took no time for excitement to arise, as the beginning of 2014 has been chock-full of upsets and close games.
No. 1 Connecticut cruised through its first week of AAC play, with a convincing 77-49 victory against Central Florida and then annihilating Memphis 90-49 on Saturday. Geno Auriemma’s team is on a collision course with No. 7 Louisville, which notched a 77-68 victory on the road at Temple and then a more comfortable 64-45 victory against Cincinnati. The Cardinals travel to Storrs, Conn. on Feb. 9 to play the nation’s top-ranked team.
No. 3 Duke closed its non-conference schedule with an 87-63 win against Old Dominion. Tricia Liston made scored nine of her 17 points from beyond the arc to lead the Blue Devils. Liston followed that performance with 16 points in a 64-47 win against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets attempted to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit, cutting the Duke lead to just six, but Liston and forward Elizabeth Williams—who posted her second straight double-double—helped their team end the game on a 15-4 run. ‘
The Blue Devils will travel this week to play No. 20 Syracuse which suffered two losses this past week. The Orange fell 63-60 to No. 24 Arizona State and then fell to an unranked North Carolina State team 67-61. The Wolfpack have won eight straight games and will circumvent the Triangle this week when they travel to play No. 10 North Carolina on Thursday.
The Tar Heels lost on Sunday to No. 8 Maryland 79-70, as North Carolina could not handle 6-foot-2 inch forward Alyssa Thomas, who had 21 points and 14 rebounds in the Terrapins first conference victory.
No. 2 Notre Dame remained undefeated, beating South Dakota State 94-51 behind a perfect shooting performance by guard Kayla McBride, who shot 8-for-8 from the floor, scoring 18 points. The Fighting Irish then downed Clemson 71-51 for their first-ever ACC win.
It was a wild week in the Southeastern Conference. No. 19 Georgia will likely fall out of the top 25 after losing efforts against No. 5 Tennessee and unranked Vanderbilt. Center Isabelle Harrison helped the Volunteers dominate the paint, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Tennessee beat the Bulldogs after an 80-77 home loss against No. 16 Louisiana State. The Volunteers will have another shot at the Tigers, in a Feb. 27 match-up in Baton Rouge.
No. 6 Kentucky easily won its conference opener 85-63 against Alabama, but fell to unranked Florida in Lexington. Guard Jennifer O’Neill led the Wildcats with 32 points over two-game stretch.
No. 13 South Carolina escaped its first week of SEC play unscathed, beating Vanderbilt 76-66, but had a close call against a previously undefeated Arkansas squad. The Gamecocks squeaked out an impressive road win in Little Rock, 55-51.
Indiana will be a team to watch moving forward, as the Hoosiers maintained their perfect record with an 86-84 upset victory over No. 22 Iowa. Elsewhere in the Big 10, No. 18 Nebraska just barely made it past Northwestern, winning its first conference game of the season 66-65 in Lincoln.
Game to Watch: No. 6 Kentucky at No. 13 South Carolina. Thursday Jan. 9 7:00 p.m.
Key ACC Matchup: No. 3 Duke at No. 20 Syracuse. Thursday Jan. 9 7:00 p.m.
Upset Alert: North Carolina State at No. 10 North Carolina. Thursday Jan. 9 7:00 p.m. ESPN3/ WatchESPN. The Wolfpack have not lost a game since Nov. 29 and the Tar Heels need not to overlook this game, especially after North Carolina State notched a win over Syracuse last week.
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