With conference play now in full swing, there were several impressive performances during the past week in the world of women’s basketball:
No. 2 Connecticut once again displayed its dominance in an 83-52 thrashing of No. 10 Duke Monday. The Blue Devils—who only trailed by seven at halftime—were outrebounded for the first time all season and completely outmatched in an embarrassing second-half. Although Duke has shown signs of promise during its nonconference gauntlet, the young squad will head into January with four losses for the first time since 1998. Meanwhile, the Huskies take an 11-game winning streak into 2015 and look once again to be the team to beat come tournament time.
Lost in the shuffle was a surprising blowout late Monday night as unranked Washington handed No. 5 Texas A&M its second consecutive loss in a 70-49 beatdown. Sophomore guard Kelsey Plum was instrumental in the win with her 32 points on 11-of-23 shooting from the floor. The win moved the Huskies to 11-0 on the season, though the team subsequently lost its Pac-12 opener 62-48 to No. 22 Arizona State.
Upsets were also the theme of the week in the Big Ten, with No. 12 Nebraska, No. 16 Rutgers and No. 24 Michigan State all dropping contests to unranked opponents and losing multiple games this week. After nonconference play, it still remains difficult to identify the team to beat in the conference as a trio of favorites are near the bottom of the standings early in conference action.
On the other hand, the SEC has a clear favorite with No. 1 South Carolina and its phenomenal freshman class living up to its preseason hype. However, the picture behind the Gamecocks remains murky. With an experienced core, expect No. 5 Texas A&M to stay in the picture all year long. No. 8 Tennessee won its only game of the week and has started to find its way after early losses in nonconference play. No. 11 Kentucky and No. 19 Georgia also figure to make some noise as the season unfolds.
But it would be a mistake to completely ignore No. 17 Mississippi State. After feasting on non-conference cupcakes, the Bulldogs began conference play with a 64-56 victory against No. 19 Georgia to move on to 16-0 on the season. After being picked to finish 8th in the SEC preseason poll, Mississippi State—with its potent offense ranking 4th in the nation—figures to spring an upset or two as play in the SEC kicks into full gear. The Bulldogs moved to 17-0 by beating Missouri Friday.
Rivals in rank: No. 5 Texas A&M at No. 8 Tennessee, Thursday, Jan. 8, 7 p.m.
ACC Game to Watch: No. 21 Syracuse at No. 10 Duke, Thursday, Jan. 8, 6:30 p.m.
Upset Alert: Washington State at No. 22 Arizona State, Monday, Jan. 5, 10 p.m.
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