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A defining Sunday ahead across NCAA women’s basketball

By Blake DuDonis

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 1: Kristina Nelson #21 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish makes contact as Teaira McCowan #15 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs attempts a jump shot during the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Final Four at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 1: Kristina Nelson #21 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish makes contact as Teaira McCowan #15 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs attempts a jump shot during the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Final Four at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
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A defining Sunday across the sport.

While non-conference play gives us a ton of intriguing matchups across the board, one of my favorite parts about getting into conference play is that you know which day you can watch games. On that note, once the calendar turns to January, Sundays become must-watch days. SEC, ACC, Pac-12; and that’s without including any mid-majors!

It is very early on into the conference season, but several teams with impressive records still have some convincing to do about if they are really contenders or if their record is deceiving. Today, we get to see many of those teams lace them up and start to get a real idea of what kind of them they are.

#14 Syracuse at Virginia Tech

It really can’t be understated the job that Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks has done. The Hokies were in a terrible place when he took the job three seasons ago, and the team has risen exponentially. The question is if they have turned a corner and can finish in the top half of the ACC. Remember, last year they entered conference play with an 11-2 record and the season prior they were 13-0 (with a Top 25 appearance to their credit as well) and proceeded to go a combined 10-22 in those two seasons.

You could take this as me dumping on the Hokies, but I’m actually doing the opposite. They increased from four conferences wins in 2016-17 to six in 2017-18, and continuing that trend would be a great step for the team. I worry a bit about the toughness of their schedule, but a win over Rutgers is looking more impressive after Rutgers went in a beat #4 Maryland on the road just this week.

The Hokies boast top-tier shooting numbers, both offensively and defending, but again, I don’t know if that is due to a real step or the lesser competition. What I do know is that Syracuse is really good and we will know a lot more about Virginia Tech after this one. A win, or even a close loss, will make me start to believe.

WESTWOOD, CA – MARCH 20: UCLA head coach Cori Close calls out to her players in Westwood, CA on Monday, March 20, 2017. UCLA vs Texas A&M in the 2nd round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.(Photo by Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images)
WESTWOOD, CA – MARCH 20: UCLA head coach Cori Close calls out to her players in Westwood, CA on Monday, March 20, 2017. UCLA vs Texas A&M in the 2nd round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.(Photo by Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images) /

UCLA at #6 Stanford

It always seemed like a rebuilding year after losing two WNBA draft picks in Jordin Canada and Monique Billings, but UCLA has shown some signs of life. Quality wins over Georgia, Seton Hall, and Rice were nice, but a loss to Loyola Marymount and three straight to UNC, Kentucky, and South Florida left some to be desired. Another loss, this time to Indiana, followed the three aforementioned losses, but the Bruins have rattled off six straight victories since, including at USC and at Cal.

Today’s game with Stanford, and the next two against Oregon State and Oregon, will leave us knowing exactly who UCLA is. One of their issues is their lack of outside shooting (25.5% is 320th in NCAA), something that could really rear its ugly head in the high scoring PAC-12. They are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country however with an offensive rebounding rate of 45.8% (3rd) and a total rebounding rate of 56.5% (15th).

If they can rebound like they have so far and reduce their far-too-high foul rate of 26.4% (251st), the Bruins may have a chance. If not, Stanford could win this one big and leave us with more doubts than we already had about UCLA.

NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 02: Kentucky Wildcats guard Maci Morris (4) dribbles the ball past Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs guard Roshunda Johnson (11) during the third period between the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs and the Kentucky Wildcats in a SEC Women’s Tournament game on March 2, 2018, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. (Photo by Steve Roberts/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 02: Kentucky Wildcats guard Maci Morris (4) dribbles the ball past Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs guard Roshunda Johnson (11) during the third period between the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs and the Kentucky Wildcats in a SEC Women’s Tournament game on March 2, 2018, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. (Photo by Steve Roberts/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

#16 Kentucky at #7 Mississippi State

I know it’s weird to list a Top 25 team here, but Kentucky fits the mold. Plenty of people are still wondering how good they are (though let it be known that I thought they could very well be a tournament team coming into the season). Their only loss was on the road to Louisville, but with their 14 wins, I don’t know which ones are that impressive. USF is down this season, I’m not sold on UNC (and you could disagree with me there), and we just went over UCLA.

Nothing like figuring out where your team really stands like a trip to Starkville, Mississippi. Wildcats coach Matthew Mitchell returns to his alma mater, a team who he is 12-5 against all-time, but dropped all three matchups to a season ago. A major concern for Kentucky tonight will be how to keep MSU off the boards and to be honest, I don’t think they can. A 31.8% opponents offensive rebounding rate is middle of the pack, and the Bulldogs have two of the best rebounders in the country in Teaira McCowan and Anriel Howard (the two combine for over 8 ORPG).

A lot will have to go right for the Cats tonight, and a loss wouldn’t be too damning, but the final score certainly will matter. Maci Morris and Rhyne Howard (who we can go ahead and crown SEC Freshman of the Year) will have to have a big game, or maybe someone else will step up. Either way, tonight’s game can either silence the doubters or make them grow all the louder.

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