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Who to watch on day one of the WNIT

By Kim Doss

COLUMBUS, OH - FEBRUARY 21: Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Kevin McGuff talks to his team during a timeout during the second half of a regular season Big 10 Conference basketball game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Ohio State Buckeyes on February 21, 2018 at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - FEBRUARY 21: Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Kevin McGuff talks to his team during a timeout during the second half of a regular season Big 10 Conference basketball game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Ohio State Buckeyes on February 21, 2018 at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Great action from those who just missed the NCAA cut.

It’s a quick turnaround for teams selected for the 2019 WNIT. They found out where and whom they would be playing late Monday night. On Wednesday, six of them will be on the court playing those games.

Who should the neutral fan be watching for in round one?

We’ll spotlight three games from each day to see what the teams bring to the table, which players are doing the heavy lifting and who might win.

With only three games on Wednesday, these six teams will have the world of women’s college basketball looking at them.

Pacific (18-12, 10-8 WCC) at Fresno State (19-12, 11-7 MWC)

The battle of San Joaquin Valley schools will feature an even match-up between the Pacific Tigers and the Fresno State Bulldogs, especially on the offensive end of the court. Her Hoop Stats has little separating the two, rating Fresno State No. 113 overall of 351 teams in the nation. Pacific follows closely at No. 119.

Both teams fare far better on offense, where the service has Fresno State at No. 81 and Pacific at No. 78.

The Bulldogs are led by senior guard Candice White, who has put up 18.1 points per game this season. Maddi Utti paces them on the inside with 7.8 rebounds per game and an average of 1.1 blocks per game.

Valerie Higgins is all-everything for the Tigers. The guard shot over 46 percent for the year, and bumped that up to 48 percent in WCC play. She averages nearly a double-double while leading the team in points per game (17.0), rebounds per game (9.0), steals per game (3.1) and blocks per game (1.2).

Fresno State  can’t just key on Higgins, though. Brooklyn McDavid and Ameela Li both average

Valerie Higgins is all-everything for the Tigers. The guard shot over 46 percent for the year, and bumped that up to 48 percent in WCC play. She averages nearly a double-double while leading the team in points per game (17.0), rebounds per game (9.0), steals per game (3.1) and blocks per game (1.2).

double-digit scoring for Pacific.

The winner advances to face the winner of Thursday’s game between Arizona and Idaho State.

Pepperdine (20-11, 12-6 WCC) at California Baptist (18-11, 11-5 WAC)

Along with Pacific, Pepperdine is one of four members of the West Coast Conference to make the WNIT. Along with Saint Mary’s, it’s one of two members who had 20 wins and a 12-6 WCC record. Despite the impressive records, an RPI of 99 kept them out of the NCAA Tournament.

California Baptist finished second in the WAC, but an RPI north of 200 also precluded them from entry into the Big Dance.

But RPI won’t be what matters when the two teams meet on Wednesday. Scoring and pace of play will be.

Both teams average over 70 points per game. The Lancers are No. 20 in the nation with an average output of 76.2 ppg scored at a furious pace of 77.9 possessions per 40 minutes (fifth in the nation). The Waves are slightly more hesitant, scoring only 71.7 ppg on 71.5 possessions per 40 minutes.

The winner will play the victor of the Saint Mary’s-Hawai’i match-up.

Morehead State (23-10, 13-5 OVC)  at Ohio State (14-14, 10-8 Big Ten)

With four California teams taking center stage on Wednesday, the Eagles and Buckeyes will step up to represent the eastern portion of the country.

Ohio State is one of only two teams in the tournament with a .500 record. They secured the Big Ten’s automatic bid by virtue of six fellow members getting into the NCAA field. Playing in a conference with so many tournament teams certainly has them battle tested, but will they be able to use that seasoning to win?

If they are going to do that, they will have to slow down the Morehead State offense. The Eagles average 75 possessions per 40 minutes, which puts them at No. 30 in the country. Those possessions turn into 73.9 points per game–nine points more than the Buckeyes are used to giving up.

For Morehead State to take this contest, they will have to prove that their numbers aren’t a mirage created by a soft schedule. The Eagles played a few tough opponents, but they lost to all of them. Their wins all come against teams rated No. 99 or higher by Her Hoop Stats.

If Morehead State shows that they can still run their high-powered offense against a tough team, they will play the winner of the Miami (OH) and Western Kentucky match-up. However, Ohio State will be out to show that they are better than their wins and losses indicate, hoping that they get to take on either the Red Hawks or the Hilltoppers.

Either way, fans can get ready for the second day of postseason play. We’ll let you know what to look for on day two tomorrow.

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