The 'Ball-Knower's' NCAA Weekly Watch Guide: November 11-14
UCLA, fresh off a win over No. 6 Oklahoma, gets another top 15 matchup this weekend while the mid-majors have some huge resume boosters ahead. A guide for watching hoops this week.
The NCAA women’s basketball season is officially underway and already we’ve gotten some high-profile matchups that have given us plenty to talk about. This coming week, there’s some great mid-major matchups that will have tournament resume implications as well as another top-end tilt for No. 3 UCLA, who just came off a win over No. 6 Oklahoma on Monday. If you’re looking for a video recap of that game, Tyler put one together from Norman last night. You can find it below.
Tuesday
St. John’s (1-1) vs. Quinnipiac (1-1): 5:00 PM ET, ESPN+
Why it’s worth a watch: Last season, Quinnipiac was one of MAAC’s contenders for the league’s NCAA Tournament bid. Ultimately, Fairfield would win the day and QU star Gal Raviv transferred up a level to Miami. So why is this game on the watch guide? Well, if you have any interest in learning a bit about one of the more underappreciated mid-majors in America, Quinnipiac is ready to teach you something. These games are also huge for the Big East, whose mid-tier teams cannot lose these kinds of matchups if they want to help the conference’s NET rating.
Must Watch Score: 7/10
Clemson (2-0) vs. No. 2 South Carolina (2-0): 6:00 PM ET, ESPN2
Why it’s worth a watch: I scored this low because, from a talent standpoint, I think South Carolina is still leaps and bounds ahead of Clemson. But the Tigers, now in their second year under Shawn Poppie, have been steadily building in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail. While I don’t expect them to win here, any type of competitiveness against the Gamecocks is a big step forward for the program Poppie wants to build.
Must Watch Score: 6.5/10
Marquette (2-0) vs. Minnesota (2-0): 8:00 PM ET, B1G+
Why it’s worth a watch: Arguably one of the bigger Big East non-conference matchups on the schedule. Marquette and Seton Hall feel like the two teams behind UConn that have tournament level rosters and beating mid-tier ‘Power Two’ teams like Minnesota will go a long way towards getting some mainstream respect back for the league. The Golden Eagles beat Wisconsin over the weekend so don’t count them out against a really solid Golden Gophers squad.
Must Watch Score: 7.5/10
Wednesday
Colorado (1-0) vs. No. 22 Louisville (1-1): 7:00 PM ET, ACC Extra
Why it’s worth a watch: My Colorado Buffaloes managed to stabilize after graduating out a transformative class and then losing some talent to the portal in 2024. Last season wasn’t the best, but JR Payne has an interesting group led by Jade Masogayo. Louisville feels like a good ‘are you a WBIT or an NCAA Tournament team’ type of litmus test. Jeff Walz will also find ways to make it hard for his opponents and Laura Ziegler is an early All-ACC favorite.
Must Watch Score: 7.5/10
Princeton (1-0) vs. Villanova (2-1): 7:00 PM ET, ESPN_
Why it’s worth a watch: There’s a theme this week and it revolves around the Big East. Typically the Wildcats like to center their usage around one player and this season it’s Jasmine Bascoe. Her matchup with the Princeton backcourt of Allison Chea and Madison St. Rose should be a ton of fun. If Nova can get a win over the Ivy League favorite, it can do nothing but help the Big East for March.
Must Watch Score: 7/10
Thursday
Rhode Island (2-0) vs. Rutgers (2-1): 11:00 AM, B1G+
Why it’s worth a watch: The A-10 is a dogfight every season and this one will be no different. While Richmond will likely run away with the league again, expect a secondary team like Rhode Island, George Mason, UMass or VCU to stay on the Spiders’ heels. These are the types of games the conference has won a lot of in the last few years, bolstering a case for the A-10 being a two or three bid league come tournament time. If the Rams can knock off a rebuilding Rutgers team, it’ll be huge for one of the premier mid-major conferences.
Must Watch Score: 6.5/10
South Dakota (3-0) vs. Kansas State (3-0): 5:00 PM ET, ESPN+
Why it’s worth a watch: South Dakota hasn’t made too many waves since Dawn Plitzuweit took them to the Sweet Sixteen but the Coyotes can make your life hard regardless of who is at the helm. Kansas State managed to win a truly heinous 46-44 game against SMU but are still trying to find their ceiling without stars like Ayoka Lee and Serena Sundell. It’s not a trap game, per se, but if South Dakota is as good as we think they can be, then this one may be an upset alert.
Must Watch Score: 7/10
South Florida (2-0) vs. Fairfield (2-0): 6:00 PM ET, ESPNU
Why it’s worth a watch: I’m conflicted about having this game in the guide because I’m genuinely not sure what USF is going to look like this year without Jose Fernandez. If recent history is any indicator, they should be okay. Florida Gulf Coast didn’t miss a beat last season after Karl Smesko left and Utah maybe dipped slightly, if anything. Beyond that, I’m expecting Fairfield to roll here. If you haven’t watched Meghan Andersen play yet, start now.
Must Watch Score: 7/10
Belmont (1-1) vs. No. 12 Tennessee (2-1): 7:00 PM ET, SEC Network
Why it’s worth a watch: Belmont gave Oklahoma a brief scare before falling behind in the second half of the season opener. For the last few years, that’s been the Bruins’ story. And yet, I still don’t want to count out Bart Brooks and this crew against Tennessee. The Lady Vols feel like they’re going to take a month or so to get their young guards up to speed and that could mean some scares, or even upsets, in the non-con. Can Belmont hang with UT’s shooters?
Must Watch Score: 7.5/10
Drake (1-1) vs. No. 21 Iowa (2-0): 8:30 PM ET, BTN
Why it’s worth a watch: It’s a bummer we didn’t get to see a Katie Dinnebier sendoff in the NCAA Tournament this year but the departure of the elite guard doesn’t mean Drake has fallen apart. The Bulldogs and Hawkeyes have the same spiritual schematic matriarch in Lisa Bluder, so expect a ton of ball movement, pace and shooting. If both teams are hitting, they’ve proven that this matchup can be very fun. Keep an eye on Hannah Stuelke, who looks like a different player already this year.
Must Watch Score: 8/10
No. 11 North Carolina (2-0) vs. No. 3 UCLA (3-0): 9:00 PM ET, ESPN2
Why it’s worth a watch: UCLA managed to stifle Aaliyah Chavez and Oklahoma on Monday, cruising to a win in Sacramento. Now, they see a team with a somewhat similar makeup in North Carolina. Ultimately, depth is going to see the Bruins win a lot of these games and it may be hard to truly assess them as a title contender until we see them against true top-end competition. But there’s so much to watch here that’s worth it beyond the result. Former Bruin Elina Aarnisalo is a starter for UNC now while Gianna Kneepkens has already turned heads in her first few games in a UCLA uniform.
Must Watch Score: 8.5/10
Friday
Iona (2-0) vs. Charleston (2-0): 4:00 PM ET, Team Stream
Why it’s worth a watch: I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how good Iona really is. I’m just here for one player and one player only: Charleston’s Taryn Barbot. The reigning CAA Player of the Year, becoming the fastest player in program history to hit 1,000 career points. Last season, she tallied five 30+ point games and tied the school record of 40 in a single matchup. Much like Dyaisha Fair at Buffalo or Terren Ward at Georgia Southern, Barbot may not set the world on fire against high-majors, but she’s a super fun basketball player who deserves some shine.
Must Watch Score: 6.5/10
No. 15 Duke (1-1) vs. West Virginia (2-0): 7:00 PM ET, ESPNU
Why it’s worth a watch: Folks, this game has the potential to be true sicko ball. The press of Mark Kellogg against the pace of Kara Lawson. When I say the point total may check in under 90, I mean that. With that said, if you like clamps then this is the game for you. The Mountaineers have former Norfolk State star MeMe Wheeler anchoring their frontcourt while Ashlon Jackson and Toby Fournier have proven to be a good tandem for the Blue Devils.
Must Watch Score: 7.5/10
No. 7 Baylor (2-0) vs. UNLV (2-0): 9:00 PM ET, CBSSN
Why it’s worth a watch: Lindy La Rocque has had her fair share of high-major job opportunities but seems to really enjoy her time at UNLV. And why wouldn’t you? Your team wins the conference pretty regularly and the only real prestige you’re missing is an NCAA Tournament win. It’s a good and stable gig. But if La Rocque wants us to think about UNLV as more than just a good mid-major, we need to see the Rebs start winning a few of these games. Baylor opened up the year with a huge win over Duke and we are all officially on Taliah Scott watch in Waco. She’s a star.
Must Watch Score: 7/10
Illinois (2-0) vs. Oregon State (2-0): 9:00 PM ET, ESPN+
Why it’s worth a watch: Oregon State is a big question mark with their leading scorer from last year, Catarina Ferreira, out for the year with an injury. If the Beavers want to really put the nation on notice, they can do it against an Illinois team that will be aiming to make the NCAA Tournament but lost some of its’ bite with three of the Illini’s top players graduating out. If Oregon State is going to make this thing competitive, they’ll need a big night from young guard Tiara Bolden.
Must Watch Score: 7/10