NCAAW: Red-hot Texas takes on rival Baylor in espnW Invitational

What better way to launch a brand-new basketball invitational than with one of the country’s biggest rivalries?

The inaugural Sprouts Farmers Market espnW Invitational will be played this Sunday, Dec. 14, and will pit the No. 13 Baylor Bears (10-1) against the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (11-0)—two celebrated programs that would like nothing more than to knock off their intra-state rival on national TV (1 p.m. ET, ABC).

While both teams are off to strong starts to the season, it’s the Longhorns who have quickly proven themselves to be giant-killers. Texas earned a pair of early-season signature wins in last month’s Players Era Tournament, taking down the UCLA Bruins and South Carolina Gamecocks on back-to-back days and looking every bit like a team that’s well-equipped to make another Final Four run next spring.

The Longhorns’ hot start is well-reflected in their team statistics. According to Her Hoop Stats, Texas ranks No. 10 in Division I in defensive rating (71.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) and No. 5 in offensive rating (123.7 points scored per 100 possessions), and they’ve been winning their games by an average of nearly 40 points per contest.

The defensive aptitude is expected from a Vic Schaefer coached basketball team, but it’s the Longhorns’ offensive efficiency that has set them apart. Leading the charge is Rori Harmon, who Schaefer frequently refers to as the best point guard in the country; Harmon is known for her relentlessness at the point of attack, but she’s also spearheading a Texas offense that leads the country in turnover rate (11.1 percent) and ranks No.4 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.92).

Then there’s junior wing Madison Booker, who seems destined for her third All-American selection in as many seasons. She’s posting career-bests across the board, averaging 17.5 points per game on 50.4 percent shooting while also chipping in 7.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and a whopping 3.0 steals. In her most recent outing, Booker recorded a triple-double against University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, racking up 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Can Taliah Scott lead Baylor to a crucial upset?

Needless to say, the Bears will have their work cut out for them on Sunday, but there’s plenty of reason to believe they’ll put up a good fight.

Baylor, too, has played elite defense to begin the season, allowing 71.2 points per 100 possessions, and thanks to defensive playmakers like Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Kiersten Johnson, the Bears rank No. 2 in the country in blocks per game (8.2). Johnson, who is a full-time starter for the first time in her career after coming off the bench for three seasons at Oklahoma, is swatting 2.6 shots per game on her own, and if she stays out of foul trouble on Sunday, she’ll be Baylor’s best chance at matching up with Texas’ sizable frontcourt.

Taliah Scott is another transfer who has made an immediate impact for the Bears. Scott quickly established herself as Baylor’s go-to offensive player, and she’s currently averaging 23.8 points per game, good for No. 2 in the Big 12. She’s been particularly dangerous from beyond the arc, where she’s knocking down 2.9 3-pointers per game at a 39.5 percent clip, and her free throw shooting (90.9 percent) has been nearly perfect. It’s only been 11 games, but Scott has already garnered Big 12 Player of the Week and Big 12 Starting Five honors, and she seems to be a shoo-in to make the all-conference team at the end of the season.

Baylor will need more than just a high-scoring game from Scott to knock off the No. 2 team in the country, though. Head coach Nicki Collen admitted recently that her team may not be ready to play a program of Texas’ caliber, particularly when it comes to the rebounding battle.

“Are we doing our job on every shot? Are we boxing out where we’re supposed to? Are we rotating to rebound off the players that aren’t going to the boards?” Collen said as she ran through the list of details her Bears need to make sure they’re focusing on Sunday. Collen wants her team to be able to push the ball in transition—especially when facing a defense of Texas’ caliber—but it’s harder to do that when they aren’t rebounding at a high level.

At the same time, Collen recognizes the importance of a challenge at this point in the season. Save for a season-opening win over Duke and a loss to Iowa, Baylor’s non-conference schedule hasn’t been the strongest. With Big 12 play quickly approaching, the Bears could use a tough game that tells them just how much work they still need to do.

Or, as Collen put it: “a test.” Baylor will certainly get that on Sunday against Texas.