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With women’s college basketball’s fifth-best team currently under question, the sport is defined by a clear top four. (Or, Final Four?)
All of No. 1 UConn, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 South Carolina and No. 4 UCLA have the opportunity to cement their status on Sunday. Here’s why the Huskies, Longhorns, Gamecocks and Bruins are likely to avoid upsets.
UConn is just too good for the rest of the Big East
Right now, it’s hard to give UConn the love they deserve. Because they are so superior to Big East opponents, there’s not much to analyze about the Huskies.
Sarah Strong is up, down and all-around awesome. Azzi Fudd is going to keep swishing 3s. Blanca Quiñonez’s contributions will continue to increase. KK Arnold is emerging as a steady point guard while still serving as a spark plug. The uneven acclimation of Serah Williams and Kayleigh Heckel hasn’t been an issue.
It’s smooth sailing in Storrs. Or more precisely, the gals from Storrs will smoothly sail into and out of Omaha on Sunday afternoon, having collected their 17th win of the season over Creighton (2 p.m. ET, truTV).
Texas knows how to cause trouble for LSU
Self-inflicted issues resulted in LSU opening SEC play with two-straight losses. On Sunday, Texas can inflict the issues on LSU, causing problems for the Tigers with their higher level of execution and attention to detail (3 p.m. ET, ESPN).
First, Texas can punish LSU on the glass, exploiting an unfamiliar weakness for the Tigers. Kyla Oldacre is a beast on the offensive glass, while Madison Booker is a strong rebounder from the wing. Breya Cunningham and Justice Carlton also get after the boards. The Longhorns can translate their rebounding advantage into extra possessions that add up.
Texas’ defensive pressure also can cause difficulties for LSU, preventing the Tigers from playing in transition and requiring them to generate good offense in the halfcourt, something that’s emerged as an issue because of their lack of offensive hierarchy, as Josh Felton recently explained. Rori Harmon will be ready and willing to chase and cajole her primary assignment, whether that means pestering Flau’Jae Johnson, inducing ill-advised decisions from MiLaysia Fulwiley or dialing up the pressure on Jada Richard. The Longhorns have good size at their other positions, allowing them to crowd the Tigers in ways that are likely to result in mistakes that drive head coach Kim Mulkey mad.
LSU, certainly, has enough talent to compete with Texas. The Longhorns, however, have been better than the sum of their parts in ways that the Tigers have not, with big wins over South Carolina and UCLA serving as proof of Texas’ high quality.
South Carolina can be sharper against Georgia
South Carolina hasn’t been quite as dominant as would be preferred in conference play. That three double-digit wins can inspire such a statement speaks to South Carolina’s incredibly high standard.
The Gamecocks also have been without the player who was expected to be their best scorer in Ta’Niya Latson, who has missed all of South Carolina’s SEC games with a sprained ankle. Based on the most recent comments from head coach Dawn Staley, there’s a chance she returns on Sunday when South Carolina hosts Georgia (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
As the Bulldogs have a top-15 defense, the Gamecocks would benefit from a scoring boost from Latson. But with Georgia native Raven Johnson organizing things for South Carolina, expect the Gamecocks to find their way to another win, regardless of Latson’s availability. Fresh off a 3-for-4 performance from 3, a hot shooting afternoon from Tessa Johnson can help South Carolina cruise to the kind of win that will have Colonial Life Arena rocking.
UCLA can win in multiple ways against Nebraska
Could UCLA be most vulnerable to an upset on Sunday?
Traveling to from sunny Southern California to the plains of Nebraska in early January is not the type of trip that seems likely to inspire an energetic performance. So if these Bruins, still looking to silence their skeptics, put together a convincing win over the Cornhuskers, they’ll be deserving of considerable credit (7 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network).
And that dominance should be driven by Lauren Betts. The Huskers have no player taller than 6-foot-3 on their roster, suggesting the 6-foot-7 center should feast in this favorable matchup.
To have a chance, Nebraska likely needs to increase the variance. A solid 3-point shooting team, the Huskers should fire away from behind the arc in an effort to put three points on the board as the Bruins are tallying 2-pointers from Betts. But compared to last season, this year’s Bruins are better prepared for a 3-point battle, as they are taking and making more 3s. The bombing of Gianna Kneepkens, Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker equips UCLA to triumph in such a shootout.
