South Carolina and Texas moved up while Notre Dame dropped, but could the SEC/ACC Challenge and three top games this weekend shake things up again?
Michael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women's college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women's basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996. Four top-25 matchups will highlight the SEC/ACC Challenge this week, with six games Wednesday and 10 Thursday.
Both teams are in the top 10 of this week's ESPN Women's Basketball Power Rankings but going in opposite directions. Texas moved up two spots to No. 4, while Notre Dame fell seven spots to No. 10. The 5-2 Irish must regroup after losing twice at the Cayman Islands Classic last week. They blew a 14-point lead in falling to What happened? A key part of it is that injuries have limited the Irish's depth, especially in the post. Four-year Irish starter, have yet to play this season. Both are fifth-year players with tons of experience, and Notre Dame will be a different team with them on court. The 7-0 Longhorns have had just one test, but it came at the right time before playing Notre Dame. Texas beat another team with terrific guards, can match up well with any perimeter players in the country. Where the Longhorns should have an edge against Notre Dame, though, is in the post. Seniorsare the starting forwards who combine to average 20 points and 8.7 rebounds. Coming off the bench are two other talented forwards: Miami transfer Moore was 8-of-11 for 20 points, while Booker had 19 points and Harmon 9 points and 6 assists in the victory over West Virginia. Oldacre and Carlton combined for 23 points and 13 assists. Carlton got a key steal with four seconds left and with Texas clinging to a three-point lead, sealed the game with two free throws. Texas' move to the SEC makes the league even more competitive this season. Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer knows the SEC well from his time at, which also moved to the SEC from the Big 12 this season. What we see from the Longhorns on Thursday sets the tone for what kind of team it will be when league play begins.The Bruins cruised through their first week at No. 1 with three blowout wins at the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu: vs. UT Martin, Fresno State and Hawai'i. Centerhad a season-best 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting against the Crusaders. Two potential tests are upcoming with Louisville and Notre Dame. at the Fort Myers Tipoff in Florida. South Carolina held Iowa State to 23.1% shooting and forced a combined 39 turnovers in the two games. The Gamecocks will have a chance to make two more statements this week against very good teams.The Terps beat their lone ranked opponent, Duke, on Nov. 10 and won't play another ranked foe until the end of December. So while they are a good team, we can't be sure yet just how good. Maryland won last week at the Navy Classic againstThe Blue Devils won one of the most entertaining games this season, a 109-99 overtime victory against Oklahoma last week at the Ball Dawgs Classic in Las Vegas behind's career-best 35 points. That followed a win two days earlier over Kansas State, giving the Blue Devils back-to-back top-10 wins. Duke defeatedhad 40 points, making a program-record 9-of-11 3-pointers. She tied the school record for games with 40 or more points and became the third Big Ten player in the past 25 seasons to score at least 40 points with nine 3-pointers.Sometimes the Thanksgiving tournaments produce some big results for teams. That was the case for TCU with its victories in the Cayman Islands Classic over Notre Dame andThis is the other side of the coin for the holiday tournament: The results can also ruin some teams'"vacations." Such was the case for Notre Dame in the Cayman Islands. The loss to TCU -- considering how well the Frogs are playing -- was one thing. But falling the next day by 11 points to Utah was more concerning. The Irish can make things right, though, in playing Texas and UConn at home in the next week-plus.'s 3-pointer at the end of regulation Nov. 27 at the Ball Dawgs Classic in Las Vegas. But they fell 109-99 in the extra session for their first loss of the season. Verhulst finished with a triple-double . Next, she faces the school where she started her college career, Louisville.became K-State's all-time leading scorer with 2,336 points. She passed Kendra Wecker , but this is Lee's fifth season because of the COVID-19 waiver.had a combined 49 points and 25 rebounds in those games. The win over the Illini was Kentucky's second over a ranked team, and it has the chance for a third on Thursday.at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida, the Mountaineers got their first test of the season and nearly upset Texas. They had a chance to tie the score in the closing seconds but lost the ball on a turnover and fell 78-73. Still, it showed how good West Virginia can be.It was a light work week for the Tar Heels, as they blew out North Carolina Central 119-43. There's nothing to take from that game, but there will be plenty to watch in their matchup with Kentucky, including how the Wildcats'
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