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Charlie Creme, ESPN.comOct 25, 2024, 09:30 AM ET
- Charlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.
No. 1 seeds could be up for grabs in November and December.
That’s how often the best teams in women’s college basketball are playing each other in the first two months of the season.
UConn and Notre Dame each play three games against top-10 opponents before Christmas. South Carolina and Iowa State play two apiece. Head-to-head is an official piece of criteria the NCAA tournament selection committee considers when evaluating teams, and the members will have plenty to look at when deciding the top spots in the bracket.
November and December matter. Games over the first two months shape the narrative for the rest of the season and are referenced in February and March when the selection committee’s seeding decisions are being formed.
The Huskies, for example, likely cost themselves a chance at a No. 1 seed a year ago, losing to NC State, UCLA and Texas in the first month of the season. That win for the Wolfpack, plus a blowout of Colorado in November, catapulted them from unranked in the preseason to what turned out to be a No. 3 seed and a trip to the Final Four.
So which games might make the biggest impact this season? Here are the top 12 nonconference games across the country that could help create strong résumés and set the stage for conference play. Let it also serve as a viewer’s guide to top games around the country from Day 1 of the season into February. But one note: Holiday tournament games were not considered; we will break down those matchups next month. (Rankings refer to preseason AP Top 25.)
No. 17 Louisville vs. No. 5 UCLA
Nov. 4 (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in Paris
It isn’t the first game of 2024-25 and isn’t even the first game in Paris on Nov 4. (That honor belongs to USC and Ole Miss, the opening game of the doubleheader, at noon ET on ESPN.) But this is the best matchup of the day. The Cardinals’ streak of five consecutive Elite Eight appearances ended last season, and Louisville is a bit of a mystery with eight freshmen on the roster. Their introduction to college basketball will be playing a UCLA team full of veterans with Final Four aspirations on national television.
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 9 NC State
Nov. 10 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Charlotte, North Carolina
Last we saw both teams, the Gamecocks handed the Wolfpack a 19-point loss in the Final Four. But NC State made an incredible run to reach Cleveland. To repeat that success, Wes Moore will rely on backcourt trio Saniya Rivers, Aziaha James and Zoe Brooks. Guard play also happens to be the strength of South Carolina, which dominated NC State with size in the national semifinals but isn’t as big up front without Kamilla Cardoso (WNBA) and possibly Ashlyn Watkins (suspended after being arrested Aug. 31 and charged with first-degree assault and battery and kidnapping).
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 3 USC
Nov. 23 (4 p.m. ET, NBC) in Los Angeles
This is the first of many games on this list that feature potential one-on-one battles between the best young players in the game. The coaches would each bristle at anyone describing this game as Hannah Hidalgo vs. JuJu Watkins, but plenty of people will tune in for that showdown. The two sophomores will invariably be matched up against each other at times. The game marks the first time the Irish and Trojans have met since 2006, and their home-and-home extends to next year in South Bend.
No. 1 South Carolina at No. 5 UCLA
Nov. 24 (4 p.m. ET, FS1) in Los Angeles
As difficult as South Carolina’s nonconference schedule is, this is the only true road game against top-25 teams and the first of two road games against a prospective NCAA tournament team (Dec. 8 at TCU is the other). With Kiki Rice and Charlisse Leger-Walker, the Bruins match up well with the Gamecocks’ talented guards, Raven Johnson, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Tessa Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao. One key to the game: how Lauren Betts looks against the length of South Carolina’s frontcourt.
No. 4 Texas at No. 6 Notre Dame
Dec. 5 (7 p.m., ESPN) in South Bend, Indiana
Hidalgo gets pitted against another All-America-level sophomore in Madison Booker in the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Texas star took over the Longhorns when Rori Harmon went down with a torn ACL in late December — just as Hidalgo had to step up at Notre Dame with the absence of injured Olivia Miles. Both Hidalgo and Booker have their running mates back, making this the backcourt matchup of the year.
No. 11 Duke at No. 1 South Carolina
Dec. 5 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Columbia, South Carolina
This is the temperature-check game for the Blue Devils and the second game of the marquee doubleheader in the SEC/ACC Challenge. In Kara Lawson’s tenure in Durham, the Blue Devils face their highest expectations in years. Their deep and versatile roster will have already played Maryland, South Dakota State and Kansas State, but nothing measures a team’s readiness for the next level than playing the Gamecocks in Columbia. If Duke freshman Toby Fournier has already dunked for the first time in her college career, the eyeballs on this game will grow exponentially.
No. 22 Kentucky at No. 15 North Carolina
Dec. 5 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The Tar Heels represent the toughest nonconference game for the remade Wildcats under Kenny Brooks, but at least they are a familiar opponent for the longtime Virginia Tech coach and guard Georgia Amoore, who followed Brooks from Blacksburg to Lexington. Led by Lexi Donarski, Alyssa Ustby and Maria Gakdeng, North Carolina is loaded with veterans and will be getting its last test before ACC play begins 10 days later.
Iowa vs. Tennessee
Dec. 7 (7 p.m. ET, FOX) in Brooklyn, New York
The Women’s Champions Classic pits two highly visible programs — one from recent success, the other with a long history — that each have first-year coaches and are dealing with the loss of a top-five WNBA draft pick. And one month into the season, this game serves as a check-in to see how the adjustments are going. Iowa isn’t just dealing with Caitlin Clark’s departure. Lisa Bluder retired too, leaving the Hawkeyes to longtime assistant Jan Jensen. Tennessee surprised some by hiring Kim Caldwell, who had just one year of Division I coaching experience at Marshall, as Kellie Harper’s replacement. The Lady Vols have an experienced roster, but Rickea Jackson’s scoring will be missed.
No. 2 UConn at No. 6 Notre Dame
Dec. 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in South Bend, Indiana
This series remains one of the best — if not the best — rivalries in women’s basketball. Last year UConn had seemingly righted the ship after a tough start to the season when Notre Dame went to Storrs and dominated the fourth quarter in a 15-point win. It was also the night when Hidalgo went from one of the best freshmen in the country to one of the best players in the country after a 34-point, 10-rebound, 6-assist performance.
No. 8 Iowa State at No. 2 UConn
Dec. 17 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1) in Uncasville, Connecticut
Three weeks prior to meeting the Huskies, Iowa State will play South Carolina at a Thanksgiving event in Fort Myers. The Cyclones are testing themselves. At this same time last season, Audi Crooks wasn’t yet a household name. Now she’s the cornerstone of a top-10 team and one of the country’s most skilled post players. Both programs are known for running smooth and efficient offenses. Expect some points in this Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase game.
No. 3 USC at No. 2 UConn
Dec. 21 (8 p.m. ET, FOX) in Hartford, Connecticut
A meeting between these teams last March decided a trip to the Final Four. This year it could help determine the national player of the year race. Bueckers and Watkins will have competition, but they’re the front-runners to start the season. Will this game provide some separation between them? In UConn’s 80-73 victory in the Elite Eight in Portland, Bueckers had 28 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Watkins was 9-for-25 from the field but got to the free throw line nine times and also had a double-double (29 points and 10 rebounds). A subplot might be the matchup inside between USC senior Kiki Iriafen and UConn freshman Sarah Strong.
No. 2 UConn at No. 1 South Carolina
Feb. 16 (1 p.m. ET, ABC) in Columbia, South Carolina
Women’s basketball does certain things better and this is one of them. The other major college sports don’t play marquee nonconference games like this late in the season. Coaches are typically unwilling to step away from the rhythm and rigors of league competition to play a game against one of the other best teams in the country. But Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley have been up for the challenge for years. South Carolina dominated last year’s meeting, but the previous two were thrillers. The Gamecocks have won four of the past five in the series, including the 2022 national title game. Bueckers, who missed the 2023 meeting because of a knee injury, has averaged 21.0 points in four games against South Carolina, but 21 points from Gamecocks guard Paopao in last February’s meeting overshadowed Bueckers’ 20.
