After an entertaining opening week of top 25 matchups in women’s college basketball, the way-too-early madness will continue this week amongst the Triangle teams.
No. 11 North Carolina will face its first test of the season against No. 3 UCLA in the WBCA Challenge Thursday at 9 p.m. in Las Vegas.
Then, No. 15 Duke will take on West Virginia in the Greenbrier Tip-Off Friday at 6 p.m. inside the Greenbrier resort in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.
No. 10 NC State will end a weekend of local ranked showdowns against No. 17 TCU Sunday at 1 p.m. from Reynolds Coliseum.
Here’s a closer look at what to expect in each of these matchups.
UNC vs. UCLA
After two big wins over NC Central and Elon to start the season, UNC will return from a week-long break to battle its first ranked opponent in UCLA, which was in the Final Four in April.
The Tar Heels have started the year as expected with a balanced scoring attack. Five players have double-digit scoring averages after two games, with senior Indya Nivar leading the way with 13 points per night.
UCLA also has five double-digit scorers with senior Gabriela Jaquez leading the way with 18 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and reigning national defensive player of the year Lauren Betts pouring in 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per night as of Sunday. The Bruins will be battle tested after a bout with No. 6 Oklahoma Monday.
UNC showed flashes of being a top team in a 91-82 loss to No. 2 South Carolina in an exhibition game on Oct. 30. Senior forward Nyla Harris proved she could be an immediate factor with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double in that matchup while three other Tar Heels, including freshman Nyla Brooks, logged at least 10 points. That level of scoring will be huge in taking down the Bruins, but UNC will need to shoot better from three. The Tar Heels are shooting 26% from beyond the arc, which falls well below their clip from last season.
Duke vs. West Virginia
Although they’re not ranked, don’t overlook the Mountaineers as a quality opponent for Duke.
Coming off a second-round exit in last season’s NCAA Tournament, West Virginia is led by senior guard Sydney Shaw, who’s averaging 17 points, and graduate forward Kierra Wheeler, who’s averaging 15.5 points through two games. Although their guards don’t match up well with the height of the Blue Devils’ back court, the Mountaineers have done well with turning teams over (non-power conference opponents), snatching 17.5 steals per game so far this this season (17th in the nation).
Through two games, Duke’s size has come through as expected. Thanks to sophomore forward Toby Fournier and junior forward Jordan Wood, the Blue Devils are third in the country as of Sunday with 9.5 blocks per game. Fournier has been on a tear in other aspects of the game as she leads Duke with averages of 21.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. She put up a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in a season-opening loss to No. 7 Baylor.
Duke has also found some early success from three-point land, shooting 38% from beyond the arc while making eight threes per game.
NC State vs. TCU
NC State has gone through a gauntlet of exceptional competition early this season and are free throws away from being undefeated against top 25 opponents, not counting its win over No. 9 Maryland in an exhibition game.
Sunday’s game against TCU will be a chance to see how this team responds when given another chance. The Horned Frogs have yet to play a power conference opponent, but they’re coming with proven fire power in Notre Dame transfer guard Olivia Miles, who’s averaging 19 points per game, and junior guard Donovyn Hunter, who has contributed 18.5 points a night. As a team, TCU makes 10.5 threes per game which is more than any of the Wolfpack’s three opponents this year.
The last time Miles faced off against the Wolfpack, she scored 22 points, yet she shot 39% from the floor and committed five turnovers in a loss.
NC State is coming with its own heat as junior forward Zoe Brooks, junior forward Khamil Pierre (Vanderbilt transfer), sophomore forward Tilda Trygger and sophomore guard Zamareya Jones are all averaging at least 13 points per game. Although the team has underperformed from the field so far, the Wolfpack look to be a team that can find other ways to win as they rank 14th in the country in rebounds per game.
In front of its home crowd, NC State can bounce back from Sunday’s tough loss to No. 8 USC by getting another big game from its top scorers while limiting Miles’ ability to get hot.
