We’ve not reached official conference play yet in the women’s basketball season, but the Players Era Championship gave us a peek into what the SEC battle could look like. Texas took down South Carolina, 66–64, in the title game of the tournament last Thursday, a day after the Longhorns had an 11-point win over UCLA.
The Longhorns, who lost to the Gamecocks in the Final Four back in April, have had a tough schedule to start the season (and will participate in the ACC/SEC challenge later this week), but haven’t seemed fazed by it so far.
Is this finally Texas’s year?
Clare Brennan: They say defense wins championships—and if that’s the case, then the Longhorns have as good a shot as any to cut down the nets. In its Wednesday matchup against then–No. 3 UCLA, Texas forced 20 turnovers, while quieting Bruins stars Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez, who finished with eight and four points, respectively. The Longhorns also have another key ingredient necessary for a deep run come March: a certified star. Rori Harmon showed she can be trusted in big moments, scoring the game-winner against then–No. 2 South Carolina to win the Players Era Championship on Thursday.
Dan Falkenheim: As Clare mentioned, it could be if Harmon continues to come up clutch. Texas does a lot of things well: The Longhorns rank fifth in field goal percentage (53.2%), fifth in offensive turnover rate (15.4%), sixth in second-chance points per game (18.0) ninth in blocks and steals percentage (33.0%) and 15th in defensive rating (74.7). Between Madison Booker, Jordan Lee and Harmon, Texas has the talent to back up its numbers on paper. But (and there’s always a but) the Longhorns don’t shoot many threes, allow their opponents to get to the free throw line at a decent clip and rank 267th in assist rate (49.5%). While that didn’t stop the Longhorns from beating South Carolina and UCLA, those weaknesses could crop up when defenses tighten when tournament time arrives. In fewer words: They look strong and it could very well be their year, but put a pin in it for now.
Emma Baccellieri: What’s most impressed me here so far is the balance. Texas pulled off its two big wins last week by putting up two notably different box scores: Harmon shot the lights out against UCLA, leading all scorers with 26, but shifted back to being more of a facilitator in the win over South Carolina. (At least until she called game in the final seconds of play.) Just as Dan noted, Texas’s combination of Booker, Lee and Harmon provides a lot of options—and that’s without even considering the impact of five-star freshman Aaliyah Crump, who started off this season averaging 13.2 PPG, before she was sidelined with a foot injury earlier in November. I’d be surprised if this group fails to make it back to the Final Four. And I’m not sure there’s any team that looks like a trickier potential championship matchup for UConn.
Should we be concerned about South Carolina?
Baccellieri: I wouldn’t say . As we just covered, Texas is a legitimate contender, and there’s no shame in a one-possession, early-season loss to a roster that good. (At least not in my book!) But one area where I do have a few questions is three-point shooting. South Carolina was always going to take a step back behind the arc after losing sharpshooter Te-Hina Paopao to the WNBA, and Dawn Staley has never run an offense particularly reliant on threes, anyway. Yet even with those caveats, this season has still represented a pretty stark change for the Gamecocks. Their 13.3 attempted threes per game rank near the very bottom of Division I. (There are only 12 of 363 programs who have taken fewer.) I’m curious to see if that shifts at all as the season progresses: If star transfer Ta’Niya Latson starts taking (and making) threes at roughly the same clip as she did back at Florida State, this offense could look even more dangerous, and that could mean quite a bit for the Gamecocks’ championship hopes.
Falkenheim: We should be concerned about the Gamecocks’ depth: South Carolina’s bench has scored just 17.4 points per game, which ranks 210th out of 363 D-I programs. Freshmen Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell aren’t particularly efficient scorers—at least not yet—and there’s a steep drop off from forwards Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot to Maryam Dauda and Adhel Tac. The starting five is really good, of course, but the rest of the squad might limit South Carolina’s ultimate ceiling.
Individual performance of the week: Audi Crooks
Audi Crooks is in rarefied air. The Iowa State star broke her own program scoring record Sunday, notching a career-high 47 points in the Cyclones’ 106–95 win over Indiana. She did so in 33 minutes, shooting 19-for-25 from the field, scoring 1.42 points per minute.
It’s been a prolific year for Crooks, who leads the nation in points (27.3) and is second in field goal percentage (73.85%). The junior center has scored 20 or more points in all but two of her nine games this season. Her productivity is even more impressive considering that her name is circled in red throughout opposing teams’ scouting reports. Still, Crooks manages to create space in the paint and score with remarkable efficiency.
Crooks & Co. have cruised to a 9–0 start, with the team’s first real test fast approaching on Dec. 10 against in-state rivals No. 12 Iowa. Hannah Stuelke and the rest of the 8–0 Hawkeyes will have their hands full trying to halt a red-hot Crooks.
Riser and Faller of the week: North Carolina and Tennessee
North Carolina: While the Tar Heels didn’t play quite the murderer’s row of opponents that Texas faced, their three wins in three days shouldn’t be discounted. North Carolina began the Cancun Challenge by demolishing South Dakota State, a fringe top 25 team at that point, in an 83–48 win. The Tar Heels then shot over 50% from three to take down Kansas State and forced 21 turnovers to beat Columbia, the three-time defending Ivy League champions. Five players are averaging double figures for the Tar Heels this season, and Courtney Banghart’s squad will test its strength against the Longhorns on Thursday. —
Tennessee: The Volunteers’ fall is more about they lost to UCLA. Tennessee’s defense acted like a sieve: It allowed the most points (99) of the Kim Caldwell era and let the Bruins shoot over 50% from three. On offense, the Volunteers committed 20 turnovers, which led to 29 points on the other end, and shot just 41% from the field. The shooting woes aren’t new, either: Tennessee is shooting 29.4% from three (211th in Division I) this season. In all, it was a worrying performance for a group that’s supposed to thrive on pace and pressure. Wednesday’s matchup against what looks to be a pesky Stanford team should be a gut check.
Moment of the week
After UConn freshman Kelis Fisher scored a hard-fought bucket against South Florida on Tuesday, the Huskies’ bench broke out a fishy celebration. No. 1 UConn is having fun so far this season, with an 8–0 record and strong starts from Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd and Blanca Quiñonez.
