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One other week, one other top-five workforce stumbles. Notre Dame, beforehand No. 3 within the Related Press High 25 ballot after a serious win over USC, took a tumble with back-to-back losses of their Feast Week match exhibiting. The one different program within the high 10 to lose final week was Oklahoma in an exciting time beyond regulation battle towards top-15 Duke.
When it comes to groups rising, South Carolina bounced again from its worst loss since 2019 with a pure demolition of Iowa State, 76-36, to place shine again in voters’ eyes. And TCU secured its signature win towards the Combating Irish, although given Notre Dame’s ensuing work, that now brings just a few questions.
Listed below are three issues we realized (or didn’t be taught) from a cranberry jam-packed week of video games.
LSU’s success runs by way of Flau’jae Johnson
LSU was fortunate to keep away from an upset by the hands of Washington within the Baha Mar Hoops first spherical.
“I don’t understand how we received that recreation, as a result of Washington actually, actually performed good,” LSU head coach Kim Mulkey stated on the published, a declare repeated a number of occasions final week.
It’s as a result of LSU goes as Flau’jae Johnson goes, and Johnson willed her workforce to remain in it, slowly chipping away at a seven-point deficit within the remaining three minutes. She scored or assisted on seven factors, together with an aggressive take by way of the protection to chop the deficit to 1, and chased down an errant ball to keep away from a backcourt violation on the ultimate possession. Kailyn Gilbert discovered the ball within the scramble, scored the successful basket and secured a steal on the following play to win.
Johnson, who scored 19 factors regardless of a tough taking pictures day for LSU collectively, is averaging a career-high 22.3 factors (tenth in Division I) whereas taking pictures 54.7%, 43.2% from 3 and 85.4% from the free throw line. It’s a small pattern dimension, merely 9 video games into the season and with out high quality competitors, however all are 4 to 5 proportion factors higher than her earlier two seasons. Her 6.3 rebounds and three assists per recreation are additionally profession highs. The junior captain led LSU in scoring six of 9 video games.
“She’s simply extra mature,” Mulkey stated after Johnson’s 22 factors towards North Carolina Central on Sunday in Mulkey’s a centesimal win at LSU. “Every year you’re imagined to get higher. It would not take a coach to inform you what it’s worthwhile to work on. It simply takes enjoying. And once you’re enjoying, you bear in mind issues from the earlier yr. And I simply assume Flau’jae has this loopy work ethic. … She’s reaping the rewards from her onerous work.”
Johnson might need gone mildly beneath the radar in earlier seasons with Angel Reese on the town, however as she confirmed within the 2024 NCAA match, that is her workforce now and so they’ll go so far as she will be able to take them. LSU’s non-conference schedule consists of Stanford on Thursday and Seton Corridor on Dec. 17 earlier than SEC play begins.
Notre Dame: What goes up should come down
Effectively, that is why we don’t crown champions in November.
Notre Dame gave the impression to be a powerful Closing 4 contender final week in its win over JuJu Watkins and Southern Cal (its protection was significantly spectacular), however the Combating Irish didn’t have a enjoyable vacation within the Cayman Islands. They misplaced back-to-back video games for the primary time since March 2021, which was head coach Niele Ivey’s first season and the primary time this system missed the NCAA match since 1995 (the canceled 2020 match excluded).
The 76-68 loss to then-No. 17 TCU was one factor. Fifth-year senior Hailey Van Lith has developed into a powerful pick-and-roll guard with 6-foot-7 senior middle Sedona Prince, who bought the perfect of outsized and fewer skilled freshman Kate Koval of their matchup. However they adopted that up with a 78-67 loss to Utah, a workforce enjoying for interim head coach Gavin Peterson after Lynne Roberts left for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks job. Koval was scoreless over the 2 video games after heading into the match averaging a double-double.
Ivey stated enjoying two video games in two days towards “two actually good groups” with their brief bench and starters in foul bother was finally the distinction. That’s a good declare, however they should restrict turnovers and take smarter pictures to interrupt up opponents’ back-breaking runs.
Regardless of why the Irish misplaced and plummeted down the rankings, the influence might be felt elsewhere. USC’s loss to Notre Dame at residence now appears to be like worse. How ought to TCU’s win be judged if Notre Dame couldn’t deal with Utah? And Utah, which misplaced each of its earlier Energy 4 video games by a complete of six factors, secured its non-conference resume builder forward of Massive 12 play.
Feast Week stars deserve extra
The principle dish of the week was the Ball Dawgs Basic championship recreation between Duke and Oklahoma. The Sooners refused to give up, climbing again from a 15-point deficit to ultimately drive time beyond regulation on Payton Verhulst’s 3-pointer on the regulation buzzer. The third quarter additionally ended on a buzzer-beater off the palms of Duke junior guard Ashlon Jackson, whose 65-foot heave pushed the Blue Devils up by seven. Verhulst had 29 factors, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, however Reigan Richardson scored or assisted on 12 of Duke’s 15 factors in time beyond regulation to win 109-99. She scored an environment friendly career-high 35 factors (13-of-22) with seven assists.
Sadly, few watched or had been capable of get pleasure from these performances the evening earlier than Thanksgiving, as the sport was one of many a whole bunch buried on FloSports. The subscription service is a dear $30 a month and the viewing high quality is corresponding to the cameras arrange by overzealous mother and father in a highschool gymnasium. The buzzer-beater by Jackson wasn’t replayed, whilst the published spoke in awe about it for a number of minutes. When it was replayed for viewers out of the break, the digital camera shot was a close-up of Jackson and didn’t present the precise ball arc.
This case isn’t any totally different than years prior. It’s now widespread for extremely ranked groups to fall in match video games as parity continues to unfold and coaches construct difficult non-conference schedules. What’s totally different is the atmosphere. Girls’s basketball has by no means been this standard or extensively mentioned, as confirmed by the viewership numbers and an enormous media rights deal for its match. It’s time to offer higher alternatives with a top quality viewing product to observe these marquee matchups.
Video games of the week: SEC/ACC Problem
It’s the primary true reminder in ladies’s basketball of convention realignment, with the SEC/ACC Problem matchups highlighting the Thursday schedule. A number of may very well be previews of late NCAA match matchups.
Kentucky (7-0) at North Carolina (7-1), 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2: Wildcats head coach Kenny Brooks and fifth-year level guard Georgia Amoore know the Tar Heels properly after 4 years collectively at Virginia Tech. They went 8-2.
Texas (6-0) at Notre Dame (5-2), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN: This recreation options 4 All-Individuals: Rori Harmon and Madison Booker (Texas), and Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame).
Ole Miss (5-2) at NC State (4-3), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2: NC State wants a win to spice up its resume after taking losses to South Carolina (14-point margin), TCU (3) and LSU (17).
Duke (8-1) at South Carolina (7-1), 9 p.m. ET, ESPN: Two of the nation’s greatest in steal price. Their top-10 Class of 2024 recruits (South Carolina’s 6-foot-3 Joyce Edwards at No. 3 and Duke’s 6-2 Toby Fournier at No. 10) will get their first appears to be like at one another.
Stanford (7-1) at LSU (8-0), 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2: It’s the third time in historical past the 2 applications have performed. LSU is 2-0.
Official AP rankings
1. UCLA
2. UConn
3. South Carolina
4. Texas
5. LSU
6. USC
7. Maryland
8. Duke
9. TCU
10. Notre Dame
11. Oklahoma
12. Ohio State
13. Kansas State
14. Kentucky
15. West Virginia
16. North Carolina
17. Iowa
18. Ole Miss
19. Alabama
20. Iowa State
21. Illinois
22. Louisville
23. Michigan
24. Michigan State
25. Nebraska
Yahoo Sports activities AP poll
1. Connecticut
2. UCLA
3. Texas
4. South Carolina
5. Maryland
6. USC
7. Duke
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. LSU
11. Kansas State
12. Ole Miss
13. West Virginia
14. Kentucky
15. TCU
16. Ohio State
17. North Carolina
18. Iowa State
19. Iowa
20. Nebraska
21. Illinois
22. Alabama
23. Michigan
24. NC State
25. Creighton
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