This week promises to be action-packed in women’s basketball, featuring several significant matchups that could influence the outcomes of conference titles and playoff seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA selection committee is set to unveil its first assessment of the top 16 teams on Sunday, coinciding with a crucial clash between No. 4 South Carolina and seventh-ranked UConn. For UConn, this encounter represents a vital opportunity to secure a victory against a leading rival and strengthen their resume before the committee. To date, the Huskies have faced defeats against No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 6 USC, and No. 15 Tennessee, making this upcoming game even more critical.
South Carolina enters this matchup after suffering its first loss in a remarkable 57-game regular-season winning streak within the SEC, which was snapped by Texas just days prior.
Although the South Carolina-UConn game won’t impact conference standings directly, another key contest will take place when No. 1 UCLA travels to face USC on Thursday in the first of two meetings between the two teams this season. With both squads currently holding the top spots in the Big Ten in their inaugural season in the conference, UCLA remains undefeated. Meanwhile, USC carries one loss after a setback against Iowa on a significant day that honored Caitlin Clark.
This matchup will be highlighted by the presence of two of the country’s premier players: Lauren Betts from UCLA and JuJu Watkins from USC.
Additionally, on Sunday, the No. 5 LSU will travel to take on third-ranked Texas in a pivotal encounter. Both programs are currently tied with South Carolina at the top of the SEC standings, each boasting a record of 10-1.
Texas is scheduled to visit No. 8 Kentucky on Thursday. The Wildcats recently achieved their highest ranking since December 2015, sitting at seventh, but faced a setback against Ole Miss shortly after. With a challenging schedule ahead, Kentucky will face No. 3 Texas, No. 5 LSU, and No. 15 Tennessee at home, concluding their regular season against No. 4 South Carolina.
In the Ivy League, Columbia is making headlines by achieving a historic start, winning their first eight league games, a first for the institution. They currently hold a one-game edge over Princeton and two-game advantage over Harvard. Upcoming games include a clash with Harvard on Sunday and a showdown between Columbia and Princeton on February 22.
As for the NCAA’s NET ratings—an essential tool used by the selection committee to curate the tournament bracket—the top three remains consistent, with South Carolina maintaining its hold at No. 1, followed by UConn and Texas. Surprisingly, despite remaining undefeated, UCLA slipped to the fifth position, falling behind Notre Dame. The Bruins’ early-season non-conference strength of schedule was notably weaker than that of other top teams, impacting their ranking.
