Women’s Basketball Games of the Week 12/12 – 12/15
Like with the men’s schedule during the early part of the week, the women’s matchups are devoid of any strong top-25 showdowns save for one big game Tuesday that pits Tennesee against Rutgers. That’s not to say there aren’t interesting games out there; a game Wednesday night pits two strong Big East teams against each other in Louisville and Cincinnati. Otherwise, wait until the weekend when there figures to be much better matchups, including two big games in particular.
No. 7 TENNESSEE AT No. 15 RUTGERS (7 p.m. Tuesday at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey)
It looks like Tennessee might be back on track following a shaky start that saw the Lady Vols cough up two losses back-to-back against Virginia and Baylor. Tennessee (5-2) has beaten Middle Tennessee, Texas and DePaul in short order, with the DePaul win (84-61) particularly strong. Glory Johnson just missed a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds in the victory. Tennessee would like to stay on a winning track with games against UCLA and Stanford coming up in the next several days. Rutgers (9-1) lost 92-81 to Miami in double overtime but recovered in the next game for a 68-48 win over Fordham. Following this game Tennessee has two non-league contests scheduled before starting its Big East play, so Rutgers would love nothing more than to go to the Big East with an 11-1 overall mark. Khadijah Rushdan paced Rutgers with 16 points in the Fordham victory.
No. 25 DePAUL AT PRINCETON (7 p.m. Tuesday at Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, New Jersey)
There are those who say Big East and Ivy League basketball are light years apart. That isn’t always the case, which could make this matchup interesting. DePaul (8-2) saw its six-game winning streak broken at the hands of Tennessee last week, 84-61, in a game where Jasmine Penny and Keisha Hampton combined for 30 points. DePaul is winding down its schedule before Big East play ramps up. Princeton (7-2) has lost to Delaware and Navy, dropping two of its last three following a 6-0 start to the season. Princeton can’t afford to be cavalier with this game, especially with its next contest against Stanford, so expect the Tigers to bring their A game to the table.
No. 16 LOUISVILLE AT CINCINNATI (7 p.m. Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio)
The Big East opens up for both schools Wednesday as Louisville makes the short trek up Interstate 71 to take on the Bearcats. Louisville (8-2) has beaten one ranked team in Florida State, but its two losses are to other schools that were or are currently ranked (Texas A&M and Kentucky). The Cardinals recovered from the loss to Kentucky by demolishing Gardner-Webb, 92-27, as Antonita Slaughter bombed home seven 3-pointers and finished with 23 points in the win. Thanks to a quirk in the schedule, the Cardinals will have three more non-conference games after this before dipping back into the Big East. Cincinnati (6-2) has slid into a tailspin since a 6-0 start with losses against former Conference USA rivals Xavier and Marshall. Cincinnati’s two losses were by a combined 17 points, and in the 55-47 defeat to Marshall Dayeesha Hollins came down with 17 points and seven rebounds.
AKRON AT DUQUESNE (7 p.m. Wednesday at A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
In an early-week lightweight schedule, this game between Mid-American and Atlantic-10 Conference opponents could be a fun one to watch, if only because both schools sport winning records and aren’t too far apart from each other geographically. Akron (5-4) has won four of its last five games following a 1-3 start, but the last game turned into a 26-point loss to Florida State. Akron’s leading scorer in that game was Rachel Tecca, who still had a respectable 21 points in the loss to the Seminoles. Akron has two close games following this in Youngstown State and Robert Morris, so it won’t be too exhausting for the Zips in the next week. Duquesne (7-1) has won five in a row since an 86-80 loss to North Dakota, including a decisive 86-53 win over Morehead State in the last game. Wumi Agunbiade led Duquesne with 19 points and 11 rebounds in that game.
ALABAMA A&M AT UAB (1 p.m. Thursday at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama)
Huntsville meets Birmingham in this battle of Alabama women’s basketball programs, with Alabama A&M bringing a 4-2 record into play. The Bulldogs, who play in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, have won four in a row since an 0-2 start with victories against Lipscomb, Murray State, Tennessee Tech and Stillman. Alabama A&M has the best record of any SWAC team in non-league play so far, suggesting it could give UAB some stress in its matchup. The Blazers (6-2), out of Conference USA, have won five in a row since a 1-2 beginning and have beaten Morehead State, Austin Peay and UNC-Greensboro in recent games.
