Week 2 of the 2020-21 women's college basketball season is jammed with good games. These are the four I think qualify as can't-miss.
1. No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 8 NC State
This is the game of the week. The battle between the No. 1 team in the nation and No. 8 NC State marks our first top 10 match-up of the 2020-21 season. The spotlight will be in the paint with the best post players in the country going head-to-head — Aaliyah Boston and Elissa Cunane.
The Gamecocks run a fast-paced game and thrive off of points in transition. The Wolfpack has to find a way to slow them down and win the rebounding game. On the other side, all five of the Wolfpack's starters average in double-digit scoring. NC State is coming off of its second-highest shooting percentage in program history, shooting 68 percent from the floor.
South Carolina looks to extend its program record 29-game winning streak. Last time these two teams saw each other was in 2011, with NC State taking home the win by two points.
The game is at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 3, on ESPN2.
2. No. 9 UCLA vs. No. 7 Arizona
This will be an exciting Pac-12 showdown featuring All-American stars in UCLA's Michael Onyenwere and Arizona's Aari McDonald. Last season, both teams won against each other in front of their home crowds.
The Wildcats will have to find their rhythm beyond the arc. In their last match up against Northern Arizona, they only made three 3s (all from McDonald) out of 13 attempts. Cate Reese has stepped up and is coming off of a game-high 21-point performance, which has taken some scoring pressure of of McDonald. Adding Shaina Pellington to the mix has also added some scoring depth to the Wildcats' offense.
As for the Bruins, Onyenwere is UCLA's offensive threat, but she will have help from Pac 12 Player of the Week Charisma Osborne. She's coming off of a 31-point performance in the match-up against Fullerton in the Bruins' season opener.
The conference matchup will be at 9 p.m. ET Friday, Dec. 4, on Pac12 Network
POWER RANKINGS: Women's college basketball rankings: Louisville moves up to No. 5 in Power 10
3. No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 16 Arkansas
The Naismith Defensive Player of the Year DiDi Richards returns to the court after a spinal-cord injury in a preseason practice left her temporarily paralyzed — yet she's still playing DiDi basketball. In the match-up against South Florida, we saw Richards hustling on both ends of the court and bringing her contagious energy to help the Bears to their 1,000th program win.
NaLyssa Smith — Baylor's leading scorer — is not afraid to attack the basket and crash the boards, so Arkansas will have to find a way to push her out of the paint. As for Arkansas, Destiny Slocum and Makayla Daniels collectively have taken some scoring pressure off of lead scorer Chelsea Dungee. If the Razorbacks can win the rebounding game and start off on a hot start beyond the arc, they'll remain competitive.
You can tune in on Sunday, Dec. 6th @ 6 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.
4. No. 12 Texas A&M vs. No. 25 Texas
Former conference rivals will meet when No. 12 Texas A&M takes on No. 25 Texas. We haven't seen this match up in six years.
All eyes will be on Texas Junior Charli Collier after she had a standout performance with 44 points in the home opener against North Texas. Collier was dominant in the paint witH 16 rebounds and two blocks. Texas (2-0) entered the AP top 25 at No. 25 under new head coach Vic Schaefer.
let 'em know 🗣#TexasFight x @CharliC_14 pic.twitter.com/p00dLbIYcc
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) November 30, 2020
Texas will have to find a way to win the margin on the glass and limit the Aggies' points in the paint. They were dominant scoring 54 paint points against DePaul.
The SEC/Big 12 match up will be at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6, on ESPN2.
