Here are the women's college basketball games I'm most looking forward to this week, including two big ones on Sunday.
No. 9 Baylor vs Iowa State | Sunday, Jan. 31 @ 4 p.m. ET | ESPN2
On Sunday, there’s a rematch in the Big 12 when No. 9 Baylor takes on Iowa State.
The Bears will seek revenge against Iowa State after falling to the Cyclones by four points this season. That snapped Baylor’s 61-game winning streak at home.
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Ashley Joens scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone and finished with 27 points against the Bears. Joens put the Bears away last season with a game-winning free-throw in the last second of the game to snap Baylor’s 58-game conference winning streak.
Keep in mind the Bears came off of a two-week pause due to COVID-19 protocols. But Baylor still has to find a way to shut down Joens, who scores 24.6 points per game, eighth in the country. She shot 10-for-15 from the floor and 7-for-10 from the free-throw line in the victory against the Bears.
No. 22 Georgia vs No. 8 Texas A&M | Sunday, Jan. 31 @ 5 p.m. ET | SEC Network on ESPN
Later on Sunday, No. 8 Texas A&M takes on No. 22 Georgia.
Texas A&M leads the country with 15 wins. That’s a credit to the Aggies having multiple weapons to score, led by Aaliyah Wilson at 14.1 points per game.
Sunday's win against Missouri marked the eighth time Texas A&M had four players score in double figures. But the key for the Aggies is to win on the boards. Texas A&M is 13-0 when it out-rebounds its opponents. A&M's only loss this season was to LSU in overtime with the Tigers winning off the glass, 40-31.
Georgia on the other hand is coming off of a loss to unranked LSU, following a big win over then-No.19 Arkansas, 75-73, on a game-winning dagger by Gabby Connally with 0.9 secs left.
No. 3 UConn vs No. 19 Arkansas | 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 28 | ESPN2
No. 3 UConn will travel for another out-of-conference matchup when they face No. 19 Arkansas. What better way to get ready for March right? It will be interesting to see how the Huskies respond to another SEC test after almost falling to then-No. 25 Tennessee.
This is the second time in history these two teams will meet. This will be a homecoming for UConn's Christyn Williams, who's from Little Rock.
UConn was without freshman guard Paige Bueckers in Saturday's game against Georgetown after she twisted her ankle that same week against Tennessee in the fourth quarter.
The Huskies will need their lead scorer to return against the Razorbacks' Big 3 of Chelsea Dungee, Destiny Slocum and Amber Ramirez. Dungee leads the squad with 21.6 points a game.
11-6 Arkansas has fallen to five of their six ranked opponents so far, including back-to-back losses against South Carolina and Georgia. I'll be watching to see if the Razorbacks can bounce back and knock down the undefeated Huskies.
Result: Arkansas 90, UConn 87
No. 4 South Carolina vs No. 21 Mississippi State | 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 28 | ESPN
You can flip back and forth from the UConn/Arkansas game to watch this battle in the SEC when No. 4 South Carolina takes on No. 21 Mississippi State.
It’s going to be a fun one in the paint with South Carolina's Aaliyah Boston facing off against Mississippi State's Jessika Carter.
Boston is on her third straight game recording a double-double. In fact, Boston has had double-figure rebounds in each SEC matchup and has had four 20-plus point performances in SEC play, so far. Boston's dominance has helped the Gamecocks to a 7-0 record in conference play.
Mississippi State is 3-3 in conference play and has struggled against ranked opponents in the SEC falling to Kentucky, Alabama and recently Texas A&M. Carter was held to only two points in the loss against the Aggies.
Boston's defense — she's fifth in blocks, swatting three per game — will be a tough test for Carter, and the Bulldogs will need more scoring production out of Carter to come out on top.
Result: South Carolina 75, Mississippi State 52
BRACKETS: The 2021 NCAA women's basketball bracket, predicted just past the halfway mark of the season
