The second week of the women’s basketball season rolls on, and we’ve got some outstanding games to watch this weekend.
Sunday will include an Elite Eight rematch, the top two teams going at it, and potential upset so carve out time to sit back and watch all the action.
No. 1 South Carolina at No. 2 Stanford
When: 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 20
Where to watch: ABC
Top storyline: No. 1 vs. No. 2
The two top-ranked teams in the country meet Sunday on national TV. There's plenty to get excited for, including the front-court fight between Aliyah Boston vs. Cameron Brink. There's also the backcourt battle between Haley Jones and Zia Cooke. You don’t want to miss this.
Stanford beat South Carolina by a point (66-65) in the 2021 Final Four on the way to a national title. After the Final Four heartbreak, the Gamecocks scored 65 again in the rematch last season. But this time they got the win as they beat Stanford on the road 65-61, overcoming a whopping 18-point deficit. That loss at home may well be on the minds of Tara VanDerveer’s squad as they host the No. 1 team.
RANKINGS: View the latest women's basketball AP Top 25
No. 5 UConn vs. No. 10 NC State
When: Noon ET on Sunday, Nov. 20
Where to watch: FS1
Top storyline: Elite Eight rematch
This top-10 matchup is a rematch from last season's Elite Eight. That double-overtime game became an instant classic as the Huskies trotted off to their 14th consecutive Final Four.
The game on Sunday will look a bit different, though. Four of five Wolfpack starters graduated leaving Jakia Brown-Turner as the only returning player from the first five. Paige Bueckers was enormously impactful hitting clutch shots down the wire to lift UConn in March; she’s out for the season after a torn ACL.
The Wolfpack are 4-0. The Huskies are 2-0, most recently defeating No. 3 Texas in an early statement win. Azzi Fudd, as a freshman, was good but not great last season. Now she’s a revelation. Fudd had a career-high 36 points in the victory over Texas.
MORE: 10 can't miss non-conference matchups
The Wolfpack have won each game by at least 30 points. Three players average double figures: Diamond Johnson, Jada Boyd and Madison Hayes.
No. 4 Iowa vs. Belmont
When: Sunday, Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. ET
Where to watch: BIG+
Top storyline: Upset watch
This matchup might be overlooked on the schedule, but it’s a potential upset to keep your eye on. In last season’s tournament Belmont took down Oregon in a 12 vs. 5 seed upset.
And the Bruins may not be done taking down top seeds. Last Sunday, No. 6 Louisville narrowly escaped Belmont 75-70. The Bruins led, 71-70, with six seconds left before a costly foul stopped what would’ve been the biggest upset of the early season.
Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes evaded an upset themselves beating Drake 92-86 in overtime. Iowa has one more game before hosting Belmont on Sunday.
