As the regular season winds down in women’s basketball, conference bragging rights and potential No. 1 seeds are still to be settled before conference tournaments start next week.
It remains to be seen if those teams can keep their seeding when the Women’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show airs March 16 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN).
Here are this weekend’s top games to watch:
No. 3 USC at No. 2 UCLA
Time/TV: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, FOX
Part 2 in the Battle for Los Angeles has national seeding implications more than anything. The Trojans handed UCLA its only defeat, 71-60, on Feb. 13, and another victory over the Bruins would be a résumé booster no other team in the country has, regardless of what happens in the Big Ten tournament. Even though UCLA center Lauren Betts is a front-runner for Player of the Year honors, another vintage JuJu Watkins game could also change the conversation concerning that race.
No. 8 TCU at No. 18 Baylor
Time/TV: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, FS1
First place and the regular-season conference title in the Big 12 are on the line as the Horned Frogs visit the Bears. TCU is led by the dynamic transfer duo of Hailey Van Lith (17.4 ppg, 5.5 apg) and Sedona Prince (17.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg) and will break a 15-year NCAA Tournament absence regardless of what happens the rest of the season. Baylor has been on a roll, winning nine straight since losing back-to-back games to UCLA and TCU. One of the Big 12’s deeper teams, the Bears have six players who average more than 10 points a game.
No. 14 Kentucky at No. 6 South Carolina
Time/TV: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
When the Gamecocks are on defensively and can use that to create offense, there isn’t anyone in the nation beating them. While UConn exposed them in a blowout home loss, Dawn Staley’s crew got back to basics by blowing out Arkansas and Vanderbilt. Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore is playing at an all-conference level and will likely need to play the entire game (she plays an average of 36 minutes per game) and stay out of foul trouble to counter South Carolina’s blitz of quick guards and contributors off the bench.
No. 20 Alabama at No. 13 Oklahoma
Time/TV: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, SECN+
Here is the good about Oklahoma: They can score on anyone, dominate teams on the boards, and share the ball better than anyone in college basketball. Now the bad: The Sooners foul too much and are entirely too careless with the ball, contributing to most of their six losses. Alabama is the best 3-point shooting team in the SEC, with six players hitting 35% or better from downtown, and will need to stretch the floor in order to contain a suddenly red-hot Raegan Beers, who has 76 points and 28 rebounds in her last three games for the Sooners.
Louisville at No. 4 Notre Dame
Time/TV: Sunday, noon ET, ESPN
NC State may have shown the blueprint to beating the Irish when it snapped their 19-game winning streak with a double overtime home win on Sunday. The Irish are the nation’s best 3-point shooting team and ranked fourth in field goal percentage, so the key for Louisville to have any chance is to make them take tough shots and keep them off the boards. The Cardinals didn’t do that in their first meeting and lost by 18 as Notre Dame, despite 23 turnovers, shot 55% and dominated on the boards and in the paint.
No. 15 Duke at No. 24 Florida State
Time/TV: Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, ACC Network
A double-bye in the ACC Tournament is at stake in this one. For those who haven’t seen Florida State play, you are missing out. The Seminoles have the nation’s leading scorer in Ta’Niya Latson, and for a tough inside presence, Makayla Timpson (3.3 blocks per game) can erase any threat driving to the hoop. The Blue Devils have struggled lately, but got a big victory over rival North Carolina on Thursday. Against Florida State, Duke may need more from leading scorer Toby Fournier, a freshman from Canada, who rarely plays more than 25 minutes a game.
Princeton at Harvard
Time/TV: Friday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+
While Columbia has the lead in the Ivy League standings, these two teams might be battling for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, with the loser hoping their NET rating will impress the committee to warrant their inclusion unless they go on to win their conference tournament. The Crimson, winners of five straight games, haven’t been to the dance since 2007, and the Tigers are the three-time defending league champions. The first team to score 50 might be at an advantage, as scoring will be at a premium in this matchup. Harvard leads the nation in scoring defense.
