Thanksgiving week recap: Upsets, unbeatens, surprises, runs and games to watch this week
As the women’s basketball season begins its third week of play this season, for the top two teams in the nation it is business as usual while several other ranked squads will drop in standings due to losses over the past week.
Upsets
The winner of the most losses of any Associated Press Top 25 team so far this season goes to Louisiana State. The team is led by new coach Nikki Caldwell. She arrived from UCLA after a fruitful three-year reign at the Pac-12 school where she compiled a 72-26 record. She took UCLA to national prominence in a short timeframe but has had a rocky start in Baton Rouge. The Lady Tigers are dealing with injuries and have had a topsy-turvy start to the new season. With a 3-3 record, they have lost to in-state rival Tulane (11/19, 65-62), Northwestern (11/22, 44-43) and to No. 18 Ohio State (11/27, 77-68). One bright spot in LSU’s record is a win over No. 21 Georgetown on November 16.
No. 6 Tennessee fell to No. 1 Baylor on Sunday afternoon 76-67. After leading for most of the game, the Lady Vols could not overcome the offensive prowess of Brittney Griner in the second half and the defense of the Big 12 power late in the game. Baylor is 6-0 while Tennessee is now 2-2; its first loss came at the hands of No. 22 Virginia.
After taking down Tennessee on November 20, 69-64, Virginia fell to Cal 59-50 Sunday night in a game that pitted new Cavaliers coach Joanne Boyle against her former team. Virginia is now 5-2.
No. 21 Georgetown is another ranked two with two losses. The Hoyas lost to No. 8 Maryland (72-53, 11/13) and LSU (51-40, 11/16).
Top 25 Unbeatens
- No. 1 Baylor 6-0
- No. 2 Connecticut 6-0
- No. 5 Texas A&M 6-0
- No. 8 Maryland 7-0
- No. 13 Rutgers 6-0
- No. 14 Kentucky 7-0
- No. 15 Purdue 6-0
- No. 16 North Carolina 5-0
- No. 18 Ohio State 5-0
- No. 19 Texas Tech 5-0
Surprises and Runs
NAIA school, Loyola University New Orleans continued their winning ways with a take down of DI team Northwestern State on 84-80 Friday night. The Wolfpack were lead by the 48 points of senior guard Keiva Council.
Even with head coach Connie Yori recovering from knee surgery and on crutches, the Nebraska Cornhuskers start the season on high note and have a 6-0 record. They finished the week with a sweep of both NCAA DI teams in the capital of Florida. In Tallahassee, the Huskers beat Florida A&M (72-64, 11/25) and Florida State (66-63, 11/27).
St. Bonaventure came out of the gates this season on a 4-0 streak but had it broken by Delaware on Sunday in a 61-49 loss. Delaware’s scoring and rebounding sensation Elena Delle Donne led her team with 26 points and 18 rebounds. The Blue Hens are 4-0.
Games to Watch
Monday November 28
North Texas at Arizona, 1 pm ET
After being under the radar and a cellar dweller in the Sun Belt Conference over the past several years, North Texas is showing signs of reinvigoration under new coach Karen Aston. The Mean Green are 4-1 and beat Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex rival Southern Methodist University 50-46 on November 22. They travel to Pac-12 territory to face Arizona today at 1 p.m. ET.
Wednesday, November 30
North Carolina at Penn State, 6:30 pm ET
Nebraska at Georgia Tech, 7 pm ET
Michigan at Maryland, 7 pm ET
Florida State at Ohio State, 8:30 pm ET
Thursday, December 1
Purdue at Duke, 7 pm ET
Saturday, December 3
Penn State at Texas Tech, 3 pm ET
Sunday, December 4
Texas A&M at Purdue, Noon
Louisville at Kentucky, 1 pm ET
Georgia Tech at Georgia, 2 pm ET
Pittsburgh at Duke, 2 pm ET
Texas at Tennessee, 2 pm ET
Ohio State at Oklahoma, 3 pm ET
TV
Nov. 29
Middle Tennessee at Tennessee, SportsSouth, 7
Nov. 30
ACC-Big Ten Challenge:
North Carolina at Penn State, BTN, 6:30
Florida State at Ohio State, BTN, 8:30
Dec. 1
Purdue at Duke, ESPN3, 7
ACC-Big Ten Challenge: Miami (Fla.) at Michigan State, BTN, 7:30
Creighton at Wyoming, Mtn, 9
Dec. 2
Florida vs. Rutgers, FSFL, 8
Dec. 4
Texas A&M at Purdue, BTN, noon
Baylor at Minnesota, BTN, 2
