For the first time in program history, a UCLA women’s basketball team defeated a No. 1 ranked team (they had been 0-20). The Bruins took down the South Carolina Gamecocks, ending their 43-game win streak. The defending champs never led and failed to find their rhythm. UCLA dictated how the game was played and maximized their team talent and depth. Londynn Jones led the Bruins with 15 points on 71.4% shooting. Te-Hina Paopao played like the preseason all-American she was projected to be but didn’t have enough support to get anywhere close to a win. The day before, 6th-ranked Notre Dame entered Southern California and handed the 3rd-ranked Trojans their first season loss. Juju Watkins alone wasn’t enough for Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles, and Sonia Citron for the Fighting Irish. Defensively, Notre Dame played with an urgency and determination that proved too much for the sometimes laid-back demeanor of the Trojans. After this weekend, both UCLA and Notre Dame put the defending champion, South Carolina, on notice as legitimate contenders for the 2025 Championship.
BGX Player of the Week is Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. Hidalgo, a preseason 1st-team all-American, had a massive game in a win over USC with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals. A performance like that against fellow future WNBA talent confirms her spot among the best players in women’s college basketball.
Other impressive performances came from last week’s BGX Player of the Week, Harmoni Turner, who led Harvard to their fifth straight win with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. TCU’s Hailey Van Lith is starting to find her scoring groove and had herself a 27 point, 5 rebound, 4 assist, and 2 steals game versus Idaho State. She must keep that groove going as the Horned Frogs face Notre Dame this Friday. Rose Micheaux messed around and had a triple-double against Elon with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Several tournaments are scheduled for this week, with the potential for some competitive and entertaining basketball. On Wednesday, Nov. 27, we could see matchups between No. 15 Kentucky and No. 22 Illinois, No. 2 UConn and No. 17 Ole Miss, No. 7 LSU and No. 20 NC State, and No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 10 Kansas State/No. 14 Duke.
Go ahead and add women’s college basketball to the list of things to be thankful for.
Top 25
1. South Carolina
2. UConn
3. USC
4. Texas
5. UCLA
6. Notre Dame
7. LSU
8. Iowa State
9. Oklahoma
10. Kansas State
11. Maryland
12. Ohio State
13. West Virginia
14. Duke
15. Kentucky
16. UNC
17. Ole Miss
18. Baylor
19. TCU
20. NC State
21. Nebraska
22. Illinois
23. Oregon
24. Alabama
25. Louisville
Watchability
Duke vs. Kansas State (Monday, Nov. 25, 3 p.m. EST, FloSports)
Illinois vs. Kentucky (Wednesday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m. EST, BallerTV)
South Carolina vs. Iowa State (Thursday, Nov. 28, 1:30 p.m. EST, Fox)
Notre Dame vs. TCU (Friday, Nov. 29, 5 p.m. EST, FloSports)
Louisville vs. Colorado (Saturday, Nov. 30, 3 p.m. EST, ESPN+)
TCU vs. South Florida (Saturday, Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m. EST, FloSports)
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Mark Patton is an owner of too many sneakers, a passionate and persistent advocate for public school students experiencing homelessness, and a big sports fan with immaculate taste in Hip-hop music.