Women's Basketball

Sunday Showdowns

Sunday matinee features top-10 matchups between Trojans and Gamecocks, Hawkeyes and Commodores

Coming off a week where Big Ten Women’s Basketball ranked 10 schools in the AP Top 25 for the first time in conference history, two of its best teams head into huge Sunday afternoon matchups against top-10 opponents.

Who’s the Real SC?

In Greenville, S.C. on Sunday, two of the country’s most talented teams collide when No. 3 USC faces No. 1 South Carolina in “The Real SC” (1 p.m. ET on ABC). In last season’s matchup in L.A., the Trojans stayed right with the Gamecocks through the first half until South Carolina outscored USC by 15 in the second half to pull away. With AP National Player of the Week JuJu Watkins back healthy and Jazzy Davidson equipped with a full year of experience, the Trojans are planning on a different outcome this year.
USC enters Sunday’s contest with its offense already humming, ranking top three in the country in points per game (107.7 points), field goal percentage (56.4%), and scoring margin (57 points). Watkins (24.3 ppg), Saniyah Hall (22 ppg), and Davidson (19.7 ppg) have combined to create a three-headed nightmare for the opposition.

Head coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks are off to a fast start once again. Led by Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year Watch List entries Chloe Kitts, Tessa Johnson and Joyce Edwards, South Carolina has already notched two ranked wins over then-No. 20 Maryland and No. 12 North Carolina with six players averaging double figures. The Terps nearly erased a 31-point deficit in the second half against South Carolina in Paris last week, so USC will certainly be looking to start off on a similar run on Sunday. 

Hawkeyes and Commodores Meet in Sioux City

While USC and South Carolina are locking horns in Greenville, No. 10 Iowa will be taking on No. 8 Vanderbilt in Sioux City, Iowa (1 p.m. ET on FS1). The Hawkeyes have already proven to be a dangerous team in the post and in the backcourt. Guards Dani Carnegie and Chit-Chat Wright lead the team with 15 and 14.7 points per game respectively, but forwards Ava Heiden (12.3 ppg) and McKenna Woliczko (12 ppg) have been right behind them. Throw in Amari Whiting, who is tied with Carnegie and Wright for the team lead with 10 assists, and you never know who will score the next bucket for the Hawkeyes.

Vanderbilt comes in with one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country, averaging 103.8 points a game and led by reigning SEC Player of the Year Mikayla Blakes and last year’s conference freshman of the year Aubrey Galvan. Blakes is putting up 22 points per game this year so far, while Galvan averages 16.5 points and 8.3 assists per game. Safe to say we could have a high-scoring affair on our hands in Sioux City on Sunday.

See the full weekend schedule here.