The Best Backcourt Duo In The Big Ten
And maybe in the country
Before we get into the Big Ten, we must shout out Ayoka Lee.
Lee just scored a NCAA women’s record 61 points on 23-of-30 shooting in Kansas State’s blowout win over Oklahoma. The Sooners outscored Lee by just four points in a 94-65 defeat. Oh yeah, Oklahoma was ranked 14th by the way. What an unbelievable performance against fierce competition.
By the way, the first Hoopla of next week will be out on Tuesday for reasons that will become clear later in this very newsletter.
What Lee did is historic, and while it is not to that level, two players in the Big Ten are currently on pace to make some history of their own.
Since Her Hoops Stats began its database in the 2009-10 season through last year, 15 times has a player finished their season with at least the following numbers:
19 points per game
44% three-point percentage
3 three-point attempts per game
There are currently two players in all of women’s college basketball that meet all three criteria so far this season. They play for the same team.
Those two players are Ohio State’s Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Mikesell, and the duo seems to keep getting better as the season goes on. This past week, the Buckeyes took down a ranked Maryland team before taking care of business in a victory over Rutgers, Because of those wins, Ohio State is back in the top 25 with six straight victories.
In those games, Sheldon and Mikesell scored 56 each for a combined 112 points while shooting 36 of 66 (54.5 percent) from the field and 14 of 26 (53.8 percent) from three. It was a remarkable offensive output from the Buckeyes’ two clear stars, and it is that type of offensive output that will make Ohio State a dangerous team down the stretch.
The major highlight performance of the week from OSU was Mikesell’s 33-point outburst against the Terrapins, who happen to be her former team. The 33 on its own is remarkable, and that’s without talking about the efficiency: 11 of 13 overall, 5 of 5 from deep, 6 of 6 from the free throw line.
It was an unbelievable showing, and it was followed by 32 points and four steals by Sheldon against a great defensive team in Rutgers. The way these two can ignite at any moment makes Ohio State’s very clear defensive woes feel less damning, and my goodness are they clear (71 points allowed to Rutgers should speak for itself).
On the season, this duo has been nothing short of incredible for Ohio State:
Sheldon: 21.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, 2.1 SPG, 53.5 FG%, 44.8 3PT%
Mikesell: 19.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 49.6 FG%, 49.0 3PT%, 92.1 FT%
Sheldon ranks eighth in the NCAA with 6.2 win shares, while Mikesell is 35th with 5.1. By my count, which means I am probably wrong, no other school in the country has two players in the top 35. This duo is playing like the best backcourt in the nation, and if they can even remotely keep up this efficiency, Ohio State might be a true threat in the Big Ten after all.
Iowa Might Be Reaching Full Form
Yes, Iowa did only play Minnesota and Illinois this week, so the competition isn’t quite stellar. Still, the Hawkeyes did win those games by 82 combined points, so I think that’s worth noting.
The Hawkeyes have now won five straight, and have scored at least 79 points in each of those contests. Compare that to the seven games before this stretch, where Iowa scored 79 or more just twice and went 3-4 in the process.
I know you all will be stunned to hear this, but Caitlin Clark might be the reason for Iowa’s newfound success. I have made plenty of a fuss about Clark’s lack of efficiency from deep this season, and at times that did hurt her team.
After the first game of the year, Clark did not have a single game shooting 40 percent or better from three for 13 straight contests. As a reminder, she shot over 40 percent from deep on the season as a freshman.
But this past week, Clark shot 4 of 6 from three against Minnesota, then 2 of 5 from three against Illinois. Yes, the Illini game is the babiest of baby steps, but it’s still back-to-back games at or above 40 percent, which, again, she hasn’t done all season.
While Clark gets the three ball working, it might be somewhat worth noting that she had back-to-back 30-point triple doubles recently, something that no college basketball player had ever done. Even if her efficiency has been spotty, she is pivotal to literally everything Iowa does. She is an exceptional talent and a delight to watch.
What To Watch
Here’s why Hoopla is coming out on Tuesday next week: Two of the best games of the Big Ten slate are both on Monday night. That will be the subject of next week’s newsletter. There are also some heaters before then, let’s talk about it.
No. 22 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Michigan, 1/27, 7 p.m. — BTN
Two of the hottest teams in the conference will meet in Columbus on Thursday, and this time it should go differently than the matchup from a month ago: a 19-point Michigan beatdown of the Buckeyes.
I think it will be different not because Michigan has gotten worse, as a team the Wolverines are absolutely blistering right now, with four straight victories by 17 points or more. For Sheldon and Mikesell reasons listed above, I think Ohio State is more prepared this time around, and should make it significantly more interesting.
Naz Hillmon’s last trip to Columbus resulted in 50 points and an Ohio State win. Let’s hope for equal amounts of fireworks this time around.
Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, 1/30, 3 p.m. — BTN
A Wisconsin game in the What To Watch section? In this economy?
The Badgers are finding some magic out of nowhere, winning 2 of its last 3 games after taking down Penn State 69-57. Could Marisa Moseley really get a third conference win out of this group?
If so, it could absolutely come here, against a Minnesota team that has been brutally underwhelming. Wisconsin is playing with some extra juice right now, and that could be especially dangerous for a team stuck in neutral.
Nebraska vs. Purdue, 1/30, 3 p.m. — B1G+
My beloved Cornhuskers have indeed lost three straight games, all by 10 points or less, all against ranked teams, and all games were still exceptional entertainment.
The Michigan, Indiana, Iowa twice piece of the schedule was always going to be difficult, and that dominant victory over the Wolverines only looks better as time goes on. But this incoming matchup against fellow nice surprise Purdue should be a good one.
The Boilermakers are in a very similar spot to Nebraska right now, batting Iowa and Indiana close but falling just short. One of these teams should get a big momentum boost here, but this one promises, at the least, to be especially fun viewing.
**MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1 BANGERS**
No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 6 Indiana, 7 p.m. — ESPN2
No. 23 Iowa vs. No. 22 Ohio State, 9 p.m. — BTN
Holy mama, next Monday is going to be fun.
Let’s start off with the main course: Indiana-Michigan. The Wolverines host a matchup between the two best teams in the conference to this point, and they should hold an advantage with Mackenzie Holmes’ absence.
I’m not sure what Indiana’s answer to Naz Hillmon will be, and it might be up to someone like Aleksa Gulbe to really step up on both sides of the floor for the Hoosiers. Indiana still has plenty of talent, but Michigan has proven equally deep recently. This one should be really, really good with tremendous offensive and defensive skill all over the place.
Now that we have that classic “good stuff” out of the way, let’s talk about a game that could break 200 points.
Iowa and Ohio State love doing one thing: scoring. Neither are huge fans of defending. Both teams have the capability to shoot the lights out. Do I really need to say more?
I need both of these teams to be on their game from the perimeter, because if just one is this could get ugly off pure momentum. Regardless, the Clark-Sheldon matchup at point guard is going to be a shot of adrenaline to the heart that anyone could use on a Monday night.
Make sure to watch both of these games, and I will see you here on Tuesday.
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