What To Watch In Week One
The most intriguing matchup for all 14 Big Ten teams
After months of offseason talk on which teams will do what and how players will improve, we finally get to find out.
In a few hours after the time this is posted, the 2023-24 season will be underway for Big Ten women’s basketball, and we jump right in with a huge ranked matchup happening in Las Vegas.
Before I get into the games, a few final plugs for newcomers, or for anyone who may have missed them:
Last week was the first of three Hoopla 40 posts that will happen this season. There, I rank who I believe to be the 40 best players in the conference, with descriptions on what makes each of those players such special talents.
A few weeks back I also posted a Previews Hub with links to all 14 team previews, if you want to read about any specific team and what storylines should highlight their seasons.
Now, it’s time to talk games. Here is one matchup for each Big Ten team that I think is worth watching this week. They are listed in chronological order, along with times and TV info.
November 6 (Monday)
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 21 USC — 2 p.m., TruTV
The first game of the Big Ten season is an immediate must-watch. The Buckeyes, fresh off an Elite Eight appearance, head to Las Vegas to take on the Trojans, a team with plenty of exciting potential, highlighted by true freshman JuJu Watkins. This USC team went from 12 to 21 wins last year thanks to excellent defense. This is a future Big Ten matchup, and it will be a great test for a potential contender in Ohio State.
Michigan vs. Purdue Fort Wayne — 7 p.m., B1G+
Michigan’s only matchup for the week comes early, and it comes against a Purdue Fort Wayne team that its best season in nearly a decade in 2022-23. That said, the Mastodon’s best season in nearly a decade was a 13-19 record, so the Wolverines should win big here. Still, I want to see what Michigan goes with for its rotations, and how much different the offense looks with Laila Phelia being the focal point.
Purdue at No. 4 UCLA — 8:30 p.m., PAC-12 LA
Hey, another matchup against a future Big Ten foe! This time, it is a UCLA team that has No. 1 seed projections for the NCAA Tournament after an impressive Elite Eight run last season. Led by veteran star Charisma Osborne, now-sophomore phenom Kiki Rice and transfer Lauren Betts, a No. 1 prospect who stands at 6-7, the Bruins are stacked with talent. This is also the type of team Purdue has loved to give hell in the past, and the Boilermakers have plenty of experience to try and deal with these threats.
November 7 (Tuesday)
Penn State vs. Bucknell — 6 p.m., B1G+
Between this matchup and one against a Navy team that went 1-29 last season, Penn State should leave the week 2-0. Still, Bucknell had been an excellent mid-major program consistently prior to last season, so the Bison may be a tougher matchup than it would appear. They played extremely slow, which could challenge this Nittany Lions offense, but above all else, I want to see how Ashley Owusu incorporates with Makenna Marisa, Shay Ciezki and Leilani Kapinus. If there are fireworks early, I will start being way too hyped about expectations for this group.
Wisconsin vs. Milwaukee — 7:30 p.m., B1G+
Similarly, the Badgers start off with two winnable matchups to get some momentum going, but Milwaukee has previously given Wisconsin troubles. Last year, Wisconsin did leave with a nine-point win, but the Badgers can and should see a larger margin of victory this time around. Hopefully, we will also get to see Serah Williams begin to dominate as she starts her sophomore campaign.
November 8 (Wednesday)
Michigan State vs. Oakland — 6:30 p.m., B1G+
Both of the new Big Ten head coaches will get their debuts on Wednesday, starting with Michigan State and Robyn Fralick against Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies like to play fast and struggled on defense because of that last season, so I’m hoping to see a little bit of what the Spartans offense can do against a lesser opponent as Fralick gets her system in place.
Minnesota vs. LIU — 8 p.m., B1G+
Following Michigan State is Dawn Plitzuweit and Minnesota, who go up against Long Island. The Sharks struggled to score last year, but were solid at stopping the three-ball specifically. Two seasons ago, the Gophers suffered a very, very bad loss to Jacksonville to open their season, but times feel like they have changed, and a blowout win to start the year would help to confirm that.
November 9 (Thursday)
No. 3 Iowa vs. No. 8 Virginia Tech — 8 p.m., ESPN2
The game of the week if you ask me, even though there are a few excellent Sunday options as well. The national runner-ups get their first big test, battling a fellow Final Four team in Virginia Tech at a neutral-site. That neutral site? Charlotte, North Carolina folks, and I. WILL. BE. THERE. These two teams love to run the floor, love to shoot the three ball and have special talents all over the court. Elizabeth Kitley feels like a matchup nightmare for the Hawkeyes, but so did Aliyah Boston, so I’m excited to see how Iowa plans to deal with the 6-6 star.
Northwestern vs. UIC — 8 p.m., B1G+
For those not in attendance in Charlotte (couldn’t be me!), this Northwestern matchup against UIC is one worthy of your time. The Flames went from 10 combined wins over the past four seasons to a unprecedented 19-17 record in Ashleen Bracy’s first year as head coach, and they did so off the back of stellar defense and slowing the pace to screeching halt. This game should be low scoring and may be closer than many would expect. This would be a very solid win to open the season for the Wildcats, especially after the struggles last year.
November 10 (Friday)
Nebraska at Wyoming — 8:30 p.m., Mountain West Network
The Cornhuskers head to Laramie for an intriguing road matchup against Wyoming, who won 21 games last year and was extremely efficient offensively. Nebraska should have enough firepower to deal with this, but it will be another interesting slow vs. fast pace matchup that could challenge Nebraska early.
November 11 (Saturday)
No. 23 Illinois at Marquette — 3 p.m., FloHoops
This is quietly an excellent weekend matchup, and will be a great litmus test for an Illinois team that felt invincible at times last season. Marquette has been a rock solid Big East team for years, and the Golden Eagles were specifically sound on defense last year. The Illini come in ranked and should be able to win here, but it is by no means a lock.
November 12 (Sunday)
No. 14 Maryland at No. 6 South Carolina — 1 p.m., ABC
What did I say about banger Sunday matchups? An Elite Eight rematch starts off the day, but don’t expect this game to follow the same beats as last year. These teams look much different than the last time they faced, and it will be a great gauge to see where both rosters are starting at. The Terps have a lot of experience to try and pull off the road upset, but Kamilla Cardoso is a scary matchup issue for a Maryland team without a proven center. This one could go any number of ways, but it is a must-watch no matter what.
No. 8 Indiana at No. 15 Stanford — 5 p.m., ESPN
Mackenzie Holmes vs. Cameron Brink is an electric factory waiting to happen, and this matchup will have plenty of fireworks to go around. The Cardinal feel more vulnerable than they have in a very long time, but Tara VanDerveer didn’t become one of the greatest coaches the game has ever seen for nothing. The Hoosiers will need perimeter scoring to help Holmes deal with an elite post defender. What a time it would be to see Yarden Garzon continue on the path to becoming the next Hoosier superstar.
Rutgers vs. Auburn — 5 p.m., Fox Sports
Get that second screen going for this one, because it is a deeply intriguing matchup. The Scarlet Knights get an Auburn team that was middle-of-the-pack in the SEC, and they get them at home. The Tigers play fast and were plenty battle tested in their conference last season, but what an opportunity for Rutgers to prove something here. This roster has plenty of cohesion from the previous season, and could get a huge, HUGE win early on in the season.
We finally have games to watch. Next week, we will finally have games to talk about. Let’s. Go.
Feature Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics
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