Around the NCAAW Weekly: NC State Wolfpack’s upset of the No. 2 UConn Huskies highlights a wild first week

Welcome to the season’s first “Around the NCAAW Weekly,” where we’ll bounce around to highlight some of top games, performances, milestones and more from Monday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 12 before looking ahead to the coming week’s most intriguing matchups:

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Noteworthy games

While No. 20 Colorado, No. 21 USC, No. 18 Florida State and No. 15 Stanford deserve shine for their respective upsets of No. 1 LSU, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 11 Tennessee and No. 9 Indiana, the Buffs, Trojans, Noles and Cardinal weren’t the only teams to slay higher-ranked teams. Shout out to these unranked teams for taking down their ranked opponents:

NC State Wolfpack 92, No. 2 UConn Huskies 81

We suggested the Wolfpack would have to be almost perfect to take down the Huskies. On Sunday afternoon, they came close enough, delighting a rocking Raleigh crowd as they delivered a 92-81 victory over the nation’s second-ranked team. The Wolfpack shot better than 52 percent from the field, over 38 percent from 3 and dominated the glass 41-29. However, it was Saniya Rivers’ sensational showcase that spurred the Wolfpack to the upset. The junior guard introduced herself to a national audience with a career-high 33 points, along with 10 boards, five assists and a trio of blocks and steals.

NC State effectively disrupted UConn on both ends, inducing mistimed cuts on offense and missed rotations on defense. A bright spot for the Huskies was Paige Bueckers’ 27-point performance. However, it is a bit concerning that a team with as much theoretical talent as UConn was so reliant on Bueckers’ brilliance to generate good offense.

Oklahoma Sooners 80, No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels 70

On Thursday, the Sooners escaped Oxford with the 80-70 victory, applying high-energy defense to hold the home team to 13 fourth-quarter points. Senior forward Skylar Vann led Sooners with a career-best 24 points, while freshman forward Sahara Williams tallied a 13-point and 10-rebound double-double in her second college game. Senior forward Snudda Collins had a team-high 15 points off the bench for the Rebels, but, down the stretch, the Ole Miss offensive devolved into stagnancy, with too many no-pass and quick-shot possessions.

Marquette Golden Eagles 71, No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini 67

Seniors Liza Karlen and Jordan King led the Golden Eagles to the 71-67 Saturday afternoon home win. The pair’s performances were almost polar opposites. Karlen was an efficient 11-for-16, scoring all her points on 2-pointers; King was an inefficient 4-for-14 overall, but she drained a pair of 3s and converted nine of her 10 free throws, including the final two that iced the upset for Marquette.

After a spectacular 32-point performance in Illinois’ opening win, senior guard Genesis Bryant struggled to get her shots to fall, scoring 11 points. However, she swished back-to-back 3s to cut Marquette’s advantage to a single point with seven minutes remaining. However, her a potentially-tying triple in the game’s final minute was off target. Senior center Camille Hobby, in her first season with the Illini after transferring from NC State, led her team with 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Standout performances

The first week of Caitlin Clark’s senior campaign included a ho-hum 44-point, eight-rebound and six-assist effort in No. 3 Iowa’s win over No. 8 Virginia Tech. She followed that up with a tidy 24-point, 10-rebound and 10-assist triple-double. These gals also turned in applause-worthy performances:

Milestone-making accomplishments and accolades

Another day, another Caitlin Clark record. On Sunday, the senior became Iowa’s all-time leading scorer, passing Megan Gustafson as she sits at 2,807 points and counting. The season’s first week also delivered other milestones, from behind-the-arc and on-the-glass excellence to 100-plus point totals to more all-time scorers to coaching win milestones:

Celebrating legacies and legends

The season’s start offered an opportunity for a number of women’s college hoops programs to celebrate memorable teams and players from the past:

A look ahead

The second week of season offers a slate of tasty offerings, including—but not limited to—the following contests:

Tuesday, Nov. 14

No. 5 Utah Utes vs. No. 19 Baylor Bears (7:30 p.m. ET, Big 12 Network)

Thursday, Nov. 16

No. 14 Maryland Terrapins vs. No. 2 UConn Huskies (6:30 p.m. ET, FS1)

Clemson Tigers vs. No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network)

Friday, Nov. 17

No. 18 Florida State Seminoles vs. Florida Gators (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)

Saturday, Nov. 18: Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis

The second Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s Tournament begins on Saturday and extends through Monday, with the championship game set for 12 p.m. ET on Monday on ESPN 2.

No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels vs. Howard Bison (12 p.m. ET, FloHoops)

Memphis Tigers vs. Arizona Wildcats (2:30 p.m. ET, FloHoops)

Michigan Wolverines vs. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (5 p.m. ET, FloHoops)

DePaul Blue Demons vs. South Dakota Coyotes (7:30 p.m. ET, FloHoops)

Sunday, Nov. 19

No. 22 Creighton Blue Jays vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network)

Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 15 Stanford Cardinal (3 p.m. ET, ABC)

No. 25 Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Belmont Bruins (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+)