2024-25 DWBB Season

dudog84 said:
Down 4 going into the 4th. Two players had 46 of their 59 points, and the bench only provided 3.
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And Davidson probably should’ve gotten a foul call on their game winning shot attempt with two seconds left. A dreadful performance from state
 
Don't look now, but Tennessee WBB might be good again. They are 8-0, and entered the AP poll at #19 after beating Iowa last weekend. They celebrated by setting a few records today at the expense of NC Central:

30 made 3-pointers (NCAA record; previously 28)
139 points (school record; previously 136)
9 made 3-pointers by Samara Spencer (school record; previously 8)

Spencer went 9-of-13, and the team was 30-of-63. This is what the Lady Vols signed up for when they hired Kim Caldwell from Marshall.

Marshall 2023-2024: 31.9 3PT attempts (1st), 10.6 3PT makes (3rd), 85.3 points (4th)
Tennessee 2024-2025: 36.9 3PT attempts (1st), 10.6 3PT makes (6th), 92.6 points (3rd)

Once you add Saturday’s game, Tennessee averages 40.1 3PT attempts (still 1st), 13.0 3PT makes (up to 1st), and 98.4 points (up to 1st).

Highlights from the game:


There's also postgame comments from Coach Caldwell and players Samara Spencer, Zee Spearman (formerly of Miami), and Ruby Whitehorn (formerly of Clemson).

Finally, if you're wondering what it's like to be on the receiving end of such a performance, wonder no more. NCCU head coach Terrence Baxter takes it in stride, and is ready to move forward:


"Thank you for having us, letting us come down. Really enjoyed Knoxville, and tough game, but what I'm going to say is, I'm glad we are through the gauntlet. This was our last one. We played about seven or eight money games, and it definitely was a learning experience for me, especially with being the first year on the job. Had fun with it, but definitely glad we're through the gauntlet. Now we can get down to some business on 50-50 games that we know we can win."

NC Central is 0-12 now, and plays games at Winthrop and vs. Furman before starting the MEAC league schedule.
 
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Duke WBB hosts Wofford on Wednesday 12/18 at 7pm ET on ACCN (streaming link, listen, live stats)

The #9 Blue Devils (9-2) resume their season after a 10-day exam break with a Wednesday night home game against the Wofford Terriers (6-2), who will return to action after their own respite of 11 days. That's a combined 3 weeks of rust to shake off.

Wofford College is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and its teams play in the Southern Conference, or SoCon. Tomorrow (Monday) marks the 1-year anniversary of the Terriers' 71-70 upset of Virginia in Charlottesville, the program's first-ever win over an ACC team, and the second over a power conference opponent. (They beat Alabama in 2012.) From the time Wofford ascended to Division I in 1995 to when its current coach Jimmy Garrity was hired in 2016, they had as many seasons with a winning record (16-13 in 2001-2002) as they did seasons with no wins at all (0-28 in 2003-2004).

Coach Garrity is in his ninth season at the job, and he has the Wofford women on the rise, with .500 or better records in each of the past six seasons, peaking with 22 wins in 2022-2023. According to his bio, which contains so much trivia that you'd think I wrote it, he led the Terriers to a banner year in 2023-2024, only without the banners -- they finished tied for 2nd in SoCon play and lost in the conference tournament semifinal.

Wofford led the SoCon in numerous categories, including assist/turnover ratio (0.98), defensive rebounds per game (27.2), scoring offense (66.6), three-point attempts per game (25.0), three-point percentage defense (25.4), three-pointers per game (7.8), turnover margin (+2.83) and turnovers per game (12.1).

The Terriers brought back 3 starters from last season, plus 1 starter from 2022-2023, who is back from injury. They were rewarded with a prediction at the top of October's SoCon preseason poll, a first for the program. They are led by Rachael Rose, the reigning two-time conference Player of the Year, who hit the winning shot against UVA and had a triple double against Furman a month later. Again, from Coach Garrity's bio:

At the conclusion of the season, Rose repeated as SoCon Player of the Year to become the only player in program history to garner the award twice, let alone consecutively... Evangelia Paulk and Maddie Heiss were both named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team, and Paulk was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year to become just the third recipient in program history.

On her Nothing But Net podcast, Debbie Antonelli previewed Wofford's season with Coach Garrity, Rachael Rose, and Helen Matthews (the returning starter who was injured last season).


Coach Garrity: "I'll give Helen and Rachael a lot of credit. When the season was over, two, three days after they took off, they came to my office, they sat down, and they said, 'Coach we need to be better on defense, we got to rebound the ball better, we got to be able to keep people in front, keep people out of the paint.' That came from them... you know me, and I love offense... If it's coach-led the entire time, hey, we're talented enough to be good, but when you have a player-led program, that's when special things can happen... It has paid off right now. I think that's why our [intense] practices don't go over two hours... I'm scared somebody's going to get hurt."

Rose sustained her own injury in early November and missed 6 games, including the team's only losses at Kentucky and Davidson. (A reporter from Kentucky's On3 affiliate mentioned Rose wearing a boot on her right foot and posted a picture here.) She has since returned to the lineup in their most recent game on December 7 against Appalachian State, and if the box score is any indication, she's at full strength: 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in 31 minutes of play.

Let's take a closer look at Wofford's roster. Names and jersey numbers appear in bold.

PROBABLE STARTERS

5-10 sophomore guard Maddie Heiss #2 (12.0 pts, 3.6 reb, 1.0 ast)
6-0 sophomore wing Evangelia Paulk #3 (10.9 pts, 5.9 reb, 1.8 ast, 3.3 stl)
5-10 fifth year guard Helen Matthews #5 (9.9 pts, 4.4 reb, 2.0 ast, 1.3 stl)
5-7 senior guard Rachael Rose #12 (8.5 pts, 5.5 reb, 5.5 ast, 1.5 stl)
6-2 junior forward Mia Flor #21 (4.9 pts, 3.4 reb, 0.9 ast)

TOP RESERVES

5-9 freshman guard Molly Masingale #15 (8.0 pts, 2.5 reb, 2.1 ast)
5-11 junior guard Indiya Clarke #20 (6.6 pts, 4.5 reb, 1.4 ast, 1.1 stl)
5-8 junior guard Libby Privett #10 (6.3 pts, 1.9 reb, 0.5 ast, 1.0 stl)
6-1 sophomore forward Queen Ikhiuwu #81 (5.7 pts, 4.0 reb, 0.4 ast)
5-11 freshman forward Toni Warren #13 (3.4 pts, 1.4 reb, 0.3 ast)
5-10 freshman guard Madi Hawk #1 (4.0 pts, 1.4 reb, 0.6 ast)
5-11 sophomore guard Sara Deidda #24 (1.1pts, 1.0 reb, 2.4 ast)

Normally, I divide a roster into sections called Probable Starters, Top Reserves, and Bench Players. There is no third section for the Terriers because all 12 players average at least 10 minutes per game, so everyone is part of the regular rotation. I went with the most recent starting lineup, but Wofford has 7 players who have started at least 2 games this season, and 8 players who average between 18-28 minutes per game.

I'd say that Wofford's depth would ordinarily be an advantage against opponents, but while Duke is not quite as deep, Coach Lawson has 9 players averaging over 15 minutes per game, and a 10th (Emma Koabel) averaging 9 minutes.

None of their team stats on Basketball Reference really stand out, but Paulk's 3.3 steals a game would place her about 10th nationally. The Terriers have a NET ranking of #212 and a T-Rank of #198. Speaking of Bart Torvik, he predicts Duke to win 91-54.
 
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CameronBornAndBred said:
Will the Wofford women get more than 35 points?
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Hmm? I know that the Blue Devils were approaching the level of defense Coach Lawson desires, but that may be asking too much.

The Terriers average 71 points per game, so it would be very impressive if Duke were to hold them to half of that total. They only put up 42 points against Kentucky, so I guess 35 could be a goal.

On the other hand, the only Duke opponent to score fewer than 40 points at the end of regulation was Radford in the season opener, who had 36. But the Highlanders have a T-Rank of #331, much lower than Wofford, which just makes the top 200.
 
CameronBornAndBred said:
#14 Lady Heels start off ACC play getting beaten by #25 GT in Chapel Hill.

:D :D :D
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Georgia Tech 82, UNC 76 (recap, PDF box score, highlights)

UNC came into the contest leading the ACC in scoring defense, limiting its opponents to under 50 points on the season. Georgia Tech scored 50 in just the first half and logged the most points from an opponent this season. The Jackets also held UNC’s leading scorer, Alyssa Ustby, to two points off a 2-of-4 effort at the free throw line. It marked only the second time in her career she was held without a field goal. Maria Gakdeng led UNC with 21 points and was one of four to finish in double-figures.

Georgia Tech shot 51.7 percent (30-58) from the field led by [Tonie] Morgan with 23 points. [Dani] Carnegie tallied 22 points and nearly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Meanwhile, [Kara] Dunn added 13 points, while [Kayla] Blackshear contributed 12 and Zoesha Smith finished with 10 points. Tech drew the victory dominating on the boards, winning the battle, 41-24, and finished with 21 assists on the day.

The win marked the first in Chapel Hill since a 56-54 victory on Feb. 12, 2012, snapping a six-game skid on the road. Remaining undefeated, Georgia Tech is now off to the best start in program history with the victory.


I'm part "Ha ha, Carolina" but also part "Okay, Tech" about this. The Yellow Jackets are one of 9 unbeaten teams left:

Buffalo (9-0)
Georgia Tech (11-0)
LSU (12-0)
Maryland (10-0)
Michigan State (10-0)
Ohio State (10-0)
Portland (11-0)
Tennessee (8-0)
UCLA (10-0)

Meanwhile, #22 NC State bounced back from that 2-point home win over Davidson with a crazy 30-point road win in the ACC opener against Louisville. Tomorrow's AP poll could see both Tech and the Pack jump into the top 20, while California sneaking in as the 6th ranked ACC team (if #21 Iowa drops out).
 
Duke will be back in Vegas, again in November, and again with three other very talented teams.
I got this in an email.

Duke women's basketball will head back to the Silver State, as the Blue Devils have been named as one of four teams selected to compete in the inaugural Players Era Festival Women's Championship in Las Vegas November 2025.

A groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind college basketball event that began in 2024, the 2025 season marks the first iteration of the women's event. In addition to Duke, the Players Era Festival women's field features South Carolina, Texas and UCLA.
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BTW, anyone know what fees are charged to the schools by the Players Era Festival? This year they pledged to commit $9 million in NIL funding for attending players, and the first thing that occurs to me is that this is potentially a way for schools to "launder" money so that they can indirectly fund NIL, by participating schools paying for someone to "organize" the event, and then using that fund to partially fund the NIL promise. I'm sure the vast majority of the committed money will be on the men's side, but based on the list of women's teams, I have to believe the women will have a share of that pie, too. It looked to me like this was kind of what the Ball Dawgs event might have been doing, too, but they didn't advertise it as openly as this event does.

I don't have any evidence that this is how they do things, of course, but I'm just saying that it's potentially a permitted way for that to happen.
 
Phredd3 said:
BTW, anyone know what fees are charged to the schools by the Players Era Festival? This year they pledged to commit $9 million in NIL funding for attending players, and the first thing that occurs to me is that this is potentially a way for schools to "launder" money so that they can indirectly fund NIL, by participating schools paying for someone to "organize" the event, and then using that fund to partially fund the NIL promise. I'm sure the vast majority of the committed money will be on the men's side, but based on the list of women's teams, I have to believe the women will have a share of that pie, too. It looked to me like this was kind of what the Ball Dawgs event might have been doing, too, but they didn't advertise it as openly as this event does.

I don't have any evidence that this is how they do things, of course, but I'm just saying that it's potentially a permitted way for that to happen.
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I was told that schools do not pay to enter the Players Era Festival. I'll try to find a source online to verify!
 
brevity said:
Meanwhile, #22 NC State bounced back from that 2-point home win over Davidson with a crazy 30-point road win in the ACC opener against Louisville. Tomorrow's AP poll could see both Tech and the Pack jump into the top 20, while California sneaking in as the 6th ranked ACC team (if #21 Iowa drops out).
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I was close. NC State moved up slightly to #21, and it was #18 Iowa State that dropped out of the polls for California to move in.

AP Poll -- December 16

1. UCLA
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. Connecticut
5. LSU
6. Texas
7. USC
8. Maryland
9. Duke
10. Oklahoma

17. Georgia Tech
19. UNC
21. NC State
24. California

Phredd3 said:
Hopefully Players Era Festival will be a lot more professional about their event than was the Balls Dawgs Classic. And dang, that's a tough field!
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The men's version of the Players Era Festival last month was broadcast on Turner Sports (TBS/TNT/TruTV/Max streaming). I have to believe that they would do the same for the women next year -- even if it were streaming only on Max, that's a huge upgrade over FloHoops.
 
brevity said:
Meanwhile, #22 NC State bounced back from that 2-point home win over Davidson with a crazy 30-point road win in the ACC opener against Louisville.
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Louisville, #17 in the preseason, is now the 1st team out in bracketology at 6-5. He had one of the top recruiting classes in the country with 3 top-25 recruits. Has Jeff Walz lost his golden touch?

Maybe not. All the losses were to ranked teams. However, they haven't beaten anyone of note either. And after 5 consecutive Elite Eights (including 2 Final Fours), they were upset in the 1st round last year.
 
brevity said:
Duke WBB hosts Wofford on Wednesday 12/18 at 7pm ET on ACCN (streaming link, listen, live stats)
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wbb20241218.jpg
(source)

Duke links: preview, PDF game notes
Wofford links: PDF game notes

Sam Gore (UNC grad; bio) and Tamika Catchings (Tennessee basketball; personal website) will call the game on the ACC Network's telecast.

In this video profile, Tamika Catchings talks about her hearing impairment -- she went without hearing aids for most of her childhood, but resumed wearing them and taking speech therapy classes at the suggestion of her college coach, the late Pat Summitt.


Catchings' tenure as a Lady Vol (1997-2001) overlapped for 2 years with Duke head coach Kara Lawson and all 4 years with Duke assistant coach Kyra Elzy. She's also the aunt of former Duke player Kale Catchings and current BYU freshman Kanon Catchings.
 
CameronBornAndBred said:
All these K's in this post, and Mrs. Catchings gets T'd up.
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The Knueppel family would be so proud.

Tamika Catchings did enjoy a play on her name while at college. In 1997, she arrived at Tennessee with fellow freshman Semeka Randall, while Chamique Holdsclaw was a junior. According to an entry in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame:

In the season-opening victory over Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi, 92-64, freshman reserve guard Semeka Randall broke the rookie scoring record with twenty-four points. That night the story of the “Three Meeks” began and throughout the 1997-1998 season, either Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings, or Semeka Randall would be the leading Lady Vol scorer in thirty seven of the thirty-nine games.

See, that was Coach K's mistake. No titles from 1993-2000 because Duke only had Erik Meek back then.
 
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