This is a look at the week ahead in women's college basketball. Each week Skim Milkey will be providing five players to keep an eye on, five teams to watch this week, five stats, five games you wouldn't think to keep tabs on, and five tweets.
5 Players I Have My Eye On
Shay Ciezki
Shay Ciezki has quietly had an extremely productive season up to this point in the year. She has taken a leap forward in scoring the ball from last season, as she is averaging 21.2 points a game, nearly 10 points more a game than last season. The leadership of Ciezki has been a big reason why Indiana has gotten off to a 5-0 start. This week, however, Ciezki and Indiana will see a bit of a step up in competition. They face off with FGCU on Tuesday and then will be participating in the Coconut Hoops event in Florida. They will face a tough mid-major in Gonzaga, followed by either Iowa State or Marquette in their second game. This is going to be a big test for Indiana.
Naomi White
White is the only freshman this season to be averaging over 20 points a game, and she is averaging an incredible 24.5 points a contest so far this season. She is shooting 46 percent from behind the perimeter, and that is a big reason why she is having so much success early on. Even though Northern Arizona is struggling, White has been quite a bright spot. White has a chance to put her name on the national stage this week as Northern Arizona plays both Creighton and Northern Iowa in Las Vegas.
Taylee Chirrick
In her freshman season, Chirrick came off the bench in the majority of games but is having an excellent start to her sophomore season as a starter. She's averaged 19.2 points per game and has continued to play stifling defense. The reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year has taken a giant leap forward offensively and has helped Montana State out to a swift start to the year. Montana State notched a win against UNLV this past week, and the schedule continues to get tougher. Troy and Colorado are on the schedule for this upcoming week, and Chirrick will look to lead her team to two very solid wins.
Haleigh Timmer
Since transferring to Oklahoma State this past offseason, Timmer has done nothing but be excellent on both ends of the floor. Through six games she is averaging a career high in points, assists, and steals, and Oklahoma State has greatly benefited from her play. She is shooting over 60 percent from the field and over 50 percent from behind the arc, marking solid improvements in both areas. Despite a showing against St. John's that yielded zero points for her, she is looking to help lead her team to wins this week, as they have three games on the schedule. None tougher than the battle with Miami (FL) that is looming this weekend.
Natalie Pasco
Pasco is yet another player who has been very solid for her team thus far this season. She is scoring 14.8 points per game for Boise State while shooting the ball at a 57 percent clip from long range. She has scored 20 or more points twice this year and is doing a solid job of taking care of the ball and limiting her mistakes on the floor. She has been a critical piece to the success of Boise State this season, and she'll need to continue to step up this week as they will be hosting North Dakota. They are a tough team, so Pasco will need to continue her solid play to turn that game into a win.
5 Teams to Watch This Week
Auburn
New head coach Larry Vickers and Auburn have gotten off to a solid start to their year, as they sit at 6-0 early in the season. Things will get quite a bit tougher this week for Auburn as they take on UTSA, California, and Oregon. You'd have to consider a 2-1 record this week to be extremely solid, as this team still is learning how to mesh and gel together. If Auburn can pull off a 3-0 week, then they will certainly start getting some recognition as one of the top stories to begin the season.
UCLA
UCLA likely has the toughest week in all of women's college basketball as they play in the Players Era Championship and then face off with Tennessee on Sunday. In the first round in Las Vegas, they'll face off with Texas, and they'll either play Duke or South Carolina in the second game. They have a gauntlet of games this week, and if they are able to go 3-0, then they very well could start garnering some consideration for the top spot in the AP Top 25.
Green Bay
Green Bay has gotten off to an excellent start to the season, as they are sitting at 5-1 through the first six games. They have passed every test so far this season and are looking to prove to the country that they have reloaded and are back in the hunt to put a scare in a team during March. Green Bay plays both Richmond and NC State this week, which are both games that will give them a big test.
Kansas
Kansas has passed every test thus far this season even without being fully healthy for most of it. They are 6-0 this season and are coming off of a big win over Minnesota this past week. They will have two more tests this week as they face off with Georgia and Dayton, who are two teams that could provide quite a challenge. If they are able to start their season off unbeaten past this week, that would be quite a welcome start to the year in Lawrence.
Kansas State
This week is going to be a big week for Kansas State in a multitude of ways. They haven't gotten off to the start to the year that they are accustomed to, but they are also very young and playing a ton of freshmen. A good week this week could set the tone for the remainder of the season, as they are taking part in the Cancun Challenge with games against Columbia, North Carolina, and South Dakota State. Three wins this week, or even two wins, would mean a great deal to this young squad.
5 Stats to Know
10.7% and 40.7%
Michigan State has been incredible to start the season on both the offensive side of the floor and the defensive end of the court. They are turning the ball over just 10.7 percent of the time, which is an incredible number on the offensive end of the floor. Defensively, Michigan State is forcing a turnover on over 40 percent of possessions by the opposing team. If Michigan State continues to lead the county in both of these statistics, they are going to be a tough game every night this season.
29.5%
TCU might be known best for their excellent offense, but their defense is what has taken my attention. They are allowing teams to shoot just 29.5 percent from inside the arc, which does not allow teams to build many runs against TCU. They have incredible size on the interior, and it is paying dividends thus far this season. TCU has already shown itself to be a legitimate contender this season.
15.0
Mary Moses Amaniyo has gotten off to a hot start for UTEP this year, with the 15.0 signifying both her points per game average and her rebounds per game average. She has taken her game to an entirely new level after her freshman season. She is more assertive around the basket, and that has started to shine through quickly this season. I look for Amaniyo to continue being a threat throughout the entirety of the season.
95.6%
Sydne Tolbert has not stepped off the floor much at all for West Georgia, as she has played in a total of 95.6% of the available minutes this season. She is scoring in the double digits this season for West Georgia but has only played less than 40 minutes all season—just time this year so far. Tolbert has carried a load for West Georgia this season and will look to continue to be available nearly every moment of each game.
40.3
The highest usage rate in the country belongs to San Diego's Kylie Ray. She has been a bright spot for San Diego, as she is averaging 16.8 points per game after transferring in from Utah this past season. Ray has done a nice job of scoring the ball and setting the table for her teammates, as she is relied upon a lot by her team. I don't imagine that her usage rate will stay up this high throughout the year, but she is making the most of it at this point in the season.
5 Games to Monitor
11/26-27 - Player's Era Tournament
I'm going to cheat a little and give four games in one, as I think all four of the potential games in Las Vegas are going to be excellent games. UCLA vs. Texas and South Carolina vs. Duke in the first round will both be well-played games, and the potential next games will also have a ton of storylines, no matter what the matchups are.
11/26 - Kentucky vs. Maryland
This is going to be a very good game between two teams who have looked solid in the early start to the season. This could be a potential Sweet 16 or Elite 8 preview for March.
11/29 - James Madison vs. Wisconsin
This game has all the makings of a competitive game where either team could win. James Madison will be looking to notch a win against a Big Ten opponent, while Wisconsin is looking for an early-season signature win.
11/30 - Fairfield @ Iowa
Iowa hosts Fairfield in what will be a matchup that they cannot overlook. Fairfield is one of the best mid-majors in the country and won't be scared by the challenge of playing in front of a hostile environment. For Iowa, it's another opportunity to play a different style of play and continue their winning ways.
11/30 - Tennessee @ UCLA
Tennessee will look to upset UCLA on the road and come home with a marquee win, while UCLA will look to defend their home floor. Tennessee has one of the most talented rosters in the country and might be starting to put it together, whereas this game caps an extremely challenging week for UCLA.
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