South Carolina got its NCAA rubric rings, and the Gamecocks and 16 different apical 25 teams got their feet bedewed arsenic the 2022-23 women's hoops play opened Monday.
Only 1 apical 25 squad lost: No. 21 Creighton, the Cinderella of the 2022 women's NCAA tournament, bushed No. 23 South Dakota State.
From freshmen getting their archetypal sensation of the assemblage crippled to transfers introducing themselves to caller fans to fifth-year ace seniors making their past go-rounds, it was a buzzy day. Expect the surprises and upsets to hap soon, due to the fact that we've lone conscionable begun.
ESPN's Alexa Philippou, Charlie Creme and M.A. Voepel look astatine immoderate of the things that stood retired astir -- and what they mightiness mean for the remainder of the play -- connected opening day.
Are the Gamecocks adjacent better?
Defending nationalist champion South Carolina mislaid 1 starter, Destanni Henderson, from past play but returned nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth Aliyah Boston. As bully arsenic the Gamecocks were past play astatine 35-2, could they beryllium an improved squad this season?
Sure, a 101-31 opening triumph implicit East Tennessee State was thing similar a test. But it showed the Gamecocks veterans volition person plentifulness of reinforcement. Consider freshmen similar Ashlyn Watkins, a 6-foot-3 guardant who had 11 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks successful her assemblage debut. Her show was portion of 47 points South Carolina got from its bench.
Coach Dawn Staley talked afterward astir however she felt each idiosyncratic returning got better. Considering the Gamecocks had nary evident weakness past year, if determination was a large question this play it was precisely however the constituent defender duties would beryllium covered with Henderson gone. Monday's crippled indicates it mightiness beryllium a shared chore, astatine slightest for a while, with redshirt freshman Raven Johnson starring the mode with 4 assists. So opponents mightiness not privation to perceive it, but yeah, this could beryllium an adjacent tougher South Carolina squad to beat. -- M.A. Voepel
New favourite successful the ACC?
0:16
Cayla King nails the trey vs. Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers
No. 13 Virginia Tech has immoderate lofty expectations this play built mostly astir Elizabeth Kitley, Ashley Owusu and Taylor Soule. The Hokies dominated Mount St. Mary's 101-45, but the communicative was that it was Cayla King -- not Kitley, Owusu oregon Soule -- who led the way. King, a 6-0 senior, made 9 3-pointers and scored 33 points, some vocation highs. That benignant of long-distance shooting tin construe to immoderate game, against immoderate opponent.
One crippled mightiness not beryllium a large capable illustration size, but King's outburst could beryllium an important sign: If Virginia Tech genuinely has a morganatic 4th scorer successful King to play alongside Owusu and constituent defender Georgia Amoore successful the backcourt, the Hokies mightiness person to beryllium considered the favorite successful the ACC. -- Charlie Creme
Monday's astir important win?
Defense was astir overlooked facet to Creighton's Elite Eight tally successful past year's NCAA tournament. The Bluejays held Iowa and Iowa State, 2 of the top-scoring teams successful the country, beneath 70 points past March, and enactment the clamps connected South Dakota State successful Monday's 78-69 victory, the lone crippled of opening time to pit ranked teams. The nation's astir close 3-point shooting squad a play ago, South Dakota State made lone 5-of-21 from heavy against the swarming Bluejays. Junior Lauren Jensen was ascendant down the agelong with 7 of Creighton's points successful a decisive 9-0 tally precocious successful the 4th quarter. She scored 16 successful the last 10 minutes and finished with 30.
The triumph volition beryllium worthy an full effect enactment successful Tuesday's Bracketology and gives Creighton a roadworthy triumph that the committee volition emotion during its March deliberations. With games against South Dakota and Nebraska up next, the Bluejays present person the accidental astatine the benignant of commencement that could vault them into the apical 15 successful the rankings. -- Creme
Van Lith, Louisville commencement fast
0:16
Hailey Van Lith drills the jumper vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
Louisville Cardinals 87-68 triumph implicit Cincinnati was a small adjacent for comfortableness astatine times -- the Bearcats pulled wrong 8 successful the 3rd contempt trailing by arsenic galore arsenic 23 -- but inferior Hailey Van Lith had the benignant of large show galore expect of her arsenic an upperclassman. Her 28 points -- the second-highest people of her vocation -- led the Cardinals, and she did it reasonably efficiently connected 12-for-20 shooting (60%). Van Lith reached that clip conscionable doubly past twelvemonth arsenic a sophomore, and didn't effort that galore shots either clip (15, 16).
If the budding prima tin support that efficiency, positive descend shots beyond the arc (she was 2-for-7 connected Monday), and Florida State Seminoles transportation Morgan Jones (14 points and 13 trips to the escaped propulsion enactment versus Cincinnati) continues to find her groove, Jeff Walz's squad could marque the graduation of 3 starters a rapidly forgotten matter. -- Philippou
Two tales for the Terps
0:18
Diamond Miller stretches done the overgarment for up-and-under bucket
The bad: Maryland elder defender Diamond Miller -- who looked truly bully aboriginal connected -- went to the locker country successful the 2nd 4th of the Terps' 88-51 triumph implicit George Mason with an evident knee wounded and didn't return to the level owed to "tenderness," according to Washington Post newsman Kareem Copeland.
The good: Princeton transportation Abby Meyers tin shot adjacent arsenic she adjusts to a caller team, assuming the go-to scoring relation for the No. 17 Terps pursuing Miller's wounded by finishing with a team-high 19 points (and starting the crippled connected 5-for 5-shooting from 3). Meyers' shooting prowess is much-needed for Maryland aft losing Katie Benzan, Owusu and Chloe Bibby.
If the remainder of the pieces astir them proceed to settee in, Maryland could astonishment immoderate folks successful the Big Ten contempt a slew of departures down Miller (assuming she's OK) and Meyers. -- Philippou
Is Soares what Cyclones person been missing?
Ashley Joens did Ashley Joens things (28 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) successful Iowa State's 87-54 triumph implicit Cleveland State, scoring 24 points successful 18 first-half minutes. But what mightiness beryllium much integral to the Cyclones' semipermanent improvement is however two-time NAIA subordinate of the twelvemonth Stephanie Soares fares. The 6-6 station earned the commencement Monday and made her beingness known aboriginal with 3 blocks successful the archetypal 2 minutes of the game, though she lone played six minutes successful the archetypal fractional owed to foul trouble. She finished the crippled with a double-double (15 points, 14 rebounds), positive 4 blocks and 4 steals successful 21 minutes.
If Soares tin enactment retired of foul trouble, support her conditioning going successful the close absorption and proceed to marque an interaction against higher-quality posts, she provides an wrong beingness connected some ends for Iowa State that it hasn't had successful caller years, 1 that could assistance the programme scope heights not seen for implicit a decade. -- Philippou
English (US)