The calendar is about to turn one month closer to March and the women’s college basketball landscape is as difficult to decipher as ever. While mainstays like South Carolina and UConn have hovered near the top, the contender list is deep and filled with new surprises like TCU, and resurgent programs like UCLA and Notre Dame.
All of those programs and a number of other frisky ranked teams are in action over the next week. Here’s what matchups to prioritize watching, along with some other games to keep an eye one:
No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats (18–2) at No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners (16–5)
Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network
The SEC remains deep this season and these teams find themselves right in the thick of it. Oklahoma is somewhat volatile and seems capable of both scoring 100 points every night and allowing 100 points every night (as evidenced in Thursday night’s 107–100 loss to LSU). Still, the combo of center Raegan Beers and guard Payton Verhulst can be lethal and should test a rather stout Kentucky defense. The Wildcats have relied heavily this season on Virginia Tech transfer Georgia Amoore, but she’s struggled from beyond the arc as of late, going a combined 3-of-17 across her last three outings. If she’s able to find her rhythm, watch out for a high-scoring affair.
No. 10 Duke Blue Devils (17–4) at No. 17 NC State Wolfpack (17–4)
Monday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Both teams are riding long winning streaks (Duke at five games; NC State six) going into Monday night and the Blue Devils have done it on the back of their defense. Duke hasn’t allowed more than 60 points in a game since the start of 2025 and has won seven of eight during that span. However, the Wolfpack backcourt duo of sophomore Zoe Brooks and senior Aziaha James has been firing on all cylinders during the team’s recent run. The pair has combined for 30-plus points in four of their last five, playing off one another seamlessly. The recipe to breaking down a defense like Duke’s is steady guard play and NC State has exactly that.
No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs (20–2) at No. 11 Kansas State Wildcats (20–2)
Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
These programs have been on a collision course as the two best teams in the Big 12, and it’s very possible the winner of this game will be a shoo-in to win the league, given this will be their first and only matchup. The Horned Frogs, led by resurgent transfers Sedona Prince, Hailey Van Lith and Madison Conner have just a single loss by a single point to any opponent not named South Carolina and have rapidly jelled under second-year coach Mark Campbell. But Kansas State has the advantage of playing this one at home, where the team is 14–0 this season. The Wildcats match up well against the Horned Frogs but don’t have any clear advantages, making this game a good bet to be close.
1⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ POINTS, MS. LAUREN BETTS! 🗣️
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 26, 2025
📺: NBC#GoBruins | @laurenbetts12 pic.twitter.com/qWiweIB2Tr
No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (19–1) at No. 1 UCLA Bruins (20–0)
Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, Peacock
Though UCLA has been a top-10 mainstay and regular NCAA tournament team under longtime coach Cori Close, it’s possible she hasn’t had quite a team like this one. The Bruins have gone rather untested, winning every game on the schedule by more than 10 points except for one (the season-opener against then-ranked Louisville), including against No. 2 South Carolina and No. 14 Maryland. Player of the year candidate Lauren Betts (21 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3 blocks per game) has been the primary reason why, but UCLA also has the guard play to complement its All-American center. The gauntlet is coming for the Bruins, however, and the Buckeyes have one of the better-rounded scoring attacks in the country. If UCLA dominates its two opponents this week, a No. 1 seed seems all but assured.
No. 6 UConn Huskies (20–2) vs. No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers (15–5)
Thursday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Few teams test themselves like the Huskies, and Geno Auriemma has assured this season’s UConn team will be no different. Since losses to Notre Dame and USC in nonconference play, the Huskies have torn through the Big East with reckless abandon. Paige Bueckers may be a step behind the player of the year candidates, but she’s been more efficient than ever while improving the play of everyone around her. Though a matchup with South Carolina looms in two weeks, the Huskies should be sure not to look past this Tennessee team. The Vols have lost three in a row and five of their last seven, but every one of those losses was a close game and every one came against another top-end SEC team. That makes both of these teams hardened and among the toughest programs in the country, which should only elevate them as March draws closer.
Other Games to Watch
No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (18–2) at Louisville Cardinals (15–6)
Sunday, noon ET, ESPN2
Since a late-November stumble, the Fighting Irish have rattled off 13 straight wins, including over Texas, UConn and UNC. Hannah Hidalgo’s third 30-point performance of the year against Virginia Tech on Thursday only kept the momentum rolling as Notre Dame takes on a Louisville team that’s won nine of its last 10—and is better than its record indicates.
No. 4 USC Trojans (19–1) at Iowa Hawkeyes (14–7)
Sunday, 1:30 p.m. ET, Fox
The Hawkeyes finally stopped a five-game slide with a pair of wins last week but now sit tenuously on the bubble as the month of February begins. Their reward is a matchup with the Trojans and JuJu Watkins, who’s been quieter (by her standards) since a 35-point outburst against Penn State on Jan. 12. Don’t expect that to continue against Iowa’s shaky defense.
Minnesota Golden Gophers (18–4) at No. 1 UCLA Bruins (20–0)
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
The first of the Bruins’ tests this week sees them go up against the stingy defense of the Golden Gophers. The issue for Minnesota is its record against top teams—a whopping 0–3 in Quad 1 matchups and 0–4 against ranked opponents. There’s no better win in the country than beating UCLA in Pauley Pavilion, but it remains to be seen if the Gophers are up for the challenge.
No. 14 Maryland Terrapins (17–4) at Oregon Ducks (16–5)
Thursday, 9 p.m. ET, FS1
Maryland has struggled to protect the basketball as of late. In each of the Terps’ last four games (during which they went 1–3), the team had at least 17 turnovers, headlined by a whopping 27 (!!!) in a 38-point loss to Texas and 23 in a single-digit win over Penn State. Oregon is pesky on defense, meaning Maryland can’t be careless and give away free possessions.
No. 23 Vanderbilt Commodores (18–4) at No. 5 Texas Longhorns (21–2)
Thursday, 9 p.m. ET, SEC Network
If you didn’t see what Mikayla Blakes did Thursday night, you missed out. The true freshman poured in 53 points, breaking the Division I women’s true freshman, single-game scoring record, in a 99–86 win over Florida. It’s nothing new for the 19-year-old and makes her worth watching every time she plays, especially against a top-five opponent in the Longhorns.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Women’s College Basketball Watchability: Unbeaten UCLA Welcomes Two Tough Big Ten Foes.