Daily Briefing — Dec. 19, 2021: Hall of Fame Challenge brings two top-20 matchups

(All times in Eastern)

Watch List, Sunday, Dec. 19

Must-watch

#5 Baylor vs. #13 Michigan, 1 p.m., ESPN (Hall of Fame Challenge)

Good games

#6 Louisville @ #7 UConn, 3:30 p.m., ESPN (Hall of Fame Challenge)

Drake @ RV* Nebraska, 1 p.m., BTN

Also watchable

Wazzu @ Stony Brook, 2 p.m., ESPN+

Virginia Tech @ Florida State, 2 p.m., ACC Network

Jackson State @ Mississippi State, 5 p.m., SEC Network

Gonzaga @ UC Davis, 5 p.m., ESPN+

Sickos games

None

Pac-12 or Big Ten on national television (or national streaming)

See Must-watch, Good Games, and Also Watchable

Saturday, Dec. 18 recap

#3 Stanford, #7 Tennessee: The Cardinal beat the Vols 74-63. Stanford led by 17 at the half on the back of a 26-13 third quarter; Tennessee had a 20-9 third quarter and still trailed entering the final frame. In another primetime sickos game, the teams combined for 32.6% from the field and 40 fouls with the Vols adding 55.2% from the line, despite a combined 39.0% from the three.

Cardinal point wing Haley Jones had an 18-point, 19-rebound double-double, struggling from the field with 3-for-18 FG (0-3 3pt.) but with a career-high 12-for-12 from the line, plus six assists and two blocks against five turnovers in 39 minutes; backup center Ashten Prechtel started 0-for-8 from the field and 0-for-6 from three with three turnovers through three quarters, but finished with 12 points after a 4-for-4 (3-3 3pt.) fourth quarter, pus six rebounds and two blocks in 15 minutes; combo guard Anna Wilson played 28 minutes off the bench — a season-high and nearly as many as her last four games combined — and tallied four points on 1-for-2 from three, six rebounds, and five assists without a turnover; wing Lexie Hull notched 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting (2-6 3pt.), six rebounds, and three steals against three turnovers and four fouls in 30 minutes; off-ball guard Hannah jump scored 11 points on 3-for-5 from three (1-4 from two), three offensive rebounds, and two assists without a turnover in 39 minutes; center Cameron Brink fouled out in just eight minutes.

Tennessee was led by point wing Jordan Horston’s double-double with 19 points on 5-for-19 from the field (2-4 3pt.) and 7-for-12 from the line and 12 rebounds, plus five assists and four steals against five turnovers; combo forward Alexus Dye had 14 points on 7-for-18 shooting, eight rebounds (three offensive), and three steals against four turnovers; center Tamari Key fouled out in 16 minutes; bench combo forward Sarah Puckett notched 10 points on 3-for-8 FG (2-5 3pt.) and two turnovers.

TDB Cameron Brink Foul Watch: Five fouls in eight minutes today; 5.1 fouls per 40 minutes (14th percentile), 6.1% foul percentage (14th percentile, per Her Hoop Stats) for the season.

#14 Iowa: 69-61 win over UCF. Lost the second quarter 11-3 — yes, I did fact-check that one — but were a +13 in the third; set season-highs in points, 2P%, rebounds, and assists against what had been a top-10 defense by Her Hoop Stats rating; assisted on 19 of its 22 buckets; committed 23 turnovers. Point guard Caitlin Clark had 21 points on 5-for-18 from the field, 3-for-12 from three, and 8-for-11 from the line with 11 rebounds for a double-double, six assists, and four turnovers; center Monika Czinano scored 19 points on 8-for-11 FG with five rebounds against four turnovers; wing McKenna Warnock notched 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting (2-4 3pt.), seven rebounds, and seven assists against three turnovers.

#20 BYU, RV Wazzu: The Cougars beat the… Cougars… hmm. On second thought: BYU beat Wazzu 71-53. Wazzu trailed by as many as 15 points in the mid-second quarter before drawing within one in the early fourth, but then allowed 10 unanswered points. BYU shot nearly 20% better from the field, while Wazzy shot 12.5% better from deep on 14 more three-point attempts; BYU had a +15 rebounding margin. Wazzu combo guard Charlisse Leger-Walker notched a game-high 21 points on 6-for-10 from three (0-3 from two, 3-6 FT), four rebounds (two offensive), four assists, and five turnovers.

#22 LSU: 77-51 win over Bradley. Shot 54.5% from the line and 1-for-14 from three, but grabbed 21 offensive rebounds; notched 14 steals as part of 27 forced turnovers. Combo guard Alexis Morris scored a game-high 17 points on 7-for-12 from the field (1-5 3pt.) with three rebounds, five assists, and two steals; center Faustine Aifuwa had a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double on 7-for-10 FG with nine offensive rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes; Baylor transfer center Hannah Gusters missed her second-straight game, apparently suspended “until [head coach Kim Mulkey] decide[s] when she will come back.”

RV Oregon: 68-56 loss to Kansas State. Trailed wire-to-wire while shooting just 33.3% from the field and 28.0% from three. Wing Maddie Scherr, playing point, led the Ducks with 16 points on 5-for-11 from the field and 4-for-8 from three, three rebounds, six assists, and two steals, and four turnovers; USC transfer point guard Endyia Rogers made her season debut after missing a month with a broken hand, finishing with 14 points on 6-for-16 shooting (2-6 3pt.), five rebounds, and five assists without a turnover in 30 minutes off the bench; big Nyara Sabally made her return from a reaggravated right knee injury and notched six points on 2-for-10 FG (0-2 3pt.) and five rebounds (three offensive) in 18 bench minutes. Center Ayoka Lee led the Wildcats with a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double on 7-for-10 shooting (5-6 FT) with four offensive fouls and four blocks.

This is Oregon’s worst start since 2014-15 and Kansas State’s first 10-2 start since 2016-17.

USC: 77-45 win over Texas Southern. Big wing Rayah Marshall had a double-double with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting (0-1 3pt.) and 17 rebounds (10 offensive), plus five assists, four steals, and four blocks against two turnovers in 27 minutes off the bench — the first 16/17/5/4/4 game since 2012, and the first with 10 offensive boards in the Her Hoop Stats era (since 2009).

Arizona State: 79-60 win over San Diego. Boise State transfer off-ball guard Jade Loville scored a season-high 34 points on 12-for-15 from the field (4-4 3pt.) and 6-for-8 from the line with five rebounds and a lone turnover in 29 minutes.

Penn State: 68-60 win over Duquesne. Did not lead for good until midway through the fourth quarter. Point guard Makenna Marisa had 33 points on 12-for-27 from the field and 3-for-11 from three (6-7 FT), three rebounds, four assists, and two steals against four turnovers while playing the whole game.

Pacific: 80-79 loss to UNLV. Had just a 7.3% win expectancy trailing 74-68 midway through the fourth, before nabbing an 11-4 run, but did not score across the final 1:54. Off-ball guard Sam Ashby tallied career-highs with 31 points and seven turnovers, on season-highs of 10-for-13 from the field and 7-for-8 from three.

VCU: Did not play its scheduled game against Tennessee State “due to COVID-19 protocols” — i.e. positive COVID case(s) within the program, as announced Friday.

Eastern Michigan: Did not play its scheduled game against IUPUI, as announced Thursday. The Eagles elected not to specify a reason, but the Jaguars noted it was “due to COVID issues within the EMU program,” which reflects poorly upon Eastern Michigan’s communications.

Robert Morris: Did not play its scheduled game against St. Bonaventure “due to positive tests among its Tier 1 personnel,” as announced Wednesday.

Blown leads

Washington: 62-59 win over Eastern Washington. Were 94.3% pregame favorites, per ESPN’s win expectancy model, and scored the first five points of the game through the mid-first quarter, but trailed by 12 at the late-third before reeling off 18 unanswered; the Eagles responded with a 15-6 run, but couldn’t get a stop in the final minute. 

UNC-Greensboro: 56-52 loss to Davidson. Had a 93.8% win expectancy with a 12-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but shot just 2-for-15 from the field and 1-for-5 from three in the final frame.

Charleston Southern: 52-51 loss to Alabama State. Had a 93.9% win expectancy with a six-point lead and under three minutes to go, then committed four turnovers, two fouls — including one that allowed the game-winning point from the line — and missed two-three to close. Held the Jaguars to 27.9% from the field and just 1-for-24 from three, but missed seven free-throws and committed 28 turnovers.

The Buccaneers have now lost 21 games in a row, their last win coming last Jan. 15.

*Receiving Votes