Hey there,

I hope you had a great weekend. There was some awesome basketball happening around this weekend across the country. I didn’t get a chance to watch it until today, but Ole Miss had a fantastic game against Mississippi State that flew under the radar yesterday.

If you get a chance to watch it on ESPN+ or DVR — you’ll see a really great overtime performance from the Lady Rebels. It was an incredible team win with nearly 4 team members getting double doubles 🤯 🤯 🤯

I also wanted to let you know about this great video interview we did with the head of girls basketball at the Sierra Canyon School. Head coach Alicia Komaki is a TOAL LEGEND who has coached the great JuJu Watkins… you’ll love this great and informative interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBDcAOoeeUM 

Thank you for reading and as always, feel free to send us tips: [email protected] 

Sincerely,

WHN

Too Easy? JuJu Watkins’ Effortless Transition To College

LOS ANGELES – Sierra Canyon Coach Alicia Komaki knew that JuJu Watkins would excel at the University of Southern California on the basketball court. Watkins was the top-ranked recruit in high school and was averaging 27.5 points per game in high school at Sierra Canyon. 

Komaki knew Watkins was ready to thrive… but she didn’t think Watkins would be making THIS much of an impact this quickly. Watkins is currently the second lead scorer in NCAA Division 1 for women and the top-scoring freshman in the country. 

“I think it's been a little crazy for me how easy it is,” Komaki told WHN. “I think she was also  kind of taken back and a little surprised that it seemed easier than we thought it was gonna be.” 

Since the start of the season, Watkins has become the center and the focal point of Southern California’s offense. She’s averaging 27.5 points per game and has helped USC climb the rankings to one of the top teams in the country. USC’s win against Stanford was not only their top-ranked win of the season, but a miraculous showcase of Watkins' ability to score against one of the toughest teams in the nation. 

No.21 Baylor beats Texas Tech on the day Brittney Griner's jersey is retired. 

@womens.hoops

Brittney Griner returned to Waco, TX for her jersey retirement. She is one of the top scoring women in NCAA history. She is a WNBA legen... See more

Baylor dominated from start to finish against Texas Tech, limiting them to single-digit points in each of the first three quarters. Baylor led 45-18 entering the fourth quarter and went on to win 61-32. Sarah Andrews led Baylor in scoring with 11 points, while Darianna Littlepage-Buggs added 10. Baylor dominated inside, outscoring Texas Tech 34-4 in points in the paint, and outrebounded them 42-26. 

Griner returned to Baylor for the ceremony at Foster Pavilion after leading the Bears to an undefeated national title 12 years before. During the pregame ceremony against Texas Tech, her career highlights were showcased on film. Griner was welcomed to a loud applause from players and fans in the stands wearing T-shirts with her No. 42. She then attended the ceremony at center court, alongside head coach Nicki Collen. Griner was evidently moved by the Baylor supporters reaction, waving at them and patting her heart despite not addressing the audience.

"Just full of emotion," Griner told ESPN during the game. "As soon as it started to go up, that's when I started to break. It just all came together at the right time."

The 2011-12 Bears finished 40-0 and concluded the season as the nation's top team, defeating Notre Dame 80-61 in the NCAA championship game. Griner averaged 23.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.2 blocks in his junior season, earning unanimous National Player of the Year and Final Four Most Outstanding Player accolades.

South Carolina wins their 43rd consecutive SEC regular-season game.

The Gamecocks defeated Georgia 70-56 in Sunday's SEC game, improving their overall record to 25-0 and 12-0 in conference play while creating history. This was South Carolina's 43rd consecutive regular-season conference victory, a league record. The Gamecocks broke the record set by Tennessee and the late, great Pat Summitt, who won 42 straight SEC games from January 1992 to January 1996. 

"I'm just proud of the former players and the current players to put together some of the most historical stretches in this league," head coach Dawn Staley said. "It says something to be able to do that because this is a hard league."

Kamilla Cardoso led the Gamecocks with 16 points and 16 rebounds, while Te-Hina Paopao made 5 three-pointers and finished with 15 points, and Chole Kitts contributed 12 points and 7 rebounds. South Carolina won their 55th consecutive home game, and Coach Dawn Staley got her 599th win of her coaching career. Dawn Staley will be looking for win number 600 when South Carolina faces Alabama on Thursday. 

2/18/24 — Notable Game Results

• #6 NC State beats Georgia Tech: 86-85 

• #1 South Carolina beats Georgia: 70-56

• #12 Virginia Tech beats #18 Louisville: 86-70

• #19 Syracuse beats Virginia: 85-79 

• #10 USC beats #11 Oregon State: 58-50 

• #21 Baylor beats Texas Tech: 61-32 

• #9 UCLA beats Oregon: 74-55

• Michigan State beats Michigan: 70-66

• Kentucky beats Florida: 81-77

• Tennessee beats Vanderbilt: 86-61

• Alabama beats Auburn: 67-61

• Ole Miss beats Mississippi State: 75-71 

2/17/24 - 2/19/24 — Players Of The Game

• Kamilla Cardoso— South Carolina 

  • 16 pts, 16 rebound, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals 

• Aziaha James — NC State Wolfpack 

  • 30 pts, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

• Elizabeth Kitley — Virginia Tech

  • 26 pts, 13 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 block 

• Dyaisha Fair — Syracuse

  • 33 pts, 4 rebounds, 5 assist, 3 steals

• Jakia Brown-Turner — Maryland  

  • 32 pts, 7 rebounds, 3 steals

• Isis Beh — Arizona 

  • 29 pts, 5 rebounds, 3 assists

•  Rickea Jackson — Tennessee  

  • 24 pts, 7 rebounds, 1 steal 

• Lex Therien — Loyola Maryland Greyhounds

  • 44 pts, 8 rebounds, 1 steal 

• Alyssa Ustby — North Carolina 

  • 25 pts, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

• Ta’Niya Latson — Florida State  

  • 29 pts, 3 rebounds, 3 assist, 1 block, 1 steal

Monday Games To Watch

• #20 Creighton vs. #15 UConn 

• #14 Indiana vs. Illinois  

• #13 LSU vs. Texas A&M 

• #16 Notre Dame vs. Duke

• Ole Miss vs.Florida 

• #18 Louisville vs. Boston College

• Bethune-Cookman vs. Jackson State 

• Tulane vs. Temple 

Tuesday Games To Watch

• Southern Indiana vs. Morehead State

• #23 Oklahoma vs. Cincinnati 

• St. John’s vs. Georgetown  

• Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

• Seton Hall vs. Marquette 

• Northwestern vs. Nebraska 

• Rice vs. Memphis

• #9 UCLA vs. #11 Oregon State 

• #10 USC vs, Oregon