Classic rivalries, statement wins and Canada’s Fournier is heating up

No. 21 Iowa defeats No. 18 Iowa State in a classic matchup: It’s a classic state rivalry between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones. After the departure of both Caitlin Clark and longtime head coach Lisa Bluder, the Hawkeyes have proven themselves in this new era. They only lost their first game last week when Tennessee was able to get past a top ranked team. Following that loss, they hosted rivals Iowa State, who were predicted to perform better this season. The now 8-3 Cyclones were in control for most of the game until turnovers and foul trouble put them in some trouble. Despite a 31-point performance from Audi Crooks, the Hawkeyes took advantage of that late-game battle and won 75-69 in the Battle of Iowa.

No. 19 Tennessee re-enters the rankings: Thanks in part to that win over Iowa last week, the Tennesee Volunteers are back in the AP rankings. In the program’s longest unranked drought, they had been unranked in nearly two seasons. They started the non-conference portion of the season 7-0, but Iowa was clearly their biggest competition yet. Now back in the rankings, Tennessee will need to stay strong this month before entering SEC play. They narrowly missed a chance to play for the SEC Championship last season thanks to a 3-pointer by Kamila Cardoso, and that still has to sting. The SEC is one of the most competitive conferences in women’s college basketball, thanks to Tennessee, South Carolina, LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Kentucky and others.

No. 8 Notre Dame beats No. 6 Texas: After Notre Dame slipped in the rankings in recent weeks due to losses to TCU and Utah, it was time for them to rebound. That opportunity came against Texas, a team that struggled with Notre Dame in the rankings. It was a fantastic game that included overtime. While Texas scored the first bucket in overtime, Notre Dame went on a 10-0 run to secure the 10-point victory. It was a highly entertaining game between two teams with national championship aspirations. Hannah Hidalgo played 45 minutes and scored 30 points on 11-20 shooting from the field to help her team win.

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 8 Notre Dame: Thursday, December 12th at 7:00 PM EST

Arguably the most anticipated game of the year so far, the UConn-Notre Dame rivalry is one that spans decades in women’s basketball. Bigger than standings and records, this rivalry runs deep and personal between these teams. Last season, Hannah Hidalgo came into Storrs, Conn. and handed the Huskies a loss on a silver platter. Now healthier and looking for revenge, Paige Bueckers and her UConn team will try to do the same. Unfortunately, Azzi Fudd has already been ruled out of this game after picking up a minor knee sprain last week. However, UConn will have the Bueckers as well as their star freshman Sarah Strong to battle against Hannah Hidalgo, Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles. UConn is also undefeated this season and hopes to stay that way. It will be an absolute battle from start to finish and must see television.

no. 2 UConn vs. no. 18 Iowa State: Tuesday, December 17th at 8:30pm EST

UConn will play again early next week as they host Iowa State at Mohegan Sun. The vibe of this game will depend largely on the outcome of UConn’s game against Notre Dame, but for Iowa State, it’s a chance to prove itself. They have lost tough games against South Carolina, Iowa and Northern Iowa so far this season, and a win against UConn would be a great way to get back into the win column. For UConn, this will either be a continuation of building confidence or angry revenge for a heartbreaking loss. There’s no telling if Azzi Fudd will be able to star in this as well, as she is due to be re-evaluated before then. Regardless, it will be a game that reflects the ripple effect of the season we’ve seen so far.

No. 9 Duke freshman Toby Fournier started to heat up. The 6-foot-2 Canadian started her season looking fresh, excited and a little hesitant — but as she gains more experience, her confidence shines through. While Fournier is best as a No. 4 forward, the lack of size on Duke’s roster makes her play more of a center role, but she’s learning.

In Duke’s big win against Virginia Tech, Fournier had 27 points, 9 rebounds and 1 block. In Duke’s 11 games, Fournier has scored in double figures in seven of them, impressive given the variation in minutes he’s played. Her coach Kara Lawson has done an excellent job of showing that she has confidence in the young player without putting too much pressure on her with huge minutes or responsibilities. As Fournier’s confidence grows, Lawson will likely start letting her play for longer stretches, but for now, it’s a great opportunity for Fournier to experiment and get comfortable.

That 27-point performance is just a glimpse of Fournier’s potential. The Canadian from Toronto has plenty of experience playing at the international level for Team Canada and is one of the biggest names emerging in Canadian basketball right now. Poised to become a staple on the senior women’s team as she ages, Fournier’s ceiling is high. She has the potential to develop into a versatile big with a style of play similar to A’ja Wilson or Breanna Stewart — those taller players who can do a little bit of everything. It will be fun to see how the rest of her freshman season plays out.