The Weekly Roundup: January 25
The Weekly Roundup: January 25
More ranked upsets, some numbers on Michigan's Naz Hillmon, and stories to catch you up on the last week of basketball
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Happy Monday! Let’s dive in to the last week in basketball.
The Best Upsets
No. 25 Tennessee upsets No. 12 Kentucky (70-53): Tennessee didn’t wait long to bounce back from the close loss against UConn last Thursday. The Lady Vols rolled through Kentucky to secure its third ranked victory of the season. Tennessee held the Wildcats to season-lows in scoring, field goal percentage, and total rebounds. Senior Rennia Davis nearly matched the entire Kentucky team with 20 rebounds compared to the Wildcats’ 25. Sophomore Tamari Key led all scorers with 19 points for her fifth straight game scoring in double figures, and Davis had 15 points, including three from deep.
No. 6 UCLA upsets No. 5 Stanford (70-66): Stanford dropped its second game in a row against a rising UCLA team. UCLA dominated the boards 44-31, and Charisma Osborne led all scorers with 24 points along with nine rebounds and three steals. Stanford secured seven offensive rebounds, its lowest mark of the season, and struggled from the free-throw line and from deep.
HHS Top 25
Louisville (14-0)
NC State (11-0)
UConn (10-0)
South Carolina (12-1)
UCLA (9-2)
Maryland (11-1)
Stanford (12-2)
Baylor (10-2)
Arizona (11-2)
Texas A&M (13-1)
Oregon (11-3)
Michigan (10-1)
Ohio State (8-1)
Indiana (9-3)
South Florida (10-1)
Tennessee (10-3)
Kentucky (11-4)
Arkansas (11-5)
Northwestern (7-2)
Mississippi State (8-4)
DePaul (9-3)
Gonzaga (13-2)
Georgia (12-2)
Texas (11-3)
South Dakota State (13-2)
By The Numbers
Michigan junior Naz Hillmon had a monster game against Ohio State last Thursday where she put up 50 points on 20-of-30 shooting. Hillmon’s game is the highest-scoring performance all season, and the first 50-point game in power conference play since Kelsey Plum against Utah on February 25, 2017. Since the 2015-2016 season, there have been only 11 50-point games.
The loss against Ohio State marked Hillmon’s eighth double-double performance this season. Along with being the second-best offensive rebounder in the country, Hillmon’s 26.1 points per game is the third best in the nation right now, and she ranks No. 1 overall in field goals made per game with 10. Her 5.5 Win Shares and player efficiency rating of 46.9 both lead the country.
What We’re Working On
WNBA free agents can officially sign contracts next Monday, February 1. The Her Hoop Stats team put together a WNBA free agency resource guide that has everything you’ll need to keep up with free agency in one spot, including a 2021 free agency tracker that we’ll update with every new signing, links to our salary cap team sheets and offseason previews for all 12 teams, mock offseason coverage, and everything you need to know about the CBA.
Gabe Ibrahim wrote about four players who increased their contract value during the Wubble and are on track to get paid this free agency.
Gabe also broke down the biggest questions of the WNBA offseason.
Courtside returned for the first episode of the new year! Christy Winters-Scott and Gabe caught up on all the latest news including the Inauguration, A’ja Wilson’s statue on South Carolina’s campus, Alyssa Thomas’ injury, WNBA free agency, and much more.
Other Recommended Reading
For The New York Times, Scott Cacciola wrote about former head coach for the MIT Engineers Sonia Raman and how she made the jump from Division III women’s basketball to the NBA.
For Insider, Meredith Cash recapped A’ja Wilson’s big day last Monday on Martin Luther King Day at her statue unveiling ceremony in front of Colonial Life Arena.
For The Undefeated, Dawn Staley, as told to Sean Hurd, discussed her team’s decision to kneel for the national anthem, their progress on the court, and the team’s scare with COVID.
For The Next, Jenn Hatfield wrote about eight women’s basketball players who are fighting an Idaho law that bans transgender women and girls from competing against cisgender women.
Before You Go
What’s the best Bernie meme you’ve seen so far?
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.