The Weekly Roundup: March 1
Dates for every conference tournament, and links to stories to catch you up on the last week
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Happy Monday! Let’s dive in to the last week in basketball.
The Best Upset
Houston upsets No. 13 South Florida (67-49) - As the race to the NCAA National Championship heats up, there have been a lot of great upsets, especially this week (e.g., Iowa’s rout of No. 12 Michigan, Ole Miss completing the season sweep of No. 19 Kentucky, Arizona State potentially ousting No.9 Arizona out of a No. 2 tourney seed), but Houston, who was listed as the first team out on ESPN’s latest bracketology report, quietly added the most important win to its tournament resume last week. Houston snapped No. 13 South Florida’s 13-game winning streak for the team’s first win over a Top 25 opponent since 2010. The Cougars now rank 47 in the NET rankings and are 67th in the Her Hoop Stats ratings.
Other upsets from last week: Iowa over No. 12 Michigan, Ole Miss over No. 19 Kentucky, Arizona State over Arizona in overtime, Oregon State over No. 14 Oregon, Penn State over No. 15 Ohio State
Jacqueline’s Top 25
UConn (20-1)
Texas A&M (22-1)
Stanford (22-2)
NC State (17-2)
South Carolina (19-4)
Baylor (19-2)
Louisville (21-2)
Maryland (19-2)
UCLA (14-4)
Indiana (16-4)
Michigan (13-3)
Arizona (15-4)
Tennessee (15-6)
South Florida (14-2)
Arkansas (19-7)
Georgia (18-5)
Oregon (13-6)
Rutgers (12-3)
Ohio State (13-6)
Kentucky (16-7)
West Virginia (18-4)
Gonzaga (21-3)
South Dakota State (21-2)
Missouri State (18-2)
Florida Gulf Coast (19-2)
Conference Tournaments
Many conferences are in postseason mode now that the regular season has ended, and a few other leagues wrap up play this week. Some league tournaments could be a close race between teams vying for an automatic qualifying bid to the national tournament. Seeding could be at stake for deep conferences with multiple teams locked in to the tourney, while there’s always the possibility of a Cinderella team making an upset run (a la a tenth-seeded Arkansas team making it to the SEC Finals in 2019 and being in the national conversation ever since).
Here are tournament dates for all 31 conferences to keep in mind as the postseason kicks off:
In Progress:
Horizon League: First Round began Feb. 25. Quarterfinals March 2, Semifinals March 8, Championship game on March 9 at 12 p.m. EST on ESPNU
America East: Quarterfinals held Feb. 28, Semifinals, March 7, Championship game on March 12 at 5 p.m. EST on ESPNU
Beginning this week:
Ohio Valley: March 3-6; Championship game at 2 p.m. EST on ESPN+
ACC: March 3-7; Championship game at 12 p.m. EST on ESPN2
Pac-12: March 3-7; Championship game at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN2
SEC: March 3-7; Championship game at 2 p.m. EST on ESPN2
Southern Conference: March 4, 5, 7; Championship game at 12 p.m. EST on ESPN+
West Coast Conference: March 4-9; Championship game on ESPNU
Patriot League: March 4, 7, 11, 14; Championship game on CBS Sports Network
Big East: March 5-8; Championship game at 8 p.m. EST on FS1
Sun Belt: March 5-8; Championship game on ESPNU
Big South: March 6, 8, 11, 14; Championship game on ESPN+
Summit League: March 6-9
Mountain West; March 7-10; Championship game on CBS Sports Network
MEAC: March 7, 11-13; Championship game on ESPN3
Beginning next week:
American: March 8-11; Championship game on ESPNU
Big Sky: March 8-12
MAAC: March 8-13
Big Ten: March 9-13; Championship game at 2 p.m. EST on ESPNU
Big West: March 9-13
ASUN: March 10-14; Championship game on ESPN+
Colonial: March 10-13; All games on FloHoops
MAC: March 10-13; Championship game on CBS Sports Network
SWAC: March 10-13; Championship game on ESPN3
Conference USA: March 10-13; Championship game on CBS Sports Network
WAC: March 10, 12-13
Northeast Conference: March 10 and 14; Championship game on ESPNU
Southland: March 10-14; Championship game on CBS Sports Network
Big 12: March 11-14; Championship game at 1 p.m. EST on ESPN2
Atlantic 10: March 10-14; Championship game on ESPNU
Missouri Valley: March 11-14; Championship game on ESPN+
What We’re Working On
Jenn Hatfield spoke to Stu Singer, the sports psychologist and performance consultant behind the focus and mental improvement of Washington Mystics stars like Elena Delle Donne and Natasha Cloud.
Calvin Wetzel and Adam Vachon looked at the numbers behind back-to-back games this season and how teams perform on day two.
Aaron Barzilai joined Megan Gauer on Unplugged to chat about bracketology, the best teams heading into March, national player of the year candidates, and more.
In case you missed it, Her Hoop Stats released a new WNBA feature tool that charts 2021 player salaries with 2020 player production. You can track all players, or just free agents, with any per game, total, value, or advanced stat, and highlight players and track them as you change stats. It’s great for salary analysis and pairs perfectly with our WNBA Salary Cap data.
Everything you need to keep up with WNBA free agency. Trackers are updated as we confirm new contracts: 2021 free agency tracker, salary cap team sheets, and WNBA CBA FAQ.
Other Recommended Reading
For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chris Vivlamore wrote about how Renee Montgomery’s journey to Atlanta Dream ownership started with a tweet.
For ESPN, Katie Barnes wrote about Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 prospect and future Husky, her return from injury, and her future alongside Paige Bueckers.
For The Undefeated, Aaron Dodson and Nick DePaula wrote about Black women, including WNBA stars like Natasha Cloud, Candace Parker, and Sheryl Swoopes, taking over the footwear industry and reshaping the culture of the business.
For The Athletic, Charlotte Carroll spoke to Amber Cox, the former vice president of sports at Mohegan Sun, about her time in the WNBA, her new role as the chief operating officer for the Kansas City NWSL team, and the future of women’s sports.
For The New York Times, Jonathan Abrams wrote about Jewell Loyd’s offseason in her hometown and restoring a gym in her community with her brother Jarryd.
Before You Go
Cincinnati senior IImar’I Thomas broke her program’s scoring record and set the season-high for points scored this season with 51 points against East Carolina on Feb. 24. Thomas is averaging 23.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists a game, and shooting 54.4% from the field on the year. She’s ranked No. 1 in the country in offensive win shares and is the only player to average at least 20 points, seven boards, and 3 assists this season.
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. You can also buy Her Hoop Stats gear, such as laptop stickers, mugs, and shirts!
Haven’t subscribed to the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter yet?