The 'Ball-Knowers' NCAA Watch Guide: Weekend of November 8-12

Every Monday and every Friday during the NCAA women's basketball season, No Cap Space WBB will have a watch guide for those that truly know ball. Which games are must-watches for a variety of reasons.

At No Cap Space WBB, we want you to know ball. We want you to be able to look at other folks who may not know ball and not look down on them but instead educate them because you do, in fact, know ball. But during the college basketball season that can be hard. There’s, at any point, 10+ games happening on the same day in a variety of time windows.

So on Mondays and Fridays, we will be releasing what we call the ‘Ball-Knowers’ NCAA Watch Guide. Essentially, it’s a handful of games that our staff picks for each day based on a couple different metrics: how competitive the game might be, if there’s a player we like or find interesting involved, if there’s a team to watch or if the game has implications for NCAA selection in March. It’s basically a guide to help you see the forest through the trees so that by the spring you’ll have a good idea of who is a threat to make a run in the Dance.

Keep an eye out each week and we’ll make sure we get you what you need.

Friday, November 8

Creighton vs. South Dakota State — 7:00 pm ET, Summit League Network

Why it’s worth a watch: This is a day of really high level mid major matchups and South Dakota State is always everyone’s nightmare team. Creighton has a bit of a new look with Emma Ronsiek gone but most of their stars including Morgan Maly are back. Summit League Player of the Year Brooklynn Meyer will give the Bluejays a handful and the March implications are clear. SDSU packs their schedule with legit opponents to burnish their Tournament resume and Creighton has just as much to gain as they to do lose in this matchup. Probably one of the better mid major matchups we’ll get this year.

Must Watch Score: 8/10

Oregon State vs. Colorado State — 7:30 pm ET, Mountain West Network

Why it’s worth a watch: This is a really good speculative watch, in our opinion. Oregon State’s mass exodus after the dismantling of the Pac-12 is well documented but Scott Rueck did his best to put together a competitive roster this season. I’m curious to see how so many new faces look on the road in Moby Arena to open the year. On the flip side, I’m just as curious about Colorado State who now have a bonafied star in former Creighton star Emma Ronsiek, who came to Fort Collins to play with her sister. The Rams started hot under Ryun Williams a few years back but have stagnated as other programs like UNLV have surged. With a true centerpiece for the first time in awhile, don’t be surprised if CSU makes some waves. It’s a good watch to figure out what both teams will look like.

Must Watch Score: 6/10

Grand Canyon vs. Mid Tenn State — 7:30 pm ET, ESPN+

Why it’s worth a watch: Another top tier mid major matchup this Friday night. Grand Canyon will probably be the team to beat in the WAC as they return a ton of talent and have a couple of solid transfers, chief among them former UNLV Reb Nneka Obiazor. Mid Tenn State is one of my dark horse mid majors that can really eye a Sweet 16 run this season. The Blue Raiders upset Louisville in March of last year before falling to LSU. Watch Tamia Scott, who scored 24 in their opener, and double-double machine Anastasiia Boldyreva.

Must Watch Score: 8/10

Saturday, November 9

Wyoming vs. BYU — 4:00 pm ET, ESPN+

Why it’s worth a watch: Saturday is a pretty rough slate so we found this one to be the most intriguing. The Pokes almost clipped Colorado in the opener and Alyson Fertig is a great story. Arguably one of the best prep players to every come out of Wyoming, she’s now in the running as a Mountain West Player of the Year contender. Meanwhile, BYU has been trying to rebuild their program after the departure of Jeff Judkins. Amari Whiting is a fun player to watch and also the daughter of Cougs head coach Amber Whiting.

Must-Watch Score: 4/10

Sunday, November 10

No. 11 Duke vs. No. 18 Maryland — 1:00 pm ET, FS1

Why it’s worth a watch: Both Duke and Maryland are 2-0 heading into this matchup and it’s one of the first really good non-con non-neutral site matchups we’re getting this year. Former ACC rivals meet and there’s plenty on the line here in the early going. Duke will want to continue to prove that that 2024 Tournament upset of Ohio State was a sign of things to come. Reigan Richardson and Jadyn Donovan will be expected to lead and show out on the road. Meanwhile, Maryland is in need of a win to show that the transfer turnover is capable of yielding early returns. Rutgers transfer Kaylene Smikle had 20 points in their win over Coppin State. Christina Dalce, the Villanova transfer, also looks like the kid of player that will be demanding touches down low this year. It’s good on good and that’s exactly what you want this early in the year.

Must-Watch Score: 9/10

No. 9 NC State vs. No. 1 South Carolina 3:00 pm ET, ESPN

Why it’s worth a watch: A rematch of the 2024 NCAA Final Four with both teams returning a healthy chunk of players from those squads means this one is close to being a 10/10 must-watch. Personally, that score is reserved for some other games we’ll get later in the non-con but this is right up there. For South Carolina, it will be interesting to see if Ashlyn Watkins returns to the floor after a dismissal of charges stemming from a domestic dispute before the year started. She has since returned to the team. The Gamecocks will also get to unleash their fabulous freshman Joyce Edwards and their backcourt duo of Raven Johnso and Te-Hina Paopao. NC State will have their full complement of guards available but the big question, as it was for the Wolfpack at the start of the year, is if their bigs have what it takes for these matchups.

Must-Watch Score: 9.5/10

Gonzaga vs. Stanford 3:00 pm ET, ESPN2

Why it’s worth a watch: It is no secret that this season is one of both change and question marks for Stanford. They have begun their season with two absolute blowouts in games against Le Moyne and former Pac-12 foe Washington State, but their game against Gonzaga presents what feels like their first major hill to climb. For Gonzaga, Yvonne Ejim (19.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG in ‘23'-’24) is a star player and freshman Allie Turner put up 18 of her own against Montana in Gonzaga’s season opener. While obviously early, this signals to be a game that answers some of the question marks and begins to show the true direction for each of these teams this season

Must-Watch Score: 8.5/10

Norfolk State vs. Missouri 3:00 pm ET, SECN+

Why it’s worth a watch: There is no secret that HBCU’s struggle with seeding when the NCAA Tournament rolls around, often times in ways that feel much out of their control. This game for Norfolk St against a SEC opponent is the type that can really stand out in the long run of this season. All games count whether they are played in November or February and for Diamond Johnson, Kierra “MeMe” Wheeler, and this Norfolk St, this game could count big.

Must-Watch Score: 6.5/10

Virginia Tech vs. Iowa 5:30 pm ET, ESPN2

Why it’s worth a watch: Lacks the starpower of last year but there is a lot to be intrigued by in this game. Worth a watch on a speculative basis.

Two teams that have each participated in Final Fours over the past two seasons, two teams that find themselves figuring out new eras. Similar to Stanford, both Virginia Tech and Iowa have lost their star players and have turned the reigns over to a new head coach, Megan Duffy for Virginia Tech and Jan Jensen for Iowa. This will be the first time both teams are on the national stage this season after both picked up wins in their first games. We will be learning a lot about both teams and the winner will pick up some momentum with the hope to fast track some program development this season.

Must-Watch Score: 7.5/10

No. 12 Baylor vs. Oregon 10:00 pm ET, Big Ten Network

Why it’s worth a watch: We are on Oregon watch. This is a win that could truly establish the Ducks as on their way back after an incredibly rough ‘23-’24 season. North Carolina transfer Deja Kelly has been filling up the box score early, especially with an encouraging 8 assists against Nevada. This is an incredibly early “prove it” game that could serve as a stamp early. On the flip side for Baylor, if they are able to win this game this could end up being a very good road win on the resume if Oregon does indeed prove to be back.

Must-Watch Score: 8.5/10

Monday, November 11

Drake vs. No. 21 Creighton 7:00 pm ET, Creighton Online

Why it’s worth a watch: This game is poised to be some elite mid-major hoops. Drake’s Katie Dinnebier (18.1 PPG, 6.9 APG in ‘23-’24) is one of the best mid-major players in the nation which makes this worth the watch alone but the March implications are massive for Drake. For Creighton, this game comes directly before matchups with #13 Kansas St and #23 Nebraska, a win here would be great for the immediate momentum.

Must-Watch Score: 7/10

Florida Gulf Coast vs. Columbia 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+

Why it’s worth a watch: Columbia finds themselves in an interesting position with 2024 AP All-American Honorable Mention Abbey Hsu no longer on the roster. They themselves look different and other Ivy League schools such as Princeton lost their first game. They are still absolutely a roster that is a contender for the Ivy League NCAA slot, Harvard will certainly have something to say about it, but figuring themselves out early in the post Hsu era would be massive. Florida Gulf Coast themselves are in desperate need of a win after losing their first game of the season to Davidson, 57-56. A win against Columbia could help put their loss out of sight and out of mind to allow them to start stacking some wins.

Must-Watch Score: 7.5/10

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