Welcome to the sophomore showcase, starring Sarah Strong and her near-perfect play. Through two weeks, it has been evident that the future is bright with second-year players like Strong, South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards, Michigan’s Olivia Olson and a few others from unranked squads. Week 3 will deliver yet another opportunity for the sophomore stars to shine, and it will provide a real stress test for two ranked programs coming off tough losses.
Here’s who to watch and where the games can be found for this week’s slate of games:
Florida vs. Florida State
Come for the Sunshine Showdown between the Seminoles and the Gators, stay for standout Florida guard Liv McGill. The sophomore has notched absurd lines of 38-8-10-7 and 26-9-9-5 (points, rebounds, assists and steals) this season after breaking the Florida freshman scoring record last year. (Her 38-point, 10-assist performance was just the sixth in Division I women’s hoops since the 1999–2000 season.) She’ll be facing a Seminoles squad that, after bringing back just 25.0% of its minutes played and 18.8% of its scoring from last season, is now shooting threes at a high clip. If guards Emma Risch and Solè Williams can get hot from deep, there could be fireworks.
No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 19 Iowa
Iowa’s frontcourt deserves more of your attention, and look no further than forward Hannah Stuelke for a reason why. The senior strengthened her case to be a 2026 WNBA draft first-round pick when she did yeoman’s work in defending Brazil’s Kamilla Cardoso during Team USA’s FIBA AmeriCup gold medal win, and now she has upped her efficiency through four games this season. At the same time, center Ava Heiden has led the Hawkeyes in rebounds and is second on the team in points, parlaying her end-of-year success into a bigger role in her sophomore season. Baylor, meanwhile, will be searching for its first 2–0 start against top 25 teams in November for the first time since 2019.
Both teams will be looking to bounce back after each suffered a disappointing loss last week. USC’s 17-point defeat at the hands of South Carolina (which took the inaugural “The Real SC” title) highlighted one of the Trojans’ main weaknesses: inefficient offense. Lindsay Gottlieb’s squad, while taut defensively, shot 22-for-67 from the floor and now ranks 268th out of 363 Division I teams in effective field goal percentage (40.7%). Luckily, the Women of Troy will face a Fighting Irish squad reeling from a 39-point bludgeoning. For Notre Dame, though, the team’s major flaw is less fixable and more structural. There just isn’t enough high-end talent around Hannah Hidalgo. Friday’s matchup will be a real gut check for Notre Dame’s rest-of-season aspirations.
No. 1 UConn vs. No. 6 Michigan
Hoo boy, how can anyone approach defending Sarah Strong without resigning to defeat? The UConn sophomore looked dominant with 29 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and zero turnovers in a 100–68 win against Ohio State on Sunday. There’s just not much that she do. While Michigan has its own trio of sensational sophomores in Mila Holloway, Olivia Olson and Syla Swords, the frontcourt is not the Wolverines’ strong suit. Forward Ashley Sofilkanich won’t have an easy time guarding Strong or Serah Williams. With all that being said, Friday night is a great opportunity to watch some of the best sophomores in the country play in prime time. (It’s also a good spot to see whether freshman forward Blanca Quiñonez continues to earn minutes in the Huskies’ rotation.)
No. 21 Louisville vs. No. 20 Kentucky
Can Kenny Brooks’s second year in Lexington match his first, a season in which Kentucky won at least 20 games for the first time since 2019–20? It will be tough. Without guard Georgia Amoore, the Wildcats shine with more depth in the frontcourt. Center Clara Strack, who was the 2024–25 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and forward Teonni Key do their best work at the rim—they are shooting 77.3% on close twos and averaging over five blocks per game—while forward Amelia Hassett adds sharpshooting from deep. Louisville, however, relies on backcourt depth. Led by sophomore Tajianna Roberts, the Cardinals’ guards have scored more than 60% of the team’s total points. Saturday’s matchup will be a good proving ground for Kentucky’s remade backcourt, comprised of transfers Tonie Morgan (Georgia Tech) and Asia Boone (Liberty).
Other Games to Watch
Tuesday, Nov. 18:
9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+: Montana State vs. UNLV (The Lady Rebels had Baylor on the ropes last week. They get the 2025 Big Sky champs in what should be a tight mid-major matchup.)
Wednesday, Nov. 19:
7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+: Kansas vs. Minnesota (Is Minnesota underrated? The Gophers’ depth will be tested against their toughest opponent to date.)
Saturday, Nov. 22:
4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+: Arizona State vs. UNLV (If you don’t watch UNLV on Tuesday, Saturday offers another opportunity against a Sun Devils team embarking on a new era.)8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+: No. 19 Iowa vs. Miami (Undefeated to date, Miami and its reshaped roster have a tough matchup on deck against the Hawkeyes.)
Sunday, Nov. 23:
2:00 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate with a twist: Sophomore Dani Carnegie transferred from Tech to Georgia, giving a new meaning to sting ’em.)