College Basketball Weekly Roundup: Saniya Rivers, Gamecocks on Top, Hollywood Recruiting & More
The opening week of college basketball was a raucous affair, tipping off in France with a special spectacle between Notre Dame and South Carolina. Freshmen have starred, players have made significant leaps early in the season, and the AP Poll is in shambles; it's beautiful.
Rounding up the opening stanza, what's stood out and what can we take away?
Saniya Rivers' Stardom
North Carolina State's Saniya Rivers had arguably the performance of the week, finishing with a 33 point, 10 board, 5 assist statline adding 6 combined steals and blocks in the Wolfpack's win over UConn.
She was unguardable, getting to her mid-rage jumper with ease, slashing to the rim, and toying with the Huskies from the right side of the floor. She made her presence felt consistently as a help defender and irritant at the rim and in the passing lanes. Her impact on the entire area of the court was wildly impressive; regardless of if she was directly involved in a play or not, it felt like she was just a hair away from making a play.
UConn is in the midst of shifting to a much smaller and more spread out look, but in some ways, that almost made Rivers' impact that much more impressive. There was not a single player Geno Auriemma could rely on to keep Rivers out of the paint. Their help principles in their man defense was off. When they did try to add additional pressure, Rivers picked it apart with quick passes.
Rivers has a remarkable first step regardless of size, but at 6'1 with a tight handle, she poses matchup nightmares for most any team. Her composure throughout the game and the control to pick apart the defense how she wanted, stands out when thinking about this season for NC State, and with respect to who Saniya can be as a professional player someday.
Add in freshman Zoe Brooks' poise and playmaking across the board, and the Wolfpack have a dynamic guard tandem that's going to pose problems for the ACC and everyone at large.
NC State has a jam packed non-conference schedule in the next two weeks, playing Elon tonight before another game with Rhode Island (a very strong team this season), and then reeling off three games in three days against Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Colorado in that order. We're going to find out a lot about NC State as the month goes on! With Rivers at the helm, it's going to be so worth watching.
***Notable: Saniya Rivers has a March birthday, and will turn 21 in 2024, so she will not be eligible until the 2025 WNBA Draft***
The Gamecocks are Back on Top
South Carolina started the season ranked 6th, understandably given that they graduated one of the greatest starting lineups in basketball history. Two massive wins over ranked teams later, what I would consider the best resume in division one thus far, and the Gamecocks are back in the number one spot.
MiLaysia Fulwiley has dazzled with her pop and court vision. Kamilla Cardoso is dominating as a starter.
What's made me so excited has been the depth of the team and how they all fit in. Last year, this team dominated with defense and what they were able to build playing through Aliyah Boston, the best player in college basketball.
This year, they're dominating through versatility.
South Carolina is largely running the same offense, predicated on high low post actions with motion built around it. The difference is the personnel. That doesn't make it better per se, it just hits different with new players in new roles. Te-Hina Paopao has been awesome on and off the ball, kicking the offense into gear and then working to make herself a consistent weapon off the ball. Bree Hall continues to make her name as a shooter and slasher that can connect plays and keep the ball moving. Raven Johnson looks that much more comfortable leading the dance, getting to her pull-up, running the break, and table-setting the offense. I'm excited about the floor-spacing and defense of freshman Tessa Johnson and Sania Feagin has been remarkable off the bench.
Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins have me captivated, however.
The Gamecocks ran a lineup with Watkins and Kitts playing as the frontcourt, which is such a vastly different look than years prior. Their length and athleticism is overwhelming, something Maryland felt in droves.
Watkins made plays last year; this year she's putting together more consistent stretches, and that's scary when recognizing her potential.
She and Kitts worked well off one another, and playing alongside other bigs on the roster. An essential part of being an effective 4 for the Gamecocks is the ability to move without the ball, something Watkins and Kitts both excelled at in the most recent game with Maryland.
Kitts in particular was great at making herself a constant threat, always moving and sliding to stay in the pocket for SC's guards. She's stronger, she's more fluid attacking off the catch, and is more consistent in her approach and ability at this level.
Maryland Head Coach Brenda Frese went as far as saying she thinks this group is better than the team she and the Terps faced last season twice. While that's a lofty expectation, and the top end talent is different, there may be some validity with respect to how versatile this group is. Who has the size, length, and skill to actually matchup with them?
I cannot wait to keep watching this group play together and flourish, because this is a blast to watch.
UCLA and USC Setting the Tone
The Bruins and Trojans enter the week both in the top ten, pacing the Pac-12 along with Utah.
UCLA entered the year with expectations, and USC has burst onto the scene behind freshman wing JuJu Watkins, averaging 28.3 points and starring in their win over Ohio State. UCLA hasn't had a marquee win yet, but building off of a very good team last year with another year of internal development and key transfers, they're going to make noise deep in the Tournament.
However, while both teams are excelling on the court, it's what they just did during the early signing period that has me most excited. I don't want to be hyperbolic in saying "The Final 4 will run through LA," but.... with how good these staffs are, the rosters in place already, and two of the best classes signed in the 2024 high school class, it feels apt.
These programs enter the Big Ten next year as likely contenders past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
It's not about the stars and player rankings of the players both programs recruited; it's the culmination of talent and fit with the teams.
UCLA has 4 2024 Signees
- Kendall Dudley
- Zania Socka-Nguemen
- Avary Cain
- Elina Aarnisalo
Dudley and Socka-Nguemen are both long and athletic forwards with some ball skills and good court awareness on either end. They can pass, drive, finish, post up, and make an impact defensively. Considering the presence of Lauren Betts at center now and moving forward, adding forwards/bigs that bring the ability to play multiple lineups and shift their looks around her or when she's on the bench is huge.
Cain is a bigger wing that can make an impact from multiple positions. How she continues to grow strength-wise and develop playing through contact will be substantial in her ability to make plays off the bounce along side her shooting and ability to connect plays off the second side.
Aarnisalo is the next overseas player to come over for Cori Close and her staff, someone who should factor into the guard rotation behind Kiki Rice and Londynn Jones (who has looked awesome so far).
When thinking of where the game is headed, where it's at now, and how few teams actually have the intersection of talent and versatility like this, I can't wait to see how they keep developing and grow together as a group over time.
UCLA also added Lauren Betts' younger sister, Sienna Betts, to their 2025 class.
USC signed 6 to their 2024 class (Brooklyn Shamblin announced she was reclassing to 2024, originally a 2025 recruit)
- Brooklyn Shamblin
- Avery Howell
- Rian Forestier
- Kennedy Smith
- Kayleigh Heckel
- Laura Williams
SC had a similar approach, but with the idea of building around and amplifying JuJu Watkins. This class is filled with playmakers, both off the dribble and as secondary players. The Trojans have built a base defensively, taken the next step around Watkins as an initiator this season as an offense with tweaked spacing due to transfers, and continued growth in guard play over the next few seasons will be worth watching and noting.
Kennedy Smith, from nearby Etiwanda high school, and a member of the Cal Sparks U17 EYBL National Championship team, played against Watkins in high school and was one of the most coveted recruits in the 2024 class.
Again, versatility is the name of the game, and when you add Smith to what this group could be next year, there are but a handful of teams that can matchup with what the Trojans' will have on the wing.
Smith is a willing and solid shooter on volume, she can attack off the dribble, she can post up a bit, she's a good passer period, and at 6'1, rounded herself into one of the best and most versatile defenders on the AAU circuit. It's rare to find players with size that also have consistent bankable skills that you can rely on with a strong defensive baseline.
While fit and personality are undoubtedly the most important part in program building, something that cannot and should not be undersold, these programs have made massive waves in the immediate and near future with the last week of signings.
Mid-Major Madness
First and foremost, major props to all the staffs of mid-major schools who went out and scheduled the best of the best. Unfortunately, a few teams will get the short end of the stick every year with respect to the Tournament, but by scheduling hellish non-conference schedules, you bet on yourself and hedge against committee decision-making.
Gonzaga nearly took a win against a damn good Washington State team, but fell in overtime 77-72. They then turned around and faced Toledo, the MAC champion returning the majority of their second round Tourney team from last season, and won convincingly outright.
Yvonne Ejim just keeps improving. The Truongs are consistently electric. Brynna Maxwell has had a slow start to the season but will round into form. How the rest of the rotation comes together is worth watching as Gonzaga seeks to cement themselves as a Top 25 team and the best Mid-Major in the NCAA.
The Rockets were coming right off of their own impressive win, a come from behind victory against a good James Madison team that will be on the hunt to make March Madness again.
Destinee Wells is now over and making an impact in Knoxville for the Volunteers, but Belmont has started off the year splitting a pair of games against the SEC, dropping a close game to Mizzou before taking it to a young Georgia squad.
The Bruins take on Wichita State, Mississippi State, and Stanford over the next week with a couple of big time games against Middle Tennessee and Ohio State coming up in December.
Davidson beat Wake Forest in a close game and then lost to North Carolina in nail-biting fashion, led by Charlise Dunn who's averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 boards, and 2.3 assists with 46.9/42.1/92.3 splits.
The Wildcats played a solid non-con last year, and are doing the same this year preparing themselves for A-10 play. They have a meeting with Duke in Durham this week, and that'll be another key measuring stick game for them.
This group can spread the floor, move the ball at a high level, and has some versatility on the defensive end. The game with UNC wasn't a fluke by any stretch. I look to Davidson to make some noise this year in the A-10 and potentially find their way to postseason play.
Lastly, the Drake Bulldogs!!!
Drake was flat out GOOD last season, taking Louisville to the wire in a one possession game as the 12 seed in the Seattle region last year. They're a vet heavy team, returning 69.2% of their total minutes played from last season. Thus far, Senior Grace Berg is taking the leap, up to 19 ppg, averaging 6 more points than last season while getting more threes up, getting to the free throw line at a higher rate, and improved efficiency at large.
It's worth noting that Emily Ryan didn't play in Drake's matchup with Iowa State (or at all yet), but Drake won convincingly, including a 22-4 2nd quarter as Drake had three players finish with 20 or more points.
This group is in the same boat as Gonzaga, looking to return to the tourney, build upon a very successful prior season, and approaching with a balanced attack.
Keep Drake on your radar, and even more importantly, watch these Mid-Major teams!! They can't sneak up on you in March when you've had eyes on in November.
Games to Watch This Week
Tuesday
Duke @ Columbia: 6 PM EST
Utah @ Baylor: 7:30 PM EST
Wednesday
Rutgers @ Seton Hall: 7:00 PM EST
Northwestern @ Notre Dame: 7:00 PM EST
Temple @ Ole Miss: 7:30 PM EST
Vanderbilt @ Western Kentucky: 7:30 EST
Thursday
Maryland @ Connecticut: 6:30 PM EST
Penn State @ St. John's: 7:00 PM EST
Clemson @ South Carolina: 7:00 PM EST
South Florida @ Alabama: 7:00 PM EST
Kansas State @ Iowa: 8:30 PM EST
Friday
Princeton @ UCLA: 2:30 PM EST
Florida State @ Florida: 4:00 PM EST
California @ Auburn: 8:00 PM EST
Saturday
Illinois @ Notre Dame (neutral site): 1:00 PM EST
Arizona @ Memphis: 2:30 PM EST
Michigan @ Middle Tennessee: 5:00 PM EST
Colorado @ Southern Methodist: 9:00 PM EST
Sunday
Syracuse @ Maryland: 12:00 PM EST
Creighton @ Nebraska: 2:00 PM EST
Harvard @ Baylor: 2:00 PM EST
Oklahoma @ Virginia: 2:00 PM EST
Rhode Island @ NC State: 2:00 PM EST
Duke @ Stanford: 3:00 PM EST
Mississippi State @ Belmont: 3:00 PM EST
Connecticut @ Minnesota: 5:00 PM EST
Drake @ Iowa: 7:00 PM EST
