Maryland had started out 3-1 and was full of optimism. They got a
reality check against Penn State, however, losing 101-74. This came
despite Renneika Razor going nuts for 32 points. Maryland has improved
and play an exciting brand of basketball, but they are a long way from the
top 25.
NC State continues to struggle. After understandable losses to UConn
and UCSB, they fell to a Loyola-Marymount team that should not have beaten
them. The Wolfpack women rebounded to cream a bad ECU team, but top
frontcourt reserve Adeola Olanrewaju has taken an extended leave of
absence from the team. She was 4th in the ACC in rebounds after just a
few games, so this is a blow to State. Luckily, Alvine Mendeng will be
eligible soon.
The most disappointing team in the league right now is Virginia. After
upsetting Old Dominion, they were beaten by Liberty and now Virginia Tech.
The Hokies won by double digits, in fact. Debbie Ryan is still searching
for a lineup that will work; she's got the parts, but needs to figure out
how they fit together.
On the other hand, Florida State is playing rather well. They beat a
solid Indiana club to go to 4-1 on the year, with only a loss to Florida
marring their record. Frosh Ganiyat Adeduntan has played particularly
well for the Seminoles. Keep an eye on this club.
Speaking of decent, Georgia Tech bounced back from their loss to Kansas
State (and the loss of point guard Nina Barlin) to win three in a row.
The opponents weren't great, but all the wins were big. Alex Stewart is
doing an excellent job as the starting point.
Clemson beat a good Western Kentucky club to go to 2-1 after being
crushed by South Carolina. Rebounding remains a problem, however.
UNC is 4-1, having finished third at the Rainbow Wahine Classic. That
included an upset loss to a depleted Oklahoma team but a solid win over a
good Hawaii squad, the hosts. La'Tangela Atkinson is proving to be as
good a frosh as you will find in the league, though Coretta Brown is
struggling with her shooting.
Lastly, Wake Forest is an impressive 4-1 against unimpressive opponents.
The big improvement is that Wake is blowing away their foes and really
putting up some points for a change. Cotelia Bond-Young has lived up to
her rep as a shooter and has helped the team immensely, while Eafton Hill
is fully healthy again and is doing some damage inside. I think that the
NIT is a very reasonable goal for this club.