With the start of the women’s college basketball season approaching on Nov. 3, there are several ranked matchups you should put on your calendar in the month of November. Women’s college teams tend to lock in tough opponents early to prepare for their conference slate, so we won’t have to wait long to see most of the top teams tested.
UCLA and South Carolina, in particular, have put together schedules that will truly show who their teams are in the few weeks of the season. The Bruins, ranked third in the AP preseason poll, and the Gamecocks, ranked second, will each face three ranked teams before the calendar turns to December. They may even play each other, but you’ll need to read on to find out about that.
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Here are the biggest games to mark on your calendar for women’s college basketball in November:
November 3: Duke vs. Baylor
You may need to come down with a cold on November 3 and 4, because the season tips off with a bang. Both days will have women’s basketball starting at 11 a.m. ET, with the last tip at 7 p.m. on Monday. On Tuesday, the action will go on past midnight thanks to Portland State and Hawai’i playing in Honolulu.
The first big game of the season, though, will happen in Paris, with Duke taking on Baylor at 12 p.m. ET. Duke, led by standout sophomore Toby Fournier, made it to the Elite Eight last season, but is hungry to establish itself among the elite in women’s basketball. Led by senior Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, who averaged a double-double last season, Baylor will want to derail the Blue Devils’ plans.
Toby Fournier will look to lead the Duke Blue Devils past the Elite Eight, where their season ended last year. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
(Sarah Stier via Getty Images)
Nov 4: NC State vs. Tennessee; Louisville vs. UConn
On Day 2 of the season-opener extravaganza, you’ll get to see some of the country’s best teams face off. First up is NC State vs. Tennessee at 4 p.m. ET. Though NC State lost Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James to graduation, they will now look to Zoe Brooks to lead the team against Talaysia Cooper and the Lady Vols, who have high expectations after making it to last year’s Sweet 16 in the first year of coach Kim Caldwell’s tenure.
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Next, No. 1-ranked UConn, the defending national champions, will show its first glimpse of how the team will operate in the post-Paige Bueckers era. Led by Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, the Huskies will take on Louisville, ranked 20th in the AP poll. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Germany at Ramstein Air Base as part of the Armed Forces Classic, but it will stay stateside because of the government shutdown. The Cardinals and Huskies will now play at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Nov 15: South Carolina vs. USC; Notre Dame vs. Michigan
In the game they’ve dubbed as the battle for “The Real SC,” two great — but drastically different from 2024 — teams will face off. South Carolina lost Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall and Sania Feagin to graduation, Malaysia Fulwiley to LSU in the transfer portal and Chloe Kitts to a torn ACL. But they also gained Ta’Niya Latson, who transferred from Florida State, and still have Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson to lead the way. On the Trojans’ side, Kiki Iriafen graduated to have a fantastic rookie season in the WNBA, and JuJu Watkins will watch from the sidelines all season as she recovers from tearing her ACL. Kennedy Smith and Jazzy Davidson will get the chance to show what kind of team the Trojans will be against a loaded Gamecocks team.
On the same Saturday, Michigan and Notre Dame will face off in a rematch of their second-round game in last year’s NCAA tournament. Notre Dame won that game, led by preseason All-American Hannah Hidalgo. She will need to take the lead again, as the Fighting Irish lost Sonia Citron, Liatu King and Maddy Westbeld to graduation and Olivia Miles to TCU via the transfer portal. Michigan counters with its trio of sophomore stars: Syla Swords, Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway.
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November 26: UCLA vs. Texas; Duke vs. South Carolina
Las Vegas has established itself as a destination for women’s hoops thanks to the Las Vegas Aces winning three WNBA championships in four years. It’s also starting to become a home for college hoops, thanks to early-season tournaments and conference tournaments. This starts with the Players’ Championship, which will pit four top-10 teams against each other. UCLA vs. Texas will feature two preseason All-Americans in Lauren Betts and Madison Booker, respectively. For South Carolina vs. Duke, Dawn Staley’s squad will get tested by Duke’s Fournier and Emilee Skinner. The next day, the two winners and two losers will then play each other.
