February 3, 2023: 5 games to watch in tonight's action
It’s the end of the week and that means we have Friday night D3 women’s hoops action! Last night was a pretty light slate, with Mary Hardin-Baylor vs Sul Ross State being the only contest with regional ranking implications. It ended up being a really exciting ASC duel (aside from the fact that the livestream cut off with 14 seconds left) , with SRSU pulling out a huge 77-74 victory. Four Lobo players scored in double figures and that win might just put SRSU into the R10 regional rankings. E.J. Lee Smith is doing a fantastic job as head coach out in Alpine.
But anyway, let’s take a look at five of the top games on tonight’s schedule… (All times EST)
Rochester at WashU, 6:30 pm EST, WATCH: There’s a good chance these two are the #2 teams in their respective regions right now. Rochester’s biggest wins have come at home this season, and even the UAA’s best (i.e NYU, Chicago) have fallen in St. Louis this season. Will be a big one for sure in the UAA title race.
Trinity (CT) at Williams, 7 pm, WATCH: Trinity closes the regular season with a gauntlet of a final two weeks. with four straight road games in a league that is strong from top to bottom. Williams has looked really good at times this season, and certainly has a chance in this one. Trinity needs to stay aggressive defensively to stay perfect in the NESCAC.
SUNY Oneonta at Cortland St., 5:30 pm, WATCH: With regional ranking implications, both teams need this win badly. Despite being tied for third in the SUNYAC, Oneonta is still in the mix, while Cortland is just a half-game back from first place in the league. Cortland is certainly the favorite, Oneonta has won five of its last six.
Emory at Chicago, 6:30 pm, WATCH: Nowhere else will you get a February matchup between two opponents likely to be #1 in their respective regions, but that’s the matchup we have tonight in the Windy City. I keep waiting for Emory to break through. They’ve come really close in a few key road games this season, and I honestly do not see a clear favorite here. These two teams feel fairly evenly matched, despite one being in the Top 10, and the other being in the receiving votes category.
Tufts at Colby, 7 pm, WATCH: Here’s another NESCAC game that is fairly intriguing, because Colby has looked much improved since January, while Tufts, trailing Trinity by a game in the standings, needs every win it can get. I think the only way Colby stays in this game, however, is through a spectacular defensive effort. We’ll see how it plays out.
Have a great day! Check out some of the great interviews from Hoopsville’s 9th Annual Marathon yesterday. And my bad for mispronouncing “Bowdoin”! I know how to say it correctly, I promise…haha…slipped my mind in the moment though. Anyway, enjoy the day and as always, feel free to reach out with any questions/comments/feedback.