What stood out in Wednesday's games (Jan. 16, 2025)
Looking back at some of my main takeaways/thoughts from Wednesday's most notable results
Each Thursday, I take a look at a few things that stood out on the previous day of games, considering Wednesdays bring with them so many storylines, key matchups, and others noteworthy news. While it’s my goal to give attention to every region and conference across the nation, these Thursday write-ups give a chance to go into more detail on some of the more anticipated conference races and nationally-ranked programs. There was plenty to talk about after last night’s slate of games wrapped up, and here are a few of my thoughts on what stood out.
The Top 15 battle in Whitewater reached, then exceeded, expectations
The best game in the country was played in Whitewater, Wisconsin last night. No. 4 UW-Oshkosh put its perfect record on the line against a motivated UW-Whitewater squad, who had dropped eight spots in Monday’s new Top 25 after going 0-2 last week. The 15th-ranked Warhawks answered the challenge on their home floor, in an overtime thriller that saw UW-Oshkosh win, 59-52. It more than lived up to the hype, with both sides going through stretches where they’d grab the momentum, then hand it right back. UWW had an opportunity to win it in regulation, but missed twice in the final seven seconds, opening the door for Oshkosh to come away with significant road win. As far as quick takeaways go, I think you saw just how good Oshkosh is defensively with its back against the wall in OT, holding UWW scoreless for the entirety of that five-minute period. It was the Titans most impressive stretch in my opinion, effectively closing the game on a 7-0 run. At the same time, I think UWW proved that even on a difficult shooting day (they shot just 29.9%), they have a defense that competes with the best in the WIAC. With Kacie Carollo, Maggie Traustch, and obviously in past years, Aleah Grundahl, UWW’s identity has centered on its efficient offense. There’s still pieces of that remaining—UWW runs excellent set plays on offense and Carollo is one of the country’s most dynamic scorers—but with the offense lacking at times this season, the defense has gotten better. And in a second half where Carollo had just 3 points, the defensive intensity made up for it, keeping UWW in the game all the way through. If that continues, UWW is very much in the WIAC title conversation. I also really liked the aggressiveness on the boards from UWW, who was +5 overall and 15-9 in offensive rebounding. That led to 14 second-chance points, and created one final shot in regulation as UWW aimed for the win.
No. 2 IWU has taken a step forward
There was never a question of IWU’s status amongst the nation’s best teams. Few teams are equipped to face one of the three strongest schedules (per Massey Ratings) in the country and go 16-0 in doing it. But that’s exactly what the Titans have managed to do, and as a result, they have a fairly impressive lead in the current NPI rankings, a little ways ahead of both NYU and Smith. That said, they entered Wednesday’s home duel with Carthage after playing three single-digit games in their previous five, and the turnovers were certainly part of it. While the 29-turnover game at Trinity was an extreme—and the only time this season that IWU has turned it over more than their opponent—the Titans were only +2 in turnovers against Wheaton and +4 against North Central in recent CCIW action. To make their style of play work to perfection, as it was early in the year, the turnover differential needs to be more one-sided, and IWU can’t be giving it away 16-20 times a game. Against Carthage, they checked both of those boxes, turning it over less than 10 times (9) for the third time season and winning the turnover battle at +15, forcing Carthage into 24 turnovers. The Titans capitalized on those takeaways too, with 26 points off turnovers, allowing the run & jump to really take center stage inside the Shirk Center. The key is the context here is that Carthage came in ranked 54th in Massey Ratings with an 11-3 record. This wasn’t a bottom-of-the-league opponent that IWU beat by 21; it was one of the CCIW’s top four teams. That is a great sign as the Titans approach the midway point of conference play.
Stout’s balanced offense
No. 21 UW-Stout is again looking like a team capable of making a deep tournament run. Last night’s 77-69 win over an underrated, sometimes-inconsistent UW-La Crosse team proved exactly that, and a lot of it goes back to Stout’s scoring depth. It was a key component in last season’s improbable WIAC Tournament title run and is yet again showing up with everyone in the rotation fully healthy. Raegan Sorensen, Anna Mutch, Lexi Wagner, and Amanda Giesen each scored in double figures, in what was really the definition of a balanced scoring effort. Sorensen and Mutch each had 20, Wagner and Giesen each had 11. No surprise, it created several matchup advantages for Stout as La Crosse struggled to keep the Blue Devils contained on offense, leading to Stout’s shooting percentage of 51%. UWL certainly made it a game, and never allowed Stout to pull away, but that’s to be expected in the WIAC. For Stout to win games, they need to be able to utilize the dribble-drive, and that was key against UWL, with the Blue Devils picking up 36 points in the paint, and all but three layups coming from guards.
No. 12 Baldwin Wallace made key defensive plays at the right times
It wasn’t the prettiest game in Alliance, Ohio last night. At least not if you’re looking for high-powered offense. But in its place, both defenses really stepped up as No. 12 Baldwin Wallace was put on upset alert in an OAC battle with Mount Union. It was 18-18 at halftime, 34-34 through three quarters. And in that final quarter, there were no two bigger defensive stops than the two that came from Baldwin Wallace in the final minute of regulation. The Yellow Jackets have hung their hat on defense for much of this season, and with the score knotted at 45 with less than 20 seconds left, Mount Union put that defensive capability to the test, as Elizabeth Mason caught a pass at the top of the 3-point arc and drove hard to the left. Up to that point, UMU’s possession had been near-perfect, with multiple quick, effective passes around the perimeter and a post touch just before Mason received the ball. But as she drove, BW’s Alyssa Miller got a hand on the ball and forced it away from Mason, eventually ending up in the hands of Caely Ressler. That turnover produced a key offensive possession for BW, as Bella Vaillant drew a foul and made a free throw on the other end, putting the Yellow Jackets up, 46-45. UMU still had 7 seconds to draw something up, but was again forced into a turnover, with Ressler playing tight defense on Mason near the corner, allowing Emily Irwin to come up with the game-sealing steal. That sort of defensive stretch is what continues to make BW so difficult to beat. The Yellow Jackets have allowed 13 points or fewer in the fourth quarter of five of their last six wins.
Cobbers are climbing in the MIAC
When you look at the MIAC, it seems to be Gustavus Adolphus and then a group of teams in a chase pack behind the Gusties. Initially, it seemed as though Concordia may struggle to even find its way into that mix, but after winning three straight, you can’t count the Cobbers out any longer. Yes, they’ve got a lot more work to do, still only 4-3 in league play. But last night’s 80-68 win over St. Benedict showed a lot of good signs for a program that dropped four straight between November and December, and started 1-2 against MIAC competition. With CSB’s Sofia Baldessari out, Concordia had more room to control the rebounding, winning the battle on the boards by +14. The offense has also started coming along, shooting 45.3% over the last three games, compared to just 36.5% over the three-game stretch prior. When Carlee Sieben and Makayla Anderson are making shots, as they were last night (combined for 40 points), the Cobbers are tough to beat.
Today’s Game to Watch
No. 14 Hardin-Simmons at ETBU, 6:30 p.m. ET — There’s a lot on the line here. Both are top contenders in the American Southwest Conference, and this is a key game for NCAA tournament odds and the ASC’s Pool A projection. Not to mention that the last time these two met in Marshall, ETBU won in a 66-65 thriller.