It’s one of the busiest college basketball weeks of the season! With (American) Thanksgiving upon us (this writer’s Canadian Thanksgiving was two months ago), programs from across the country are competing in invitational tournaments. The Gulf Coast Showcase in Southwest Florida welcomes eight teams, highlighted by No. 5 Texas (4-0). The action starts Friday, Nov. 29th with the first round.
With Texas being the highest ranked team in this tournament, they have the edge as favorites already. Yet, No. 12 West Virginia (6-0) is not too far behind, and just because the only ranked teams in this tournament, but that doesn’t mean they are clear-cut finalists. The other contestants are Boise State (6-0), Illinois State (2-2), High Point (3-3), Butler (5-1), Santa Clara (3-2) and New Mexico (4-3). Because the tournament has a winner’s bracket and loser’s bracket, every team, regardless of record, will play three games total over the course of the weekend.
As we’ve seen throughout the last week, it’s upset season in women’s college basketball. Lower-ranked teams are putting in work to be able to give higher-ranked teams a hard time on the court. With demanding schedules and travel, among other factors, winning isn’t always simple for top teams.
Yet, Texas and…
