The first Coretta Scott King Classic will be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Monday, Jan. 20, with three top-10 teams taking the court.
First undefeated and No. 1 UCLA meets Baylor at 3 p.m. ET. Then, No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Maryland face off 5:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
The Bruins should take care of business against the Bears. Baylor lacks the personnel to contain UCLA junior center Lauren Betts, who, with season-long averages of 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, has demonstrated a keen ability to manipulate matchups to her liking this season. If she has the advantage, she’s nearly unstoppable with her soft post-scoring touch. When doubled, she’s quick to make the pass to an open teammate. Senior center Aaronette Vonleh, the Bears’ only true big at 6-foot-3, will be tasked with trying to deal with Betts. As she averages a team-high three fouls per game against opposition that often does not employ a 6-foot-7 center, Vonleh could find herself sidelined with foul trouble, and Baylor head coach Nicki Collen could be left searching for answers. Possibly, trying to junk things up with atypical small-ball lineups could be the best upset strategy for Baylor.
In the second game, Texas will hope to further wash off the…
