It has been a wild week of hoops in the USports Women’s basketball circuit. Looking down the stretch we have no new teams that have entered the USports top 10 this week and these very well may be the top 10 the rest of the way but you never know! There’s still tons of basketball left to be played so let's break down what happened last week and what’s happening this week.
#1 in the Nation: University of Saskatchewan Huskies
The Huskies remained a perfect 15-0 on the season following back-to-back road wins against the UVic Vikes. The Huskies defeated the Vikes 69-61 on Friday, January 26th, and defeated the Vikes again on Saturday, January 27th this time by a score of 74-63. The Huskies are a perfect 15-0 this season and will look to keep that streak alive as they take on the red-hot Regina Cougars in Saskatoon (who just defeated formerly #5 Alberta twice this past weekend) in a home back-to-back starting Friday, February 2nd at 7 PM EST. The Huskies and Cougars will battle again the following day (Saturday, February 3rd) at 6 PM EST.
#2 in the Nation: Carleton Ravens
The Ravens have lived up to the standard for Carleton Basketball teams this season as they’re a very impressive 24-1 in all games played this season, good enough for 2nd in the country behind the undefeated Huskies. The Ravens themselves are undefeated in 2024 and were riding a 5 game-winning streak going into last weekend's games. They first played the Laurier Golden Hawks at the Ravens Nest where they dismantled the visiting Hawks 82-39. They then hosted the Waterloo Warriors and proceeded to beat them by a score of 74-48. The Ravens only have 1 game this weekend but you could argue it might be their biggest game of the season. The Ravens will face the UOttawa Gee-Gees on Friday, February 2nd at 6 PM EST in the Capital Hoops Classic at TD Place, where they look to avenge their one loss earlier this season that came at the hands of these same Gee-Gees. This should be a must-watch match between two of the biggest rivals and best teams in USports women’s basketball.
#3 in the Nation: Queen’s Gaels
The Queen’s Gaels have been one of the best teams in USports Women’s Basketball over the last couple of seasons and they’ve continued that this season as they sit 3rd in the country thus far. Queen’s improved to 15-2 last weekend after a quick road trip to West Ontario. They first made a stop in London on Friday, January 26th to face the Western Mustangs and won that match 88-58. They then traveled to Windsor on Saturday, January 27th where they beat the Lancers 54-46. The Gaels will be at home this weekend when they host the Laurier Golden Hawks on Friday, February 2nd at 6 PM EST. They’ll also be at home the following day (Saturday, February 3rd at 4 PM EST) when they host the Waterloo Warriors in their “Shoot for the Cure” game to raise money for Breast Cancer research.
#4 in the Nation: University of Calgary Dinos
The Dinos maintain their spot as the 4th ranked team in the country following two wins this past weekend. The Dinos improved to 27-3 on the year and increased their winning streak to 10 games as they faced Lethbridge in a home doubleheader. On Friday, January 26th, the Dinos defeated Lethbridge 82-55. The Dinos proceeded to beat Lethbridge also the very next day (Saturday, January 27th) this time by a score of 85-46. The Dinos will have some time off this weekend as they have no scheduled games until the following weekend when they take on UBC in Vancouver.
#5 in the Nation: Laval Rouge et Or
Laval finds themselves jumping up one spot in the rankings from their performance last weekend to 5th in the country. Laval played once last week on Saturday, January 27th where they beat Bishops 80-76 in Lennoxville. Laval will get their fair share of hoops this weekend though as they take on UQAM on Thursday, February 1st at 6 PM EST in Montreal. They then will host UQAM themselves on Saturday, February 3rd at 6 PM where they’ll look to improve their spots on the rankings even further.
#6 in the Nation: University of New Brunswick Reds
The Reds have had an outstanding season up to this point so far with a 13-2 record up to this point, good enough to move them up 1 spot from last week's rankings into 6th in the country. UNB racked up a win last week on Sunday, January 28th against Cape Breton by a score of 84-57. The Reds will look to improve their ranking this weekend after heading on the road to face #9 Saint Mary’s on Friday, February 2nd at 7 PM EST in what should be a must-watch game for a battle of seedings. The Reds will then travel to Acadia the following day (Saturday, February 3rd) for a battle with the Axewomen at 7 PM EST.
#7 in the Nation: University of Alberta Pandas
The Pandas find themselves being the one team to move down spots in this week's rankings going from 5th last week to 7th this week. A big reason for the drop is the back-to-back losses the Pandas took at the hand of the Regina Cougars on the Panda's home court this past weekend. They first played on Friday, January 26th where the Cougars defeated the Pandas 57-52. They matched up again the following night (Saturday, January 27th) where the Cougars again beat the Pandas, this time by a score of 72-63. The Pandas will look to get back on track this weekend as they prepare to host Thompson Rivers University in another home doubleheader. The first game is set to take place Friday, February 2nd at 8 PM EST with the 2nd game of the double-header scheduled for Saturday, February 3rd at 7 PM EST.
#8 in the Nation: University of the Fraser Valley Cascades
The UFV Cascades find themselves 8th in the nation again this week. The Cascades have done very well for themselves this season carrying an 11-3 record going into last weekend. The Cascades beat up on the Brandon Bobcats, beating them 85-36 at home on January 26th and then beating them again 101-47 on January 27th to improve to 13-3 on the season. The Cascades will look to improve on their now 3-game winning streak when they take on Mount Royal this weekend in Calgary for a doubleheader. The first game will be Friday, February 2nd at 7 PM EST with the second game happening on Saturday, February 3rd a 6 PM EST.
#9 in the Nation: Saint Mary’s University Huskies
The SMU Huskies will remain at 9th in the nation again this week following a solid last week. The Huskies defeated the STFX X-Women 76-60 on Wednesday, January 24th, and then proceeded to defeat the UPEI Panthers 84-56 on Saturday, January 27th extending their win streak to 4 games. The Huskies only have 1 game this weekend but it is a must-watch one as they take on the #6 UNB Reds at Home on Friday, February 2nd at 5 PM EST. The Huskies will be looking to avenge a loss from these same Reds on January 13th (82-73) which kickstarted the 4-game winning streak the Huskies currently have. Will the Reds top the Huskies again or will the Huskies get their Revenge on the Reds? Tune in Friday, February 2nd at 5 PM EST on austv.ca to find out!
#10 in the Nation: University of Ottawa Gee-Gees
The UOttawa Gee-Gees find themselves at 10th in the country this week yet again after splitting this weekend to the Waterloo teams. The Gee-Gees fell to the Waterloo Warriors on January 26th 60-52. The Gee-Gees then bounced back strongly against the Laurier Golden Hawks with an 80-42 victory. The Gee-Gees will suit up for the Capital Hoops Classic this Saturday, February 3rd at 6 PM EST when they take on cross-town rivals and the #2 ranked team in the nation the Carleton Ravens. The Gee-Gees are the only team to defeat the Ravens this season and will be looking to beat them again to improve their spot in the top 10 and earn bragging rights over the Battle of Ottawa while the Ravens will be as motivated as ever to avenge the one mark on their otherwise perfect record. This game will be a must-watch and will be available to stream on oua.tv on Saturday, February 3rd starting at 6 PM EST.
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