NCAAW: Van Lith, Prince have TCU looking like a Big 12 contender

Two weeks into the college basketball season, teams are raising the scaffolding of their identities: some recognizable, some refreshingly new. The usual suspects are thriving in the Big 12, but a handful of players and programs are off to notable starts:

Winners

HVL at TCU

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The shadow of Hailey Van Lith’s Louisiana incongruity was cast quickly over TCU when she announced her transfer. Could the 3×3 Olympian salvage her all-ACC confidence that she flaunted at Louisville, or would her time in Fort Worth reflect the unharmonious nature of her brief LSU tenure?

Albeit after just two weeks with the Horned Frogs, it doesn’t seem premature to claim that Van Lith has ascended beyond her Louisville output. She’s taking more shots than she’s ever attempted in her college career, and bringing home 17 points per game—barely shy of her career-best of 20 per game average. More impressively, Van Lith is averaging eight assists, more than double her career average.

Van Lith and graduate center Sedona Prince have been unstoppable. Prince is bagging 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks a night, leading the Big 12 in all three categories. The duo tore up No. 20 NC State, both notching double-doubles in a statement victory. Van Lith and Prince have had volatile, emotional and dominant collegiate careers, and this season is shaping up to be a memorable finale for them both. If you love storylines, TCU has no shortage.

UCF and freshman Emely Rodriguez

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UCF, projected to be one of the worst teams in the Big 12, hasn’t looked as such through four games. Not only are the Knights undefeated with an average win margin of 25 points, but they’re doing so with the fifth-hardest strength of schedule in the conference. They gutted out a tough win over Marquette, who went 23-9 last season en route to a NCAA Tournament berth. UCF will undoubtedly cool off in conference play, but early showings project that the Knights could really compete against other Big 12 rosters.

Freshman guard/forward Emely Rodriguez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, has looked like a potential game changer for the Knights. Rodriguez was named Miami-Dade County Girl’s Basketball Player of the Year by the Miami Herald earlier this year after an illustrious high school career in which she averaged 27 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. Her game is translating, as she’s up to 14 points and six rebounds per game through her first four. She began the season as a reserve, but has quickly joined the starting lineup for head coach Sytia Messer. Assuming her hot start isn’t a fluke, Rodriguez may see some rookie hardware at the end of the Big 12 season.

Losers

Utah’s early-season adversity

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Ok, it’s admittedly dramatic to call a 3-1 Utah squad “losers” because they lost a singular game by two points. However, Utah absolutely collapsed in their loss to Northwestern (1-2). The Utes built a 14-point lead halfway through the third period, and it looked like they were well on their way to a substantial win. However, a quick 17-3 run tied the game for Northwestern.

The game was then rudely interrupted by a fire alarm, stalling the action for nearly 12 minutes and freezing out the competition. A back-and-forth closing period gave way to one final Northwestern possession, where senior forward Caileigh Walsh sent the Utes packing with a game-winning step-through post move.

As brutal of a loss as it was, Utah will be fine. They bounced back a few days later, channeling their rage upon an unsuspecting McNeese State program which woefully accepted a 68-point loss. Utah has the potential to be a top-five team in the Big 12 this year, and maybe the Northwestern loss was needed motivation to fix their trajectory.

One thing that won’t help Utah? Lynne Roberts, head coach of the Utes, was just hired by the Los Angeles Sparks. Associate Head Coach Gavin Petersen will be making the internal move to the top spot in Utah, but expect adversity to follow.

Fans of competitive basketball

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As Power 5 teams look to cushion their records against mid-major programs at the beginning of non-conference play, the biggest loser may be basketball fans. Marquee matchups aren’t nonexistent in November, but they are certainly rare. Entering Wednesday’s games, only 14 out of 71 games featuring a Big 12 team have been decided by single-digit points, and most of those games featured one of the conference’s bottom feeders. (Although, maybe Northern Iowa’s upset of No. 8 Iowa State on Wednesday night is sign that some more exciting hoops are on the horizon.)

Kansas State and West Virginia, however, haven’t come close to an upset thus far. Both are winning by more than 30 points a night. As we wander deeper into non-conference play and the beginning of the Big 12 season, entertainment will cease to be at a premium. Until then, it may be best to pick and choose which games are worth your time.