Colorado, freshmen star as 2023-24 women’s NCAA season opens

Women’s college basketball is back and the first day of the 2023-24 season was filled with exciting freshmen, 18 ranked teams on the court, three matchups between Top 25 opponents and a huge surprise.

Defending national champion LSU — which returns Final Four Most Outstanding Player Angel Reese — turned heads this offseason by bringing in top transfers Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow, while also signing the recruiting class No. 1 in the country. But the Tigers didn’t appear to be the best team in the country on Monday. No. 20 Colorado dominated LSU for three quarters, earning a 92-78 upset victory in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.

LSU’s loss marked the first time the defending champion or No. 1 team in the country dropped its home opener since UConn to start the 1995-96 season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Earlier Monday, the freshmen dominated the storylines with memorable debuts. Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo scored 31 points in a loss to South Carolina, a top-10 game in which Magic Johnson said the Gamecocks’ MiLaysia Fulwiley made “the best move in all of basketball.”

Then, USC’s JuJu Watkins showed why she was considered a program changer even before joining the Trojans, scoring 32 points as Lindsay Gottlieb’s No. 21-ranked team defeated the No. 7 Ohio State 83-74.

ESPN’s Michael Voepel, Alexa Philippou and Charlie Creme break down everything we learned on Opening Day, from what LSU’s loss means for its repeat aspirations to the big day in the Pac-12.

LSU has work to do

LSU coach Kim Mulkey didn’t disappoint with her Las Vegas-themed outfit Monday, but the Tigers must be disappointed to lose in their first game as the defending champion and No. 1 ranked team .

But the loss wasn’t necessarily a shock to Mulkey, who said that during the preseason the Tigers had to figure out the best way to replace point guard Alexis Morris, their fifth-year senior leader who played averaged 33 minutes last season.

LSU looked uncertain in its offense on Monday, especially against the Buffaloes’ man-to-man defense, and didn’t have the same connection on the field that we saw last season. Defensively, the Tigers had no answer for Jaylyn Sherrod, Mulkey said.

It wasn’t too bad for the Tigers, who had a strong start with freshman Mikaylah Williams (17 points) in the starting lineup and sophomore Sa’Myah Smith (6 of 8 for 16 points) coming off the bench. But the chemistry and cohesion that LSU had as national champions will have to develop.

“We’re going to get back to work and dig a little deeper,” Mulkey said after the game. “It’s not going to be a fun movie session. Giving up 90-odd points isn’t enough. — Voepel

Good luck tracking the Colorado guards

Colorado senior Frida Forman looked to expand her game this summer by playing point guard for the Denmark national team. But on Monday, in Las Vegas, she returned to what she does best: shooting. The guard bombarded LSU from deep all night, making 7 of 11 from 3-point range and scoring 27 points in the Buffs’ surprisingly dominant win over the No. 1 Tigers.

Forman left the lead duties to the ultra-fast Sherrod. The game turned in Colorado’s favor in the second quarter once Sherrod realized none of the Tigers’ guards could stay in front of her. She worked her way to 12 points and two assists in the quarter, as the Buffs outscored the Tigers 24-16 in the period. They never followed up again. Sherrod finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists and Colorado earned its biggest win since beating No. 1 Stanford in 2021. Sherrod and Forman were also part of that upset, and with the win for USC over Ohio State, helped give the Pac -12 two surprise victories on the first day. — Cream

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MiLaysia Fulwiley dazzles with nifty layup around the back

MiLaysia Fulwiley runs the fast break herself and finishes an incredible layup for South Carolina.

The match is in good hands as the freshmen steal the show in Paris

Hidalgo was fearless from the jump with 13 points in the first quarter before finishing with 31, the most points for a Notre Dame player in the first game of her career. Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron will form a great three-guard trio whenever Miles returns from a knee injury.

Fulwiley made some ridiculous, jaw-dropping plays in South Carolina’s 100-71 win over Notre Dame in Paris — including a fancy behind-the-back layup that seemed to break the Internet and drew attention attention from Magic Johnson and Kevin Durant. But her all-around game and instincts — she had six assists, six steals and 17 points — were impressive. Now we know why South Carolina coach Dawn Staley called her “generational” before Fulwiley even suited up for the Gamecocks. Oh, and at 5-foot-10, she can dunk, too. — Philippou

JuJu as good as advertised

USC’s JuJu Watkins lived up to expectations, leading the Trojans to an 83-74 victory over No. 7 Ohio State, an Elite Eight team last season. Watkins’ 32 points surpassed Lisa Leslie’s 30 in her USC debut and were the most among EspnW HoopGurlz’s top five recruits in her first game since the rankings began in 2007, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Watkins’ scoring and ability to get to the free-throw line stood out, but so did his basketball IQ and composure — in his first collegiate game against a top-10 opponent, no less.

After having some early trouble, Watkins came back to score seven points and dish out two assists in the fourth and help stave off an Ohio State comeback. USC was plus-23 with her on the court and minus-14 with her off it. If this is the “worst” we’ve seen of Watkins – given that these were his first minutes in college – can you imagine how high his ceiling is? — Philippou

Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes offense aren’t slowing down

Iowa, last season’s national runner-up, has been an offensive juggernaut, particularly during point guard Caitlin Clark’s career. Monday’s opening 102-46 win over Fairleigh Dickinson was much of the same.

Clark was Clark: She had 17 of her 28 points in the decisive first quarter and finished with another near triple-double by adding 10 assists and seven rebounds.

But the big question this season was how to replace post players Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock. On Monday, forward Hannah Stuelke and center Sharon Goodman had an answer, combining to shoot 16 of 18 from the field and 8 of 8 from the line for 41 points, while adding 13 rebounds. Forward Addison O’Grady and guard Sydney Affolter, who should also have a bigger impact this season, combined for 20 points and 10 rebounds coming off the bench.

The competition gets tougher against fellow 2023 Final Four contender Virginia Tech on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2). Two-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley (27 points, 11 rebounds) led the Hokies to victory in their opener against High Point on Monday. — Voepel

It’s not pretty when a brand press stops working

The Buckeyes were missing something in Monday’s loss to USC, and Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff didn’t hesitate to call it out afterward. “In the second quarter, our physical and mental energy was really low,” he said. “Bad turnovers. No energy on defense.”

The Buckeyes’ trademark press had little impact on the Trojans. Ohio State spent more time chasing Watkins and Rayah Marshall (18 points, 17 rebounds) than forcing turnovers and getting the easy baskets that the full-court defense usually produces.

Ohio State was outscored 31-10 in the second quarter and, despite a rally in the third, the energy level disappeared again in the fourth. It was a disappointing effort for a team that was projected as a No. 1 seed in our final preseason bracketology last week.

The Buckeyes were also missing another reliable scorer after Jacy Sheldon (28 points). Cotie McMahon, coming off a Big Ten Freshman of the Year season, and Celeste Taylor, one of the nation’s top transfers, combined for just 14 points on 4-for-19 shooting.

Dawn Staley called it

Staley warned us that the Gamecocks – who lost six of their key contributors last season – would not rebuild this year. And No. 6 South Carolina showed exactly why by dismantling Notre Dame. The backcourt had a good day, as Raven Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao combined for 13 assists. Kamilla Cardoso got going in the second half, finishing with 20 points, 15 points and 4 blocks, while Sania Feagin scored 12 points coming off the bench.

The Gamecocks also showed off their trademark defense and ability to start in transition. While Hidalgo was gone, the Gamecocks held the rest of Notre Dame to under 30 percent shooting and forced 18 turnovers, held the Irish to just eight points in the second quarter and scored 30 points on fast break. — Philippou

The media is already scrambled

The history of bracketology was written on Monday. Never in the history of the bracket’s 20-plus year projection have two No. 1 seeds been lost on the opening day of the season. Even more surprising, the two upsets occurred on the same field.

The losses to Ohio State and LSU at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas stunned the college basketball world, especially LSU, and reaffirmed what so many people thought this season would be: a great opening. An updated Bracketology comes out Tuesday and will feature many changes from last week’s final preseason projection. A good day for the Pac-12 with USC and the Buffs creating a surprise will be even better on Tuesday in the new bracket. — Cream