WBB: 2024 Cancun Challenge Preview
The Badgers are spending Thanksgiving in Mexico. Here's a preview of all three teams they'll play!
After a successful start to the season, the Wisconsin Badgers (5-1 overall) women’s basketball team get to test their mettle against a trio of evenly-matched teams in the 2024 Cancun Challenge, the 19th annual edition of the event on the women’s side. While there are 10 teams in the graphic below, there are distinct divisions in the tournament with Wisconsin, San Diego State, Providence, and VCU making up the Mayan Division.
All of the games will be streamed on FloCollege which is…unfortunate as I was really hoping to not spend $20 for three Wisconsin games with subpar streaming this year. Alas, this is the life I’ve chosen.
Since the Badgers will be playing three teams that they don’t see very often (although they did play VCU two years ago) I figured a little ol’ preview post was in order before the holiday hoops commenced!
(all rankings and statistics are accurate as of Nov. 25, when I started writing this post)
San Diego State Aztecs, 6-0 overall, Mountain West Conference
Her Hoops Stats: No. 117
Torvik: No. 106
Head Coach: Stacie Terry-Hutson; 12th season at SDSU
Top Players:
Adryana Quezada, 5-foot-10, forward, senior
22.2 mpg, 12.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.8 bpg, 2.0 topg
64.5% FG, 50.0% 3P (low volume), 85.7% FT
23.7% usage rate, 1.41 points per shot attempt, 0.20 win shares/40
Cali Clark, 6-foot-3, forward, senior
20.2 mpg, 8.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 1.8 bpg, 1.4 topg
62.1% FG, 40.0% 3P (low volume), 62.5% FT
19.1% usage rate, 23.4% rebounding rate, 0.27 win shares/40
Veronica Sheffey, 5-foot-9, guard, junior
27.3 mpg, 10.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.4 topg
51.2% FG, 42.9% 3P (low volume), 57.1% FT
20.9% usage rate, 19.7% assist rate, 0.10 win shares/40
Wisconsin Win Percentage: 56%
Plays Wisconsin: Thursday, Nov. 28; 12:30 p.m. CT
Overview: eight players that average 15+ minutes per game (four more who average double digit mpg); 10 different players have scored in double digits at least once this season; good three-point shooting team; don’t shoot a ton of them though; they don’t turn it over much and protect the rim well; Nat Martinez is gunner off the bench and reigning Mountain West Freshman of the Week; Kim Villalobos is versatile defender and passer; haven’t really played anybody (San Francisco, No. 129 in Torvik or UC Davis, No. 143 is their best win) and have only trailed for 36 minutes all season…what will they do if they are down for extended periods against Wisconsin?
Providence Friars, 3-3 overall, Big East Conference
Her Hoops Stats: No. 135
Torvik: No. 108
Head Coach: Erin Batth; 2nd season at Providence
Top Players:
Grace Efosa, 5-foot-11, guard, graduate
33.2 mpg, 17.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.4 topg
61.4% FG, 33.3% 3P (medium-minus volume), 71.4% FT
24.5% usage rate, 64.9% eFG, 0.15 win shares/40
Olivia Olsen, 6-foot-3, forward, senior
27.4 mpg, 7.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.4 bpg, 2.0 topg
43.6% FG, no threes attempted, 30.0% FT
20.1% usage rate, 5.8% block rate, 0.07 win shares/40
Orlagh Gormley, 5-foot-6, guard, freshman
22.0 mpg, 5.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.2 bpg, 1.0 topg
30.8% FG, 50.0% 3P (4 attempts this year), 81.8% FT
16.7% usage rate, 3.8% steal rate, 0.08 win shares/40
Wisconsin Win Percentage: 56%
Plays Wisconsin: Friday, Nov. 29; 10:00 a.m. CT
Overview: Marta Morales is their gunner off the bench; plays at a slow pace; decent rebounding team; doesn’t foul much; Efosa (preseason All-Big East) is the only player averaging double figures and leads the Big East in field goal percentage, ahead of UConn’s Paige Bueckers; the definition of “average” team, based on team stats; nice win over Vermont; lost to Boston College and Columbia (two teams rated better than them); the Friars have been ahead at halftime in five of their six games; Olsen is tied for the Big East lead in double-doubles (two)
VCU Rams, 3-2 overall, Atlantic 10 Conference
Her Hoops Stats: No. 70
Torvik: No. 88
Head Coach: Beth O’Boyle; 11th season at VCU
Top Players:
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, 5-foot-8, guard, junior
26.7 mpg, 17.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.8 spg, 3.3 topg
44.0% FG, 38.5% 3P (medium volume), 66.7% FT
35.6% usage rate, 1.38 A/TO, 0.24 win shares/40
Mary-Anna Asare, 5-foot-8, guard, junior
30.2 mpg, 14.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.6 bpg, 3.6 topg
46.3% FG, 52.4% 3P (medium-plus volume), 80.0% FT
26.8% usage rate, 2.9% steal percentage, 0.18 win shares/40
Mykel Parham, 6-foot-1, forward, graduate
29.3 mpg, 5.0 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.2 bpg, 1.4 topg
43.5% FG, no threes attempted, 50.0% FT
12.1% usage rate, 3.9% block percentage, 0.13 win shares/40
Wisconsin Win Percentage: 49%
Plays Wisconsin: Saturday, Nov. 30; 12:30 p.m. CT
Overview: Grace Hutson is a gunner; Valentina Ojeda (crazy efficient on limited MPG); international team, featuring players from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Nigeria, Spain, and Turkey; not super tall, but solid rebounding team; best three-point shooting team (47.1%) in nation, but doesn’t attempt many; guards three-point line well (24.4% defensive three-point rate, No. 52 nationally); turns ball over a ton; plays slow; lost to Temple and ODU, despite being favored; lost leading scorer Sarah Te-Biasu (16.0 ppg) from last season but return their next five top scorers
I will be working during most of the game on Friday, but I hope to have live coverage on Twitter (@BadgersBallKnow) and Bluesky (@drewhamm5) for the other two. There will be, as always, game recaps and analysis sent right to your inbox. Happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate, and happy Feast Week too!