Unexpected Transfer Stirs Controversy

^{January 05, 2025 | Edition #177}

Hey, Hoophead!

You can feel it now. What started as a slow jog toward March has turned into a full-on sprint. No one’s safe. As we mentioned in our last send, even Kim Mulkey has now admitted that LSU had it easy early on. And with that, the teams that once looked untouchable are getting exposed. So let’s dive into everything that sent women’s college basketball into a spin this weekend, starting with the biggest moment of them all.

Shady Bear Business

Baylor basketball refuses to stay out of the headlines! 

Most of you are probably busy talking or applauding the Bears’ stunning upset over undefeated Iowa State [more on that later], but off the court, the program did something that had the basketball world raising eyebrows. Let’s just say, it was… amusing.

You remember NC State’s Lorena Awou? Yes, the Wolfpack’s key contributor from last season, who has been indefinitely suspended since early December, for reasons nobody really knows. Well, the centre is no longer with the team!

She’s headed to Baylor, and how did we find out? From the source herself (her social media basically screamed it). Only, she didn’t make a post or a story, and later did something even shadier. Check it out for yourself!

This is particularly unsettling, given just how little clarity ever surrounded the situation. At the time Awou was suspended, all we got was a vague explanation from head coach Wes Moore: “We’re just going through a time right now where she’s kind of suspended for the moment.” And… that was it.

Now, zoom out, because the timing here is doing Baylor no favors as well. Just as the buzz around James Nnaji began to fade, the women’s side added yet another big in controversial fashion. We’ll see what this means for them. Expect more clarity once Baylor’s spring semester begins on January 20.

And for Wolfpack fans, it’s worth noting this isn’t exactly uncharted territory. NC State themselves benefited from a similar situation earlier this offseason, adding Khamil Pierre outside the portal window.

So the real question now is bigger than Baylor or NC State. Are we about to see more of these moves across women’s college basketball?

The Upset Parade

Eight undefeated teams lost this week. Let that sink in.

And while the biggest talking point has been LSU. Rightfully so. That 0–9 embarrassing SEC record makes you do a double-take. But for now, let’s move on from Baton Rouge, because the chaos didn’t stop there.

We had three more statement upsets.

To begin with, No. 22 Baylor Bears traveled to Hilton Coliseum to face the No. 10 Iowa State Cyclones, who were off to the best start in program history. And it looked like the Cyclones were cruising. Iowa State led 21–17 after the first quarter, with Audi Crooks pouring in 22 points by halftime.

But the second half flipped the game on its head!

Baylor pulled off a crazy comeback, limiting Crooks to just four points. And when the game was tied at 70–70 with 10 seconds left, their hero, Taliah Scott, rose up and drilled a jumper over Audi Crooks with two seconds remaining.

Go watch the game winner that handed Iowa State their first loss of the season!

The next shock of the weekend belonged to Duke, who beat No. 18 Notre Dame. The Blue Devils set the tone early and never looked back, cruising to an 82–68 win. Notre Dame has now dropped back-to-back games to unranked opponents.

Hannah Hidalgo has done everything she can, putting up 48 points across the last two games, but the lack of depth around her is worrying. Notre Dame lost its edge defensively. The Irish recorded just eight steals against Duke and forced only 11 turnovers, far below their season average of 23.5.

The weekend ended with drama, as Stanford outlasted No. 16 North Carolina in overtime, 77–71, for their second-ranked upset of the season. It was a back-and-forth battle all night. Stanford led 23–21 midway through the second quarter but had to wait until overtime to reclaim the lead.

Courtney Ogden ran the show from start to finish, with 21 points and 4 rebounds.

Other Key Results From the Day:

• No. 2 Texas 67 – No. 15 Ole Miss 64

• No. 3 South Carolina 74 – Florida 63

• No. 7 Maryland 82 – Indiana 67

• No. 11 Kentucky 74 – Missouri 52

• No. 23 Tennessee 73 – Auburn 56

HOW?! LSU Misses Four Straight Point-Blank Shots From 5 Feet To End Game

Mikayla Blakes: Generational and Unstoppable

Let’s start with Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph saying the quiet part out loud: “Mikayla Blakes is a generational talent.”

And where’s the lie?

If there was any doubt about who owned the SEC during opening week, Blakes wasted no time clearing that up. The sophomore has been on a heater, but what she did against LSU felt different. Bigger. Louder. Blakes dropped 32 points against No. 5 LSU (her fourth 30-point game of the season) and led the Commodores to their first win over an AP Top-5 team since 2009.

And let us tell you, fifteen of those points came in the fourth quarter alone. Watch her 10-minute takeover, and you’ll know exactly what we mean!

This LSU masterpiece came just days after Blakes put up 35 points in 35 minutes against Arkansas. But if you’ve been paying attention since she arrived in Nashville, none of this should shock you. Blakes has been breaking records since the moment she stepped on campus.

Ralph knew exactly what she was doing when she asked Blakes to join her in doing the “uncommon thing” - building Vanderbilt back into a national force. At the time, it raised eyebrows. Why would a top-tier recruit skip a traditional powerhouse?

Because legacy hits different. Only a few have dared to do that in this game. Right alongside the reigning NPOY, it’s your favorite Fever duo!

Coming back to Blakes, truly, last night’s 65–61 win over LSU was proof that the uncommon path Shea Ralph envisioned and Mikayla chose is very real.

But wait…

If only the night had ended on that high. Instead, it also threw Blakes straight into the middle of one of the most talked-about and controversial moments.

First Time in 27 Years! The Eight Undefeated Teams That Lost This Week

Was That a Foul?

It would be unfair to pin the loss against Vanderbilt on one moment. But the Tigers will likely look back and ask why the whistle never came for this particular call. 

With roughly 30 seconds remaining in the game and the Vanderbilt Commodores clinging to a three-point lead, Mikayla Blakes appeared to step out of bounds while receiving an inbound pass. The whistle never came. 

At first glance, it looks like Blakes stayed in bounds, but once you look at it super closely in this clip, you might change your mind.

LSU fouled Mikayla Blakes right after, and she made one free throw that essentially sealed the upset, leaving Kim Mulkey visibly frustrated. It was written all over her face as she nearly lashed out at the ref. You need to see this!

More because, unfortunately, Mulkey couldn’t challenge it either. “I begged for it. I tried to tell them it was critical,” the LSU HC said. 

That said, what do you think?

1. College Basketball Rankings: Predicting AP Top 25 After Week 9 - Full Story 

2. TCU’s First Loss Draws Strong Reaction Amid Olivia Miles’ Career-High Game - Full Story

3. “Audi Crooks Can’t Be NPOY!” Defensive Reality Check Arrives For Audi Crooks And Iowa State - Full Story 

That’s it for today, folks! We’ll look to knock on your inbox soon with more interesting stories!

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