No. 24 UM women face big test on road against No. 10 Baylor in battle of unbeaten teams
Final exams ended this week at the University of Miami, but the 24th-ranked women’s basketball team faces another big test Saturday against No. 10 Baylor in the Hall of Fame Series in San Antonio.
UM and Baylor are both 8-0 and among 18 NCAA Division I programs still unbeaten. Miami is only one of two ACC programs with an unblemished record, along with No. 3 North Carolina State (10-0).
The Canes rank first in the ACC in scoring defense, holding teams to just 52.9 points per game, but that will be difficult to do against the Bears, who average 90.3 points per game. The Bears upset No. 4 Utah and beat Oregon by 20 points.”
“Our goal for this weekend is 40 minutes of focus together, we’ve put finals behind us,” UM coach Katie Meier said.
Miami broke into the Top 25 this week after a victory over DePaul last Friday. The Hurricanes’ resume already includes a road win over then-No. 21 Mississippi State. Meier is looking forward to another game against an elite opponent on Saturday (5 p.m., ESPN+ and Big 12 Now).
“Just like Mississippi State, I love games like this,” she said. “It’s a measuring stick. There’s nothing to lose and a lot to gain. If we don’t play well, then we get a to-do list of what to fix before the ACC starts. If you play really well, you build off that.”
Despite the team’s record, Meier challenged her players to do better.
“After the DePaul game, I told the team, `I’m not happy with how we’re playing and we’re ranked and 8-0,” she said. “They were all nodding their heads, like `Yeah, we have so much to do and fix, and so much potential. We can be really good, but we’re not there yet. But I like the pieces.”
Junior guard Jasmyne Roberts is UM’s leading scorer with 12.1 points per game with 5.3 rebounds. Duke transfer guard Shayeann Day-Wilson averages 10.6 points and 5.1 assists.
Baylor features a balanced attack that includes four double-figure scorers. Kentucky transfer Dre’Una Edwards leads with 13.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, followed by Sarah Andrews (12.3 ppg, 4.0 assists), Dorianna Littlepage-Buggs (12.0 ppg, 6.7 rebounds) and Aijha Blackwell (10.6 ppg, 7.4 rebounds).