City of Basketball Love

Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2021-22 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 9. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season, click here.)

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The 2021-22 women’s college basketball season tips off in less than two weeks, and there will be plenty of excellent games to watch during the non-conference slate for the six Division I squads arounds Philadelphia.

Sure, you’ll absolutely be sure to tune in on the nights where they face each other, but the City 6 teams will face tough competition outside of Philadelphia too.

Here are eight non-conference games you can’t miss for the City 6 women’s basketball teams this season:

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Maryland Eastern Shore at Saint Joseph’s, Nov. 9 (5 PM, ESPN+)
The Hawks of Princess Anne (Md.) aren’t the most formidable foe on St. Joe’s schedule, but this is the season opener at Hagan Arena, and we should be able to glean a lot from this game about Cindy Griffin’s side this year. Maryland Eastern Shore didn’t play last season, but longtime head coach Fred Batchelor has a reputation of always putting a competitive team on the floor. One player to watch for those Hawks is Zamara Haynes, a 5-foot-7 guard from Imhotep Charter who gets to play her first college basketball game in her hometown.

Temple at Florida Gulf Coast, Nov. 12 (6 PM, ESPN+)
This game could tell fans a lot about Temple’s potential this season. Florida Gulf Coast is no slouch and has missed the NCAA tournament just twice since 2014. The Eagles are armed with one of the top players in the country in Kierstan Bell, a versatile wing who was second in the nation last season in shots made with 9.4 per-game. Bell also had the best Player Efficiency Rating in the country, per HerHoopStats, with a 44.5 mark. Bell, a preseason AP All-American honorable mention, might be matched up occasionally with Temple’s Mia Davis, who was named to the preseason watchlist for the Cheryl Miller award.

Villanova at No. 4 Maryland, Nov. 12 (7 PM, BTN)
This will be Villanova’s toughest test of its non-conference slate. The Terps are ranked fourth in the preseason AP Poll and are expected to contend for a Final Four berth this season. Head coach Brenda Frese returns all five starters from the nation’s top scoring offense from last season – including Somerset (N.J.) native Diamond Miller and former Harvard guard Katie Benzan. A big match-up to watch in this game will be at forward, where Maddy Siegrist might often face Chloe Bibby, who was named to the Cheryl Miller award watchlist. While Siegrist led the Big East in scoring and rebounding last season, the 6-foot-2 Bibby averaged 13.2 points and six rebounds per-game.

La Salle at No. 13 Kentucky, Nov. 27 (8:30 PM, SEC Network+)
Tune into this game to see the remarkable play of Rhyne Howard, Kentucky’s electric preseason All-American guard. The 6-foot-2 Cleveland, Tennessee native averaged 20.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per-game last season for the Wildcats. And, according to HerHoopStats, she was ninth nationally in offensive win shares last season with a 6.8 mark. If La Salle can stifle or frustrate Howard just a little bit, it’ll say a lot about their defensive potential this season.

Lehigh at Villanova, Dec. 1 (7 PM)
Lehigh made the NCAA tournament last season for the first time since 2010 after winning its fourth Patriot League crown under longtime head coach Sue Troyan. Villanova will have to be sure to protect the perimeter in this game, as the Mountain Hawks’ strength last season was their long-distance shooting. The Mountain Hawks were sixth in the nation in three-pointers made per-game last season with 9.8 and shot 34.3% from deep as a team. According to HerHoopStats, 40.7% of all of Lehigh’s points come from behind-the-arc, a mark that was the eighth-best in the country.

Drexel at Maine, Dec. 4 (12 PM, ESPN+)
Under the direction of Amy Vachon, the Black Bears have been formidable in women’s basketball, winning three regular season conference championships since 2018. The Black Bears lost America East Offensive Player of the Year Bianca Millan, but return Anne Simon, a conference first team selection last season who averaged 12.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals per-game. Drexel will have to play at its best offensively, as Maine was known last year for its stout defense. The Black Bears allowed just 52.7 points per-game, a mark that was seventh-best in the country.

Duke at Penn, Dec. 5 (1 PM, ESPN+)
Similarly to the Ivy League last season, Duke didn’t play much. The Blue Devils postponed the remainder of Kara Lawson’s first year at the helm after playing only four games in 2020-21. There’s a lot of eyes on Duke heading into this season after the Blue Devils combed the transfer portal to assemble what looks to be a talented roster on-paper. Incoming transfers for Duke include Celeste Taylor (Texas), Elizabeth Balogun (Louisville), Imani Lewis (Wisconsin), Nyah Green (Louisville), Lexi Gordon (Texas Tech), and Amaya Finklea-Guity (Syracuse). The question is, will all of the talent mesh? Penn will try to make sure it doesn’t, for at least one night.

Penn at Stony Brook, Dec. 10 (6:30 PM)
Stony Brook won the America East last season and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, only to fall to finalist Arizona in the first round. Still, the Sea Wolves went 15-6 last season and have been tabbed to win their conference once again by America East coaches. Stony Brook returns graduate forward India Pagan, who is coming off a summer in which she represented Puerto Rico at the Tokyo Olympics. The Sea Wolves were fourth in the country last year in scoring defense, allowing just 52 points per-game. If Penn can score and win on Long Island, it’ll be a strong sign for them heading into Ivy League play.

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And here is a complete list to the City 6 match-ups in 2021-22:

Saint Joseph’s at Drexel, Nov. 12
La Salle at Drexel, Nov. 17
Villanova at Saint Joseph’s, Nov. 20
Villanova at Penn, Nov. 22
Temple at Villanova, Nov. 27
La Salle at Penn, Nov. 30
Saint Joseph’s at Penn, Dec. 7
Saint Joseph’s at Temple, Dec. 11
Villanova at La Salle, Dec. 21
La Salle at Temple, Dec. 29
Temple at Penn, Jan. 11
La Salle at Saint Joseph’s, Jan. 17
Saint Joseph’s at La Salle, Feb. 2