What to watch for, November 14: No. 1 South Carolina, Creighton-Kansas State headline Top 25 action

There are nine games involving AP-ranked teams on the schedule on Thursday, November 14, as unranked teams look for their first upset, or single-digit margin of defeat, of what's been a lopsided week. Alabama's 68-58 win over Norfolk State Wednesday was the closest of the 16 games so far involving ranked teams, which have been decided by an average of 36.3 points per game.

Wednesday didn't quite match Tuesday's pair of 70-point wins (more on those here), but it did see a pair of ranked teams score at least twice as many points as their opponents. No. 9 Oklahoma beat Western Carolina 122-56 behind 27 points and nine rebounds from Raegan Beers, while No. 6 Notre Dame doubled up James Madison 92-46. Hannah Hidalgo led the Irish with 24 points and four steals, while Olivia Miles had 16 points and eight assists.

MORE: Beers, Hidalgo and Miles were all featured in this week's Star Watch

Here's everything you need to know for Thursday's AP Top 25 action:

AP Top 25 previews for Thursday, November 14

Coppin State (2-1) at No. 1 South Carolina (2-0)

The reigning National Champion Gamecocks will look for their 41st straight win, which would break a tie for the ninth-longest win streak in D-I history. South Carolina is coming off a 71-57 win over NC State in Charlotte Sunday in a repeat of last year's National Semifinal. Te-Hina Paopao led the way with 23 points, while MiLaysia Fulwiley added 18 in 18 minutes off the bench. In addition to the overall 40-game win streak, South Carolina has won 36 straight at home since losing to Kentucky in the final regular-season home game of the 2021-22 season.

Coppin State throttled Saint Francis (PA) 74-38 Tuesday after being beaten 70-47 in its previous game at then-No. 18 Maryland. The Eagles are led by senior forward Laila Lawrence's 18.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and are 0-32 against ranked opponents since 2001-02 (records unavailable further back). 

St. Thomas (3-0) at No. 8 Iowa State (3-0)

Iowa State's won each of its three games by at least 22 points, all at home, and will look to keep rolling as it seeks a third 4-0 start in four seasons. Sophomore frontcourt stars Addy Brown (17.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.7 apg) and Audi Crooks (16.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg) have picked up right where they left off as freshmenn, combining for 102 points in three games. The Cyclones have won 15 straight at home against unranked teams and 31 of their last 34 at home overall.

The Tommies are off to their best start in four Division I seasons at 3-0, coming off a 75-68 win at Northern Illinois behind 21 points from Jade Hill and 19 from Jo Langbehn on a combined 17-for-30 from the field. This is their first time facing an AP Top 25 opponent since joining Division I in 2021.

Creighton (1-1) at No. 10 Kansas State (2-0)

Kansas State takes the court for the first time in a week after routing Green Bay and Belmont by a combined 73 points last week to vault into the top 10 for the second straight season. Before last year, the 'Cats hadn't appeared in the top 10 since 2003-04. They've been led by incoming Tulsa transfer Temira Poindexter's 38 points in two games, at least partly because Ayoka Lee hasn't played since the first half of game one, with no official update on Lee's status for this game. Poindexter averaged 21.0 points per game last year at Tulsa and scored 23 last time after opening her K-State career with 15 points.

This game was a Top 25 matchup on paper a week ago at this time, but it lost that status after Creighton dropped its season-opener at South Dakota State and fell out of the first AP Poll of the regular season. The Bluejays rebounded with an 80-72 win over Drake Monday and have gotten 55 points from senior guard Lauren Jensen in two games. Jensen's 32-point, 10-rebound double-double Monday was the fifth 30-point double-double by a Creighton player since 2002-03, a year and a day after Morgan Maly had the team's first one since 2018 and second since 2007.

Poindexter and the 'Cats are seeking their 22nd win in their last 23 home games against unranked opponents.  Creighton will look to snap a five-game skid against top 10 opponents since beating No. 10 Iowa State in the 2022 Sweet 16 (lost to No. 1 South Carolina in Elite 8). They're 1-12 on the road against top 10 opponents since 2002-03, the lone win coming over Caitlin Clark and No. 8 Iowa in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

MORE: full highlights, results for Caitlin Clark at LPGA 'The Annika' Pro-Am

Kent State (1-1) at No. 13 NC State (1-1)

NC State is looking to bounce back from Sunday's 71-57 loss to South Carolina in Charlotte, its second loss to the top-ranked Gamecocks in three games, dating to last season's National Semifinal. Preseason All-ACC selection Saniya Rivers finished the loss Sunday with just four points on 1-for-7 FG, giving her nine points on 3-for-18 in the two recent meetings with the Gamecocks. The Wolf Pack has won 20 of their last 21 at home, dating to February 2023 (six straight since a loss to Virginia Tech in February).

Kent State lost its only game against a D-I opponent 67-56 at home against James Madison last Monday before beating lower-Division foe Walsh 113-54 Thursday. The Golden Flashes made the NCAA Tournament as a 15-seed last season, their first appearance since 2002, but are 1-14 against ranked opponents since 2002-03 (lost three straight since winning at No. 19 UCLA in November 2021).

Dayton (2-0) at No. 16 Duke (2-1)

Duke's looking to bounce back from losing 85-80 at then-No. 18 Maryland Sunday following a pair of double-digit wins to open the season. The Blue Devils have scored at least 80 points in all three of their games, looking to do it in four straight for the first time since their first four games of the 2014-15 season. Five-star freshman Toby Fournier and Ashlon Jackson are tied for the team-high with 12.7 points per game, though Fournier's have come in 28 fewer minutes off the bench while Jackson's stated all three games. Duke has won 12 of 13 at home since a loss to South Carolina last December (won three straight since loss to Notre Dame in February).

Dayton improved to 2-0 in a 79-44 win over Delaware State Friday after beating Southeast Missouri State 75-70 in the opener. The Flyers are coming off a 12-19 finish in head coach Tamika Williams' second season (7-21 in her first) and are looking to snap a nine-game skid against ranked opponents since a win over No. 22 Louisville in November 2015.

East Texas A&M (2-1) at No. 17 Baylor (1-1)

Baylor will take the court for the first time since falling at Oregon 76-74 Sunday in one of the best games of the young season. Junior Darianna Littlepage-Buggs followed up 25 points in the opener with 19 at Oregon while adding 10 rebounds for a double-double. She's 18-for-31 from the field (58.1%) and has more than doubled her scoring average over the last two seasons (10.6 ppg) so far. Littlepage-Buggs and the Bears have won five straight at home since losing to Texas and K-State back-to-back last season, as well as 15 of 17 in Waco.

East Texas A&M, which up until last Thursday was Texas A&M-Commerce, is looking for its first D-I win of the season despite entering 2-1. The Lions lost 84-65 at Arkansas in between wins over North Texas at Dallas (the name of a non-D-I opponent, not a game against North Texas in Dallas) and most recently LeTourneau by a 104-33 margin. They're facing a ranked opponent for the first time in three seasons at the D-I level.

No. 19 Ole Miss (1-1) at Delaware State (1-2)

Ole Miss is coming off an 85-24 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Sunday after losing the season opener to USC by two points in Paris. The Rebels' win over Pine Bluff was the fifth time a D-I team has held another D-I team to fewer than 25 points since December 2022, with two of the previous four instances attributable to South Carolina. Sixth-year guard KK Deans leads Ole Miss with 35 points through the first two games, and her early average of 17.5 ppg would best her career-high by three points a game.

The Hornets have lost both games against D-I opponents by at least 35 points and have failed to score more than 46. However, they will return home for the first time since beating non-D-I opponent Georgian Court in the opener by a 71-44 margin. DSU is led by sophomore guard Mahogany Cottingham averaging 12.7 points per game  after averaging 1.2 last year as a freshman at North Dakota.

MORE: latest women's college basketball news

Alcorn State (1-2) at No. 22 Alabama (4-0)

Alabama's playing a rare college basketball back-to-back outside of a tournament setting, coming off a 68-58 win over previously unbeaten Norfolk State Wednesday. The Crimson Tide had won their previous three games by at least 23 points while scoring at least 84 in each. Sarah Ashlee Barker scored a team-high 19 points and pulled three ahead of Aaliyah Nye, who scored 15, in what's started out as a tight race to be the team's leading scorer. Bama has won eight straight and 18 of its last 21 in Tuscaloosa.

Alcorn State is 0-2 against D-I opponents and is coming off a 73-45 loss at Mississippi State Sunday after earning its only win over the non-D-I Mississippi University for Women in the previous game. The Braves don't have a player averaging double-digit points through three games and are 0-15 against ranked opponents since 2002-03 (records unavailable further back). 

Eastern Illinois (0-2) at No. 23 Illinois (2-0)

Illinois is coming off a 63-53 win over Marquette Sunday after beating preseason No. 19 Florida State in the opener. The Fighting Illini are looking for their second 3-0 start in three seasons under head coach Shauna Green, who took them to the NCAA Tournament (albeit the First Four) in 2023 but came up short of a return to the Big Dance last season. Senior guard Adalia McKenzie leads the way with 32 points after scoring 20 against Florida State and 12 against Marquette. She and the Fighting Illini have won four straight at home, dating to a loss to Maryland in February, including both games this season.

The Panthers are playing their third of four straight road games to start the season after losing by three points at North Dakota (66-63) and nine at North Dakota State (65-56) last weekend. Fifth-year senior Macy McGlone is off to a hot start despite the outcome of the games, with at least 24 points and 13 rebounds in each outing (she has 51 points and 27 boards in two games). EIU is facing a ranked team for the second straight November after losing 96-43 at Indiana last year and is 0-14 against ranked opponents all-time.