Thursday night is normally one of the busiest days of the week for the top squads in women’s college basketball. We were treated to three top-25 matchups in the SEC and plenty of drama to end them. Before we jump straight into this week’s edition of Swish Happens Here, it’s time to debut a new segment in the column.
The Blue Devils were originally at No. 7 in the AP top 25 to start the season. Less than a month into it, they dropped six of their nine non-conference games, including losses to No. 3 UCLA, No. 2 South Carolina, and No. 5 LSU. Spiraling in the loss column, Duke fell out of the rankings entirely. In the spirit of transparency, I wrote back in November that this team would fail to reach the NCAA tournament rather prematurely. Since then, this team has buckled in for a successful turnaround, rattling off 17 straight wins in ACC play. In that span, head coach Kara Lawson’s group defeated three ranked teams, bringing them back inside the top 10 at No. 9. In the last two weeks alone, Duke claimed wins over No. 6 Louisville and No. 21 North Carolina.
HAVE YOURSELF A NIGHT TOBY FOURNIER ‼️
🏀 26 PTS
🏀 12 REB pic.twitter.com/4lybwvZgQn— espnW (@espnW) February 20, 2026
Not – Tennessee: 16-9 (8-5 SEC)
At this point in the season, the true contenders around the country separate from the pretenders down the last pass. Identities have been honed, and consistency in a unit is a forethought. For the No. 21 Tennessee Lady Vols, neither has come into focus. Signs of regression are all but evident as the team has dropped six of its last eight games, including a three-game losing streak after falling to unranked Texas A&M last night, 82-74. In the loss to the Aggies, Tennessee allowed its opponent to net nearly 30 percent of its offense in transition.
The Lady Vols’ effort to get back on the other side and defend has been nonexistent as of late. They permit teams to live in the paint and fall into the trap of quick shots in a fresh shot clock far too often. Head coach Kim Caldwell runs a heavy press system, and it was successful last season. This campaign has been a different story, even with the skilled talent added through the transfer portal. Opponents have tape on Tennessee, and for those with above-average guard play and sizable disruptors on defense, it’s not a threat as it was in the past. With conference tournaments looming, the Lady Vols are trending downward.
Everything was going right for Ole Miss, then it simply wasn’t. In the fourth quarter, the Tigers held the Rebels without a field goal. Ole Miss led 65-44 after Latasha Lattimore hit two free throws, and that’s when LSU never looked back. MiLaysia Fulwiley, who led all scorers with 26 points, converted a pair of her own free throws, giving the Tigers a 71-69 lead.
MiLaysia Fulwiley (2/19/26) pic.twitter.com/nzvJCNiMsG
— @balapattyszn (@balapattyvids) February 20, 2026
This is now Ole Miss’ second loss in three games after a road loss to No. 16 Kentucky. This stretch for the Rebels doesn’t get any easier, as the team is slated to face No. 3 South Carolina in Columbia on Sunday. After a dramatic loss to the Gamecocks last weekend, the Tigers needed a big bounce-back win, and ultimately delivered one.
The Bulldogs have had many a game this season against top-ranked opponents, where they start the matchup with a fiery approach centered on the perimeter on either side. Other games have seen this team start cold and eventually find its footing. Neither was the case last night in the loss to the Sooners. In the first quarter, Georgia was outscored 22-to-14 and faced a 15-to-6 disadvantage in rebounds.
In the first half, the Bulldogs shot 28 percent from the field, going 0-for-8 on three-pointers. With 4:48 left before halftime, Oklahoma held Georgia without a made field goal. Star freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez led the Sooners with 27 points and five assists. For Georgia, Mia Woolfolk notched a new career-high 29 points on an efficient 9-for-12 shooting. She was responsible for 43.2 percent of her team’s offensive output, as no other Bulldog scored more than Dani Carnegie’s 14 points.
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Born and raised in Chicago, Christan Braswell is a women’s sports journalist with a focus on the WNBA and women’s college basketball. He’s an avid fan of elevator screens and stuffed-crust pizza. Outside of sports, he’s an avid cook and lover of the great outdoors.
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