Throughout the remainder of the NCAA women’s basketball season, Megan Hughes Perry of the WNBA Basketball Operations Staff will shed some light on some of the top college storylines across the country.

In this edition of College Hoops Highlights the spotlight is on a marquee matchup between two of the nation’s top teams.

All eyes will be on Storrs, Conn. on Feb. 9 for the game that we’ve all had marked on our calendar for months now – it’s No. 1 South Carolina at No. 2 Connecticut.

The rise of Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks to become the top-ranked team in the nation is arguably the top story in women’s college basketball. For the Gamecocks, the talent is rich and it runs deep. They boast a backcourt full of All-Americans with Tiffany Mitchell and Aleigsha Welch, as well as a healthy frontcourt that is anchored by impressive freshman A’ja Wilson. Across the court, Geno Auriemma’s Connecticut Huskies, a team accustomed to the No. 1 ranking, sit in an unfamiliar seat marked No. 2. For the Huskies, however, that’s nothing but a number. Connecticut boasts an equally loaded roster headlined by the reigning National Player of the Year Breanna Stewart and All-American Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis.

So what’s on the line when the ball tips on Feb. 9? For starters, Dawn Staley has turned the tide of Gamecock basketball and has the program off to the best start in the school’s history at 19-0, leaving the Gamecocks as one of only two undefeated teams left in Division I (the other being Princeton). For the Huskies (18-1), a loss not only relinquishes their opportunity to reclaim their spot at the top of the polls, but it could potentially put that coveted No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney at risk, and leave the door wide open for teams like Louisville, Notre Dame and Maryland who are right on their heels.

What one team has to lose over the other, however, is not what has us on the edge of our seats. What we are all waiting to find out is what we’ll learn about each team and their brightest stars.

When these two teams take the floor, we will see one of the nation’s top scoring offenses pitted up against the nation’s top-ranked defense. Connecticut puts up 89.9 points per game, while South Carolina’s defense is stingy, surrendering only 49.4 points a contest. Barring any upsets prior to Feb. 9, a win versus South Carolina would improve Connecticut to 23-1. That would likely be enough for UConn to be the No. 1 team in the land. If South Carolina wins, the Gamecocks may well assert their spot at the top of the throne and establish themselves as the new favorites for the championship in April.

Also, what will we learn about some of the games biggest names? When the lights are shining brightly on women’s college basketball’s biggest stage, the best players are supposed to rise to the occasion. Will this game shed any light on the National Player of the Year conversation? With four All-Americans on the floor at the same time, will a show-out performance by Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Breanna Stewart, Tiffany Mitchell or Aleigsha Welch assert them as the favorite for this season’s award?

There is so much to be revealed in this marquee matchup. We will all be anxiously awaiting Feb. 9 and watching intently from the first tip. Neither team will shy away from a challenge and the leaders on both sidelines know a thing or two about winning when the stakes are high. Yet, at the end of the day, one question remains — who is the real number one?

Be cautioned, however, that when the ball goes up, that may be the very moment when pandora’s box opens and leaves us with more questions than we have answers. After all, it is only February, and we all know the real drama goes down in March.