Women’s college basketball Power Rankings: All eyes on South Carolina-Texas

March Madness is the big picture of the college basketball season, but the day-to-day challenges of January are important in putting that picture together. Especially in the talent-rich SEC, which currently has nine AP-ranked teams battling each other for supremacy while also trying to prevent upset attempts.

One such powerhouse meeting comes on Thursday: texas –after their first loss of the season. LSU — travels to South Carolina (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET). But these teams have met already this season in a game that did not count toward the SEC standings. That was a 66-64 Longhorns victory in the Players Era Championship Game in Las Vegas in November.

The Gamecocks then held on to avoid consecutive losses. louisville 79-77 on December 4, and have cruised for most of their nine games since. Closest win was by 11 points Florida On 4 January. extraordinary protector Tania Latson (ankle sprain) sidelined him for three games, but came back for a 65-43 win on Sunday Georgia.

South Carolina has been a dominant power in the SEC for over a decade and is once again projected as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A win over the Longhorns this week would put the Gamecocks in an even stronger position.

Previous ranking: 1

Next seven days: vs. Villanova (January 15), vs. Notre Dame (January 19)

In last week’s wins over St. John’s and Creighton, the second-year forward sarah strong Led the Huskies with a combined 42 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists and 11 steals. The Huskies have now won 55 consecutive games against Big East opponents. Still, this week could be a little more challenging, as they will face the second-best Big East team Villanova, as well as former Big East rival Notre Dame, who has been in the ACC since 2013–14.

Previous ranking: 4

Next seven days: vs. Texas (Jan. 15), @ Coppin State (Jan. 18)

Tania Latson He returned to action on Sunday, playing 20 minutes and finishing with 9 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds. Expect her to be a big factor against Texas at center as well Madina Okot and further Joyce Edwards. Okot has 13 double-doubles this season, including a combined 29 points and 20 rebounds in last week’s wins over Georgia and Arkansas. Meanwhile, Edwards leads the Gamecocks in scoring (20.7 ppg) and steals (1.9 spg) this season.

Previous ranking: 3

Next seven days: @Minnesota (Jan. 14), vs. Maryland (Jan. 18)

Center Lauren Bates Has led the team in scoring and rebounding in each of the last four games, with 18 points and 10 rebounds in last week’s 83-61 win over Nebraska. The Bruins had six players score in double figures against the Huskers and continued to dominate the boards (43–28 advantage).

Previous ranking: 2

Next seven days: @ South Carolina (Jan. 15), vs. Texas A&M (Jan. 18)

After beating Auburn 97-36 on Thursday, the Longhorns had a tough day at LSU on Sunday. Their offense was out of sync in the first three quarters, which resulted in the point guard situation Rory HarmonThere is benching in the fourth. After a 70–65 loss to the Tigers, coach Vic Schaefer criticized the SEC for having his team play LSU and South Carolina consecutively. However, Texas is still projected as an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed, and perhaps needs the loss to refocus.

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Highlights: No. 12 LSU beats No. 2 Texas in thrilling fourth quarter contest

Mikayla Williams paced the offense with 20 points and seven rebounds as the Tigers snapped the Longhorns’ winning streak with a 70–65 victory.

Previous ranking: 6

Next seven days: @Mississippi State (Jan. 15), vs. Michigan, Newark, New Jersey (Jan. 19)

The Commodores have equaled the season-best start of the 1992–93 Vandy team, which advanced to the women’s Final Four. Last week, they defeated Missouri 99–68 and Texas A&M 91–51, falling behind by a total of 45 points. Mikayla Blakes and 24 rebounds Sacha Washington. Vanderbilt will be away from SEC play for a top-10 matchup against Michigan in the Coretta Scott King Classic on Monday.

Previous ranking: 8

Next seven days: @Notre Dame (Jan. 15), @NC State (Jan. 18)

The Cardinals are 6–0 in the ACC with Duke. They beat Miami 77-68 and Pittsburgh 86-46 last week and continued to show that having so many similar threats offensively makes it really hard to guard them. However, their most challenging ACC expansion is coming, with four of their next five being on the road.

Previous ranking: 7

Next seven days: vs. Florida (Jan. 15), @Mississippi State (Jan. 18)

The Wildcats had their worst offensive game of the season so far in Thursday’s 64-51 loss at Alabama, shooting 31% from the field. But they rallied to beat Oklahoma 63-57 on Sunday and held the Sooners scoreless until the last four minutes of the game. kentucky guard tony morgan Totaled 36 points, 17 rebounds and 9 assists in those games.

Previous ranking: 9

Next seven days: @Oklahoma (January 18)

After starting SEC play 0-2, the Tigers bounced back with an 80-59 win at Georgia last week and then pulled off the upset by visiting Texas. The latter is LSU’s signature win so far this season, led by Mikayla Williams‘ 20 points. Rebounding was a problem for LSU in SEC-opening losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt, but the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs and Longhorns by a combined 87–70.

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Mikayla Williams details LSU’s resiliency in win over Texas

Williams repeated his 20-point performance to highlight how the No. 12 Tigers were able to stay focused in the fourth quarter to secure the upset over the No. 2 Longhorns.

Previous ranking: 10

Next seven days: @West Virginia (January 14), vs. Arizona (January 17), vs. Ohio State, Newark, New Jersey (January 19)

The Frogs are one defensive stop away from being unbeaten. On January 3, he led Utah late, but missed a tying 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining, then fell in overtime. But that loss seemed to motivate TCU last week, with wins against Oklahoma State (69-61) and Arizona State (77-46) in which the Frogs’ defense again dominated. Next week offers some big challenges to see if they can keep it up, including a non-conference showdown with Ohio State in the Coretta Scott King Classic.

Previous ranking: 15

Next seven days: vs. Kansas State (January 17)

It was a huge week for the Lady Raiders, who picked up a tough win at West Virginia, beat a Cincinnati team that upset Iowa State, and then upset Houston. The scores were remarkably similar (71–66, 71–60, 71–59) with the same leading scorer: Guard. bailey maupinWhose total marks were 63. The team’s 19 consecutive wins equals the Texas Tech record set by the 1992–93 NCAA title-winning team. The streak began in late January and carried through to the national championship game.

Previous ranking: 12

Next seven days: vs. Illinois (January 15), vs. Vanderbilt, Newark, New Jersey (January 19)

The Wolverines hit the century mark in scoring for the fifth time this season – and second against a Big Ten foe – with last week’s 105-65 win over Penn State. They followed that up with an 86-60 win over Wisconsin. But then come two games against ranked opponents, including a big non-conference meeting with Vanderbilt in the Coretta Scott King Classic, which could have long-range NCAA Tournament implications.

Previous ranking: N.R.

Next seven days: @@Georgia (January 18)

The Rebels got their best win of the season on Thursday: 74-69 over then-No. 5 oklahoma. They then defeated in-state rival Mississippi State 93–68 on Sunday and moved back into the power rankings. Ahead coty mcmahon He had a total of 43 points in those wins. Considering that Ole Miss also nearly upset Texas a week ago, losing 67–64 on the road, the Rebels are off to a strong start in SEC play.

Previous ranking: 5

Next seven days: vs. LSU (January 18)

Some stretches in the SEC are brutal, and the Sooners are now in one. Their 13-game winning streak ended last week with a 74–69 loss at home to Ole Miss, followed by a 63–57 loss at Kentucky as the Wildcats shut out Oklahoma’s high-scoring attack. Over the next nine days, the Sooners will face LSU and South Carolina, so they will have to correct the mistakes that have hindered their scoring in the last two games.

Previous ranking: N.R.

Next seven days: vs. Penn State (January 14), vs. TCU, Newark, New Jersey (January 19)

The Buckeyes moved up to the power rankings after their best week of the season with wins at Illinois (78–69) and Maryland (89–76). Ohio State lost McMahon, who transferred to Ole Miss, after three years, but at guard Jaloni Cambridge Moving into its sophomore season. He had a combined 69 points and 14 assists against the Illini and Terps. A non-conference win over TCU could vault Ohio State into the top 10.

Previous ranking: 14

Next seven days: vs. Oregon (January 15), vs. Michigan State (January 18)

The Hawkeyes have looked shaky at times against the two teams in Big Ten play recently, currently sitting at a combined 1-11. After a 67–58 win at Northwestern on Jan. 5, Iowa won 56–53 at Indiana on Sunday after trailing by 16 at halftime. The Hawkeyes are 5-0 in the Big Ten, but they are scheduled to face four ranked foes, including UCLA, in their next six games.

Previous ranking: 16

Next seven days: @Utah (Jan. 14), @BYU (Jan. 17)

Last week could have been a tough one for Baylor after coming off two big wins earlier in the season at Oklahoma State and Iowa State. But the Bears were able to stay on track by defeating Colorado 56–52 and Kansas 79–64. They face the challenge of a road trip to Utah for two games this week. but senior forward Dariana Littlepage-Bugs She is playing well with a double-double in her last three matches.

moved in: ole miss rebels, Ohio State Buckeyes
dropped out: Maryland Terrapins, iowa state cyclone