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Twelve teams remained undefeated in Division I, including Yukon And texasDeciding who is the best among the undefeated has become a dilemma in ESPN’s women’s college basketball power rankings since defeating the Longhorns, UCLA And South Carolina During Thanksgiving week in Las Vegas. The Huskies are the defending champions and have dominated every opponent except a fourth-quarter rally michiganBut since those two wins against top-5 teams, Texas has overtaken the Huskies to reach the No, 1 spot,
It’s time for another reversal. Huskies not only beat iowa At the Champions Classic in Brooklyn this weekend, they never gave the Hawkeyes a chance. that’s what happened USC A week ago in Los Angeles. Texas got a solid win on the road south dakota state – And kudos to the Longhorns for going to Brookings, South Dakota – but in this very short, week-to-week contest, UConn is looking better and reclaiming the top spot.
And while this question has been raised before, now the discussion has become more serious: Will the Huskies go undefeated this season? Now that they’ve beaten the Trojans and Hawkeyes, there are only two non-conference games left – Notre Dame on Jan. 19 and Tennessee on Feb. 1 – and both are at home.
It seems unlikely that UConn will be challenged in conference play this season. The Big East may not have another NCAA Tournament team (Villanova is currently the latest to field bracketology as the No. 10 seed).
Texas, meanwhile, has the challenge of the SEC to navigate over the next two months. As good as the Longhorns are, it will be difficult to finish with a zero in the loss column. Their toughest tests will come with road games on January 11 and 15 LSU And South Carolina. If Texas survives both of those, the path to an undefeated regular season will open and an inevitable return to the top of the power rankings.
Previous ranking: 2
Next seven days: @butler (December 28)
Could the Huskies have the two best players in the country? sarah strong Entered his sophomore year as the unanimous preseason favorite for national player of the year and has played at or above those expectations. azy fad The performance has reached a new level, surpassing even its most outstanding player in last April’s Final Four. His 3.4 made 3-pointers per game and 50.4 3-point field goal percentage ranked third and sixth in the country, respectively, and his steals (2.3) and assists (3.0) are career highs. players like hannah hidalgo, audi crux, olivia miles And madison booker Sure they’re in the mix too, but a case can be made that the Huskies are the top team in the country because they have two of the most talented players.
Previous ranking: 1
Next seven days: vs. SE Louisiana (December 28)
In the Longhorns’ last five games, the senior point guard Rory Harmon Has 51 assists and three turnovers. Those numbers are staggering. His worst statistical game during this period was on Sunday against South Dakota State – and that was still a seven-assist, one-turnover performance. Midway through the 2023–24 season, Harmon suffered a right knee injury and then struggled with consistency upon his return last season, particularly as a shooter. Now, she might be the best two-way point guard in the country. Harmon’s 9.4 PPG is close to a career low, but she is shooting 42.9% from 3-point range and 52.9% overall. His 5.67 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the nation, and his 3.1 steals per game are a career high for the best on-ball defender in the country.
Previous ranking: 3
Next seven days: vs. Providence (December 28)
The visit to Florida State went well for the Gamecocks, who defeated two respected mid-major programs in South Florida and Florida Gulf Coast by a combined 121 points. Madina Okot Returned from an illness with a pair of double-doubles, and Joyce Edwards He followed up his 34-point performance against the Bulls with 29 more points against the Eagles. She missed only six shots in two games (28-for-34). Don Staley said at the Thanksgiving celebration that his team still has some things to figure out. It appears Edwards and Okot have done just that.
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Joyce Edwards describes the strengths of No. 3 South Carolina vs. FGCU
Edwards reflects on her double-double performance of 29 points and 10 rebounds against the Eagles as she discusses the factors that have made the Gamecocks successful so far.
Previous ranking: 4
Next seven days: @Ohio State (Dec. 28)
With nothing left to do in the Big Ten, the Bruins got their final tuneup on Saturday with a 62-point win over Long Beach State. The biggest achievement may be the 14 points scored by the new player sienna bates This is only his second game. The first month of non-conference play – which included playing four ranked teams – was challenging for UCLA, and its return to conference action will be equally challenging. Four of the Bruins’ next five games are on the road, and three of the next four are against ranked opponents: Ohio State, Nebraska and USC.
Previous ranking: 5
Next seven days: vs. Alabama State (December 28)
The Tigers are still scoring at an unprecedented level. His 110 points against UT-Arlington in another lopsided win on Sunday were LSU’s eighth-best output of the season. At 107.9 points per game, the Tigers are 13.4 points better than the nation’s next highest-scoring team (Michigan State). They also lead in field goal percentage and have six players, three of whom are guards, shooting over 60% on 2-point attempts. The caveat is the schedule, which features only two teams with winning records (Georgia Southern and Louisiana Tech). Another non-conference game awaits against 3-7 Alabama State before SEC play begins against Kentucky on January 1.
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UT Arlington Mavericks vs. LSU Tigers: Game Highlights
UT Arlington Mavericks vs. LSU Tigers: Game Highlights
Previous ranking: 6
Next seven days: no game
Since the arrival of coach Jenny Baranczyk in 2021, the Sooners’ mission has been to play fast. mission accomplished. Oklahoma leads the nation in possessions per 40 minutes. But the main thing is not just speed and aggression. The Sooners also lead the nation in defensive rebounds. They get the ball first and they do it better than anyone else. North Carolina Central was the latest to feel that dominance. On Monday night, Oklahoma pulled down 37 defensive rebounds and five players scored more than 20 points in a 126–54 victory.
Previous ranking: 7
Next seven days: @Oregon (December 29)
The Wolverines received a lot of attention for their 39-point win over Notre Dame and their strong comeback against UConn. They charted in the top 10 – but have not been mentioned extensively since. But their crime was led by second year students olivia olson, stitched swords And Mila HollowayExplosive and versatile. They are in the top 20 in field goal percentage, points per game and offensive rebound rate. This led to Michigan scoring at least 80 points in all but one game and scoring 100 points three times.
Previous ranking: 8
Next seven days: no game
The Horned Frogs cemented their unblemished non-conference season with a dominant 77-55 win over a strong Kansas State team in the Big 12 opener on Saturday. olivia miles He had a season-low four assists, but also had a season-high 29 points as he continued the best season of his career. marta suarez And clara silvaJoe, who combined with Miles for 65 points on Saturday, is also having his best season at TCU, which doesn’t play again until New Year’s Eve against BYU.
Previous ranking: 9
Next seven days: no game
The only thing that seems capable of stopping audi crux There are days off from scoring, which will now last through Dec. 31 for the Cyclones, when they visit Houston. The Big 12 opener against Kansas in Ames on Sunday was more dramatic than expected. Iowa State needed a 3-pointer kenzie green at the buzzer and each of Crooks’ 41 points as the Jayhawks escaped, 79–76. It was Crooks’ third 40-point game of the season.
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Iowa State beats Kansas on buzzer-beating trey
Kenzie Hair’s winning 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Iowa State the lead over Kansas.
Previous ranking: 10
Next seven days: vs. Wisconsin (December 28)
We still don’t know its full impact kaylin smickleThe Terps’ schedule has been softer than last season due to season-ending injuries. The latest example of this was Friday’s 98-30 defeat of Central Connecticut State, when they were again led oluchi okanwanaNow a starter after coming off the bench for two seasons at Duke, Okanwanwa has flourished in College Park, She has been Maryland’s best player and averaged 22 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists against CCSU,
Previous ranking: 12
Next seven days: vs Stonehill (December 28)
The Commodores picked up two more wins against undefeated opponents, with Starr Mikayla Blakes Posted modest numbers by his standards (40 total points), but finished fifth in the nation in scoring (24.2 ppg). Another key asset to Vanderbilt’s undefeated start: freshman point guard Aubrey GalvanFormer Illinois Prep Player of the Year. His 7.2 assists per game rank 10th nationally and his 2.9 steals per game, along with Blake’s 3.4, give the Commodores one of the most opportunistic defensive backcourts in the country.
Previous ranking: 13
Next seven days: vs. Hofstra (December 28)
clara strack Has taken another leap in his second year at Kentucky. She leads the team with career-highs in points (16.2 ppg) and rebounds (9.8 rpg) after a 26-point, 7-rebound, 4-block performance in Friday’s blowout of Wright State. The Wildcats’ final SEC tuneup is Sunday against 2-8 Hofstra.
Previous ranking: 14
Next seven days: no game
The Cardinals have come a long way since their season-opening loss to UConn. The improvement has been steady and incremental and has manifested itself in Tennessee’s dominance of the second half. The balanced scoring that has become the hallmark of these Cardinals was front and center, but the way Louisville dominated the glass (59-37) against a team whose entire game plan is built on rebounding may have been most impressive.
Previous ranking: N.R.
Next seven days: @ Boston College (December 28)
A week after falling out of the rankings, the Tar Heels are back after a 93-74 business win over Charleston Southern. North Carolina leads the ACC in 3-point percentage (36.7%) and 3s per game (9.1), and it shot 11 of 25 against the Buccaneers. New nyala brooks Led with six 3-pointers on Sunday and is shooting 44.2% from deep on the season.
Previous ranking: 11
Next seven days: vs. Penn State (December 28)
The 90–68 loss to UConn was discouraging, especially coming just 10 days after a loss to rival Iowa State, but there were encouraging signs with the crucial first month of Big Ten play approaching. Keeping in mind the level of competition, Hannah Stuelke He may have had his best game of the season with 17 points on 8-11 shooting. and point guard chit-chat right Played 35 minutes against UConn’s constant pressure and turned the ball over only three times while scoring 16 points.
Previous ranking: N.R.
Next seven days: vs. Pittsburgh (December 29)
It wasn’t Bellarmine’s 110–38 defeat that pushed the Irish down the rankings. Disappointing losses to Baylor, Tennessee, and Ole Miss helped lift Notre Dame. That doesn’t mean Notre Dame hasn’t been impressive. hannah hidalgo Recorded the program’s first 30-point triple-double in the 72-point win and recorded his second game of the season with double-digit steals (13). What could be even more important to the long-term success of Notre Dame, which has won six of its last seven games, are the seniors Cassandre Prosper Has scored 20 or more points in four consecutive games.
moved in: North Carolina, Notre Dame
