Women's Power Rankings: OSU up, UConn down after topsy-turvy Sunday

The apical of the women's assemblage hoops Power Rankings person been connected repetition since the preseason with South Carolina and Stanford astatine 1-2. After that, things haven't been arsenic constant.

Two teams person been 3rd truthful far: Texas and UConn. This week, Ohio State ascends to that spot. The Huskies determination down a bit, portion the Longhorns, astatine 4-4, dropped retired of the Power Rankings successful Week 2 and are apt to beryllium retired of the Associated Press canvass this week.

How acold should UConn autumn aft its nonaccomplishment to Notre Dame, portion taking into relationship that the Huskies' Azzi Fudd played conscionable 13 minutes due to the fact that of a genu injury?

How bash we equilibrium the Irish's large triumph implicit UConn with their last-second nonaccomplishment to Maryland, which past was pummeled astatine location by Nebraska? Can LSU determination into the apical 10 erstwhile the Tigers person yet to play thing adjacent to a ranked team?

When was the past clip the Louisville women's and men's teams were a combined 5-12 to commencement a season? All 5 wins beryllium to the women, but astatine 5-4 -- with losses to Ohio State and Middle Tennessee this past week -- the Cardinals are (spoiler alert) retired of the Power Rankings.

Louisville could articulation Texas successful exiting the AP women's poll, which is released Monday; Tennessee already did. All 3 were top-10 teams successful the preseason.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, it would beryllium the archetypal clip that much than 1 squad ranked successful the preseason apical 10 would beryllium retired of the canvass by the 5th canvass of the season.

In fact, that has happened lone 3 times full since the women's canvass expanded to 25 teams successful 1989-90: Oregon past season, Louisville successful 2015-16 and Georgia successful 1991-92.

Louisville recovered successful 2015-16, finishing that play 26-8. So we volition spot whether amended days are up for the Cardinals (and Longhorns and Lady Vols).

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Iowa prima Caitlin Clark sets a Big Ten grounds with the seventh triple-double of her career.

Player of the Week: Caitlin Clark, Iowa Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes went 1-1 this week, but the inferior defender made much of her customary magic. She had 45 points successful Thursday's nonaccomplishment to NC State, which was 1 disconnected her vocation precocious and a Carver-Hawkeye Arena grounds (breaking her people of 43 past season). Then, successful Sunday's triumph astatine Wisconsin, she had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to notch her archetypal triple-double this play and the seventh of her Iowa career, a Big Ten record.

Team of the Week: Ohio State Buckeyes

Taylor Mikesell and Rebeka Mikulášiková combined for 47 points successful beating Louisville, and 61 points successful a triumph implicit Rutgers, this past week. The Buckeyes are disconnected to an 8-0 commencement and person the announcement of Ohio autochthonal and Buckeyes instrumentality LeBron James, who sent the squad customized headphones and shoes Friday.

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Taylor Mikesell nails the triple vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Win of the Week: St. John's 66, Creighton 62

St. John's is the lone unbeaten squad successful the Big East acknowledgment to this triumph implicit No. 13 Creighton and UConn's nonaccomplishment to Notre Dame, some coming Sunday. The Bluejays dropped to 7-1 and the Huskies to 6-1, portion the Red Storm are 8-0 for the conscionable the 4th clip successful programme history.

Creighton is the highest-ranked squad St. John's has defeated since then-No. 8 Marquette successful 2019. Jayla Everett, who antecedently played for Pittsburgh and New Mexico, led St. John's with 20 points Sunday.

Coach of the Week: Lindsay Edmonds, Rice Owls

In her 2nd play astatine Rice, Edmonds has the Owls disconnected to a 7-0 start, the champion grounds among Conference USA teams. Rice was picked to decorativeness 4th successful C-USA successful the preseason poll. The Owls bushed TCU 68-58 this week, which comes aft a triumph astatine Texas A&M connected Nov. 27. That was Rice's archetypal triumph against Texas A&M since 2006. Edmonds came to Rice aft 8 seasons astatine NC State arsenic an adjunct to Wes Moore.

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Aliyah Boston racks up 18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 assists successful South Carolina's triumph implicit UCLA.

Power Rankings

1. South Carolina Gamecocks (8-0)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: vs. Liberty (Sunday)

What is adjacent scarier for opponents than 6-foot-5 reigning nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth Aliyah Boston ruling the paint? When Boston and 6-7 teammate Kamilla Cardoso are doing that together. Coach Dawn Staley was blunt astir wanting much from Cardoso, and she's getting it. In victories implicit UCLA and Memphis, Cardoso had a combined 34 points, 19 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. Boston combined for 32 points, 20 rebounds and 5 blocks. Be afraid, SEC, beryllium precise afraid.

2. Stanford Cardinal (10-1)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: No games.

The Cardinal person had 7 antithetic players arsenic their starring scorer successful 11 games, including sophomore guardant Brooke Demetre (17 points) successful a triumph implicit No. 23 Gonzaga connected Sunday. If you deliberation it's casual to scout Stanford, see that Demetre didn't people astatine each successful Wednesday's triumph implicit Santa Clara and had totaled conscionable 19 points successful 8 games coming into Sunday. In short, you ne'er cognize who is going to get you erstwhile playing Stanford.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: vs. New Hampshire (Thursday), vs. Michigan State (Sunday)

The Buckeyes changeable 59.7% from the tract successful beating Louisville and 53.4% successful their triumph implicit Rutgers. For the season, they are astatine 51.3%. Guard Jacy Sheldon, dealing with a lower-leg injury, played against the Cardinals but not the Scarlet Knights. Yet successful some cases, the Buckeyes inactive forced much than 20 turnovers, 1 of their strengths.

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Sydney Parrish shows disconnected the scope connected triple with Indiana pulling distant from UNC

4. Indiana Hoosiers (9-0)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: astatine Penn State (Thursday)

Guard Grace Berger is inactive retired and mightiness beryllium for a while. But the Hoosiers support winning, including an 87-63 triumph implicit North Carolina and a closer-than-expected 65-61 triumph against an improved Illinois squad. Mackenzie Holmes combined for 48 points successful those 2 games and is shooting 69.6% from the tract this season.

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: astatine Lafayette (Thursday), vs. Merrimack (Saturday)

Irritated by Diamond Miller's last-second changeable that "shushed" the Notre Dame assemblage successful a 74-72 nonaccomplishment to Maryland connected Thursday, the Irish brought the goods against UConn connected Sunday. Olivia Miles led the mode with 21 points and 4 assists against the Huskies successful a 74-60 triumph that showed maturation from Notre Dame. Splitting those 2 games, the Irish stayed enactment astatine No. 5.

6. UConn Huskies (6-1)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: vs. Princeton (Thursday), astatine Maryland (Sunday, 3 p.m. connected ABC)

It seems harsh to driblet the Huskies 3 spots considering that Sunday was their archetypal loss, they person defeated 3 top-10 teams and fell astatine Notre Dame with nary points from an injured Fudd. Plus, they inactive await the instrumentality of Dorka Juhasz. If Fudd being held retired successful the 2nd fractional genuinely was precautionary, arsenic manager Geno Auriemma said, this seems much a bump successful the roadworthy for the Huskies. Still, it's a nonaccomplishment they tin larn from.

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Diamond Johnson knocks down the 3-point shot

7. NC State Wolfpack (7-1)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: astatine Georgia (Monday), vs. South Florida Bulls (Sunday)

NC State's 94-81 triumph implicit Iowa connected Thursday was an illustration of a ascendant discourtesy -- and a antithetic mode for the Wolfpack to triumph than is usually their forte. And though they allowed Caitlin Clark to people 45 points, they did a batch of things close defensively and made things precise hard connected the Hawkeyes' wrong game.

8. North Carolina Tar Heels (6-1)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: vs. UNC Wilmington, (Wednesday), vs. Wofford (Sunday)

After a 6-0 start, the Tar Heels ran into a buzz saw successful losing astatine Indiana. Their 63 points determination were 10 less than their erstwhile debased this season, and they were held to 35.4% shooting. They besides had occupation defensively stopping the Hoosiers wrong and outside. But it was the benignant of crippled North Carolina astir apt needed arsenic a measuring stick.

9. Iowa State Cyclones (6-1)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: astatine Iowa (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2), vs. Jacksonville (Sunday)

The Cyclones pounded SIU Edwardsville 93-43 connected Tuesday and volition spell into their biggest authorities rivalry crippled with a week of preparation. It volition beryllium Iowa State elder Ashley Joens' past crippled successful her hometown of Iowa City, and the past assemblage gathering betwixt her and Clark, 2 of the champion native-Iowan players ever. Unless, that is, the Cyclones and Hawkeyes look disconnected successful the NCAA tournament, which would person happened past play had Iowa not been upset by Creighton, which past went connected to bushed Iowa State, too.

10. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-0)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: astatine Boston College (Wednesday), vs. UNC Asheville (Sunday)

Like LSU, the Hokies person not played a ranked squad frankincense far. However, dissimilar the Tigers, they person played teams from Power 5 conferences (SEC, Big Ten), and successful Tennessee faced a squad that antecedently was ranked this season. Virginia Tech struggled offensively against Tennessee but inactive came distant with a 59-56 triumph successful Knoxville connected Sunday. That followed an awesome 31-point triumph implicit Nebraska.

11. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: vs. Iowa State (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2), vs. Minnesota (Saturday)

Disappointed arsenic the Hawkeyes were with their defence successful their nonaccomplishment to NC State past week, they had nary occupation beating Wisconsin for the 26th clip successful a row. Next up is an expected afloat location astatine Carver-Hawkeye Arena erstwhile the Cyclones sojourn Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) successful an always-emotional matchup. Last season, Iowa State won 77-70. The twelvemonth before, Iowa won 82-80 successful a crippled successful which the Hawkeyes' Clark had 34 points and the Cyclones' Joens scored 35.

12. Michigan Wolverines (9-0)
Previous ranking: NR
This week: vs. Toledo (Thursday)

The Wolverines leap into the Power Rankings aft astir making it a week earlier pursuing a triumph implicit Baylor. This past week, they defeated Miami connected the roadworthy and Northwestern astatine home. Emily Kiser had a combined 38 points successful those 2 games, portion chap elder Leigha Brown had a combined 36.

13. LSU Tigers (9-0)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: vs. New Orleans (Sunday)

After opening the play with 7 consecutive blowouts, the Tigers got a situation from SE Louisiana. LSU won 63-55, past bushed Tulane 84-72. Angel Reese combined for 46 points and 21 rebounds successful those games. We're getting person to LSU's archetypal crippled against a Power 5 foe (Oregon State connected Dec. 18). And portion the rankings surely volition alteration (10-0 Arkansas of the SEC mightiness determination into the canvass soon), close present the lone ranked squad connected the Tigers' full docket is South Carolina successful February.

14. Utah Utes (7-0)
Previous ranking: 15
This week: astatine BYU (Saturday)

The Utes bushed Mississippi Valley State 109-42 past week arsenic portion of the Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series. This week they person their large authorities rivalry crippled arsenic they question from Salt Lake City to Provo to conscionable the Cougars. Utah is averaging 97.0 PPG, with six players averaging successful double-figures scoring, led by Alissa Pili (19.9).

15. UCLA Bruins (8-1)
Previous ranking: 16
This week: vs. Cal State Fullerton (Saturday)

UCLA fell to No. 1 South Carolina 73-64 connected Tuesday but gave the Gamecocks trouble. The Bruins led 31-27 astatine halftime, with the people tied 47-47 aft 3 quarters earlier South Carolina asserted itself successful the fourth. UCLA seemed to person a small hangover successful facing UC Santa Barbara connected Saturday, arsenic the Bruins fell down 20-4 earlier rallying for a 68-57 win.

16. Creighton Bluejays (7-1)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: vs. Drake (Saturday)

The Bluejays mislaid their archetypal crippled of the play Sunday, 66-62 astatine St. John's. That came aft a large roadworthy triumph against Villanova, 67-46 2 days earlier. So they enactment successful the Power Rankings. However, the remainder of December is precise challenging for them. After this week's gathering with erstwhile Missouri Valley Conference rival Drake, Creighton faces Arkansas, Stanford, UConn and DePaul to adjacent retired 2022.

Fell out: Louisville