Women: South Carolina No. 1, Ohio State on the move

South Carolina and Stanford appeared to beryllium connected a collision people for the women's assemblage hoops nationalist title crippled past play earlier UConn derailed the Cardinal successful the semifinals. The Gamecocks and Cardinal person started this play ranked 1-2 -- and clasp those aforesaid spots successful our inaugural Power Rankings for the 2022-23 play -- and we'll get to spot the superpowers clash connected Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

Before then, 2 big-time aboriginal showdowns volition beryllium played Monday, arsenic Indiana faces Tennessee (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2), and Texas travels to instrumentality connected UConn.

The Lady Vols fell successful their opener to Ohio State, which is the biggest mover from ESPN's preseason Way-Too-Early Top 25 (No. 17), landing successful the apical 10 of the archetypal Power Rankings.

The Buckeyes, Big Ten co-champs and a Sweet 16 squad past season, showed disconnected their antiaircraft prowess against the Lady Vols. We'll spot however that prepares Tennessee for facing different Big Ten rubric contender successful Indiana.

Two speedy notes: ESPN's women's assemblage hoops Power Rankings are antithetic than the polls, arsenic we effort to springiness a play snapshot of the large picture. So teams' question -- oregon deficiency thereof -- mightiness not ever lucifer what happens successful the top-25 polls. And with truthful galore players, teams, coaches and games deserving recognition, we besides effort to debar a schoolhouse getting aggregate awards successful a week erstwhile possible.

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Hailey Van Lith and Mykasa Robinson enactment the crippled retired of scope arsenic Louisville grabs the choky triumph implicit Belmont.

Player of the Week: Hailey Van Lith, Louisville Cardinals

The inferior defender has a batch connected her shoulders this play successful respect to Louisville's success. But she embraces it. Van Lith is disconnected to a beardown start, averaging 21.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7. assists -- including 25 points connected Sunday successful a choky 75-70 triumph astatine Belmont.

Team of the Week: Creighton Bluejays

An Elite Eight squad past year, the Bluejays are disconnected to a blistery commencement with roadworthy victories implicit South Dakota State and South Dakota. Junior defender Lauren Jensen -- who made the winning 3-pointer successful Creighton's NCAA tourney second-round upset of Iowa past play -- had a combined 42 points, six assists and 5 rebounds successful those wins. On Tuesday, things should beryllium rocking astatine Creighton's D.J. Sokol Arena arsenic chap top-25 squad Nebraska makes the abbreviated travel from Lincoln to Omaha.

Win of the Week: Ohio State Buckeyes 87, Tennessee Lady Vols 75

Kudos to the Buckeyes and Lady Vols for opening the play against each different to interruption up the cupcake parade. Ohio State's fans rushed onto the tribunal and celebrated. ESPN's Charlie Creme noted successful the preseason that Ohio State has 1 of champion backcourts successful the country, and that led the mode successful the Buckeyes getting 16 steals.

Coach of the Week: Kenny Brooks, Virginia Tech Hokies

After the Hokies bushed Bucknell 67-41 connected Friday, Brooks said successful his quality conference, "I don't person much, antheral ... we didn't play well." But connected Saturday, helium Tweeted, "Classic illustration of precocious expectations. Sometimes the optics are not reality. Thought we played bad, watched the full crippled movie with the squad and we played truly well. Executed connected D, conscionable didn't marque arsenic galore shots. They did what asked! I apologized to them. Love this team!"

Here astatine Power Rankings Headquarters, we commend Brooks for this. And we respectfully petition each coaches debar phrases specified as, "We conscionable weren't precise good," "We've got a batch to enactment on" and "I person to bash a amended occupation coaching," until astatine slightest the second week of the season.

Power Rankings

Previous ranking refers to presumption successful ESPN's preseason Way-Too-Early Top 25.

1. South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: astatine Clemson (Thursday), astatine Stanford (Sunday)

The Gamecocks got their caller rings for past season's NCAA title and the SEC regular-season title. Then they took attraction of overmatched East Tennessee State by 70 points. South Carolina followed with an 81-56 triumph implicit a stronger hostile successful Maryland. Coach Dawn Staley has complimented her team's leadership, which should forestall immoderate letup astatine Clemson earlier traveling to Stanford.

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Kiki Iriafen hits each 7 of her tract extremity attempts to people a game-high 15 points successful Stanford's triumph implicit Pacific.

2. Stanford Cardinal (4-0)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: vs. Cal Poly (Wednesday), vs. South Carolina (Sunday)

Once again, the Cardinal's seat is truthful heavy you tin hardly spot to the extremity of it. Fifteen players person seen enactment successful each 4 games. Along with precise acquainted faces specified arsenic Haley Jones and Cameron Brink, younger Cardinal players besides are making an impact. Sophomore guardant Kiki Iriafen leads Stanford astatine 12.8 points per game. Freshman defender Talana Lepolo is averaging a team-best 6.5 assists, and she made her archetypal commencement connected Sunday astatine Portland.

3. Texas Longhorns (1-0)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: astatine UConn (Monday), vs. Marquette (Saturday)

Vic Schaefer fell into the "coaches going a small overboard aft 1 game" class erstwhile the Longhorns opened with a 68-45 triumph implicit Louisiana. He was precise unhappy astir Texas' 25 turnovers and said (more than once) helium had to manager better. But constituent defender Rori Harmon being out with a toed injury was the biggest culprit. We'll spot if Harmon is disposable for UConn.

4. UConn Huskies (1-0)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: vs. Texas (Monday), vs. NC State (Sunday)

We're rolling the dice present a spot by bumping the Huskies up to No. 4 aft a 59-point blowout opening triumph against Northeastern. We won't cognize until our adjacent Power Rankings, aft they've faced 2 chap top-10 teams, whether the Huskies merit it. The matchup with the Wolfpack comes aft UConn ended NC State's play successful a double-overtime Elite Eight instant classic successful March.

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Iowa thrashes Evansville down a large show from Caitlin Clark.

5. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: astatine Kansas State (Thursday), vs. Belmont (Sunday)

Drake took visiting Iowa to overtime connected Sunday earlier falling 92-86. A adjacent crippled against a longtime in-state rival isn't that large of a astonishment for the Hawkeyes, though it was a batch person than they wanted. Monika Czinano had 36 points and 11 rebounds, and Caitlin Clark 28 constituent and 9 assists. The question Iowa inactive indispensable reply consistently is however overmuch assistance volition the dynamic duo get?

6. Louisville Cardinals (3-0)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: vs. Gonzaga (Saturday)

Traveling to Belmont aboriginal successful the play was a mode for manager Jeff Walz to trial his team, due to the fact that the Bruins gave the Cardinals the combat helium expected. Van Lith is disconnected to a large start. Graduate transportation guards Chrislyn Carr and Morgan Jones are successful the starting lineup and filling important roles, which is precisely what Louisville needs from them.

7. Iowa State Cyclones (2-0)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: astatine Northern Iowa (Wednesday), vs. Columbia (Sunday)

With the likes of Ashley Joens, Lexi Donarski and Emily Ryan back, we already knew a batch astir the Cyclones. The archetypal 2 games gave an denotation of however overmuch 6-foot-6 transportation Stephanie Soares tin bring. She has averaged 11.5 points and 11.0 rebounds truthful far. If she's adjacent successful scope of those numbers each season, it volition beryllium large boost for Iowa State.

8. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0)
Previous ranking: 17
This week: astatine Ohio (Thursday), vs. McNeese (Sunday)

Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Mikesell were immense successful beating Tennessee, and perimeter play volition dictate a batch of the Buckeyes' fate. Sheldon already has 19 steals -- tying a schoolhouse grounds with 11 connected Sunday successful beating Boston College -- and Ohio State has forced 64 turnovers successful 2 games. But besides support an oculus connected elder guardant Rebeka Mikulasikova, who is averaging 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds; her numbers were 9.4 and 5.0 past season.

9. Tennessee Lady Vols (1-1)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: vs. Indiana (Monday), vs. Rutgers Scarlet (Saturday)

Tennessee fans understandably freaked retired a spot aft the opening nonaccomplishment to Ohio State due to the fact that the Lady Vols' hopes are truthful precocious this season. But it was an understandable defeat, considering it was the play opener connected the roadworthy against a precise opportunistic antiaircraft team. Jordan Horston's wounded was the biggest interest successful the triumph implicit UMass, but she is listed arsenic day-to-day. Indiana volition beryllium different test.

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Olivia Miles makes beauteous crockery for a basket

10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: astatine Northwestern (Wednesday), vs. Ball State (Sunday)

Fun household fact: The Irish person had a slightest 1 Mabrey sister successful the lineup each play but 1 since 2012-13. Michaela (2012-16) is present a Notre Dame assistant, Marina (2015-19) plays for the Dallas Wings and Dara Mabrey (2020-present) led the Irish with 16 points successful Saturday's triumph implicit California. Stat-sheet stuffer Olivia Miles is averaging 15.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 4.0 steals truthful far.

11. NC State Wolfpack (3-0)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: vs. Charlotte (Wednesday), astatine UConn (Sunday)

Some of the acquainted names of the past fewer years, including Elissa Cunane, are gone. But truthful far, the Wolfpack look similar: beardown defense; discourtesy dispersed retired among respective players. Guard Diamond Johnson is starring the mode astatine 13.0 PPG. While it won't marque up for losing that Elite Eight heartbreaker past season, NC State has different changeable astatine UConn coming up.

12. Indiana Hoosiers (2-0)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: astatine Tennessee (Monday), vs. Bowling Green (Thursday), vs. Quinnipiac (Sunday)

After opening with casual victories against Vermont and UMass Lowell, the Hoosiers get immoderate prime-time vulnerability against the Lady Vols connected Monday. We are utilized to seeing Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes starring Indiana. But freshman Yarden Garzon and transfers Sara Scalia (from Minnesota) and Sydney Parrish (from Oregon) are already making an interaction too.

13. North Carolina Tar Heels (2-0)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: vs. South Carolina State (Wednesday), astatine James Madison (Sunday)

As is the lawsuit with astir teams successful the archetypal week, wins against overmatched opponents don't archer america a full batch yet astir the Tar Heels. But North Carolina has a beardown inferior class, led truthful acold by Kennedy Todd-Williams (17.0 PPG) and Alyssa Ustby (16.5 PPG). Things volition get much absorbing for the Tar Heels erstwhile they play Thanksgiving week successful the Phil Knight Invitational successful Portland, Oregon.

14. LSU Tigers (3-0)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: vs. Houston Christian (Wednesday), vs. Northwestern State (Sunday)

LSU was rated arsenic having the best 2023 recruiting class this past week by ESPN, and the Tigers won their 3 games by a combined people of 343-125. Coveted transportation Angel Reese (from Maryland) is averaging 21.3 points and 14.3 rebounds. Everything is going large for the Tigers -- but they don't look a Power 5 squad until Dec. 18 versus Oregon State.

15. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0)
Previous ranking: 16
This week: astatine BYU (Tuesday), astatine Utah (Wednesday), vs. UT Arlington (Sunday)

Fifth-year elder Madi Williams is again starring a Sooners discourtesy that we cognize volition people a batch of points. Oklahoma has 23 3-pointers successful 2 games; the Sooners averaged 9.3 treys per contention past season. Even though it is early, this is simply a large week for Oklahoma, which volition lucifer up against 3 teams that made the NCAA tourney past season, including back-to-back games successful Utah.

16. Virginia Tech Hokies (2-0)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: vs. South Carolina Upstate (Monday)

Reigning ACC subordinate of the twelvemonth Elizabeth Kitley is averaging a double-double (20.0 points, 11.0 rebounds), arsenic expected. With guards similar Georgia Amoore and transportation Ashley Owusu (from Maryland) to get Kitley the ball, the Hokies are going to beryllium awesome offensively. Cayla King (20.5 PPG) and Boston College transportation Taylor Soule (10.0 PPG) besides are disconnected to bully starts.