Kansas State held the Bears to their lowest point total of the season. The 36-game losing streak to the Bears was ended by the upset.
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It was a week in women's college basketball that hadn't been done before or in a long time. The results have us wondering if the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC will be the preseason favorites in the years to come.
The first time Missouri had ever defeated a No. 1 team was on Thursday. Indiana beat sixth-ranked Maryland for the first time in Hoosiers history on Sunday. The Bears lost at Kansas State for the first time in 18 years, ending a 36-game winning streak in the series.
Maryland, South Carolina, and Baylor were all unanimous picks to win their conferences. The league season is just a week old, and do the upsets change anything? It's too early to say, but the fact that the question has come up is noteworthy.
South Carolina defeated Mississippi State 80-68 on Sunday. The Gamecocks were able to stretch their defense by hitting seven 3-pointers. Mississippi State shot just 2-of- 17 from the 3-point range.
The SEC is the favorite, along with South Carolina. The loss to Missouri showed that there are ways to keep the Gamecocks away from their strengths.
The LSU-South Carolina game is even more intriguing now that the Tigers are 2-0 in SEC play. They meet Thursday. The SEC Network is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Indiana had to go to overtime for its big win, but it got it thanks to a strong defensive effort. The Hoosiers held the Terps to a 36.2% shooting percentage from the field and 23.1% from the 3-point range. Indiana did it with its starters playing the entire game, with Ali Patberg and Grace Berger playing all 45 minutes.
"We've tried to hang our hats on the defensive side of the ball since we've been here," said coach Moren. We've been very careful. We have tough kids. They're tough. They're smart. They understand the game plan and tendencies we're trying to take away.
Most of the players from last season are back for Maryland and Indiana. Even in their short time in the Big Ten, the Terps have historical dominance. They have won or shared the league's regular-season title in six of the seven seasons since they arrived.
If the Terps want to win the Big Ten title again, they need to be able to count on their 3-point shooting and their rebound. The next big test is against Michigan.
Play.
The program's first win was in overtime, with baskets from Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes.
Kansas State hadn't beaten a team in over a year. When the Bears fell at Oklahoma State in the Big 12 opener, they had not lost a game in the conference since.
The K-State team that lost at K-State in 2004 had four players who saw time in the NBA, led by Nicole Ohlde, who won a championship with Phoenix. A future NBA player, center Ayoka Lee, had 32 points and 10 rebound against the Bears.
The Bears ended up relying more on their perimeter offense than they probably wanted, as NaLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo had a combined 16 points and 11 rebound. The Bears' three losses were all at the foul line, where they were a combined 31 of 42.
There were inevitable bumps in the road this season with new leadership and a new coach. Over the past 11 years, the Bears have won or tied for the Big 12 title. The Bears and West Virginia shared the title in both of those seasons.
They play Texas on Sunday. The Longhorns have not won in the series since 2011. If the Longhorns win, the Big 12's favorite status might be in jeopardy.
Play.
Kim Mulkey says that Texas A&M's aggressive defense made it tough but that the seniors found a way to win.
The player of the week was Ayoka Lee.
Lee was the first repeat winner of the season. She has been a force for the Cats, who got their biggest win in a while on Sunday in beating 10th ranked Bears. Lee was 10-of-13 from the foul line and 11-of-16 from the field for 32 points. She has five games this season in which she has scored 30 points or more.
Lee had 10 rebound against the Bears and is currently averaging 11.0 rebound and 3.8 blocked shots. Lee scored 28 points in the second half.
"She delivered in every area," K-State coach Jeff Mittie said. The program that has dominated this league over the last decade has been defeated.
The team of the week is LSU.
The Tigers started the SEC season 2-0 with wins over Georgia and Texas A&M, and senior Khayla Pointer played all 40 minutes in both games. She had a triple-double to start the season against Nicholls State and almost had another on Sunday, finishing with 17 points, nine rebound and eight assists.
Morris had 30 points against Texas A&M. The two teams got to the foul line too much.
Missouri beat South Carolina in OT.
You might have thought that the tigers wouldn't have had it in them to win in overtime because they used seven players. How many times have we seen an upset fall apart in the extra period?
It could have happened to Missouri after they fell behind in OT. The game went into overtime, and Missouri made three layups in the final 3 minutes to win. The loss of South Carolina's first loss of the season redeemed the Tigers after their near upset against Baylor.
Robin Pingeton is the coach of the week.
Even if Aijha Blackwell was available, Pingeton knew that Missouri would not have a chance against South Carolina. The Tigers were cooked because of the double-double being out due to COVID-19 protocol.
The game plan was the same, spread out the Gamecocks, force them to guard all of Missouri's shooters and not give up easy transition points. It has been a recipe for success for the Tigers in the SEC. She has a good track record of making the most of the talent the program has, even though she isn't going to get as much blue-chip talent as other programs in the league.
The power rankings.
1. The South Carolina Gamecocks are 13-1
The previous ranking
1
The LSU game is on Thursday, and the Kentucky game is on Sunday.
The Gamecocks are at the top. Their perfect record is over, but that's not a big deal. It's a concern that South Carolina had to rally from an 18-point deficit against Stanford and lost to Missouri in two of its past three games.
2. The Cardinal is 9-3)
The previous ranking
3
This weekend: vs. Oregon State and Oregon.
The Cardinal's game against Washington was put off because of concerns about COVID-19. They have never lost to Washington State. Haley Jones had 24 points and 16 rebound in an 81-44 win for the Cardinal over five players who were out due to COVID-19 protocol.
3. The Tennessee Lady Vols are 13-1
The previous ranking
4
This weekend: at Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
The SEC wins over Alabama and Arkansas were two of Tennessee's three victories this week. The Lady Vols defeated the Razorbacks 70-63 on the road on Sunday.
Play.
Louisville defeated Georgia Tech 50-48 on a layup by Emily Engstler.
4. The Louisville Cards are 12-1
The previous ranking
2
This weekend: at Miami and Pittsburgh.
If you like defense, the game the Louisville Cardinals played against Georgia Tech was a good one. Louisville scored in the first and third quarters in single digits. The winning streak was kept alive by Emily Engstler's layup with two seconds left.
5. The NC State Wolfpack is 12-2
The previous ranking
5
This weekend: at Notre Dame and North Carolina.
The NC State basketball team will have had a week to prepare for North Carolina's visit on Thursday after blowing past Clemson on Thursday. The network is called the ACC Network. NC State will be the fifth ranked opponent for the Tar Heels.
6. The Texas Longhorns are 10-1
The previous ranking
6
This week: at Texas Tech, and at Baylor.
The Longhorns started the Big 12 season with a win at Oklahoma State. The Longhorns will look to end their losing streak against the Bears next Sunday.
7. The Indiana Hoosiers are 11-2
The previous ranking
11
This week: at Wisconsin.
The Hoosiers showed their determination in their win against Maryland. They were down 10-1 in the final three minutes of regulation, so it felt like they were going into overtime. Indiana won the overtime period 9-2 and the game 70-63.
8. The Michigan Wolverines are 12-1
The previous ranking
10
This week: at Nebraska and Rutgers.
In the Big Ten, she has been tough on Ohio State. She has averaged 35.3 points in her past three meetings with the Buckeyes, after scoring 29 against them on Friday.
The LSU women's basketball team defeated the Texas A&M women's basketball team.
9. The LSU Tigers are 14-1
The previous ranking
16.
This weekend: at South Carolina and at Auburn.
The biggest jump this week was made by the Tigers, who won over ranked Georgia and Texas A&M. How will they match up with the other team?
10. The Arizona Wildcats are 10-2.
The previous ranking
7
Washington State and Washington are this week's opponents.
We don't have enough evidence to take them out of the top 10. They haven't played since Dec. 17 and their only ranked opponent was Louisville.
11. The Bears are 10-3.
The previous ranking
8
This week: against Texas and TCU.
There is no need for the Bears to panic after their loss. In nonconference play, the Cats faced NC State, South Carolina and Oregon, and they challenged themselves. It was a wake-up call for the Bears about how tough the Big 12 could be.
12. The Connecticut Huskies are 6-3.
The previous ranking
9
This weekend: atVillanueva, vs. Creighton.
The games against Georgetown, Marquette, and DePaul have all been postponed due to carbon dioxide issues.
13. The Maryland Terrapins are 10-4.
The previous ranking
There were 12.
This weekend: at Minnesota and Penn State.
Indiana's defense was the reason for the 70-63 overtime loss to the Maryland. Maryland went 3-of-13 against the Hoosiers, and would like to see more results from behind thearc.
14. Iowa State has a 12-1 record.
The previous ranking
13
This week: at Oklahoma, and at TCU.
The senior guard had 29 points and 11 rebound in the win over West Virginia, which was the first game of the Big 12 season. Iowa State's upcoming game at Oklahoma could be fun.
15. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are 10-3.
The previous ranking
14.
This week: at Duke and Virginia.
On Sunday in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Yellow Jackets nearly got another big win. It took a late layup by Louisville for them to prevail. Georgia Tech will face another ranked opponent in Duke.
16. The Georgia Lady Dogs are 12-2
The previous ranking
15.
This week: at Kentucky and Alabama.
After being defeated at home by LSU on Thursday, the team came back with a win at Florida on Sunday. Morrison had 18 points, six rebound, four assists, and five steals.
In the waiting room.
The Tar Heels haven't played a ranked opponent yet. They will travel to NC State on Thursday. Deja Kelly had a career-high 31 points.
The Oklahoma Sooners are on a roll. The Sooners have scored at least 90 points seven times this season.
The Duke Blue Devil's lost at Virginia Tech on Thursday but came back to beat Notre Dame on Sunday. The Fighting Irish had a season-high 27 points from Elizabeth Balogun.
