The top seven teams are unchanged in this week's Power Rankings.
10:30 AM
It's too early to call a conference race in women's college basketball, but NC State and Louisville play Thursday in a game that could decide the league's regular-season champion.
The past two seasons, the Wolfpack and the Cards have been Final Four contender, and this year they are again. NC State won both the regular-season and the tournament. The teams didn't meet in the conference tournament in 2020 because Louisville won the regular-season game.
NC State is the league's top scoring offense at 79.7%. Wes Moore couldn't find anything wrong with the game that the Wolfpack played against Duke on Sunday, and he usually finds something.
NC State scored 40 points in the paint, made 7 of 15 3-pointers, outrebounded Duke 45-38, and had just four turnovers, which tied a program-record low. NC State forced 17 turnovers and held the Blue Devil to 36.1% shooting. Few teams can hope to beat the Wolfpack when they are playing well.
"That core group of veterans that really knows what they're doing, that lets the younger people watch and follow us," said senior center Elissa Cunane, who added that she and her Wolfpack teammates know each other so well they have a "little telepathy" between them.
Cunane is leading NC State in both points and points per game. Diamond Johnson is the top ranked transfer in the country.
Cunane had her best scoring performance of the season against Duke, and she's been a consistent rock for the Wolfpack. Louisville is on a 15-game winning streak after falling in its season opener. Dana Evans was a star for the Cards and won a title with the Chicago Sky.
There has not been a drop-off for Louisville. The Cards have gotten a boost from forward Emily Engstler, who was ranked 7 on the transfer rankings and made our list of the top 25 overall players in the country.
She is third on the team in scoring with an average of 10 points per game. In terms of rebound, Engstler leads the team with 8.3 PPG.
You would think that Louisville is the best in the conference. It is second to Georgia Tech's 46.3. The two teams met in January and the Cards won 50-48.
Louisville would be fine with that kind of game on Thursday. The game is against the Wolfpack. NC State can win that way, too, but they would prefer a more offensive battle because they have more than enough weapons to win that.
Play.
In a 69-47 win over Maryland, Michigan's Maddie Nolan went behind the 3-point line.
The player of the week was Kierstan Bell.
The junior guard had 30 points, five assists, five digs and five boards in the win. Bell had 25 points, seven rebound, and three steals in a 73-69 victory over Liberty on Saturday. Bell is a big part of the 15-1 Eagles, who are perfect in the ASUN. Florida Gulf Coast lost to Princeton on December 1.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the team of the week.
The Irish lost by two points at Duke on January 2nd. They defeated North Carolina 70-65 on Sunday and then beat Wake Forest 74-64 the next day. She made six 3-pointers against the Tar Heels, and had a combined 46 points in those games. Notre Dame is in the conference.
The UCF Knights defeated the South Florida Bulls.
In the top rivalry in the American Athletic Conference, UCF went to a perfect 4-0 in league play. Diamond Battles is the top scorer for the Knights with an average of 13.4 points per game. The return game will be Feb. 13 at South Florida.
South Florida won the American tournament championship game after splitting their regular-season meetings. The teams made the tournament.
Kim Barnes Arico is the coach of the week.
The UM's 69-49 victory at Maryland was the first time the UM had won at Maryland. Barnes Arico's squad is 4-1 against ranked teams this season, and the UM are 15-2 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten. Barnes Arico is the winningest coach in Michigan history.
The power rankings.
Play.
Mykasa Robinson cleans up the mess after the miss by Van Lith.
1. The South Carolina Gamecocks are 17-1
The previous ranking
1
There are no games this week.
The winning formula is to get the ball to Aliyah Boston and play high-energy defense. Boston had a combined 38 points and 28 rebound in victories against Texas A&M and Arkansas. The Razorbacks and A&M were held to less than 50 points. South Carolina is off this week, so maybe it's time to rest.
2. The Cardinal is 13-3)
The previous ranking
2
This weekend: at Cal.
There were concerns about the Colorado and Utah games, but the Cardinal won both of them. They were behind at halftime against the Buffs. They finished with 21 turnovers despite coming back to win. After trailing by four with 6 minutes, 40 seconds left, the Cardinal went on a 19-5 run to win the game. Four different players have scored in the past four games for the Cardinal.
3. The Tennessee Lady Vols are 17-1
The previous ranking
3
This weekend: at Georgia.
Senior guard Rae Burrell had her first double-figure scoring games since returning from a knee injury. She had 14 points in Sunday's 84-58 victory over Kentucky. The Lady Vols outrebounded the Cats 50-29 even though center Tamari Key left at halftime with an ankle injury. Tennessee has a week before its next game, so coach KellieHarper is optimistic that it's not serious.
4. The Louisville Cards are 15-1
The previous ranking
4
This week: at NC State and Wake Forest.
Syracuse lost 84-71 despite an opponent hitting the 70 point mark for the first time this season. The victory on Sunday was typical of the defense of the Cards. The Eagles were only 2-for-15 on 3-point attempts.
Play.
Kai Crutchfield tries to convert the lay-in as Jada Boyd rises for the big block.
5. The NC State Wolfpack are 16-2
The previous ranking
5
This weekend: vs. Virginia Tech and Louisville.
Virginia is winless in the Atlantic and the same can be said for the Wolfpack. The NC State bench scored 33 points against Duke on Sunday.
6. The Indiana Hoosiers have a 14-2 record.
The previous ranking
6
This week: at Michigan State, and at Iowa.
Grace Berger had a big week and Indiana needed her. She had 22 points and seven assists in the win. She had 24 points, six rebound and six assists in a 73-68 overtime win at Purdue on Sunday. The Hoosiers were without their center in both games, but they are still perfect in the Big Ten.
7. The LSU Tigers are 17-2
The previous ranking
7
This weekend: at Florida.
LSU had a tough game against a Missouri team that is the only team to beat South Carolina. In overtime, LSU won 87-85, and in the next game, they won 82-64. LSU is tied for second place in the SEC with a record of 5-1. Jailin Cherry had a huge week with a combined 32 points, 16 rebound and 17 assists.
8. Iowa State has a 16-1 record.
The previous ranking
9
This week: at Texas, and at Baylor.
In one of the best games of the Big 12 season, the Cyclones rallied to beat Kansas State 73-70 on Tuesday, winning on a banked-in 3-pointer. They defeated Oklahoma State 74-60 on Saturday and are the league's sole leader. The Longhorns and Bears are both 3-4 in the Big 12.
9. The UConn basketball team is 9-3).
The previous ranking
10
At Oregon, at St. John's, and at Seton Hall this week.
In their last two games, the Huskies have beaten the Musketeers and the Bulldogs, with both games being won by double digits, with one of the best games of the season being against the Bulldogs. They play the first of three remaining nonconference games on Monday when they travel to Oregon. The program is on the cable network, ESPN2). The Ducks beat Arizona on Saturday in overtime.
10. The Michigan Wolverines are 15-2
The previous ranking
11
This week: against Wisconsin.
This was a big week for the Michigan, as they got wins at Penn State and Maryland, and they were held to nine points by the Terrapins. The Michigan guard made seven of the team's 10 3-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points.
11. The Maryland Terrapins have a 12-5 record.
The previous ranking
8
This week: at Ohio State and Northwestern.
The news that coach Frese's father had died of cancer on Sunday was a big blow to the team. The game was still being coached by Frese. The 49 points Maryland scored on Sunday were 34 below their season average. This is not a game to judge Maryland on, considering the circumstances.
12. The Oklahoma Sooners have a 15-2 record.
The previous ranking
The rating is NR.
This week: at West Virginia and Kansas State.
The Sooners made their Power Rankings debut after beating two teams in the "waiting room." Oklahoma is second in scoring average and first in assists per game. The win over the Frogs was the eighth time this season that the Sooners have scored at least 90 points.
13. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
The previous ranking
The rating is NR.
At Boston College and Pittsburgh this week.
The Irish are on the road for their next three games, but they will take a lot of confidence from their wins against Wake Forest and North Carolina. Notre Dame is difficult to guard because there are five threats that average between 13.1 and 11.0 points.
14. The Bears are 11-4
The previous ranking
There were 12.
This week: against Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Oklahoma State.
The Bears came dangerously close to dropping to 0-3 in the Big 12 after falling at Oklahoma. They defeated Kansas on Sunday, led by sophomore guard Sarah Andrews' 25 points. The Bears will be happy to be back at home for two games this week, including against Iowa State. The program is on the cable network, ESPN2).
15. The Arizona Wildcats are 12-2
The previous ranking
14.
This weekend: vs. Colorado and Utah.
After edging Oregon State 55-53 on Thursday, the Wildcats lost a 17-point lead and fell in overtime at Oregon. Adia Barnes was upset with the officials and made an obscene gesture at Kelly Graves after the game. She and her players said that he used profanity towards Arizona. The senior guard had 15 points against the Beavers and 14 against the Ducks in back-to-back games.
16. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are 13-4
The previous ranking
15.
This week: against Syracuse, North Carolina and Syracuse.
The last game of the week was away from the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech fell at Miami on Sunday after beating Pittsburgh and Florida State. The Yellow Jackets like to win low- scoring games.
In the waiting room.
Georgia has three games this week as they face Missouri, Mississippi State and Tennessee.
The Texas Longhorns fell out of the Power Rankings after losing to Kansas in overtime and to West Virginia. They will play four of their next five games on the road.
This past week, St. Mary's and Loyola Marymount were held to less than 40 points.
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