It was another historic week in women’s college basketball. Last week A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark celebrated their jersey retirements, which allowed me to reflect on the growth of women’s basketball. This week, Tennessee defeated UConn for the first time since 2007, when legendary coach Pat Summitt was at the helm. 

Tennessee is such an important part of women’s basketball history, and the team’s resurgence behind Kim Caldwell’s fast-paced, modern style has been exciting to witness. The future is bright for the Vols, which is good for the game overall. Women’s basketball is better when Tennessee is nationally relevant. For Tennessee to beat UConn for the first time in almost 20 years during Caldwell’s first season as head coach makes me – and college basketball fans around the country – excited to see what she can do in the future. 

That game was one of the highlights of the week, but it wasn’t the only one. Here’s how I voted in Monday’s poll with my previous votes in parentheses:

1. UCLA (1)

1. UCLA (1)

2. Notre Dame (3)

2. Notre Dame (3)

3. Texas (4)

3. Texas (4)

4. South Carolina (2)

4. South Carolina (2)

5. USC (8)

5. USC (8)

6. LSU (7)

6. LSU (7)

7. Kentucky (9)

7. Kentucky (9)

8. UConn (5)

8. UConn (5)

9. TCU (11)

9. TCU (11)

10. Duke (10)

10. Duke (10)

11. Ohio State (6)

11. Ohio State (6)

12. North Carolina State (15)

12. North Carolina State (15)

13. Kansas State (12)

13. Kansas State (12)

14. Oklahoma (13)

14. Oklahoma (13)

15. North Carolina (14)

15. North Carolina (14)

16. Tennessee (19)

16. Tennessee (19)

17. Maryland (17)

17. Maryland (17)

18. West Virginia (18)

18. West Virginia (18)

19. Oklahoma State (22)

19. Oklahoma State (22)

20. Georgia Tech (20)

20. Georgia Tech (20)

21. Michigan State (16)

21. Michigan State (16)

22. Alabama (23)

22. Alabama (23)

23. Florida State (21)

23. Florida State (21)

24. Columbia (25)

24. Columbia (25)

25. Vanderbilt (24)

25. Vanderbilt (24)

ALMOST FAMOUS: South Dakota State, Creighton, Ole Miss, Oregon, Illinois, Utah, Michigan    

NOTES ON THE VOTES: 

  • UCLA: Oregon gave UCLA more trouble than expected, largely because of the defense of Phillipina Kyei, who matched up well with Lauren Betts. She held Betts to an uncharacteristic 4 of 10 shooting. But the beauty of this UCLA team is its depth and Betts never forces the issue because she has so many weapons around her. Against Oregon, it was Londynn Jones that stepped up, scoring a season-high 21 points and going 5 of 7 from the three-point line. The Bruins also showcased their defensive ability, something that is often overshadowed by their offensive weapons, holding Oregon to just 26.6 percent shooting. It wasn’t the prettiest UCLA victory, but being able to win when Betts has an off night is crucial. If that happens in March, the Bruins can lean on other players.
  • Texas: A month ago Texas lost to South Carolina by 17 points and played its worst game of the season. That could have been demoralizing for the Longhorns. But they bounced back in the second matchup, winning 66-62. That victory told me a lot about Texas and its postseason hopes. Texas stuck to its game plan, corrected the issues from the first game and controlled the pace. And, after she scored just seven points on 3-19 shooting in their first meeting, Madison Booker showed why she is one of the best, most reliable players in the country, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Booker is almost always going to be the best player on the court, but Texas’ play has been elevated this season with the addition of Kyla Oldacre, who came up huge against SC with 13 points. She and Taylor Jones offer two differing styles of play in the post, with Oldacre playing the traditional role and Jones having the ability to extend defenses. Vic Schaefer has a knack for knowing when to play which post, and isn’t afraid to roll with whoever is having the biggest impact at the time. On Sunday, that was Oldacre. 
  • LSU: The Tigers met Tennessee at a bad time, with the Vols coming off their first victory over UConn since 2007 – when Candace Parker was still in college. But LSU was ready for Tennessee’s pressure, and only committed 13 turnovers as opposed to the 23.7 that their opponents generally record. The Tigers have an experienced core, led by Flau’Jae Johnson, who was an important piece to their title run two seasons ago. Poise is crucial when playing Tennessee, and the Tigers have it in droves. Sophomore Mikaylah Williams is difficult to speed up, Aneesah Morrow continued to dominate the glass with 14 rebounds and Kailyn Gilbert is the best sixth-player in the country. She has been the spark in both wins against Tennessee this season with 23 points on Sunday and 22 in their previous meeting. As the postseason approaches, having another reliable guard is a perk for Kim Mulkey and the Tigers. 
  • UConn: The standards in Storrs are impossibly high, so-much so that a three-loss season seems like a big deal. But the sky isn’t falling for Connecticut. The Huskies have lost to three teams that can go to the Sweet 16 or further. Sarah Strong has emerged as the clear leader for Freshman of the Year and for a lot of the season, she’s looked like UConn’s best player. She finished with 18 points and nine rebounds against Tennessee, playing the most minutes out of any UConn player. Azzi Fudd and KK Arnold also finished in double-figures, and Aubrey Griffin had nine points as she continues to get back into the groove after missing the first two months of the season recovering from an ACL tear. Having consistent weapons outside of Strong and Bueckers should be a focal point for UConn going forward. I’d also like to see Bueckers force the issue a little bit more. She’s one of the country’s best players, but at times, Bueckers is unselfish to a fault. Her ability to create for others is a great strength – she had eight assists against Tennessee – but sometimes, Bueckers needs to take over the game. UConn needed that from her against Tennessee. 
  • Kansas State: It was a wild week for Kansas State. After beating TCU 59-50 on Wednesday the Wildcats lost 85-55 to Oklahoma State. Against TCU they managed to limit both Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince with a strong defensive showing, while point guard Serena Sundell showed off her versatility, scoring 27 points, largely by playing with her back to the basket. After that win I was ready to put Kansas State in the top eight, but the Oklahoma State loss stopped that from happening. The only reason I kept Kansas State in a similar spot to last week is because I think Oklahoma State is an excellent, underrated team.
  • NC State: The Wolfpack are really starting to find their stride. Aziaha James has a way of showing up in the biggest moments – like she did last season by leading NC State to the Final Four. She finished with 36 points on Monday to help NC State knock off Duke. She followed that up with a 22 point performance in a win against Florida State, which punctuated an eight-game winning streak for the Wolfpack. But the biggest positive for NC State in the back-to-back top 25 wins was its post play. That’s been the biggest weakness for the Wolfpack so far this season, with a young post core that has struggled to hang with more experienced bigs. But against Duke, freshman center Lorena Awou played a vital role off the bench, scoring eight points, all of which came in key moments. Then, in the Florida State win, it was fellow freshman big, Tilda Trigger who had a breakout game, finishing with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
  • Tennessee: The Vols have played with some of the country’s top teams, losing to Oklahoma, LSU, Texas and South Carolina by seven points or less, but until Thursday, they hadn’t been able to close out a game. That changed in a historic 80-76 win over UConn. I’ve said all season that Tennessee can play with anyone, but the Vols need to learn to win. Defeating UConn in a close game was a big step in their progression.
  • Oklahoma State: The Cowgirls are capable of going off on massive runs due to their three-point shooting, something that was on full display against Kansas State. It was a big bounce back, too, after Oklahoma State scored just 37 points in a loss to West Virginia last week. The Cowgirls scored 31 points in the first quarter alone, as Anna Gret Asi went off for a season-high 24 points on 8 of 12 shooting from beyond the arc. As a team, they made 14 three-pointers. Oklahoma State will be a scary opponent for anyone in March, with scorers like Asi and Stailee Heard capable of erupting at any moment.