The defending champion UConn Huskies remain the standard in women’s college basketball. After Vanderbilt suffered its first loss of the season, the Huskies are the only remaining undefeated squad. Both UConn and UCLA have cemented themselves atop the AP Poll, as they are both unbeaten in their respective conferences.
But after the top two, there have been upsets, place swaps and all-around mayhem. After weeding through the chaos, here’s how I voted this week, with last week’s rankings in parentheses.
3. South Carolina (2)
Dropped out: Oklahoma State (24)
Almost famous: Alabama, Villanova, NC State, Fairfield, North Carolina, Stanford, Washington
Notes on the votes:
UConn: With South Carolina’s win over Vanderbilt, the Huskies remain the lone undefeated team in women’s college basketball. That’s a massive feat, even in the Big East. Though its conference doesn’t present many challenges, the Huskies have managed to stay consistent. Plus, their early-season wins were wildly impressive. UConn owns the top nonconference strength of schedule, with wins over Louisville, Ohio State, Michigan and Iowa.
The Huskies still have Tennessee and its chaotic defense on the docket, but after they should coast to an undefeated record heading into March Madness.
South Carolina: I don’t know if I’ve seen a team put on a more dominant performance this season than South Carolina did in a 103-74 win over Vanderbilt. Five Gamecocks scored in double figures, including their post duo of 6-foot-3 sophomore Joyce Edwards and 6-foot-6 senior Madina Okot. Senior guard Ta’Niya Latson was also a force, scoring 21 points and dishing out 5 assists. It was a classic South Carolina performance, as the Gamecocks led with defense and relied on their balance and depth to secure the win. If this is the South Carolina we get for the rest of the season – not the team that lost to Oklahoma earlier in the week – they can compete for a national title.
Iowa: Since losing to UConn on Dec. 20, the Hawkeyes have won eight straight to open Big Ten play with a perfect record. The streak includes four top-25 wins over Nebraska, Michigan State, Maryland and Ohio State. Freshman guard Addie Deal had a breakout performance in her team’s 91-70 win over the Buckeyes, scoring 20 points off the bench after senior guard Taylor McCabe left with an injury. If Deal keeps leveling up her play, she will be a major factor for Iowa in March.
Oklahoma: We saw just how good this Oklahoma team can be on Thursday, as the Sooners topped South Carolina 94-82 in overtime. When the Sooners are at their best they play through 6-foot-4 senior center Raegan Beers, who finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Despite having solid bigs of their own, South Carolina had no answer for Beers. Her dominance opened things up for freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez, who had 26 points and was unstoppable in overtime to secure the win. Chavez was special, but Oklahoma needs to remember that it all starts with Beers if the Sooners want to maintain this success.
Rhode Island: The A-10 is a surprisingly strong conference, and Rhode Island is the league’s top team. After defeating Dayton 79-66 on Sunday, the Rams improved to 19-2 on the season and a perfect 9-0 in conference play. The Rams are propelled by a trio of scorers: senior guard Brooklyn Gray (13.2 points per game), sophomore forward Palmire Mbu (11.4 points) and freshman guard Vanessa Harris (10.7 points). The Rams share the wealth, with three others scoring at least 7.0 points per game.
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