As we get set to welcome conference play in the next two weeks, as Oregon State, Stanford, Oregon, South Carolina and Baylor continue to roll. UConn notched its first big win over the season this past week, with a ten-point victory over DePaul, and the mid-major programs continue to make noise.
One more mid-major program will find their way into the power rankings this week, as Princeton joins Gonzaga, Missouri State and South Dakota. The Tigers have been terrific so far this season, jumping out to a 10-1 start in coach Carla Berube's first season at the helm. Senior Bella Alarie is going to be a pro, and junior Carlie Littlefield is one of the best point guards in the country.
While this week's game of the week likely will be between two mid-majors on Friday night as Gonzaga takes on Missouri State, last week's best game came in the commonwealth of Kentucky. Louisville came away with a one-point win over a tough Kentucky team in Lexington, Kentucky. The Wildcats' Rhyne Howard showed why she is one of the country's best players, while the Cardinals balanced attack and big-time shot making ability, showed us why they could be in contention for another Final Four run.
Here's the last power rankings of 2019 before conference play kicks into gear across the country
Women's Top 25 Power Rankings
1. Oregon State (11-0)
No movement here, as the Beavers remain the best team in the country. They've won nine straight to open the season, and while they've already picked up some big wins over DePaul, Miami and Missouri State, they've been able to truly establish themselves on the defensive end this past week, holding both of their opponents to under 50 points. Mikayla Pivec, Taylor Jones, and Destiny Slocum have been terrific for the Beavers thus far, and Aleah Goodman has also been really good.
Kat Tudor, who has been battling injuries, played 26 minutes in Oregon State's last game, and will likely get more and more comfortable for a team already filled with threats on the offensive end. They have three more non-conference games before opening Pac-12 play against Utah on Jan. 3. The Beavers should be a perfect 12-0 heading into that game, and likely will be 14-0 heading into a big-time showdown against Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, on Jan. 10. Previous: 1
2. Stanford (10-0)
Stanford has been extremely solid and steady so far this season and has gotten better as the season has progressed. The Cardinal picked up a really good 71-52 win over Ohio State last weekend and now holds three consecutive wins over Syracuse, Mississippi State and the Buckeyes. That's about as solid of a three-game run as any team has had in the country.
They defeated Tennessee handily last night to move to 10-0. While veterans Lexie Hull and Kiana Williams have led and paced the Cardinal so far offensively, it has been the emergence of three freshmen that has been extremely impressive. Hannah Jump, Haley Jones, and Francesca Belibi have made tremendous improvements in the early going, and has cemented Stanford as a national championship contender. Unlike some other contenders, this Stanford team has a ton of depth and will need it to get through a difficult Pac-12. Stanford will have two more non-conference games before Pac-12 play begins, including a road test against Texas this weekend. Previous: 2
3. Oregon (9-1)
Since suffering their only loss of the season to Louisville, the Ducks have quickly righted the ship and looked like the No. 1 team most people thought they would be in the preseason, winning their last three games by an average of 39 points per game. Sabrina Ionescu has been a star, as have Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally. Hebard leads the team in scoring at 18.7 PPG, while Sabally comes in at 15.5 PPG. Collectively, the Ducks are shooting 35% from the 3-point line, which I think can and will get better.
Newcomer Jaz Shelley, is also starting to find her place in the rotation, while graduate transfer Minyon Moore, has given this team even more veteran leadership, along with a tough, defensive mentality and mindset. While Sedona Prince would've been a tremendous addition to the frontcourt (her waiver request was declined), this Oregon team has plenty of talent and will be among the top teams in the country all season long. They have the best starting five in the country and Kelly Graves will have his team ready for Pac-12 play, which begins on Jan 3, with a game against an upstart Colorado team in Eugene, Oregon. Previous: 3
4. South Carolina (11-1)
The Gamecocks have won four straight games since suffering their first and only loss of the season to Indiana. The Gamecocks are fresh off of a 36-point drubbing of a good Purdue team, while also holding wins at Maryland and over Baylor on a neutral floor. The SEC, which many thought would be a league filled with parity, now looks to be South Carolina's to lose.
Dawn Staley has her team playing great basketball and the rapid development of freshmen Zia Cooke and Aaliyah Boston should have this team in the mix for another Final Four and championship run. Boston is second on the team in scoring at 13.4 PPG and first in rebounding at 7.5 per game. The team's leading scorer Harrigan Herbert (13.7 PPG) has been really good so far this season, as has Tyasha Harris, who leads the team in assists. We will learn even more about this team over the next two weeks, as they have two more non-conference games against Duke and South Dakota, before opening up SEC play on Jan. 2 against Kentucky. Previous: 4
5. Baylor (9-1)
For some reason, people are forgetting about Baylor. While Lauren Cox remains sidelined with an injury, this is a team that is certainly capable of repeating as national champions. The Bears' only loss came at the hands of South Carolina. While Baylor will begin Big 12 play on Jan. 4 at Oklahoma, the big game comes on Jan. 9 when Kim Mulkey's team will take on UConn in a much-anticipated top-10 matchup.
While the Bears are shooting 38% from the 3-point line, they simply don't take many of them. That said, Juicy Landrum's 3-point barrage this week is an extremely positive sign for the Bears. Landrum set a NCAA record by making 14 3-pointers in a big win over Arkansas State. NaLyssa Smith, Queen Egbo and Te'a Cooper all join Landrum in averaging over 10 PPG. When Cox returns, this team will be right back where they were last year: in contention for a national championship. Previous: 5
6. UConn (9-0)
UConn is a tricky team to rank. The Huskies are No. 2 in the AP Poll, but if you ask Geno Auriemma he likely will tell you that they aren't the second best team in the country and I would agree with that. In comparing them to the teams ranked above them, I struggle to find their great win. Beating DePaul 84-74 on the road was certainly a really good win and their November win over Ohio State is looking better and better.
There is still a lot of concern about the depth of the Huskies. Their top four players -- Megan Walker (22.1 PPG), Cristyn Williams (16 PPG), Crystal Dangerfield (14.1 PPG) and Olivia Nelson-Ododa (12.4 PPG) -- are all averaging over 12 PPG, with the next player, Aubrey Griffin, averaging 6.3 PPG. Walker may be the next big star for the Huskies, but they will need their bench to take a step forward as they head into the new year. They will take on Oklahoma this weekend, without Auriemma, who will miss the game after undergoing diverticulitis surgery, before getting into conference play, but we aren't likely to really learn much more about this team until Jan. 9, when they take on the defending national champion Baylor Bears. Previous: 6
7. Louisville (11-1)
Louisville is a really good team, but it's difficult to find a one-loss team that has been on more of a roller coaster the past three weeks than the Cardinals. After a big-time win over Baylor, the Cardinals struggled in their next game against Ohio State, and fell to the Buckeyes 67-60. Last weekend, Louisville traveled to Rupp Arena to take on rival Kentucky and came away with a hard-fought one-point victory. Louisville is a dangerous team. They have one of the country's best coaches in Jeff Walz and a tough ACC schedule should prepare them quite well for another NCAA Tournament run.
Dana Evans has been terrific for the Cardinals so far, averaging 19 PPG and shooting 46% from 3-point range. Jazmine Jones and Kylee Shook have also played key roles in Louisville's success so far this season and Walz will look for them to build on their strong start as ACC play picks up. I'm struggling to move this team up this week, despite their big win at Kentucky, as they've just been too inconsistent with their play. They survived a double overtime game against UT-Martin Thursday, just days after the big win at Rupp. That said, this Louisville team, is likely the favorite to win the ACC, with Florida State and North Carolina State right on its heels. The Cardinals begin ACC play on Dec. 29 when they host Syracuse. Previous: 7
8. Florida State (10-0)
Florida State has been on an absolute roll to start the season. Sue Samaru's team has been clicking on all cylinders, including big wins over Texas A&M and Michigan State. The Seminoles have been tested lately though as St. John's took them to the wire on Florida State's home court. They will travel to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut this weekend to take on No. 22 Michigan in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase.
The Seminoles will certainly be in the mix for an ACC championship, along with the likes of Louisville and NC State and will need Kiah Gillespie to be great if they want to win it. Gillespie is nearly averaging a double-double, at 15.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. They have already played one conference game -- a win over Clemson -- and will continue conference play on Dec. 29 with Virginia Tech at home, before two straight road games against Syracuse and Miami. Previous: 8
9. NC State (11-0)
The Wolfpack have been paced by the tremendous play of Elissa Cunane. Cunane is coming off of a terrific 28-point, 16-rebound performance in a win over Elon last weekend, following a 16-point, 15-rebound performance in a home victory over No. 12 Maryland in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Cunane has been the go-to threat for NC State, but the Wolfpack also have three other players averaging double figures in scoring as Kai Crutchfield, Kayla Jones and Aislinn Konig are all over 10 PPG.
One knock on NC State, when comparing them to the teams above them, is its schedule. It did beat Maryland, but has yet to truly be challenged beyond that. A November win over Texas is a good one, but we will know a lot more about the Wolfpack when they get into conference play. That said, this is a really good basketball team, and could be in line to win the ACC. I'm mostly intrigued by its one-week stretch in early January where it travels to UNC and Notre Dame, before returning home to play Florida State on Jan. 16. Previous: 9
10. UCLA (10-0)
While a lot of noise has been made by many teams in the top-25 so far this year, UCLA just seems to be cruising along. Cori Close has her team playing good basketball early, as the Bruins have started the season on a nine-game winning streak. The Bruins haven't specifically been challenged much so far, outside of a five-point win over UCF in November, but that is about to change -- and quickly. UCLA will travel to take on the team right behind them in these power rankings -- Indiana on Sunday afternoon before opening up conference play with USC, Arizona State and Arizona. The Bruins will get all three of those at home.
Michaela Onyenwere has continued her torrid pace, as she's currently averaging 19.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Japreece Dean has been a more than capable scorer for the Bruins, while freshman Charisma Osborne has improved significantly since early November. There are too many tough stretches to count in the Pac-12 this season and while it's a virtual certainty that UCLA will not remain undefeated, it's certainly worth watching this team who is coming off of a Sweet 16 trip last year, very closely throughout January and February. Previous: 10
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Indiana | 10-1 | 12 |
| 12 | Maryland | 9-2 | 13 |
| 13 | Texas A&M | 9-1 | 15 |
| 14 | Arizona | 10-0 | 16 |
| 15 | Kentucky | 10-1 | 14 |
| 16 | Gonzaga | 10-1 | 19 |
| 17 | Mississippi State | 10-2 | 11 |
| 18 | Missouri State | 9-1 | 20 |
| 19 | DePaul | 9-2 | 18 |
| 20 | Michigan State | 7-2 | 22 |
| 21 | South Dakota | 11-1 | 21 |
| 22 | Michigan | 9-1 | 24 |
| 23 | Minnesota | 9-1 | 25 |
| 24 | West Virginia | 7-1 | NR |
| 25 | Princeton | 10-1 | NR |
Just out: Arkansas, Tennessee, Drake, Colorado, Miami, Syracuse, Rutgers, LSU, FGCU, and Colorado
Who fell out? LSU and Tennessee
Who jumped in? West Virginia and Princeton
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