thank you south carolinaWhile it’s impossible to keep track of the rest of the college basketball world, the Gamecocks continue to push forward, amassing double-digit conference wins in an unfashionable fashion. This week, they avenged his 2021 to 22 just two losses. kentucky When Missouri In dominant form, it continues to be a stabilizing force at the top of these power rankings.
Beyond the defending champion? Chaos reigns on certain nights. The top 10 lost 3 teams this week, leaving almost 4 teams in the top 10. Utah squeak Arizona By one — on a weird weekend when Utes only had one game. Arizona Had to abandon other matchups. The Pac-12 cannibalize themselves, but so does the Big 12, and the ACC currently boasts the most surprising conference champions.let’s start with them blue devils As for this week’s exercises, first… the rankings.
dropped out: Oregon, Kansas
most famous: Florida, Arkansas, Clayton, Oregon
• Duke’s record — 16 wins, 1 loss, 1 loss to No at the time. 3 U Conn — The Blue Devils suggest they need to finish higher than No. 12 this week.And it’s not like duke Doing well in smoke and mirrors — her average win margin is 19.5 points, equivalent to 11th in the nation, according to her hoop stats. The Blue Devils have handled business in the ACC so far is no small feat, especially considering he has yet to let his conference opponent break 60 points. Duke uses its depth to its advantage, sending waves of active defenders into his opponents, turning the game into a slog, and the results justify the means.
But it’s hard to think of the Blue Devils as a top 10 team, whose offense sometimes seems to be guarded by Duke. They turn the ball over often, don’t get to the foul line very often and many 3 points he doesn’t create a look. The defense hasn’t really faltered all season (except for the game against the Huskies), but the best teams in the country have excelled on both ends of the floor, and Duke isn’t there yet.
• Ohio As one of the three remaining undefeated teams, they are the latest team to jump to number two on my Power Rankings.The Buckeyes have been remarkably resilient despite season-ending injuries Madison Green in a vacant state with Jaycee Sheldon, who remains every week. Credit to them for maintaining efficient attacks without these perimeter creators. Taylor Mikesell Continuing to polish her Big Ten Player of the Year case. She’s a whopping 7.9 of her 3-pointers per game She’s shooting 40% in her attempts, and like a yeoman the job is to carry an offensive load alongside her duo on the frontcourt doing. Rebeka Mikrashikova When Coty McMahonOhio State has been tested in conference play but continues to perform like a veteran team, the most solid team in the country beyond South Carolina.
• I’m a little taller than most people at UConn all season long and trust my huskies.When this team is complete (minus Paige Bookers, apparently), UConn looks just as good as any non-SC team in the country. Even if those games weren’t as impressive as the ACC or Big Ten wins, they’ve continued to play in the Big East. They scheduled very well outside the conference, so it makes no sense to blame them for the quality of the meeting partner.Haven’t seen them lose all out and have some good wins against their ilk IowaDuke, texasNC and FloridaWhen injuries pile up — for example, Aji Fad missed the second half of their recent win against Georgetowncoach Geno Auriemma said it’s not serious – it may never reach the theoretical cap, so it may be time to reconsider UConn’s position in these rankings. Until then, the Huskies are a team that has competed in big games and consistently looks like some of the Final Four contenders.
• One word Stanford After the Cardinals lost their second game of the season to an opponent USC … As Shantell Jennings noted on Sunday, Stanford has been playing with fire throughout the Pac-12 schedule, but nothing like a bad road win in conference play. It’s hard to beat the same opponent year after year, and a veteran team that can emerge victorious in a hostile environment deserves credit, even if the game is ugly.
But the Cardinals’ offensive performance against the Southern Cals was a benevolent expression when they scored 4 points in the first quarter and shot 30.9% on field goals and 19% on 3-point range. Stanford can have the most beautiful offense in the country when the moves flow, but they seemed to have no counter to their Trojan game plan, a strange sight for a veteran team. The Cardinals continued to force jumpers, playing straight into the hands of USC and not even sending a player to the post-game press conference as they agreed to a spectacular defeat.
Stanford lost a number of veterans from last year’s Final Four team (twins Anna Wilson and Hal). Cameron Brink Now that it’s closed, it’s natural to wonder who the Cardinals are going to attack. Tarana Lepollo Runs things surprisingly well for a freshman, but when her game plan falls apart, she’s not at the point where she can improvise and carry the scoring load. hayley jones Must step up for Stanford.
• Pac-12 is still something Cardinals should lose. UCLA When Oregon I don’t think I’m going to try this year.The Bruins didn’t lose in their first meeting Charisma Osborne, but even with Osborne available, they appeared to be one step behind Stanford in a 72–59 loss. and UCLA upset most of the second half, unable to find an advantage with Stanford playing small on either side. The Ducks also haven’t moved up to the level of higher teams, with his only one ranked win this season against an Arkansas team that fell outside the top 25. It doesn’t seem to have a consistent identity. There’s still time, but it’s still Oregon. The ducks are so young that it probably won’t happen this season.
• A week ago, I thought Baylor was in the Big 12 class, but the Bears are on a two-game losing streak.The current frontrunner is Texas, and given the Longhorns’ preseason predictions, it probably should have been picked from the start. Aaliyah Moore The season has been ruled out and there are no players to point out. loli harmon play a big game Shayley Gonzalez We hit the ball well and DeJonah Gaston took the lead on Sunday IowaWith Moore’s injury, Texas may never be as good as a preseason third place implied, but the Longhorns have at least been stable since Harmon’s return, and that might be enough for this conference. not.
• Louisville Sneak into No. 25, another early-season darling starting to regain control of the season. Three ACC teams were considered for their final location. All of them are 5 to 2 in conference: Louisville, Florida, and Miami.Ultimately, the Cards win over the Seminoles gave them the edge, as the Hurricanes’ overall work is a little less impressive than the other two. hayley van lisbut support is provided more consistently morgan jones, Olivia Cochrane When Chrislyn CarrJeff Walz had a number of holes to fill in last year’s Final Four roster and it took him some time to figure out his new role. they seem to have now.
(Illustration: John Bradford/ athleticPhoto by Taylor Mikesell: G Fiume/Getty Images)
