With conference play getting set to really amp up, we are going to see more of the top teams going up against each other in the coming weeks. The one non-conference game that we have to look forward to next week, should be a great one as the reigning national champion Baylor Bears travel to take on the UConn Huskies on Thursday.
While the top team in our rankings remains the same this week, there are some minor changes in the top-10 following Stanford's loss to Texas. There are also three new teams to this week's rankings, as Texas returns, while Northwestern and Florida Gulf Coast make their first appearance this week.
Kentucky and Maryland are the two teams that suffered the biggest drop, while still remaining in the power rankings dropping four spots this week. The Terrapins lost by 23 to Northwestern this week, while Kentucky lost by 27 to South Carolina. West Virginia makes a four-spot leap to No. 20, while Arizona, following a big road win over Arizona State, moves to No. 12.
Here is the full top 25 power rankings for this week:
Women's Top 25 Power Rankings
1. Oregon State (12-0)
No surprise that Oregon State remains at No. 1 again this week, having easily won their last two games. The undefeated Beavers have yet to win a game by less than 11 points, and that includes wins over Miami, DePaul and Missouri State. The ease in which Scott Rueck's team has been winning is likely to change as they begin conference play this weekend. The Beavers get Utah and Colorado at home to kick of Pac-12 play, before heading to Arizona for games with the undefeated Wildcats and the 10-3 Sun Devils. A three-game stretch of Stanford and Oregon twice looms large as well. Previous: 1
2. Oregon (10-1)
The Ducks move up one spot this week and were very close to moving up to No. 1. While Oregon State is certainly deserving of the No. 1 spot, the Ducks might just be the country's best team, while having, arguably, the country's best starting five. Since losing to Louisville, they have won four straight games, while scoring more than 80 points in each game, and surrendering less than 60 points in each contest. Coach Kelly Graves has his team playing well on both ends of the floor as they get set to begin Pac-12 play this weekend. The Ducks follow a similar schedule to Oregon State, so they will host Colorado and Utah this weekend, before playing the Arizona-Arizona State slate next weekend. Previous: 3
3. South Carolina (13-1)
With Stanford's loss, South Carolina is another team that moves up a spot in the rankings this week. The Gamecocks might just be the most intriguing team heading into conference play for me. Dawn Staley's team has already put together a terrific resume in the non-conference with wins over Maryland, Baylor, and South Carolina--all in our power rankings. Their only loss came to Indiana over a month ago. On Thursday, they opened up conference play by easily defeating Kentucky 99-72, while having four freshmen, Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal and Laeticia Amihere all scoring in double figures. This team is very good and getting better every time out. In October, the SEC looked like it may be very competitive, with four or five teams that could possibly win it. This league will certainly still be very competitive, with a number of NCAA Tournament teams, but the Gamecocks have risen to the top and are the team to beat in the conference. Previous: 4
4. Baylor (10-1)
Ever since Baylor lost to South Carolina at the Paradise Jam, it seems as if people are sleeping on the reigning national champions. They played that game without their star, AP All-American and likely top-2 pick in the WNBA Draft Lauren Cox. While Baylor continued to pile up wins, they also just got Cox back this past week. The timing for Kim Mulkey's team was perfect as they get ready to head to Hartford, Connecticut for a huge matchup against UConn on Thursday. The Big-12 has a number of good teams, but the Bears are far-and-away the conference's best team. If the Bears can go to UConn and beat Geno Auriemma and the Huskies, it's possible that Baylor could run the table from there and head into the NCAA Tournament as the overall No. 1 seed for the second consecutive year. Previous: 5
5. UConn (11-0)
While UConn moves up a spot this week, I have the AP No. 1 team in the country a lot lower here, and have since the beginning of the season. I just need to see more against better teams. The DePaul win is a really good one and the Ohio State win is starting to look better and better, but they simply don't have the quality of wins or the number of quality wins as the four teams above them. The opportunities, however, will be plentiful in the coming weeks, and it all begins with a huge showdown Thursday against Baylor. In fact, the Huskies will play Baylor, South Carolina, and Oregon -- three teams currently ranked above them -- all within the next six weeks. This is a really good team. If Oregon has the best starting five in the country, I think UConn is right behind them. With that, a win over Baylor would not only catapult them over the Bears, it could move them all the way to the top. Previous: 6
6. Stanford (11-1)
The Cardinal suffered their first defeat on the road at Texas, and while it was a tough loss, Texas was the preseason No. 15 team in the country and has been playing much better as of late. The bigger issue for me was how Stanford struggled with UC Davis in its next game. UC Davis led by two points at the half and trailed by just five heading into the fourth quarter. Tara VanDerveer's team is playing well offensively, but needs to improve a bit on the defensive end and will need to do that quickly with Pac-12 play set to begin this weekend. Even with the loss, Stanford recorded some strong non-conference wins over Mississippi State, Gonzaga, Tennessee and Syracuse. The Cardinal also got valuable experience for their young players like Haley Jones, Hannah Jump and Francesca Belibi. That will pay dividends for them in the gauntlet that is the Pac-12. I'm mostly looking forward to Stanford's mid-January trip to Oregon where the Cardinal will take on Oregon and Oregon State. Previous: 2
7. Louisville (13-1)
There are a few teams so far this season that are a bit difficult to figure out. Louisville has the best win of any team in the country, defeating Oregon on a neutral court in November. The Cardinals followed that up with a loss at Ohio State. The Buckeyes are building quite a good resume, so that loss doesn't look as bad now as it did a few weeks ago. The Cardinals survived UT Martin in double overtime, before getting close wins over Kentucky on the road and Syracuse at home in their ACC opener. The Ohio State game aside, it's tough to figure out whether Louisville's ability to win some of these close games is a positive or a negative. It certainly is a positive in that they are winning and not losing some of these close games--that's always a positive. The tough part is that really good teams that want to compete for national championships don't find themselves in double overtime games against UT Martin. I still believe that Walz will have this team in a great position to win the ACC and make a deep run in the tournament. He is a great coach and Louisville is led by one of the country's best players in Jazmine Jones. Previous: 7
8. UCLA (12-0)
I bumped UCLA up a spot this week, despite NC State continuing to win as well, because of the quality of wins that the Bruins have picked up over the past two weeks. Cori Close's team went on the road and got a 10-point win over No. 12 Indiana and opened up Pac-12 play with a big 83-59 win over USC. The Bruins are currently 22nd in the country in scoring defense, and will need all of that and more as they look to continue their undefeated streak as they get deeper into conference play in what most believe is the best conference in the country. The Bruins have been paced by the play of Michaela Onyenwere and Japreece Dean, as both recorded 21 points in their conference opener. Following last year's Sweet 16 appearance, this team has what it takes to reach the final four this year. They will continue Pac-12 play this weekend as they Host Arizona on Friday and Arizona State on Sunday. Previous: 10
9. NC State (13-0)
The 12-0 Wolfpack remain in the top-10 again this week. NC State has been led by Elissa Cunane, who is averaging 15.9 PPG this season, while Kai Crutchfield, who is averaging just over 10 PPG, has been terrific for Wes Moore's team as well. NC State is joined by both Louisville and Florida State as the "big three" in the ACC this season. The Wolfpack struggled with an up-and-coming Virginia Tech team on Thursday night, before ultimately pulling away in the final minute. With games against Virginia, UNC, and Notre Dame coming up, it's quite possible that the Wolfpack will be 16-0 heading into a Jan. 16 showdown against Florida State in Raleigh, North Carolina. In fact, the Wolfpack get both Florida State and Louisville at home this year, as they welcome the Cardinals on Feb.13. Previous: 9
10. Florida State (13-1)
The Seminoles continued their terrific start as they picked up a couple of strong wins over Michigan at Mohegan Sun, and Virginia Tech in their ACC opener this past weekend, however, they suffered their first defeat this Thursday, a 90-89 overtime loss to Syracuse. There seems to be a three-team race for the top of the ACC, as Florida State is likely to be joined by Louisville and North Carolina State, so we will learn a lot more about those teams when they get deeper into conference play. For now, Sue Semrau's team is getting national recognition as a championship contender and rightfully so. Nausia Wollfolk and Kiah Gillespie have been terrific thus far, as both are averaging over 15 PPG, while defensively, the Seminoles are giving up just 55.9 PPG. FSU will continue ACC play this weekend, as the Seminoles head back to Florida to take on Miami on the road. Miami is coming off of a loss to Georgia Tech on Thursday night as well. They only play NC State and Louisville once each. They travel to Raleigh to take on the Wolfpack, while they get to host Jeff Walz and the Cardinals. Previous: 8
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Arizona | 12-0 | 14 |
| 12 | Indiana | 12-2 | 11 |
| 13 | Texas A&M | 13-1 | 13 |
| 14 | Mississippi State | 13-2 | 17 |
| 15 | Gonzaga | 13-1 | 16 |
| 16 | Maryland | 10-3 | 12 |
| 17 | Missouri State | 10-2 | 18 |
| 18 | DePaul | 11-2 | 19 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 11-2 | 15 |
| 20 | West Virginia | 10-1 | 24 |
| 21 | Texas | 8-4 | NR |
| 22 | South Dakota | 14-2 | 21 |
| 23 | Northwestern | 12-2 | NR |
| 24 | Princeton | 12-1 | 25 |
| 25 | Florida Gulf Coast | 13-2 | NR |
- Just out: Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota, Arkansas, Miami, Rutgers, Colorado, Drake, and Kansas
- Who fell out? Michigan State, Minnesota, and Michigan
- Who jumped in? Texas, Northwestern, and Florida Gulf Coast
