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If we've learned anything from the first week of 2026, it's that no opponent should be overlooked in women's college basketball. While there are multiple examples we could mention, Ole Miss stole the spotlight on Thursday night with its 74-69 upset over No. 5 Oklahoma.

The No. 18 Rebels almost upset No. 2 Texas on Sunday, but ultimately fell 67-64. Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin was grateful for that experience because it sparked the fire her team needed to get the job against the Sooner days later.

"I was really grateful for the Texas loss," she said postgame. "The Texas game, I thought it prepared us for tonight. After we lost to Texas, I told my team, if they're No. 2, I guess we are No. 3. We just never stopped believing in ourselves. This is just the beginning."

Coach Yo's Rebels are known for how hard they fight, but they don't want to be known as the comeback team – they want to throw the first punch. That's how they managed to get a road victory against a tough opponent in Norman.

It all started with a defensive clinic in the first quarter. The Rebels held Oklahoma to just 11 points in the first 10 minutes and just 5 of 22 shooting from the field. The Sooners had three turnovers and zero field goals in the first six minutes of the game. Their leading scorers Aaliyah Chavez and Raegan Beers were a combined 1 of 10 shooting in that period.

Chavez eventually finished the night with 26 points, while Raegan Beers registered her sixth consecutive double-double with 15 points and 20 rebounds. However, Ole Miss was able to disrupt Beers's game enough to limit her to a single field goal attempt in the third quarter. Oklahoma found its first lead of the game almost five minutes into the fourth quarter while going on a 7-0 run. The win could've gotten away from Ole Miss at that point, but the Rebels refused to back down.

"We've just been working on just being the tougher team," Cotie McMahon, who led Ole Miss' offense with 22 points, said postgame. "Practice has been, we gotta push through. The stuff Coach Yo has been having us doing this week literally was for moments like this. We just had to push through our breaking point and make sure we don't have a breaking point, we keep pushing. Keep pushing."

For those who have not been following along, Ole Miss is coming off its second Sweet 16 appearance in three years. However, this is practically a whole new team with nine newcomers and only three returners. The SEC is currently the toughest conference to play in, but the Rebels have put everyone on notice.

Here are some other noteworthy recent events and the top games to watch this weekend:

Kentucky falls to Alabama

The Wildcats climbed to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll after upsetting LSU last week. However, they found themselves on the wrong side of an upset on Thursday with a 64-51 loss to Alabama. While the Crimson Tide are not currently ranked, they have been receiving votes. 

Kentucky was playing without starting forward Teonni Key (elbow), and it didn't help that leading scorer Clara Strack had an off game with only four points while going 1 of 14 from the field.

"We were very disconnected," Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks said after the game. "I don't want to sound like the sky is falling, but it was one of the worst games that we've had collectively. We just weren't together. Actually had a really good start, just couldn't capitalize on it."

Flau'jae Johnson bounces back

LSU started SEC play 0-2 with losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt last week. Flau'jae Johnson particularly struggled against Vanderbilt as she went scoreless and rolled her ankle.

On Thursday, the Tigers finally got into the winning column with an 80-59 victory over Georgia. Johnson led the way with a season-high 25 points. In the process, she became just the ninth player in program history to surpass 1,800 career points.

"This is a different situation for me. I've never ever in my life started SEC play on a losing trajectory,"Johnson said. "So for me, having that experience, I just came into the game with the utmost confidence in myself but on my team as well... I'm just trying to pour into them and let them know, like coach said, the sky is not falling. We're going to be OK, it's January. It's the beginning of January. We got a lot of basketball to play."

Clemson gets first win over NC State in 15 years

Clemson got a 75-65 win over NC State with Rachael Rose's 19 points leading the five Tigers who scored in double figures. This was Clemson's first win over NC State since 2011. 

While NC State wasn't officially ranked in the AP Top 25, the Wolfpack was receiving votes and had cracked the CBS Sports power rankings. The SEC and Big Ten have received a lot of the attention this season, but the ACC has also been quite intriguing.

Jaloni Cambridge has career night in front of A'ja Wilson

Jaloni Cambridge registered a career-high 41 points in Ohio State's 78-69 win over Illinois on Wednesday. She became the first Buckeye to reach 40+ points against a Big Ten opponent since Kelsey Mitchell scored 43 against Rutgers on March 4, 2016.

Even more exciting is the fact that she did this in front of WNBA star A'ja Wilson, which was a dream come true for Jaloni and her sister/teammate Kennedy.

"She [Wilson] told me I had a good game," Cambridge said. "So, I think I'm going to take that and run with that for rest of my life, no matter how bad I play. She told me I had a good game, so that is all that matters."

Games to watch this weekend

All times are Eastern Time

No. 17 Texas Tech at Cincinnati -- Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+

Texas Tech is off to its best start in program history and is currently one of just four undefeated women's basketball teams remaining. Cincinnati is not ranked but the Bearcats can't be taken lightly as they pulled off a 71-63 upset against No. 11 Iowa State on Wednesday.

No. 22 North Carolina at Notre Dame -- Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN

North Carolina lost to Stanford in overtime last weekend, while Notre Dame fell out of the AP Top 25 this week following back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Duke. These two teams are hungry to bounce back, which means this could be a competitive ACC battle.

No. 2 Texas at No. 12 LSU -- 3 p.m. on ESPN

Vic Schaefer's Longhorns arrived to Baton Rouge with a perfect 18-0 record, but they can't take anything for granted -- especially when facing a Kim Mulkey team looking to prove they can still compete against the best in the SEC.

No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 6 Kentucky -- 4 p.m on SEC Network

Kentucky's loss to Alabama was arguably worse than Oklahoma falling to Ole Miss. The Wildcats will be at home doing their best to shake off their offensive struggles.

No. 19 Ohio State at No. 8 Maryland -- 4 p.m. on Peacock

Maryland is fresh off an 88-41 victory over Rutgers in which the Terrapins registered 16 3-pointers with Yarden Garzon going a perfect 6 of 6 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge has bragging rights for a lifetime after scoring 41 points in front of A'ja Wilson.

Duke at Stanford -- 5 p.m. on ESPN

Neither of these teams are currently ranked but both have experience against some of the top teams in the nation. Duke dropped out of the rankings earlier this season, but it seems like the Blue Devils are getting back on the right path. Stanford has been on a roller coaster this season, so this is a great matchup for both of them to figure out where they are.

No. 4 UCLA at No. 25 Nebraska -- 7 p.m. on BTN

UCLA has one of the most impressive resumes in the nation, but coach Cori Close wants to see her team stay locked in all 40 minutes and play with urgency. A road game against a ranked Nebraska team could be another good challenge.