The conference mayhem continued in Week 10, resulting in plenty of movement in the women’s college basketball rankings.
For the first time since November 2000, Illinois women’s basketball is ranked. The Illini climbed to 24th place this week, despite losing to No. 3 Ohio State. At 14-3, the Illini have already doubled their win count from last season.
Ohio State remained No. 3 after the victory, behind South Carolina and Stanford. The Gamecocks retained the top spot for the 29th straight week.
UConn moved up to fourth place, despite missing a game this week due to injury. The Huskies’ game against DePaul was postponed because UConn had only six players available.
LSU continued its ascent, reaching the top 5 for the first time this season. The Tigers got off to a record 16-0 start. LSU, South Carolina and Ohio State are the last undefeated teams.
Notre Dame has lost three places and finds itself in seventh place after a loss against North Carolina (22nd). UCLA and Maryland both moved up four spots to eighth and ninth respectively. UCLA picked up a win over rival USC. Maryland broke into the top 10 for the first time this year after wins over Rutgers and Michigan State.
Utah suffered its first loss of the season and fell two spots to 10th place. The North Carolina State team went 1-1 on the week and fell to 11. The Wolfpacks lost to Boston College, their second loss to an unranked opponent in as many weeks.
Iowa moved up four spots to 12th after beating Michigan (14th). Wolverines dropped to 17th place after that loss. Virginia Tech dropped to 13th place after a loss to Miami. Arizona moved up to 14th place after beating Oregon (18th). The Ducks dropped to 21st after their loss.
Iowa State fell four places to 15th after losing to Oklahoma (17th). Despite the victory, Oklahoma dropped to 19th place due to a loss to Baylor (23rd). The Bears jumped five places to 18th after beating Oklahoma and Kansas (21st).
Duke continued their rise in the standings, moving up to 16th place after a win over Wake Forest.
Gonzaga remained at No. 20. The Zags have two wins this week and are 16-2. North Carolina ended its slide with its victory over Notre Dame and remains in 22nd place. Kansas, Illinois, and Villanova complete the ranking.
Complete Women’s College Basketball Rankings, Week 10
- Caroline du Sud (16-0) (PREV : 1)
- Stanford (16-1) (PREV : 2)
- Ohio State (17-0) (PREV : 3)
- UConn (13-2) (PREV : 5)
- LSU (16-0) (PREV : 7)
- Indiana (14-1) (PREV : 6)
- Our Lady (12-2) (PREV: 4)
- UCLA (14-2) (PREV : 12)
- Maryland (13-3) (PREV : 13)
- Utah (14-1) (PREV : 8)
- NC State (13-3) (PREV : 10)
- Iowa (12-4) (PREV : 16)
- Virginia Tech (13-3) (PREV : 9)
- Arizona (14-2) (PREV : 15)
- Iowa State (10-3) (PREV : 11)
- Duke (14-1) (PREV : 19)
- Michigan (13-3) (PREV : 14)
- Baylor (12-3) (PREV : 23)
- Oklahoma (12-2) (PREV : 17)
- Gonzaga (16-2) (PREV : 20)
- Oregon (12-4) (PREV : 18)
- North Carolina (10-5) (PREV : 22)
- Kansas (12-2) (PREV : 21)
- Illinois (14-3) (PREV : NR)
- Villanova (14-3) (PREV: NR)
Other Voters
Arkansas 33, Middle Tennessee 27, St. John’s 22, Miami (FL) 10, South Florida 6, Florida State 5, Seton Hall 5, Creighton 5, Colorado 2, Louisville 1
Matches to note this week
Villanova (25th) @ DePaul, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 8 p.m. (EST)
Villanova faces a tough task in her first game after returning to the top 25. This game features two of the nation’s top five scorers: Maddy Siegrist (#1, 28.5 ppg) and Aneesah Morrow (#4, 26.1 ppg). Both teams are also averaging over 7 shots on target per game, which means this game could be very rich in points.
Maryland (9th) @ Indiana (6th), Thursday, Jan. 12, 6:30 p.m. (EST)
Maryland travels to Assembly Hall to face a high-scoring Indiana team. The Terrapins are on a six-game winning streak, but they will be tested. Indiana has five double-digit scorers on its roster, compared to Maryland’s three. The Hoosiers are averaging 81.9 points per game, 10 more than Maryland allows.
NC State (11th) @ Florida State, Thursday, Jan. 12, 6 p.m. (EST)
Surprise Watch will be in full action in this game. The Seminoles are 15-3 and led by fabulous freshman Ta’Niya Latson, who is scoring 25.5 points per game. They are also very strong, with contributions from their entire squad. The NC State team is just as deep and has returned to health with the returns of Diamond Johnson and Jada Boyd. Florida State’s active perimeter defense (9.4 steals per game) will be a challenge for the Wolfpack.
Next : 3 games to watch in women’s basketball for week 10