Some of the top 10 teams didn’t see the ground during Week 8 of women’s college basketball because of the COVID protocols. But we still saw a lot of action in clashes between the top 25, including several ranked clashes that forced two teams out of my top 10.
Here’s my NCAA.com Power 10 for Week 8 (last week’s rating in parentheses):
1. Stanford (1) – The Cardinal remains untouched in first place for the sixth consecutive week after a declaration victory against AP No. 11 Oregon, 70-63. It was an attack in the third quarter that got the job done, led by Haley Jones with 18 points and six rebounds.
Stay 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩@ haleyjoness19 coming home and helping @StanfordWBB for the 𝗪 against Oregon. Jones had a game high of 18 points and 6 reb. #ncaaW pic.twitter.com/x0TDjMcum7
– NCAA Women’s Basketball (@ncaawbb) January 9, 2021
2. UConn (2) – The Huskies are 7-0, with six of those wins against Big East opponents. UConn is fresh from an 87-50 victory over Providence, led by armed freshman Paige Bueckers, who finished with 23 points and five assists.
3. South Carolina (3) – The Gamecocks won a tight victory against then No. 10 Kentucky, 75-70. Destanni Henderson and Aaliyah Boston combined 42 points against the Wildcats.
WBB: No. 5 South Carolina defeats No. 10 Kentucky 75-70 in women’s basketball
4. Louisville (4) – The Cardinals are still rolling with a 10-0 record. Last week, Louisville defeated ACC opponents Virginia Tech and Clemson. American playmaker Dana Evans leads the Cardinals’ attack, averaging 19.7 points per game.
5. NC State (5) – Wolfpack did not fit this week due to postponements against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
6. Baylor (6) – The Bears haven’t played since January 2 due to COVID-19 tracking within the program. The confrontation with UConn was canceled, and the games against Kansas State and Kansas were postponed. Baylor is scheduled to host the state of Iowa on Saturday, January 16.
7. Texas A&M (7) – The Aggies have the most wins in the top 10, with a record 12-0. Texas A&M won consecutive wins over the top 13 opponents – Kentucky and 74-63 against Arkansas.
8. Maryland (UR) – The Terrapins come from two big wins against the top 25 opponents – Indiana and Michigan State. Maryland is currently in an eight-game winning streak and a 22-game winning streak against Big Ten opponents.
A hard 𝓦 on the road ✔️#FearTheTurtle pic.twitter.com/J41T6Bnw5g
– Maryland Women’s Basketball (@TerpsWBB) January 8, 2021
9. UCLA (UR) – The Bruins have been gaining momentum since they were defeated by Oregon in week 6. On Sunday, UCLA crossed Pac-12’s opponent, Utah, 92-67. The Bruins have done an excellent job of using their opponent’s mistakes to their advantage, averaging 21.6 points per game outside of the turns.
10. Oregon (10) – The Ducks fought in the first half against the country’s No. 1 team, Stanford, but were unable to finish the job by falling 70-63. Freshman Sydney Parrish led the Ducks with 14 points in 13 minutes of play. Oregon then recovered in a Pac-12 victory over Cal, 100-41.
WBB: Stanford’s No. 1 women’s basketball uses a big third period to beat Oregon’s No. 11
Knocked Out:
Arizona (8) – The Wildcats fall off my Power 10 after losing to the ungraded Washington state in overtime, 71-69. Arizona’s next clash will be against Oregon on Thursday, January 14. This game will be the deciding factor of who will stay or return to Power 10 next week.
Kentucky (9) – The Wildcats lost consecutive games against the top 10 opponents last week, dropping to then No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 5 South Carolina.