We have been in the women’s college basketball season for just over a week and, so far, we haven’t had many surprises. South Carolina, the country’s best team entering the season, had three wins before being defeated at home by NC State 54-46 on Thursday. Outside Gamecocks, the best teams remain relatively unscathed, while some school seasons have come to an abrupt halt due to COVID restrictions.
In the case of Stanford, there was no positive test that hindered his season, but he had a game canceled and two more this weekend that are in limbo, due to the state of California not allowing games to take place. UConn hasn’t played any games yet.
We saw middleweight majors like Ohio and South Dakota State take down Notre Dame and Iowa State, respectively, and DePaul and Texas A&M put on an offensive show in a tight win for the Aggies.
Some of the country’s leading freshmen, such as Hailey Van Lith (Louisville), Angel Reese (Maryland), Caitlin Clark (Iowa) and Te-Hina Paopao (Oregon), are just a few of the newcomers who have already started making their name for themselves with their initial success.
There’s a lot to look forward to next week, starting with Louisville and DePaul’s Friday meeting at the Jimmy V Classic in Uncasville, Connecticut’s Bubbleville. South Carolina-Iowa State and Arkansas-Baylor also highlight a busy weekend, with teams preparing to enter the conference game.
25 best female power ratings
1. Louisville (2-0)
It didn’t take long to have a new # 1 team in our ratings, and here we are: welcome, Louisville! Louisville has looked very solid so far in two easy wins over South Missouri St. and Eastern Kentucky. Jeff Walz’s team has yet to be challenged, but that changes on Friday night, when the Cardinals travel to Bubbleville to face a DePaul team that can really fill it. Senior Dana Evans has been very solid at first, but it was the performance of the two freshmen from the Cardinals, Olivia Cochran and Haley Van Lith, that got the Louisville faithful excited for the future. After a crash with DePaul in the Jimmy V Classic, the Cardinals face UT-Martin, before starting to play ACC against Duke on Wednesday. Previous: 3
2. Stanford (1-0)
While Stanford has only played one game so far this season, Tara Vanderveer’s team was extremely impressive, posting a 68 point win over Cal-Poly. Five Cardinal players scored double digits in the victory, led by Lexie Hull. Stanford has a fantastic freshman at Cameron Brink. The 1.8m tall freshman scored 17 points and nine rebounds from the reserve bench in his debut and is one of many incredibly talented freshmen to watch this season. The cardinal has already seen some interruptions in his schedule, due to COVID’s situations with opposite schools, as well as the Santa Clara Department of Public Health, which temporarily postponed the cardinal’s home games. It is unclear what will happen with the next home games at the moment, but Vanderveer will certainly have his team focused, as he faced a game outside the conference against UNLV on Saturday. Previous: 4
3. NC State (3-0)
After winning the ACC Tournament last season, expectations were high for NC State. Wes Moore and Wolfpack did not take long to ensure the country noticed, as they raced for a 3-0 record, including a huge 54-46 victory over South Carolina, the country’s No. 1 team. Wolfpack is led by his 6-5 center pivot Elissa Cunane, but has seen tremendous balance so far, as veterans Kai Crutchfield and Kayla Jones are also great. This is one of the most experienced teams in the country, and as I said in my pre-season ratings, they are the Final Four-good. They have already proved this with a big win at the beginning of the season. Wolfpack will host two more opponents outside the conference before heading to Massachusetts to open the ACC game against an emerging team from Boston College. Previous: 9
4. Baylor (2-0)
Baylor survived a very difficult road test against the USF, which held on to a 67-62 victory. The Bears were not challenged in their debut, a 45-point victory over Central Arkansas. Kim Mulkey has already seen the importance of Didi Richards and Queen Egbo to the success of her team. While junior NaLyssa Smith lost 25 in the season’s opening win, it was Egbo’s 25-point, 11-rebound performance that helped guide the Bears to a difficult victory. Richards came back from a very scary spinal injury and, although he added four points, he played 30 minutes off the bench. Richards’ health is enormous for Mulkey’s team, as they travel to face a tough Arkansas team on Sunday, before starting the conference game in West Virginia on Thursday. Previous: 5
5. South Carolina (3-1)
South Carolina challenged itself more than any other team in the country over the first week and came out with a 3-1 record. Victories over South Dakota and Gonzaga were strong victories, the Gamecocks fell to NC State at home on Thursday night. While sophomores Zia Cooke and Aliyah Boston make Dawn Staley’s team go, it was Destanni Henderson junior who has made it big so far this season, including a 19-point performance and nine rebounds in the win over South Dakota. Gamecocks as they travel to Iowa on Sunday. Previous: 1
6. UConn (0-0)
The Huskies have yet to play a game this season, as they have been excluded since a positive case from COVID-19 interrupted the program’s activities on 23 November. A game against Quinnipiac was canceled, while the game at Seton Hall was postponed. UConn opens on December 12 against UMass-Lowell. Previous: two
7. Arizona (1-0)
Although the difference in points in the Wildcats’ opening win of the season over Northern Arizona is unlikely to impress anyone (13 points win), Arizona looked like a team that will compete for the Pac-12 championship. Cate Reese led the attack with a performance of 21 points and 11 rebounds, while the pre-season All-American Aari McDonald was everywhere for Adia Barnes and the Wildcats, ending with 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and six steals. The Wildcats take their 1-0 record straight to the conference game and begin with a very difficult challenge at home at UCLA on Friday. Previous: 6
8. State of Mississippi (2-0)
The two Mississippi state stars, Jessika Carter and Rickea Jackson, have led the show so far for the Bulldogs, as they have 72 points from two wins at the start of the season. The Bulldogs will have four more games out of the conference, including a tilt on Saturday against South Florida, before opening the SEC game in Georgia on New Year’s Eve. It is likely that the state of Mississippi will reach this game 6-0, as it seems to make noise in a very good SEC. Previous: 7
9. Oregon (2-0)
I believe that this team in Oregon will be much better, much faster than many people think and they are starting hard. The Ducks won their first two games by 98 points combined. While his attack has been very good, as expected, his defense looks extremely good. Kelly Graves has a team that can shoot at the lights, led by veteran Erin Boley and junior transfer Taylor Mikesell. They have a freshman group, led by PG holder Te-Hina Paopao, who collectively may be the best freshman group in the country, so this team is deep. The Ducks open the Pac-12 game this weekend, welcoming Colorado on Friday and Utah on Sunday. Previous: 8
10. Kentucky (3-0)
Kentucky survived a brief scare from the state of Kansas on Thursday night to advance to 3-0 and win a spot in this week’s top 10. Although the Wildcats recorded relatively easy wins early in the season over Murray State, Belmont and Kansas State, the challenges are coming, as Kentucky will face two of the top 25 teams in Indiana and DePaul, before starting their SEC debut against the Arkansas in New Years Eve. Rhyne Howard, who many believe to be the favorite in the Player of the Year category, was suspended by the team in the first two games before returning against Kansas State. Howard will need to find his pace quickly, as the Wildcats prepare to face a great Indiana team on Sunday. Previous: 11
| Team | Record | Ant. |
|---|---|---|
| 11. Texas A&M | 3-0 | 13 |
| 12. UCLA | 1-0 | 14 |
| 13. Northwest | 0-0 | 15 |
| 14. Maryland | 3-1 | 10 |
| 15. Indiana | 2-0 | 18 |
| 16. Iowa State | 2-1 | 12 |
| 17. Gonzaga | 1-1 | 20 |
| 18. Syracuse | 2-0 | 19 |
| 19. DePaul | 1-1 | 21 |
| 20. Arkansas | 4-1 | 17 |
| 21. State of Missouri | 2-1 | 22 |
| 22. Oregon State | 2-0 | 23 |
| 23. Ohio State | 2-0 | 25 |
| 24. Michigan | 3-0 | UR |
| 25. North Carolina | 4-0 | 24 |
First five: Texas, South Dakota, South Dakota St., Boston College and Iowa
Who fell? Notre Dame
Who entered? South Dakota