NCAA women’s basketball Power Rankings: Unbeatens get ready for tougher tests

As we head into the vacation break, there are six groups on this week’s ESPN Energy Rankings with good information. Are all of them contenders? Or are some pretenders?

Convention play sometimes is the actual equalizer. Groups can tiptoe by means of nonconference schedules which have a sprinkling of challenges and a downpour of dominant wins. However sooner or later, the rubber meets the street. That is the place we’re headed.

The six unbeatens on this listing — UCLA, LSU, Maryland, Ohio State, Georgia Tech and Tennessee — have had various levels of nonconference problem. However all of them play in powerful leagues. And for the Huge Ten newcomer Bruins, a brand new league awaits.

UCLA has the highest energy of schedule amongst these six at No. 26. Georgia Tech is thirty fifth, Ohio State 76th, Maryland 94th, Tennessee 123rd and LSU 144th. The Tigers gained the nationwide championship in 2023 after a equally non-challenging nonconference slate, so this is not new for them. However there may be motive to offer them the advantage of the doubt.

Maryland and Tennessee, which is underneath new coach Kim Caldwell, seemingly have the largest questions on them due to the schedule. The Terps’ solely ranked foe was Duke, which misplaced at Maryland on Nov. 10. Now issues will change shortly: The Terps play three ranked foes between Dec. 29 and Jan. 8. And so they nonetheless have a marquee nonconference matchup Jan. 20. towards a ranked Texas staff within the Coretta Scott King Basic in Newark, New Jersey.

Tennessee, making its Energy Rankings debut this week, has one win over a ranked staff — Iowa — and one towards one other credible foe, Florida State. On the opposite finish of the opponent spectrum, the Woman Vols set an NCAA report with 30 3-pointers towards North Carolina Central on Dec 14. In that 139-59 end result, Tennessee pressured 44 turnovers. (LSU additionally performed NC Central, profitable 131-44.)

The Woman Vols’ subsequent sport could possibly be simply as a lot of a walkover, as they face Winthrop, the one staff NC Central has defeated this season. Then issues get a lot harder for Tennessee: From Jan. 5 and Feb. 9, the Woman Vols play six video games towards groups presently ranked within the high 10.

Whereas these six unbeaten groups will discover league play harder, we cannot name any of them pretenders. However we’ll see what number of actually are contenders with regards to the potential of going to the Ultimate 4.

Earlier rating: 1

The Bruins defeated Creighton 70-41 on the Invisalign Bay Space Ladies’s Basic in San Francisco final week. Junior guard Kiki Rice had her greatest sport of the season with 20 factors, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Lauren Betts has sat out the previous two video games with a decrease leg damage, but it surely appears precautionary. Each had been blowout victories, so it gave her extra time to heal.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Nebraska (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 2

The Gamecocks overwhelmed Charleston Southern 82-46. Freshman Joyce Edwards led South Carolina in scoring (20 factors) for the second sport in a row. Edwards is averaging 10.6 PPG, second on a balanced staff.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Wofford (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 3

Hannah Hidalgo had a season-high 33 factors in Notre Dame’s 97-54 victory over Loyola Maryland on Sunday. This season, the sophomore guard has shot 50% or higher in six of Notre Dame’s 12 video games. Fellow guard Olivia Miles had her fifth profession triple-double (18 factors, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). Guard Sonia Citron and ahead Kate Koval had been held out for precautionary causes.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Virginia (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 8

The ending was a bit shaky, however USC nonetheless received an enormous 72-70 win Saturday towards UConn within the XL Middle in Hartford. JuJu Watkins had 25 factors and Kiki Iriafen contributed 16 factors, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. That ended nonconference play for the Trojans on a excessive observe.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Michigan (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 5

The Longhorns had their second consecutive sport scoring 100 or extra factors, beating South Dakota State 103-57 on Sunday. Freshman Justice Carlton led Texas in scoring for the second time this season with 19 factors. After another nonconference cupcake, Texas will begin SEC play the primary week of January towards Oklahoma.

Subsequent seven days: vs. UT Rio Grande Valley (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 2

The Huskies have gone 3-2 towards ranked groups. Their 72-70 loss Saturday to USC was a troublesome one for UConn, which does not have large convention video games in an influence league to make up floor in NCAA seeding. The Huskies do nonetheless have nonconference video games towards Tennessee and South Carolina in February.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Windfall (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 6

Aneesah Morrow had 19 factors, 13 rebounds and 4 steals as LSU beat UIC 91-73 in her homecoming sport in Chicago. Flau’Jae Johnson had her third double-double of the season with 23 factors and 11 rebounds. NC State in November stands out because the Tigers’ greatest nonconference win.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Albany (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 7

The Terps romped over William & Mary by 50 factors, their second sport this season wherein they’ve scored 107. Rutgers switch guard Kaylene Smikle continues to excel in her first season at Maryland, averaging 17.7 PPG.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Michigan State (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 10

The Sooners adopted up a 10-point victory over a ranked Michigan squad with a blowout over Omaha wherein Raegan Beers matched her profession excessive with 28 factors and went 11 of 13 from the sphere. She has been every part the Sooners hoped for when she transferred from Oregon State. Oklahoma has topped 100 factors 3 times this season.

Subsequent seven days: vs. New Mexico State (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 12

After three consecutive routs for Ohio State, the thought was Stanford may problem the Buckeyes final week within the Invisalign Bay Space Ladies’s Basic in San Francisco. As an alternative, the Cardinal grew to become simply one other Buckeye blowout sufferer, 84-59, with six Ohio State gamers scoring in double figures.

Subsequent seven days: at Rutgers (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 11

The Frogs opened Huge 12 play final week with a 40-point victory over UCF wherein Madison Conner scored 24 factors, Sedona Prince added 20 and Hailey Van Lith chipped in 14. TCU will go so far as that trio can take it.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Brown (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: 9

This was one of many surprises of final week: The cold-shooting Blue Devils fell at South Florida 65-56. That was Duke’s lowest level whole of the season. It was the Bulls’ first victory over a ranked opponent since 2022.

Subsequent seven days: No video games

Earlier rating: 13

The Wildcats dispatched New Mexico State and Cincinnati final week. Ayoka Lee had a season-high 34 factors towards New Mexico State and tied her season greatest with 11 rebounds. The Wildcats have gained eight in a row and are positioned because the Huge 12 favorites.

Subsequent seven days: No video games

Earlier rating: 16

It has been an thrilling begin for the Yellow Jackets, who’ve made the NCAA match simply three of the previous 11 years. They look like on the street again this season behind standout freshman Dani Carnegie. That they had victories final week over Rice and Nebraska; the Huskers had been the third ranked staff Georgia Tech has defeated this season.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Pitt (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: NR

It has been the sort of begin Tennessee needed for Caldwell’s first season. However the Woman Vols are more likely to be examined within the first full week of SEC play after they face top-10 groups Oklahoma and LSU. Talaysia Cooper (19.2 PPG) is main 5 Woman Vols who common double figures in scoring.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Winthrop (Dec. 29)

Earlier rating: NR

The Wildcats are again within the Energy Rankings after dropping out final week. Guard Georgia Amoore had 23 factors and 5 assists to guide Kentucky over a scrappy Belmont staff Friday. The SEC schedule is backloaded for Kentucky with what are anticipated to be its hardest league video games in February. Thus, it is essential for the Wildcats to profit from their January alternatives.

Subsequent seven days: vs. Western Kentucky (Dec. 28)

Fell out: West Virginia Mountaineers, Michigan State Spartans