Women’s college basketball rankings, Week 10: LSU into top 5, Illinois into top 25
Conference chaos continued in week 10, causing plenty of movement throughout the women’s college basketball rankings.
For the first time since November 2000, Illinois women’s basketball has a ranking. The Illini climbed to No. 24 this week, despite a loss to No. 3 Ohio State. At 14-3, the Illini have already doubled their win total from last season.
Ohio State remained No. 3 after the win, behind South Carolina and Stanford. The Gamecocks held down the first spot for the 29th straight week.
UConn moved up to fourth, despite missing a game this week due to injuries. The Huskies game against DePaul was postponed due to UConn only having six players available.
LSU continued its climb, reaching the top five for the first time this season. The Tigers are off to a school-best 16-0 start. LSU, South Carolina, and Ohio State are the last remaining undefeated teams.
Notre Dame dropped three spots to seven after a loss to No. 22 North Carolina. UCLA and Maryland both jumped four spots to eight and nine, respectively. UCLA pulled out a comeback win over rival USC. Maryland cracked the top ten for the first time this year after wins over Rutgers and Michigan State.
Utah took their first loss of the season and dropped two spots to 10. North Carolina State went 1-1 on the week and fell to 11. The Wolfpack fell to Boston College, their second loss to an unranked opponent in as many weeks.
Iowa moved up four spots to 12 after defeating No. 14 Michigan. The Wolverines dropped to 17 after the loss. Virginia Tech dropped to No. 13 after a loss to Miami. Arizona moved to 14 after beating No. 18 Oregon. The Ducks dropped to No. 21 after the loss.
Iowa State dropped four spots to 15 after losing to No. 17 Oklahoma. Despite the win, Oklahoma dropped to 19 due to a loss to No. 23 Baylor. The Bears jumped a week-high five spots to 18 after wins over Oklahoma and No. 21 Kansas.
Duke continued their ascent in the rankings, moving to No. 16 after a win over Wake Forest.
Gonzaga remained No. 20. The Zags picked up two wins this week and sit at 16-2. North Carolina halted their skid with the win over Notre Dame and stayed at No. 22. Kansas, Illinois, and Villanova round out the rankings.
Full women’s college basketball rankings, week 10
- South Carolina (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)
- Notre Dame (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)
Others receiving votes
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
Notable games this week
No. 25 Villanova @ DePaul, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 8:00 p.m. EST
Villanova faces a tough task in its first game after returning to the top 25. This game features two of the top five scorers in the nation: Maddy Siegrist (#1, 28.5 ppg) and Aneesah Morrow (#4, 26.1 ppg). Both teams average 7+ threes made per game as well, meaning this could be a high-scoring affair.
No. 9 Maryland @ No. 6 Indiana, 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 will be put to the test. Indiana has five double-digit scorers on the roster to Maryland’s three. The Hoosiers average 81.9 points per game, which is 10 more than Maryland allows.
No. 11 NC State @ Florida State, Thursday, Jan. 12, 6:00 p.m. EST
Upset watch will be in full effect in this game. The Seminoles are 15-3 and led by fabulous freshman Ta’Niya Latson’s 25.5 points per game. They’re sneaky deep, too, getting contributions from their entire roster. NC State is similarly deep, and are back 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.