Not much basketball happened this week in the college ranks. There were games last Monday, then a break before action resumed on Sunday.
But even with that limited window, we got a pair of matchups between ranked teams. One ended in the expected outcome, while the other was a surprising win — not for who won, but how thoroughly the team won.
Here's my projection of what Monday's AP Top 25 poll will look like after a week that saw little on-court action due to the holiday break. And remember: this isn't what my ballot would look like, but a projection of what I expect the AP poll itself to look like.
Projected AP Top 25 women's college basketball rankings
- UConn
- Texas
- South Carolina
- UCLA
- LSU
- Michigan
- Maryland
- TCU
- Oklahoma
- Iowa State
- Kentucky
- Vanderbilt
- Louisville
- Iowa
- North Carolina
- USC
- Notre Dame
- Michigan State
- Ole Miss
- Nebraska
- Texas Tech
- Ohio State
- Baylor
- Tennessee
- Princeton
UCLA takes down Ohio State
Before we talk about this game, let's talk about UCLA head coach Cori Close's post-game comments about the media, who said after beating a ranked Ohio State team on Sunday that "having no media here at all from either team or either — no AP, no nothing, doesn’t say a lot. We’re the only double-ranked game out today; the only one in the country, and we had no media day today. No media here."
Look: I get that it's the middle of the holiday season and that resources are tight these days. I also understand that these two teams play a long way from each other, which complicates the ability of the media to make it to the game.
Still, you'd think a game between ranked teams would have attracted some media attention, especially with the game being played in Columbus, a city that only has one team among the three major professional men's leagues that are currently in-season. Add in that Ohio State's football team had the weekend off as its playoff game isn't until Wednesday and, like, I completely get Close's frustration.
Anyway, the game itself was about what you expect to see when one of the top four teams is facing a team that isn't one of the top four teams. The Bruins won 82-75, with Ohio State keeping it close but ultimately not having enough in the tank to stop this star-studded Bruins squad. Lauren Betts had 18 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks, and the Buckeyes had no answer for her on the interior. UCLA might only be fourth on the list of the major title contenders, but don't let that fool you — this team can beat anyone, anytime.
Michigan State proves its for real
Michigan State's Monday contest against Ole Miss offered the Spartans an opportunity to show that the team was a serious contender. Michigan State passed the test.
Despite a 10-1 start to the season, there were questions about how good Michigan State was, especially after a disappointing loss to Wisconsin. But when the Spartans finally faced a ranked team, they rolled, beating Ole Miss by 17 points. The defense held the Rebels to 33.3 percent shooting, 11.4 percent below the team's average this season.
One of the most impressive things about this win was how the Spartans adapted their play style. This isn't he fastest team, but its 72.1 possessions per 100 possessions rank in the 69th percentile, so it's definitely a team that can get out and run. Ole Miss is a more methodical team and was able to slow this one down, but the Spartans made it work.
The Spartans are currently 10th in Her Hoop Stats ranking, a metric that's supposed to help show how good each team in women's college basketball is. The rest of the top 10 makes sense, but I was really wondering if the Spartans' high ranking was a fluke brought on by their weak schedule. After this game, I'm a believer.