WNCAA POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 3

Texas and NC State bounced; Indiana and Oregon make debut

Photo via ABC News

From overtime in Palo Alto to a scintillating performance in Storrs, Sunday was an amazing slate of games that reminds us how great this sport is. No shift in the top two of the power ratings, but we do welcome a couple new faces to the ranks as well as a new number three. Texas waves goodbye after losing a couple of games last week and North Carolina State is one and done. 

1. South Carolina Gamecocks (Last PR 1/ AP rank 1)

Championship grit was on full display Sunday, as the Gamecocks were able to scratch and claw their way back to an improbable win on the road at Stanford. Beyond the win, the bench production was uber impressive. Outside shooting could be this teams’ only ‘weakness’ but while they weren’t falling early, they got the biggest ones to go late to secure a monster win. 

2. Stanford Cardinal (Last PR 2/ AP rank 2)

For every great comeback, there is a bit of a collapse, and Sunday, that’s exactly what we saw. Full credit to the winners, but not being able to close out on your home floor up six with two minutes left, is, well, a bit of a choke job. The good news is this team is absolutely built for a title run. No one will be shocked if this is a Final Four preview, in fact, we expect it. 

3. Connecticut Huskies (Last PR 9/ AP rank 3)

The biggest mover in the power rankings has also arguably been the most impressive. Azzi Fudd’s back-to-back 30-point performances versus top-10 teams has been nothing short of jaw-dropping. We weren’t sure what this team would look like without Bueckers, but now we know. They are good. Very good.

4. LSU Tigers (Last PR 3/ AP rank 12)

Nothing to report here as the Tigers continue to drop 100-plus on every team they play. That said, we won’t really find out just how good this team is for quite some time. Until then, expect an unblemished record through winter as well remaining in the top 5 of our rankings. 

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Last PR 4/ AP rank 7)

Handling business as you’d expect. Unlike LSU, we’re going to find out very quickly how good this team is. December starts with back-to-back games versus Maryland and Connecticut. The good news for the Irish is that both games are being played in South Bend. 

6. Virginia Tech Hokies (Last PR 5/ AP rank 11)

This is the best team you literally never hear about. Not super flashy so they won’t be glamorized like other teams. Fundamentally sound with depth and skill. We’re pretty sure the bandwagon will fill up relatively soon when people realize how good they are. 

7. Ohio State Buckeyes (Last PR 6/ AP rank 4)

We were a bit ahead of the curve on the Buckeyes’ stifling defense, but even we didn’t see this coming. Forcing more than 30 turnovers a game seems pretty wild yet that is exactly what this team is doing every night out. Really nice inside/outside game evolving in Columbus and with that defense, they will give anyone problems. Team to take very seriously. 

8. Iowa State Cyclones (Last PR 8/ AP rank 5)

The clear best team in Iowa has yet to be tested, but with a trip to the Phil Knight Classic in Portland this week, we finally get to see if they travel. Thursday’s game against Michigan State will be their first game out of their home state.

9. Indiana Hoosiers (Last PR NR/ AP rank 6)

The Hoosiers make their first appearance in the power rankings after three very impressive wins last week, mainly on the road at Tennessee. Now, we’re yet to know exactly how good that win was at Rocky Top, but we can safely say this team is very talented based on the eye test. 

10. Oregon Ducks (Last PR NR/ AP rank 18)

No love for the young Ducks in the AP rankings but we really like what we see. The full upside of this team might take a season to mature, but even while three freshmen feature prominently, we love the look and philosophy of Oregon. Stayed tuned on this young squad.