Two major upsets in the top four brought back a familiar face at the No. 1 spot. Plus, an upset in the Pac-12 causes some movement in the bottom portion of my rankings.
Here are my Power 10 rankings for Week 12 of women's college basketball (last week's ranking in parentheses)
1. SOUTH CAROLINA (2) — Welcome back to the top Gamecocks! South Carolina extended its program record with 26 consecutive regular-season SEC wins blowing past Auburn, 77-58. Zia Cooke and Aaliyah Boston combined for 31 points to put the Tigers away.
2. LOUISVILLE (1) — No. 4 NC State gave the Cardinals their first loss of the season, 74-60 — a season-low scoring total for the Cardinals. Louisville (18-1) finished Week 11 blowing past Boston College, 97-68, and surviving Notre Dame, 71-65.
Highlights and recap from our 71-65 win over Notre Dame.
— Louisville WBB (@UofLWBB) February 7, 2021
📰: https://t.co/orAOitTMSx
#GoCards pic.twitter.com/Rgqg4B56mK
3. UCONN (3) — UConn remains untouched in the Big East after conquering St. John’s and Marquette. The matchup against Marquette marked freshman guard Paige Bueckers’ second consecutive game with at least 30 points. Bueckers' performance earned her Big East Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors. She's the second Husky ever to earn both awards in the same week.
4. NC STATE (4) — The Wolfpack knocked off the No. 1 team for the second time this season defeating Louisville, 74-60, on Feb. 1. NC State got it done in the paint with Elissa Cunane returning to the lineup after sitting out because of COVID-19 protocols. Cunane finished with 16 points and six rebounds. The Wolfpack stay fourth though after North Carolina upset NC State, 76-69 on Sunday. UNC knocked down a season-high 11 three’s.
𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 in Louisville last night! #GoPack // #WeWin pic.twitter.com/DCJNEcKT37
— #4 NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) February 2, 2021
5. BAYLOR (5) — The Bears advanced to 9-1 in Big 12 play with wins over Kansas and Kansas City, holding both opponents to no more than 50 points.
PREDICTIONS: The 2021 NCAA women's basketball bracket, predicted just past the halfway mark of the season
6. TEXAS A&M (6) – The Aggies came out on top on in a rematch against LSU, which gave Texas A&M its first loss earlier this season. Texas A&M closed out Week 11 by picking up its seventh win against a ranked opponent defeating then-No. 16 Arkansas, 69-67. It was A&M’s Jordan Nixon who came off a high screen to attack the basket, finding a hole through four Razorbacks to put the dagger in the game.
Won't be forgetting this one anytime soon 😊#GigEm | #BTHOarkansas pic.twitter.com/GhNoBtDGWx
— Texas A&M Women's Basketball (@AggieWBB) February 7, 2021
7. MARYLAND (7) — The Terps handled Wisconsin in a blowout win, 84-48. Katie Benzan led Maryland with 18 points and five assists.
8. STANFORD (9) — The Cardinal continued its six-game winning streak against Colorado — which gave the Cardinal their first loss of the season — and Utah. This was 17-2 Stanford's first win of the season in Maples Pavilion, after being away from their home court for more than two months because of state COVID protocols.
9. UCLA (8) — The Bruins fell to Washington State, 67-63, in the last minute of the Pac-12 showdown. A three-point dagger from Washington State’s Charlisse Leger-Walker with .42 seconds gave the Bruins their third loss in conference play. 11-3 UCLA bounced back on Sunday cruising past Washington, 84-50.
10. ARIZONA (10) — The Wildcats haven’t seen action since Jan. 22, but will resume play on Monday, Feb. 8, against Oregon. Later this week, Arizona will take on Pac-12 opponents Washington State and Washington.
