Ladies’s basketball rankings: South Carolina and UConn fall, shaking up prime 5 of AP rankings

They are saying revenge is a dish greatest served chilly, and no this isn’t about Kendrick Lamar’s memorable Tremendous Bowl halftime present efficiency. Week 14 of NCAA girls’s basketball featured groups overcoming earlier defeats — some from earlier this season and one other from 18 years in the past.

These two video games and others created shifts within the Related Press prime 25 ballot, together with two top-five groups falling, a ranked Massive 12 rout in Norman and a no good, very unhealthy, week for a Massive Ten crew out west.

Listed below are how the rankings have been impacted, plus extra in regards to the prime tales of the week.

AP prime 25 girls’s school basketball rankings:

1. UCLA
2. Notre Dame
3. Texas
4. South Carolina
5. LSU
6. USC
7. UConn
8. Kentucky
9. Ohio State
10. NC State
11. TCU
12. North Carolina
13. Duke
14. Kansas State
15. Tennessee
16. Oklahoma
17. Maryland
18. West Virginia
19. Georgia Tech
20. Oklahoma State
21. Alabama
22. Michigan State
23. Florida State
24. Creighton
25. Baylor

Others receiving votes: California 38, Illinois 22, Vanderbilt 20, Utah 14, South Dakota St. 7, Michigan 6, Richmond 5, Mississippi 4, Columbia 3, Harvard 2, Louisville 1, Grand Canyon 1.

UConn-Tennesse Rivalry Renewed

In 2007, legendary head coach Pat Summitt led the Tennessee Volunteers to this system’s seventh nationwide title. Alongside the best way, the Vols defeated head coach Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies within the continuation of a rivalry of the 2 prime applications in girls’s school basketball.

That was the final time Tennessee beat the Huskies, and the 2 sides would not play once more for 13 years. In that point, Summitt retired, and handed away 4 years later. Together with her dying, the Vols nonetheless competed close to the highest of the SEC, however different applications took the mantle on the prime of the nation.

UConn carried the subsequent 4 video games of the rivalry, till Thursday in Knoxville when first yr Vols head coach Kim Caldwell’s crew lastly acquired again on the successful facet of the rivalry.

The Huskies and Vols took turns taking the lead, however a 13-point run within the third quarter put Tennessee right into a lead they would not relinquish. Whereas UConn utilized strain late, tying the sport twice within the remaining 3:16, the Vols held the No. 4 Huskies off in an 80-76 victory, marking Tennessee’s first ranked win after dropping 4 consecutive video games towards top-10 opponents.

After the sport, Auriemma wasn’t blissful and used it as a possibility to touch upon UConn star Paige Bueckers.

Picture by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Photos

“Paige desires the ball in her palms on a regular basis, then after they entice her, she don’t need the ball in her palms,” stated Auriemma. “So now we attempt to get her shifting from, you recognize, one factor to a different, shifting with out the ball. So we’ve acquired to come back to some form of definitive factor right here, how we’re going to deal with it.”

An odd response, particularly contemplating Bueckers had an opportunity late within the fourth to place the Huskies forward on a break, however Auriemma known as a timeout to cease the play in its tracks.

Texas Fingers South Carolina Uncommon SEC Defeat

On Sunday in Austin, Texas, the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks and No. 5 Texas Longhorns performed their second common season recreation towards one another.

Within the first recreation, South Carolina was relentless, making performs tough and preserving Texas’ prime playmakers from being productive. The Gamecocks held the Longhorns to 50 factors in a 17-point victory, however Sunday was a distinct story.

South Carolina by no means led towards the Longhorns Sunday afternoon and sophomore ahead Madison Booker wouldn’t be denied twice, scoring 20 factors with 11 rebounds. A far cry from the seven factors in 34 minutes towards South Carolina again on Jan. 12.

The 66-62 win is the fourth win towards top-10 opponents for Texas this season, and solely the second loss for the Gamecocks this season. For South Carolina, it’s the primary time this system misplaced two common season video games in a season because the 20-21 season and stops a 57-game SEC common season successful streak for head coach Daybreak Staley’s facet.

“They disrupted us,” stated Staley. “We labored on some issues that we might do to alleviate the strain, but it surely didn’t work. It’s rather a lot simpler if you’re practising and also you’re not on this surroundings.”

Now, in a contact of coincidence, UConn and South Carolina play one another Sunday, organising a matchup of two nationwide championship applications in a recreation that may present how ready all sides is heading into the postseason.

LA Too A lot for Buckeyes

Within the Massive Ten, No. 8 Ohio State headed west for the hardest highway journey in school basketball, touring hundreds of miles to face the No. 1 and No. 7 groups within the nation.

It started Wednesday, when the Buckeyes confronted the No. 1 UCLA Bruins. For 3 quarters, Ohio State stayed within the recreation, tying it at 44-44 early within the fourth quarter. Sadly for the Scarlet and Grey, basketball video games are 4 quarters and the Bruins surged forward late.

Regardless of holding nationwide participant of the yr candidate Lauren Betts to 9 factors in three quarters, with out double and triple teaming the 6-foot-7 heart, the second quarter discovered Ohio State’s protection lapse and Betts scored 10 of her 19 factors.

Ohio State additionally compelled 23 turnovers, but it surely didn’t flip into straightforward offense and the Buckeyes shot 29.4 % from the sector, lacking many open appears to be like within the 65-52 defeat.

The defensive positives from the loss to the Bruins did give the Buckeyes some momentum heading south to play guard JuJu Watkins and the Trojans Saturday evening, and thru three quarters Watkins didn’t actually damage the Buckeyes.

Defensive participant of the yr candidate Taylor Thierry shadowed Watkins and held the sophomore to 2-of-13 taking pictures in three quarters with 10 factors, with six coming from the free throw line. When Thierry fouled out within the fourth quarter, Watkins added seven extra factors however by that time the sport was already over for the guests from Ohio.

Picture by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos

For the second recreation in a row, the Buckeyes compelled 23 turnovers and shot a season low 29.4 %. USC additionally used their dimension to their benefit and out rebounded OSU 62-30, with three starters hitting a double-double, and the opposite two sitting solely two rebounds away from a double-double.

Ahead Kiki Iriafen did probably the most harm for the house facet, scoring 24 factors with 13 rebounds, each crew highs, within the 84-63 USC victory.

Now, the Buckeyes play all of their remaining common season and Massive Ten Match video games in Jap Normal Time, together with 4 of six video games at dwelling. Ought to Ohio State win out, it’s going to assure the facet a prime 4 spot within the convention match, incomes them a bye into the quarterfinals.

Different Tales This Week

• After No. 12 Kansas State upset the No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs Wednesday evening 59-50, the Wildcats have been atop the Massive 12 standings, but it surely didn’t final lengthy. Kansas State traveled to Norman, Oklahoma and fell huge, dropping 85-55 to the No. 25 Oklahoma State Cowgirls.
• No. 3 Notre Dame had their manner with the brand new ACC applications from California, defeating the Stanford Cardinal 96-47 on Thursday, adopted up with a 91-52 win over the No. 21 ranked Cal Golden Bears.
• No. 14 NC State received a second straight ranked matchup, defeating the Florida State Seminoles 97-74. It additionally extends the Wolfpack’s successful streak to eight video games.