2023-11-20 02:50:48
With two wins in the books this week, the UConn women’s basketball team will increase its record for most consecutive weeks ranked in the Top 25 to 567 when the Associated Press poll is released at noon on Monday. One of those wins by the Huskies may have brought the run by their closest current pursuer to an end.
Maryland has been ranked in 251 straight polls. But the No. 20 Terrapins’ 80-48 loss at Gampel Pavilion, which followed a 38-point blowout at South Carolina on Nov. 12, has Maryland in a precarious situation. The Terrapins did hold off Syracuse in College Park 83-81 Sunday to even their record at 2-2.
The loss to the Gamecocks dropped Maryland six spots from 14 to 20. Does another rout knock it out of the Top 25 completely?
Only one team ranked below the Terrapins lost this week and that was No. 22 Creighton, which was upset by Wisconsin-Green Bay. Kansas State figures to be a big mover in the poll following its win at No. 2 Iowa, much like North Carolina State that went from unranked to No. 14 following its win over UConn. The Wildcats were second in the also receiving votes category behind Mississippi State, which moved to 5-0 with a win over Belmont on Sunday.
The last time Maryland was outside looking in at the Top 25 was the final poll of the 2009-10 season following a loss to Duke in the ACC tournament semifinals. A loss to Providence in the third round of the WNIT ended its season at 21-13. What will happen? Here’s this week’s call ahead of a week that will see a number of teams headed to warm-weather tournaments.
Carl Adamec’s Week 2 Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 ballot
1. South Carolina (3-0): The Gamecocks continued their early-season roll with a rout of in-state rival Clemson and a third-straight triple-figure scoring performance. Next is South Dakota State, usually a pesky opponent, on Monday but the Jackrabbits don’t have the offense to stay close. South Carolina, though, may be hard-pressed to get to 100.
2. UCLA (4-0): Up next for the Bruins is UConn in the Cayman Islands the day following Thanksgiving and it should be a good one. But did ex-Huskies’ standout and Princeton coach Carla Berube give her alma mater a blueprint Friday? Berube’s Tigers went into Pauley Pavilion and led by six in third quarter and by one with 2:39 to go before falling short 77-74.
3. Colorado (4-0): The Buffs defeated SMU in its only game of the week. They head to the St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands this weekend for three games in the Paradise Jam capped by a meeting with North Carolina State.
4. Stanford (4-0): The Cardinal continue their charge of the ranking thanks to an overtime win over Duke at Maples Pavilion Sunday. Stanford will take part in the Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson, Nevada this week with a potential finals matchup once morest No. 12 Florida State.
5. Iowa (3-1): Caitlin Clark shot a career-low 28.1 percent from the floor (9-for-32, including 2-for-16 from 3-point land) in a loss to Kansas State in Iowa City Thursday. Her teammates shot 44.8 percent (13 for 29). There comes a time that even an All-American and the national Player of the Year should consider passing the ball a little more. Iowa heads to the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida.
6. Virginia Tech (2-1): The Hokies get Kansas and Tulane this week in the Cayman Islands before facing LSU on Nov. 30 in Baton Rouge.
7. UConn (3-1): In their loss to North Carolina State, the Huskies allowed 92 points. They allowed 92 points total in wins over Maryland and at Minnesota. A crowd of 10,869 came out for Paige Bueckers’ homecoming Sunday with tickets going from $27-$44 when they usually start at $10. UCLA and Kansas await UConn in the Cayman Islands.
8. USC (3-0): The Trojans get a three-day vacation at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Classic in Nassau, Bahamas, with games once morest Seton Hall Monday and Penn State Wednesday.
9. Utah (3-1): After a loss at Baylor, the Utes bounced back at the Great Alaska Shootout — a homecoming for All-American and Anchorage native Alissa Pili — once morest Division II host Alaska-Anchorage. They faced Eastern Kentucky late Sunday night.
10. LSU (4-1): Somehow the Tigers managed to get matchups once morest Niagara and Virginia in the Cayman Islands, perhaps the two weakest in the eight-team field. How did the tournament committee let this happen and did LSU coach Kim Mulkey have anything to do with it?
11. Baylor (3-0): The Bears followed up their win over Utah by beating Harvard Sunday. Up next are McNeese State and Alcorn State. Were these scheduled when Mulkey was the Baylor coach?
12. Florida State (4-0): Ta’Niya Latson continued her strong start for the Seminoles, who will take part in the Ball Dawgs Classic in Nevada this week with a potential matchup once morest Stanford.
13. Tennessee (3-1): A difficult stretch coming up for the Lady Vols as they’ll take on Indiana and Oklahoma in the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Florida followed by a home game with Notre Dame Nov. 29.
14. Ohio State (2-1): The Buckeyes are in the Bahamas for the Pink Flamingo Championship and games with East Carolina and Oklahoma State.
15. Kansas State (4-0): The Wildcats kept the momentum from their win over Iowa going by beating another Big Ten foe in Wisconsin. Kansas State might get North Carolina in the second round and Iowa in the final of the Gulf Coast Showcase.
16. Louisville (4-0): Gonzaga might be the first test for the Cardinals in their third and final game at the Van Chancellor Classic in Katy, Texas.
17. North Carolina State (4-0): The Wolfpack survived a scare from Atlantic-10 favorite Rhode Island Sunday to stay unbeaten. They’re off to the Virgin Islands and the Paradise Jam with a potential contest with Colorado.
18. Texas (4-0): The Longhorns routed Louisiana Tech Sunday, which would have been a great win 30-40 years ago. They are also off to the Virgin Island where their toughest game likely once morest South Florida.
19. North Carolina (4-0): The Gulf Coast Showcase awaits the Tar Heels with Kansas State a potential second-round opponent. Iowa is also in the field.
20. Notre Dame (3-1): There was good news out of Notre Dame Saturday when coach Niele Ivey said that the right knee injury to leading scorer Sonia Citron suffered earlier in the week was not season ending, though the junior will miss a few weeks with a sprain.
21. Indiana (3-1): The Hoosiers bounced back from a terrible loss at Stanford. They head to the Fort Myers Tip-Off where Princeton and Tennessee await.
22. Oklahoma (5-0): Like Indiana, the Sooners will take on Princeton and Tennessee at the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
23. Ole Miss (4-1): A nice win for the Rebels over Arizona Sunday in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals to earn a spot in the championship game Monday once morest Michigan.
24. Washington State (5-0): The Cougars played Prairie View A&M in what was called the Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Game Sunday. Who might have guessed that the SWAC will outlive the Pac-12?
25. Princeton (3-1): Not a big fan of rewarding a team for a loss, but the Tigers did impress at Pauley Pavilion with Kaitlyn Chen scoring 24 points. Princeton will get to show it belongs this week at the Fort Myers Tip-Off when it takes on Oklahoma and Indiana.
Dropping out from Adamec’s Week 1 ballot: Maryland, Creighton.
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