#8 in new AP Poll

[CONN78SEJ]

AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll

The official page for the AP Top 25 women's college basketball poll. Keep up to date and view the latest NCAA women's basketball ranking updates each week for the 2023-24 season.

apnews.com

Wonder how much UCLA drops after losing to Utah?

 

[FanInNC]

Wonder how much UCLA drops after losing to Utah?

I wouldn’t think very far. A road loss in OT to a solid Utah team isn’t a black eye of a loss.

There are a couple of games which could shuffle the deck some in the top 10 this week with #1 USC vs #9LSU and #8UConn vs #15 ND. The Irish also have a top 25 match up against the Cuse this week - so if they were to sweep those 2 they could easily rise up in the top 10.

It would be fascinating to see what happens if LSU topples USC - there is no clear cut #1 in that scenario - I could see USC retaining their spot at #1 even with a loss there assuming it’s not in embarrassing fashion.

 

[Ozimoto]

Just continue to win as the conference teams beat each other up through the rest of the regular season.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I wouldn’t think very far. A road loss in OT to a solid Utah team isn’t a black eye of a loss.

There are a couple of games which could shuffle the deck some in the top 10 this week with #1 USC vs #9LSU and #8UConn vs #15 ND. The Irish also have a top 25 match up against the Cuse this week - so if they were to sweep those 2 they could easily rise up in the top 10.

It would be fascinating to see what happens if LSU topples USC - there is no clear cut #1 in that scenario - I could see USC retaining their spot at #1 even with a loss there assuming it’s not in embarrassing fashion.

I wouldn’t call Utah that solid with losses to Stanford at home (a Stanford team that was blown out by Gonzaga) and to unranked Arizona, and their best player has been sitting on the bench since early December. UCLA could drop more than you think.

 

[Rowdy831]

I wouldn’t think very far. A road loss in OT to a solid Utah team isn’t a black eye of a loss.

There are a couple of games which could shuffle the deck some in the top 10 this week with #1 USC vs #9LSU and #8UConn vs #15 ND. The Irish also have a top 25 match up against the Cuse this week - so if they were to sweep those 2 they could easily rise up in the top 10.

It would be fascinating to see what happens if LSU topples USC - there is no clear cut #1 in that scenario - I could see USC retaining their spot at #1 even with a loss there assuming it’s not in embarrassing fashion.

LSU has the personnel to beat USC and teams that don't always play great team ball somehow find a way to rise to the occasion. If I had to bet my own money though it would be placed on South Carolina. The chemistry with LSU is better but still not great.

 

[cometjo]

That was good game. The difference in the level of play between the Power Conferences and the Big East is stark. The Power conferences are just some much better, it’s really undeniable .

Or UConn at the moment is just that good, at least against anyone who doesn't have a quality big to expose their weakness.

 

[DallasDomer]

Doesn't really matter with the lack of respect the league is getting by getting blown out by UConn. ND next week is their chance to dominate a team with a quality roster as seen through the eyes of the media.

It was the Marquette (NET #26) loss to unranked Villanova (with a NET rank of 48) that dropped them out of the AP top 25. Uconn still has a decent NET game if nothing else and I don't think NET gets confused by the Uconn dominance of the Big East.

 

[MSGRET]

Thanks for the info. Glad it’s not the norm in my neck of the woods. That doesn’t seem to be ideal IMO.

Actually the reason why they do it this way is for economical reasons. Take this weekend for example, you have both Arizona and Arizona State playing Stanford and California. On Friday Stanford is at Arizona State while California is at Arizona. While on Sunday Stanford is at Arizona and Cal at Arizona State. They have what is called traveling pairs. Arizona & Arizona State, Cal & Stanford, Colorado & Utah, USC & UCLA, Oregon & Oregon State, and last but not least Washington & Washington State. When one pair goes on the road they travel to another pair and vice versa. A few years ago it was estimated that in a season of conference play it roughly saved more than half of the travel costs before they instituted this system. The men's basketball does the same thing.

 

[uconnfan68]

How to explain UConn's own beat writer ranking us 3 spots lower than EVERYONE else?

It showed Emily's ratings in the paper this morning (or Monday's paper), and it showed her picks with UConn at 8. I was going off the AP url which allowed you to see every voters poll. Not sure if she's a BY reader.

 

[FanInNC]

Actually the reason why they do it this way is for economical reasons. Take this weekend for example, you have both Arizona and Arizona State playing Stanford and California. On Friday Stanford is at Arizona State while California is at Arizona. While on Sunday Stanford is at Arizona and Cal at Arizona State. They have what is called traveling pairs. Arizona & Arizona State, Cal & Stanford, Colorado & Utah, USC & UCLA, Oregon & Oregon State, and last but not least Washington & Washington State. When one pair goes on the road they travel to another pair and vice versa. A few years ago it was estimated that in a season of conference play it roughly saved more than half of the travel costs before they instituted this system. The men basketball does the same thing.

Interesting. I get it from a financial perspective. I bet coaches aren’t quite as thrilled. That’s a quick scout and game plan on the Sunday opponent after just playing Friday.

I guess all of that is out the window when ucla, usc, Oregon and Washington all join the big 10 next season and asu, zona, Colorado and Utah are in the big 12 and Stanford and Cal are in the ACC ‍♂️.

 

[Plebe]

Thanks for the info. Glad it’s not the norm in my neck of the woods. That doesn’t seem to be ideal IMO.

Your unfamiliarity with the Pac-12 is on display here.

Pac-12 scheduling is organized around pairs of “travel partners” that take turns visiting the other geographic pairings with (usually) a day off between the two games. So the road games against, say, the LA schools are combined into one trip with a day off between games.

 

[FanInNC]

I wouldn’t call Utah that solid with losses to Stanford at home (a Stanford team that was blown out by Gonzaga) and to unranked Arizona, and their best player has been sitting on the bench since early December. UCLA could drop more than you think.

Well Utah isn’t in the mix for being a number 1 seed by any means, but they do have some impressive points on the resume with wins over USC and UCLA now.

The Arizona loss looks gross, but losses to Stanford by 2, Colorado and South Carolina by 11 and 9 and Baylor by 7 … I mean it’s a tough schedule. They’ve played 5 legit top 12 teams and went 2-3. They aren’t terrible. They do have a NET ranking of 5th in the country for whatever that’s worth ‍♂️

 

[Plebe]

Interesting. I get it from a financial perspective. I bet coaches aren’t quite as thrilled. That’s a quick scout and game plan on the Sunday opponent after just playing Friday.

Lol first of all, there's no rule against scouting your opponents more than a game in advance. Teams do this all the time anyway.

Secondly, if coaches don't like a two-day turnaround where they have to game plan on short notice, then they're probably not good in the NCAA Tournament. Maybe that explains all the epic flops by the teams from your neck of the woods.

 

[FanInNC]

Your unfamiliarity with the Pac-12 is on display here.

Pac-12 scheduling is organized around pairs of “travel partners” that take turn visiting the other geographic pairings with (usually) a day off between the two games. So the road games against, say, the LA schools are combined into one trip with a day off between games.

Yes, I read the post just above this explaining such. You’re correct, I haven’t followed the PAC 12 closely in my life. I’m a sports fan in North Carolina who has developed an interest in women’s basketball over the last 3 or 4 years. So while I know overall themes and story lines of the past on a national scale, I only can attest to being more acutely familiar with the triangle schools here in NC as well as the ACC.

I appreciate the interest of women’s basketball on this board, I’ve found it’s more active than most so I visit here semi-regularly and chime in when I have a thought or opinion. We are all learning on some level I would assume, I admit my knowledge of the pac 12 isn’t one that I’d hang my hat on. I appreciate how most on here seem to be a welcoming group and willing to have conversations without looking down on others or insinuating any sort of superiority towards other fans of the sport.

 

[FanInNC]

Lol first of all, there's no rule against scouting your opponents more than a game in advance. Teams do this all the time anyway.

Secondly, if coaches don't like a two-day turnaround where they have to game plan on short notice, then they're probably not good in the NCAA Tournament. Maybe that explains all the epic flops by the teams from your neck of the woods.

Ok

 

[Plebe]

I appreciate the interest of women’s basketball on this board, I’ve found it’s more active than most so I visit here semi-regularly and chime in when I have a thought or opinion. We are all learning on some level I would assume, I admit my knowledge of the pac 12 isn’t one that I’d hang my hat on. I appreciate how most on here seem to be a welcoming group and willing to have conversations without looking down on others or insinuating any sort of superiority towards other fans of the sport.

Glad you appreciate these qualities. And I appreciate how most of the visitors to this forum from other fan bases tend to respect other teams without making negative assumptions about topics they're uninformed on.

 

[DefenseBB]

I wouldn’t call Utah that solid with losses to Stanford at home (a Stanford team that was blown out by Gonzaga) and to unranked Arizona, and their best player has been sitting on the bench since early December. UCLA could drop more than you think.

I am not so sure you are paying attention here. #1 Alyssa Pili is Utah’s best player and was selected as Conference POY last year in the PA. Gianna Kneepkens was lost due to injury in early December and she was the Utes second best player and best outside shooter. Utah got royally hosed by the PAC12 refs in both their losses to Stanford and Arizona. So despite Arizona not being top 25 ranked, as of this posting they are in the mix for an NCAA bid. And as our favorite Duke colleague often says, throw out the book in the rivalry games (think about St. John’s beating UConn last year at UConn) as it happens so don’t be looking down so condescendingly on Utah, this is a very good team who has overachieved.
Also, Brink was sick during that Gonzaga game and only played 11 min. Again don’t take too much stock in one win at home. Gonzaga has lost to a mediocre Washington State team as well as Louisville. So all things have to be taken as a “body of work” and not reviewed individually.

 

[FanInNC]

Glad you appreciate these qualities. And I appreciate how most of the visitors to this forum from other fan bases tend to respect other teams without making negative assumptions about topics they're uninformed on.

I’m not intending to be negative or disrespectful. I didn’t know the reason for the Friday/Sunday scheduling in the Pac12 and while now I have learned the logic behind it and can understand that, I still hold my opinion that it isn’t an ideal situation. I also know that I’m just one person and not any sort of authority on the subject, I could be wrong. Maybe the coaches in the pac 12 prefer playing 2 games in 3 days throughout the season and wouldn’t change a thing. I don’t know.

I apologize to all who thought I was being critical or negative by my comments about what I viewed as less than ideal scheduling model.

 

[Plebe]

I’m not intending to be negative or disrespectful. I didn’t know the reason for the Friday/Sunday scheduling in the Pac12 and while now I have learned the logic behind it and can understand that, I still hold my opinion that it isn’t an ideal situation. I also know that I’m just one person and not any sort of authority on the subject, I could be wrong. Maybe the coaches in the pac 12 prefer playing 2 games in 3 days throughout the season and wouldn’t change a thing. I don’t know.

Consider the likelihood that if all the coaches hated it, they wouldn't be doing it.

Consider also the possibility that the 2-day turnarounds in the regular season might actually help prepare them for the same turnaround in the NCAA Tournament.

Consider the option of having a more open mind about things.

 

[visitingcock]

Coaches Poll:

1	South Carolina (17-0)	800	1	32
2	Kansas State (19-1)	724	7	0
3	Colorado (16-2)	678	3	0
4	UCLA (15-2)	673	5	0
5	Stanford (17-2)	657	8	0
5	Iowa (18-2)	657	2	0
7	North Carolina State (16-2)	560	5	0
8	Connecticut (16-3)	556	10	0
9	LSU (18-2)	551	9	0

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I am not so sure you are paying attention here. #1 Alyssa Pili is Utah’s best player and was selected as Conference POY last year in the PA. Gianna Kneepkens was lost due to injury in early December and she was the Utes second best player and best outside shooter. Utah got royally hosed by the PAC12 refs in both their losses to Stanford and Arizona. So despite Arizona not being top 25 ranked, as of this posting they are in the mix for an NCAA bid. And as our favorite Duke colleague often says, throw out the book in the rivalry games (think about St. John’s beating UConn last year at UConn) as it happens so don’t be looking down so condescendingly on Utah, this is a very good team who has overachieved.
Also, Brink was sick during that Gonzaga game and only played 11 min. Again don’t take too much stock in one win at home. Gonzaga has lost to a mediocre Washington State team as well as Louisville. So all things have to be taken as a “body of work” and not reviewed individually.

Kneepkens is only a junior and will be back next year, was PAC 12 FOY, Shot 39% from 3. Her loss is huge. Pili is just as important, depending on the oppositions defense. All things considered, Kneepkens is a bigger loss. Tall, fast guards who can hit the three are harder to come by than a slow big body with decent footwork.

 

[FanInNC]

Consider the likelihood that if all the coaches hated it, they wouldn't be doing it.

Consider also the possibility that the 2-day turnarounds in the regular season might actually help prepare them for the same turnaround in the NCAA Tournament.

Consider the option of having a more open mind about things.

I agree, playing so many 2 games in 3 days will put you in a rhythm of familiarity that it certainly could help come March.

I perhaps pause at the idea that head coaches have a ton of control when it comes to the schedule. But I’ll readily admit I don’t know the answer to that. I’ve just heard enough college coaches moan and complain about when a bye week is or travel dates or whatever else, that it gives me the impression they don’t control the schedule completely. I’ve always assumed that TV contracts probably have a big say in how all that shakes out.

It’s certainly a unique situation it appears. A quick glance around other power conferences it appears everyone typically does 2 days off between games as the norm. I suppose that’s why it stood out to me, and hey, I learned something new!

 

[HuskyNan]

Both polls side by side

 

[FanInNC]

In the midst of another eventful week for the rankings.

#1 USC solidifying the top spot with a road win over LSU.
#15 ND dropping one to Syracuse.
#23 FSU getting drubbed by Duke (didn’t see that coming).
#10 Texas going down to unranked Oklahoma.

And course the earlier games already discussed with Utah, UCLA, Baylor and KState.

Some big games on tap :
UConn/ND
Colorado/Oregon State
Syracuse/ Va Tech
Utah / Oregon State

ND could drop big with 2 losses this week, Utah, Syracuse, and Oregon State all have opportunities to get 2 top 25 wins in the same week and catapult up in the polls. Should make for a fun weekend of basketball.

 

[BB Dawg]

This is stupid (NOT you - the people who do the rankings and talk about "wins against top 25 teams").

UCONN lost to NC State when State was unranked. That counts as a loss against an unranked opponent, even tho NC State is #7 at the moment. Texas, with the loss of their starting PG, is not the same team. But we beat them when they were #10 and they rose to 3 or 4 or so. UCLA seems to be percolating in the top 3-4 for most of the season.

Plus, with the exception of the NC State game where most of our players were there, the first half of the season was playing "catch up" as one player after another went down an the team had to reinvent itself.

Honestly, the way we are playing now, I'd love a matchup against any of those teams we lost to. Our starters have been phenomenal, and our core 2 bench players have been getting more and more comfortable.

We will know more about our team after this week especially with the ND game, and even more after we face SC.

Anyway my point is - we beat Marquette once when they were #18. But we play them again and it's against an unranked team. IMHO it should be looked at season ending. Especially the NC State game but it holds for Marquette, Creighton, and anyone else in the BE should they get ranked...

Uconn was a different team than...They are a lot better