Updated power rating:
1. South Carolina - best two quality wins in the league (only two quality wins?), offset somewhat by the loss to Indiana, and struggles with Temple and Washington State. Teams are going to dust off the sag into the paint strategy and South Carolina will likely lose games when they do not shoot well from the perimeter. I happen to think this team could end up shooting well enough to not lose so many games, but I'll agree that might be the critical stat to watch (with fouls perhaps) as the season moves on.
2. Miss State - Managed to lose two games in a row, which was both hard to believe and totally expected per some of our Bulldogs-w fans. Still, I have more confidence in the core and upside of this team than I do in TAMU. I think "Lashes" choosing Miss State swung the conference last year. I think the big girl steered the ship but having the secondary rebounder, especially on offensive glass, carried them. Seems like that's missing.
3. TAMU - Getting drilled by Florida State on an off night actually might not end up looking like a particularly bad thing. I just think we know what Texas A&M is and that feels like a third place team.
4. Kentucky - this high simply because they are undefeated, but they are totally untested. Still, they'll fight you and it feels ok to leave them here for now.
5. Arkansas - they way they have been discussed you'd think they were under .500, but they only have one loss. Dungee is a hell of a player and I have to believe that since South Carolina could not stop her.
6. Tennessee - the luster has fallen off the Notre Dame win and the loss of a starter seems like it will be a problem. I'm not sure there is shame in losing an ugly game to a team with talent like Texas, but it was at home and I want to make myself feel better about losing to Arkansas last year.