On this week’s Associated Press Top 25 girls’s basketball ballot, launched on Monday, there’s a shakeup within the high 5 following a uncommon convention loss from a powerhouse program.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from the ballot:
Texas strikes up after making assertion; South Carolina drops two spots
In a tightly contested battle between two of the highest groups within the SEC, the Longhorns (24-2, 10-1 SEC) picked up an enormous win at residence over the Gamecocks to avenge a previous loss to South Carolina on Jan. 12. The win strikes Texas up one spot to No. 3.
Impressively, Texas received the sport with out making a three-pointer, changing into the first team to do so towards an AP high 5 opponent since UConn went 0-of-9 towards Oklahoma within the 2002 nationwide championship recreation. That might be an issue in nearer video games down the stretch, however it didn’t forestall the Longhorns from getting a signature win on Sunday.
For South Carolina (22-2, 10-1 SEC), down two spots to No. 4, the loss snapped a 17-game profitable streak. The 66-62 loss to Texas was South Carolina’s first common season loss in convention play in 57 video games.
Whereas the remainder of South Carolina’s schedule is manageable with solely two ranked opponents remaining, this crew should shoot higher (36.8% on Sunday) and get off to a greater begin. In every of its two losses this season, South Carolina has not led at any level throughout these video games.
UConn falls after dropping to longtime rivals
Though the Huskies (22-3, 13-0 Huge East), down two spots to No. 7, closed out the week with a 77-40 rout of Windfall on Sunday, it was an 80-76 setback to then-No. 19 Tennessee on Thursday that tripped them up.
In that loss, UConn shockingly allowed a season-high 42 factors within the paint and shot 26.7% from outdoors the paint. Though it appears seemingly that UConn can end out Huge East play undefeated, its three losses to non-conference opponents present there’s nonetheless work to be performed.
With No. 4 South Carolina looming on Sunday, the Huskies should discover a method to restrict manufacturing within the paint, or it might be a lot of the identical going ahead for UConn.
NC State continues climb up rankings after dominant street win
Following its 97-74 street win over then-No. 22 Florida State on Sunday, NC State (19-4, 11-1 ACC) has received eight straight video games, together with back-to-back over ranked opponents. The Wolfpack transfer up 4 spots to No. 10.
The 23-point blowout was this system’s largest street win over a ranked crew since a 90-65 win over No. 15 South Carolina throughout the 1989-90 season. Per NCAA.com, Florida State is the highest-scoring crew within the nation (92.1 PPG), making NC State’s efficiency stand out much more.
Having scored a minimum of 80 factors in six of their eight video games throughout the profitable streak, the Wolfpack are displaying they will win on each side of the ball.
Tennessee strikes up 4 spots regardless of combined outcomes
Though the Woman Vols took down previously-No. 5 UConn on Thursday, they fell to then-No. 6 LSU in an 82-77 thriller on Sunday. The loss was Tennessee’s second to LSU this season — each by a mixed seven factors.
Regardless of the slim loss on Sunday, Tennessee (17-6, 4-6 SEC) nonetheless strikes up 4 spots to No. 15 within the ballot. That’s largely because of its margin of defeat in every of these convention losses, which have all been by seven factors or much less.
If Tennessee retains dominating within the paint prefer it did in each video games final week, this might be a harmful crew in March that has confirmed it will possibly hold with anybody.
Creighton the best newcomer to the ballot
After beginning the season 1-2, Creighton (20-4, 12-1 Huge East), ranked No. 24, enters the ballot having received 19 of its final 21 video games.
With its solely losses coming to top-ranked UCLA and a top-10 UConn crew, the Bluejays proceed to impress. If senior guards Lauren Jensen (18 PPG) and Morgan Maly (17.5 PPG) preserve their manufacturing, this crew has the potential to make some noise.
