The first week of the season featured some high-level matchups, upsets and star power showcasing their talents. Here’s On3’s updated Top 25 following the first week of competition:
The South Carolina Gamecocks won their 40th-straight game on Sunday afternoon when they took down the top-10 NC State Wolfpack on a neutral court. I wasn’t overly impressed after their close victory over Michigan, but they clawed their way back and won it and Te-Hina Pao Pao showed off her versatility on Sunday. The defending national champions earned a huge resume win to start the season off.
Next up: Coppin State (Nov. 14)
It wasn’t a pretty win for the USC Trojans, but they started their season off with a resume-builder against Ole Miss in Paris. This is a team full of newness and I expect it will take some time for the chemistry to reach its peak, but I was really impressed with transfer Kiki Iriafen and freshman Kennedy Smith in their opener. They eked out the 68-66 win in the last minute, but they were able to notch the victory.
Next up: CSUN (Nov. 12)
UConn notched a dominating home win over one of the best mid-majors in the country – South Florida – on Sunday. They’re still dealing with a bunch of health issues, including Azzi Fudd who isn’t quite healthy yet, but they got the job done against both opponents this week. Against USF, freshman Sarah Strong had a really productive outing, scoring 13 points, grabbing seven boards, dishing out four assists and tallying two steals. National player of the year candidate Paige Bueckers scored 22 in the victory.
Next up: at No. 18 North Carolina (Nov. 15)
UCLA’s standout win of the week came in Paris against a highly-ranked Louisville squad – and they did it without star Kiki Rice, who’s dealing with an injury. Washington State transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker is also recovering from injury still, but when both return, they’ll be even more dangerous. In the win over Louisville, Lauren Betts recorded a double-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
Next up: Pepperdine (Nov. 12)
The Texas Longhorns played just one game this week and there wasn’t a ton to take away from the dominating victory over SEMO, but it was great to see Rori Harmon on the court again. Madison Booker had a big performance with 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block. Miami transfer Kyla Oldacre also impressed, scoring 21 points and grabbing 14 boards off the bench.
Next up: Lamar (Nov. 13)
Olivia Miles is back, everybody. She posted a triple-double in her first game back from injury against Mercyhurst and scored 17 points at Purdue on Sunday. The Fighting Irish beat the Boilermakers 102-58 and four players had double-digit scoring outings. Sophomore Hannah Hidalgo scored a team-high 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds and tallied six steals on the night.
Next up: James Madison (Nov. 13)
LSU’s non-conference schedule will prevent it from rising much in the rankings over these first couple months, but they looked good against competition they were expected to dominate. They scored 95 points on both Eastern Kentucky and Northwestern State and looked really solid defensively. Flau’jae Johnson averaged 24.5 points and six rebounds over the pair of games and transfer Kailyn Gilbert made an impact on both ends of the floor.
Next up: Charleston Southern (Nov. 12)
Iowa State beat all 3 of their opponents by at least 20 points this week and their core of Addy Brown, Audi Crooks and Emily Ryan continued to impress. Brown tallied two double-doubles and two 20+ point performances and Crooks continues to be one of the best post players in the country.
Next up: St. Thomas (Nov. 14)
The Wolfpack started out slow in their opener against ETSU, but made up for it with a solid performance against the defending national champions. They fell 71-57 to the Gamecocks on a neutral site, but freshman Zamareya Jones showed a ton of promise, scoring 16 points in the outing and going 4-for-6 from deep. The losses of Mimi Collins and River Baldwin to graduation were evident, but this is a team that still has a ton of talent.
Next up: Kent State (Nov. 14)
Oklahoma finished its week off with a convincing 95-51 win over Virginia and Raegan Beers has looked every bit as good as anticipated. She scored 26 points and 14 rebounds in her first contest of the season against a Power Four program. The Sooners scored 64 points in the paint but still have very capable shooters in Lexy Keys and Payton Verhulst.
Next up: Western Carolina (Nov. 13)
Maryland makes a well-deserved jump this week after never trailing and taking down Duke on Sunday afternoon. I doubted the chemistry of the Terps heading into the season after 10 new additions joined the team, but they won convincingly against a Duke squad with high potential. Christina Dalce was a really under-the-radar addition for Maryland and she posted a 12-point, 14-rebound double-double, which included seven offensive boards.
Next up: at Syracuse (Nov. 13)
Duke schedules hard and I give them a lot of credit for that. They lost by five points to a talented Maryland team on the road and freshman Toby Fournier impressed. She scored 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds and tallied two blocks in the narrow loss. Reigan Richardson got in foul trouble fairly early on and I still see the Blue Devils as a team with a ton of potential.
Next up: Dayton (Nov. 14)
Kansas State was able to beat a high-level mid-major in Belmont by nearly 30 points – and the Wildcats did it without their star. Ayoka Lee is dealing with a short-term injury and the Wildcats proved that they’ve got the depth to succeed even when their best player isn’t on the floor. Tulsa transfer Temira Poindexter was a severely underrated pickup for Kansas State and she’s proven that so far, averaging 19 points and 4.5 rebounds over her first two contests.
Next up: Creighton (Nov. 14)
I’m not going to dock the Louisville Cardinals for their 66-59 loss to No. 4 UCLA in Paris on opening day. Louisville is really young and they still made it a fight against a veteran Bruins squad. Freshman Taj Roberts had a game-high 21 points for the Cardinals and looks like someone who can make an immediate impact against the highest of competition. They didn’t shoot very well from deep (six-of-29), but Roberts was a bright spot in that regard.
Next up: at UT Martin (Nov. 12)
We didn’t get to see West Virginia against any P4 opponents, but they did their job against the two programs they faced. The Mountaineers forced 44 turnovers against a Niagara team that made the WNIT last season and several players posted impressive performances, including Jordan Harrison and Auburn transfer Sydney Shaw. JJ Quinerly, though, fouled out in just 20 minutes of play.
Next up: Pittsburgh (Nov. 12)
Ohio State played just one game this week – a whopping 104-69 victory over Cleveland State. Freshman Jaloni Cambridge was dominant from start to finish, scoring 31 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists in 26 minutes of play. She’s a real candidate for national freshman of the year and she’s already looking like she’s in the running to be the best player on a really talented Buckeye team.
Next up: Charlotte (Nov. 12)
North Carolina had a pair of home games against Charleston Southern and UNCW and they dominated both. Lexi Donarski proved to be pivotal and she’ll continue to be a key piece in this Tarheels’ system. Sophomore Reniya Kelly averaged the second-most playing time and made an impact on both ends, averaging 11.5 points, 3.5 boards and 2 steals.
Next up: at NC A&T (Nov. 12)
TCU dominated both Houston Christian and New Orleans this week and we got a glimpse of the old Hailey van Lith. She put up 21 points, five rebounds, seven assists and six steals in their opener. Coupled with the return of Sedona Prince and Madison Conner, this is a team that is still being overlooked. Oregon State transfer Donovyn Hunter also made an impact in Sunday afternoon’s contest, scoring 13 points and dishing out four assists.
Next up: Texas State (Nov. 13)
Ole Miss nearly beat out USC in Paris and I was impressed with KK Deans’ performance after returning from injury. That outing, as a group, moves Ole Miss up a few spots. The Rebels faced Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Sunday afternoon and held the Golden Lions to just 24 points, forcing 22 turnovers and out rebounding UAPB 59-31 in the victory.
Next up: at Delaware State (Nov. 14)
Illinois had themselves a week and they’re one of the biggest risers for me. They opened their season with a convincing 83-74 victory over then-ranked Florida State. Their veteran core, including post player Kendall Bostic, looked great and the Fighting Illini put together a solid defensive effort against the Seminoles’ stars. On Sunday, they notched a double-digit win over Marquette and showed off their depth. Gretchen Dolan and Jasmine Brown-Hagger had solid performances off the bench.
Next up: Eastern Illinois (Nov. 14)
The Alabama Crimson Tide finished the week 3-0 and senior Sarah Ashlee Barker demonstrated her dominance yet again. She averaged 18 points, 7.6 rebounds, three assists and 3.6 steals per game this week, while shooting 56.2% from the field. They didn’t play anyone too threatening, but they got the job done in their trio of contests.
Next up: Norfolk State (Nov. 13)
Utah is another team that didn’t play high-level competition in the first week, but performed well nonetheless. Rhode Island transfer Mayé Touré led the team in scoring over two games with 18 ppg. She was also 43% from 3-point range and 67% from the field. Gianna Kneepkens returned from injury and reminded us all why she should be considered among the best guards in the country, going 7-for-11 (64%) from deep this week.
Next up: at Northwestern (Nov. 14)
The biggest upset of the young season happened on Sunday night when the Oregon Ducks beat Baylor at home in a two-point victory. The Ducks are now 3-0 with one of the best resume wins in the country under their belt. The addition of North Carolina transfer Deja Kelly has been huge and Sunday’s win was no exception. She scored 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out five assists and added three steals to her stat line.
Next up: North Texas (Nov. 12)
Baylor suffered a 76-74 point loss to Oregon on the road Sunday night, but their second-half performance was really impressive. They outscored the Ducks 26-14 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough for the win. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs posted a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in the narrow loss.
Next up: TAMUC (Nov. 14)
The new-look Iowa squad beat out the new-look Virginia Tech team on a neutral court this Sunday – and they looked good. Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists in the victory. The team was just 4-of-18 from deep but they out rebounded the Hokies 46-29. Sydney Affolter also returned to action today after being sidelined with a leg injury, and as one of the only returning veterans on the team, she’ll play a big role this season.
Next up: Toledo (Nov. 13)
