UCLA takes top spot in latest USA TODAY Big Ten women's basketball power rankings

UCLA takes top spot in latest USA TODAY Big Ten women’s basketball power rankings

Posted by Admin December 1, 2024 Basketball

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A slew of interesting results in big ranked matchups and Thanksgiving tournaments have caused some shakeup in the USA TODAY Sports Network’s third Big Ten women’s basketball power rankings.

Many teams are finally getting tested in the non-conference, with many passing but a few flopping. We’re starting to get a loosely established heiarchy with Big Ten play right around the corner.

With that, here are the latest power rankings.

1. UCLA (7-0)

Previously: No. 2

What to know: The Bruins’ impressive home win over South Carolina vaults them to the top spot. UCLA followed that up with wins over UT Martin and Fresno State in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown.

2. USC (6-1)

Previously: No. 1

What to know: The home loss to Notre Dame knocked USC off the Big Ten pedestal, but JuJu Watkins and the Trojans have responded since with neutral-site wins over Seton Hall and Saint Louis.

3. Maryland (7-0)

Previously: No. 3

What to know: Maryland keeps right on rolling with wins over St. Francis and George Mason since the last rankings.

4. Ohio State (7-0)

Previously: No. 4

What to know: Few issues so far for Ohio State, which landed wins over Bowling Green, Old Dominion and Utah State over the last week.

5. Iowa (8-0)

Previously: No. 5

What to know: Jan Jensen’s first season couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. Since the last rankings, Iowa has added wins over Washington State, Rhode Island and BYU. The last two came without starting point guard Lucy Olsen.

6. Michigan State (8-0)

Previously: No. 9

What to know: Another riser this week after Michigan State toppled California and Vanderbilt at the Acrisure Holiday Invitational.

7. Illinois (6-1)

Previously: No. 8

What to know: The Fighting Illini suffered loss number one in a neutral-site stumble against top-15 foe Kentucky. Before that, Illinois added wins over Oregon State and Maryland Eastern Shore.

8. Nebraska (6-1)

Previously: No. 6

What to know: Creighton stuck Nebraska with its first loss in a big rivalry showing. Since then, the Cornhuskers knocked off Kansas City to move to 6-1.

9. Minnesota (9-0)

Previously: No. 10

What to know: The schedule hasn’t been super tough, but Minnesota keeps cruising right through it with most recent wins over Montana, Houston and Louisiana.

10. Oregon (6-2)

Previously: No. 7

What to know: Oregon took a tumble this week with a rough showing at the Hawaii North Shore Showcase, which included losses to Georgia Tech and South Dakota State.

11. Michigan (7-1)

Previously: No. 12

What to know: Recent wins over Long Beach State, Belmont and Virginia Tech have the Wolverines rolling through their non-conference schedule after the opening-night loss to South Carolina.

12. Penn State (8-0)

Previously: No. 13

What to know: Recent wins over Marshall, Georgia and Drexel have Penn State right on track with just a few non-conference games remaining.

13. Indiana (4-3)

Previously: No. 11

What to know: The Hoosiers picked up a nice win over Baylor to start the Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis, only to cough up that momentum with an ugly 30-point loss to North Carolina.

14. Wisconsin (7-2)

Previously: No. 14

What to know: Wins over Providence and VCU came after a stumble against San Diego State on Thanksgiving.

15. Washington (7-2)

Previously: No. 15

What to know: The Huskies hung tough with LSU before falling by one point. Washington then rebounded with a cruise-control victory over Southern.

16. Purdue (4-3)

Previously: No. 16

What to know: A rough showing at the Fort Myers Tip-Off saw Purdue stumble against Middle Tennessee State and South Carolina.

17. Rutgers (5-3)

Previously: No. 17

What to know: Rutgers beat Georgia Southern last time out, but all that did was end a three-game losing streak that included home losses to Princeton and Marquette.

18. Northwestern (2-3)

Previously: No. 18

What to know: The Wildcats are still trying to find footing after a 1-1 week saw Northwestern lose to Harvard and bear Loyola (Chicago).

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.