These are the 10 best DI women's college basketball teams headed into this week, ranked by Autumn Johnson:
(last week's ranking in parentheses)
1. South Carolina (1) – The Gamecocks are rolling right along, getting contributions from up and down the lineup in an 88-39 drubbing of Liberty.
2. Stanford (2) – Stanford was idle this week. The Cardinal last defeated then-No. 22 Gonzaga 84-63. Stanford is not back in action until Dec. 18 against Tennessee.
AP POLL: See the latest women's basketball AP rankings
3. Ohio State (3) - Ohio State avoided a scare from Michigan State, 74-68, to remain undefeated without Jacy Sheldon. This was the closest battle the Buckeyes competed in so far this season.
4. Indiana (5) - The Hoosiers are undefeated, despite missing top scorer Grace Berger due to injury.
5. Notre Dame (6) - The Irish are 8-1, thanks in large part to Olivia Miles, who becomes ND’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, passing Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jackie Young.
6. Virginia Tech (7) - The Hokies are off to an impressive 10-0 record to start the season. Virginia Tech poses one of the top offenses in the nation, but they’re also a top-four scoring defense in the nation. The Hokies will open up ACC play, going up against Notre Dame, which would be a perfect opportunity to climb above the Irish.
UPSET: How No. 20 Maryland took down No. 6 UConn
7. UConn (4) - The Huskies have three ranked wins under their belt, but the injury bug continues in a big way. UConn responded to the adversity impressively and was limited to just seven players — including three starters — in a close loss to No. 20 Maryland, their first in program history. The Huskies were without floor general Nika Muhl, and faced over 20 turnovers. Still, UConn took advantage in the paint and rebounded well to only fall by single digits.
8. North Carolina (8) – The Tar Heels cruised to wins over UNCW then Wofford this week, winning 64-42 and 99-67, respectively.
9. NC State (10) – The Wolfpack took care of Georgia, 65-54, before downing South Florida, 65-57, to close out the week.
MORE: Iowa upsets Iowa State women's basketball in rivalry battle
10. UCLA (NR) – The Bruins make their debut in the Power 10 with a 9-1 record. They have quality wins over Tennessee and South Dakota State. Freshman guard Kiki Rice is an emerging star to keep an eye on. In their loss to South Carolina, UCLA put the nation on notice after they pushed the defending champions, losing by only nine.
Dropped out: Iowa State – The Cyclones fell at the hands of in-state foe Iowa for their second loss of the season. They were the favorites going in but lost in unfathomable fashion, failing to find a way to respond to the Hawkeyes' massive third quarter and struggling to score efficiently.
