Last week was the most volatile week in women’s college basketball so far this season. Three undefeated teams were handed their first losses, and 14 of my top 25 teams also stumbled, some to fellow ranked opponents and some to underdogs. That is a lot to sift through, but it also makes this the perfect time for a stock report. Here’s who’s up and who’s down in the women’s college basketball world.
Women’s Basketball Stock Report: Sarah Strong Is Rising, Who Is Falling?
The top recruit in this year’s freshman class has shined for Geno Auriemma’s Huskies this seasonSouth Carolina – Up
The Gamecocks started last week with the news that 6-foot-3 junior Ashlyn Watkins would be out for the season after tearing her ACL. That would be a massive blow to most programs, but South Carolina’s depth means that the Gamecocks can move forward with little to no drop off. In their first game without Watkins, the Gamecocks dominated fellow top 5 team, Texas, coming away with a 67-50 win. They put on a defensive clinic, holding Texas to 27.8 percent shooting, despite giving up 20 offensive rebounds. South Carolina is once again a favorite to make the Final Four.
Texas – Down
Whether it’s fair or not, South Carolina is my measuring stick. The Gamecocks are a long, athletic, smart team that few opponents can contend with. Those who can have my attention. Those who can’t probably don’t have what it takes to win a title. The Longhorns played their worst game of the season against South Carolina, missing the opportunity to establish themselves as one of the country’s top squads. Luckily — or unluckily — for Texas, another game with SC looms. The Longhorns have a chance to redeem themselves on February 9.
Ohio State – Up
The Buckeyes are one of the country’s three remaining undefeated teams, and they handled two tests last week, defeating Michigan and Oregon. Against Michigan the Buckeyes showed poise down the stretch, outscoring their opponent 31-20 in the fourth quarter despite trailing for most of the game. In their next game the Buckeyes held Oregon’s offense to 36.5 percent shooting — 10 percent below its average on the way to a 69-60 victory.
Serena Sundell – Up
Kansas State’s Serena Sundell is in her fourth year as the Wildcats’ starting point guard and the experience is serving her well. She’s leading the country in assists with 7.6 per game, which is also two full assists above her average from last season, while also averaging a career low in turnovers with 2.5. When it comes to point guards, there is no one steadier than Sundell.
Deja Kelly – Down
Oregon’s fifth-year senior transferred from North Carolina in order to improve her draft stock, but so far, Kelly has fallen off the college basketball radar. Her scoring numbers are at a career low, averaging 10.8 points per game, while shooting just 13.5 percent from beyond the arc. One of the knocks on Kelly as a potential WNBA guard was her ability to shoot from long range, so the Oregon experiment doesn’t seem to be paying off, at least not at this point in the season.
Duke and North Carolina – Down
North Carolina secured a 53-46 win over rival Duke, but the on-court product left much to be desired. Neither team looked like it had the goods to make a postseason run in a game that was tied 18-18 at the half. The teams combined to shoot just 27.8% from the field while committing 47 turnovers.
LSU and Tennessee – Up
The Tigers and the Vols delivered everything Duke and UNC did not, in a close rivalry showdown that was won on a last-second shot from Kailyn Gilbert. The Tigers remain undefeated and Tennessee looks to be a legitimate SEC threat. It was a high-scoring affair with stars on each side, like Jewel Spear (25 points) and Talaysia Cooper (24 points) for Tennessee and Aneesah Morrow (23 points, 21 rebounds) and Flau’Jae Johnson (20 points) for LSU.
Florida State – Down
The Seminoles started the season ranked 19th, before falling out of the top-25 completely. Currently, they are coming off back-to-back losses to Stanford and California, to start ACC play at 3-2. Florida State has the best scorer in the country in Ta’Niya Latson, who leads the league with 26.8 points per game. If Florida State could find a way to get back to national relevance, Latson could have a legitimate case for Player of the Year. As it stands, she is just a great player who can’t seem to get any help.
Second-half Pittsburgh – Up
Amidst the chaos of so many upsets and ranked losses was the absolute craziest game of the week: Pittsburgh vs. SMU. The Panthers started the game shooting 2 of 20 from the field on the way to a terrible first half in which they scored just 18 points. Then, they mounted the largest comeback in NCAA hoops history, erasing a 32-point deficit by making 16 of their last 24 attempts and winning by double-digits.
Second-half SMU – Down
On the other side of the impressive comeback was SMU. The Mustangs scored 49 points in the first half before coming out and getting outscored 28-0 in the third quarter. They managed to score 10 points in the final frame, but by then it was much too late to hold off Pitt. SMU also could not make a shot from inside the arc, missing its last 21 attempts from two-point range.
