The first month of the DI women’s basketball season has brought serious changes to the rankings. As the calendar flips to December, NCAA Digital’s Autumn Johnson delivers a fresh set of Power 10. rankings ahead of another big week of action.
1. South Carolina (1): South Carolina scored a season-low 65 points on the road against a tough North Carolina squad last week, but still managed to squeak out of Carmichael Arena with a seven-point win to stay undefeated. The Gamecocks’ focus will be on Sunday afternoon, when it will meet Utah in the Hall of Fame Showcase in Connecticut.
2. UCLA (2): The Bruins played just one game last week, but were relatively untested on the road against a solid Arkansas team. Like top-ranked South Carolina, the Bruins will head to Connecticut next weekend for the Hall of Fame Classic where it will face Florida State.
3. NC State (3): The Wolfpack sit at 9-0 after a couple of stress-free home wins this week over Vanderbilt and Illinois State. Wes Moore’s team continues to shine defensively, as it has allowed just one team to score more than 62 points this season.
4. Southern California (4): USC won its two games this week by a combined 72 points over Cal Poly and San Diego. The Trojans will keep their California streak alive with its next four games coming against teams from the state. USC does not have a game outside of California until its January 19 matchup with Utah.
5. LSU (7): LSU seemed to return to its national championship caliber form with a resounding 18-point victory over a top-10 Virginia Tech team. That contest saw the return of Angela Reese, who was one of four Tigers to score in double-digits in her first game back in the lineup. It will be a quiet week for the 9-1 Tigers, who are idle until Sunday when Louisiana-Lafayette visits Baton Rouge.
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6. Iowa (8): It’s Cy-Hawk week for Caitlin Clark and the 8-1 Hawkeyes. Iowa scored more than 90 points for the eighth time this season after scoring dropped 99 in a home win over Bowling Green. This week the Hawkeyes take the road twice, on Wednesday they meet Iowa State in a huge in-state rivalry, and on Sunday they head to Madison to take on Marisa Moseley’s feisty Wisconsin squad.
7. Colorado (6): Colorado cruised through two games this week to move to 8-1 on the young season, and the winning ways should stay for the Buffs, who play just once in the next 17 days.
8. Texas (NR): Texas crushed UConn on Sunday to earn its first appearance in the Power 10 this season. This was the first real test of the season for the 9-0 Longhorns, and they passed with flying colors, forcing 21 turnovers from Geno Auriemma’s team and holding Paige Bueckers to just 13 points in an 80-68 win.
9. Stanford (3): The Cardinal suffered its first loss of the season on the road at Gonzaga on Sunday. Cameron Brink played just 11 minutes in the loss, but scored 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds without missing a shot. Stanford does not play again until December 15, which should give Brink plenty of time to get healthy.
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10. Utah (9): Since losing to Baylor in mid-November, the Utes have won its last five games by an average of 44 points. But things get real this week, as the high-flying offense will head east to take on South Carolina in Connecticut.
Dropped out: UConn, Virginia Tech