Women's Power Rankings: Chaos rules after weekend of upsets

Everything is hopping again. The ESPN Power Rankings were snoozy just a few weeks ago, with few games and little movement before the holidays.

But an undefeated team lost for the second week in a row, leaving only No. 1 South Carolina with an unblemished record. USC toppled previously unbeaten UCLA 73-65 in Round 2 of the “Battle of L.A.” on Sunday.

It came just over two weeks after Round 1, when the teams met at UCLA and the Bruins won 71-64. Sunday’s victory jumped the Trojans back into the Power Rankings’ top 10 as super freshman JuJu Watkins had 32 points and 10 rebounds. She has six games of 30 or more points; the record for most in a season (10) belongs to USC legend Cheryl Miller, who was watching courtside at the Galen Center on Sunday.

The Bruins’ loss made way for another Pac-12 team to move into the No. 2 spot: Colorado completed the climb by beating Stanford on Sunday. That also delayed, at least for one more game, Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer tying Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski for the most career coaching victories in NCAA college basketball history, as she sits at 1,201.

Four of the Power 5 conferences now have just one team unbeaten in league play. But both Kansas State and Iowa State are 5-0 in the Big 12, with Baylor taking a huge plunge in the Power Rankings.

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The senior guard had her two biggest games of the season back-to-back, combining for 54 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists in victories over ranked teams North Carolina and Virginia Tech. She was 5-of-9 from 3-point range in both games. She also was 5-of-7 from behind the arc on Jan. 7, making her the first Seminoles player in the past 25 years to make 5 3-pointers in three consecutive games. Her 31 points against the Hokies on Sunday was her career high.

The Cyclones lost three starters from last season’s team that won the Big 12 tournament title, including Ashley Joens, the program’s all-time scoring and rebounding leader. But led by the freshman duo of Audi Crooks and Addy Brown, plus the return from early-season injury of point guard Emily Ryan, Iowa State is tied for first in the conference.

This past week, the Cyclones trailed ranked teams West Virginia and Baylor at halftime but rallied to win both games. Crooks had a combined 45 points and 17 rebounds; Brown 21 points, 19 rebounds and 13 assists.

The all-Tigers matchup didn’t seem like much of a contest on paper: Defending national champion LSU came in ranked No. 7 in the AP poll with a 3-0 SEC record, while Auburn was 0-3. But Auburn was prepared to guard LSU, which had a season low in points, missed 11 layups and was held without a 3-pointer for the first time in 25 games dating to last season. JaMya Mingo-Young also got a big steal with 9 seconds left as Angel Reese was trying to score on a drive.

Auburn got its second win over a top-10 team in coach Johnnie Harris’ three seasons.

Coach of the week: Lindsay Gottlieb, USC

In her third season with the Trojans, Gottlieb has done her part to help bring the USC-UCLA rivalry to heights it hasn’t seen since its earliest days. She has excelled at recruiting, with Watkins the five-star gem, and at reenergizing the fan base. Even with starting center Rayah Marshall sidelined with an illness Sunday, the Trojans held the Bruins to 65 points and had just one fewer rebound than UCLA.

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Power Rankings

1. South Carolina Gamecocks (15-0)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: vs. Kentucky Wildcats (Monday), at Texas A&M Aggies (Sunday)

The Gamecocks got past what sometimes has been a tough trip for them in the past, winning easily in the “other” Columbia over Missouri last Thursday. Bree Hall stood out, going 8-of-10 from the field for 21 points as South Carolina continues to lead Division I in scoring margin (37.3).

2. Colorado Buffaloes (15-1)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: vs. UCLA Bruins (Friday), vs. USC Trojans (Sunday)

It’s hard to pin down a No. 2 team, but the Buffaloes get the nod. They opened the season in November with a marquee win over LSU and got another one Sunday against Stanford. That followed Thursday’s win over Cal; Colorado leads the Pac-12 at 5-0. The Buffs’ experienced group continues to play well together. The visits from the Los Angeles schools this weekend loom large.

3. Iowa Hawkeyes (17-1)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: vs. Wisconsin Badgers (Tuesday), at Ohio State Buckeyes (Sunday)

A case could be made for Iowa at No. 2, as the Hawkeyes’ offense keeps humming along behind Caitlin Clark. For now, we have Iowa jumping to third after Clark’s 15th career triple-double led the way to a win at Purdue and a strong team 3-point performance (15 treys, led by Clark’s six) helped the Hawkeyes dismantle Indiana.

4. UCLA Bruins (14-1)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: at Colorado Buffaloes (Friday)

UCLA was bound to have at least one off game, and it came against its crosstown rival Sunday. With Lauren Betts coming off the bench due to illness, the Bruins never really looked like themselves in the 73-65 loss to USC. They made just 4 of 22 3-point attempts and struggled in multiple areas: 32 fouls, 22 turnovers and just 12 assists. That’s not a formula for winning. But it was just one game, so UCLA doesn’t fall much.

5. NC State Wolfpack (15-1)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: at Miami Hurricanes (Thursday), vs Duke Blue Devils (Sunday)

Center River Baldwin remains out with an ankle injury, but the Wolfpack bounced back from their only loss — Jan. 7 at Virginia Tech — to beat Virginia for the second time this season. In a season full of impressive freshmen, here’s another one: Guard Zoe Brooks led NC State with 19 points, the high of her young career, against the Cavaliers.

6. USC Trojans (13-1)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: at Utah Utes (Friday), at Colorado Buffaloes (Sunday)

The Trojans made a big jump by knocking off UCLA even with Rayah Marshall sidelined with an illness, showing their defense can excel despite missing a key piece. USC’s nonconference schedule wasn’t as impressive as the Bruins’ was, but the rivals have split their head-to-head matchups. Watkins has been the story every game so far for USC, but guard McKenzie Forbes stood out, too, with 18 points and four assists against UCLA.

7. Kansas State Wildcats (17-1)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: at TCU Horned Frogs (Wednesday), vs. Kansas Jayhawks (Saturday)

Texas provided the Wildcats with their only real test since their lone loss on Nov. 26 to Iowa. And Kansas State passed, beating the Longhorns 61-58 on Saturday after a 17-point win over Oklahoma on Wednesday. Ayoka Lee had a combined 40 points and 16 rebounds in those games, and she’s shooting 67.7% from the field.

8. UConn Huskies (14-3)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: at Seton Hall Pirates (Wednesday), vs. DePaul Blue Demons (Saturday)

Another week, another two Big East blowouts for the Huskies, who are looking more and more like typical powerful UConn. Freshman Ashlynn Shade led the charge with 17 points against Providence. Paige Bueckers had 22 points against St. John’s and is shooting 48.6% (seventh in Division I) from behind the arc.

9. LSU Tigers (16-2)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: at Alabama Crimson Tide (Thursday), vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (Sunday)

The Tigers won their 16th game in a row Thursday against Texas A&M. But the streak ended at Auburn on Sunday. LSU hasn’t been as good of a 3-point shooting team this year as last. Even so, they took just two shots from behind the arc (missing both) in the loss to Auburn and also missed their bread-and-butter inside shots at crunch time. They can use this defeat to refocus.

10. Stanford Cardinal (15-2)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: vs. Oregon Ducks (Friday), vs. Oregon State Beavers (Sunday)

The “mountain” road trip to Utah and Colorado tends to be a challenge for Pac-12 teams, and it got to Stanford. The Cardinal escaped Utah with a 66-64 win Friday, but Colorado took control in the third quarter Sunday to beat Stanford 71-59. Cameron Brink dealt with her old nemesis — foul trouble — and had just 12 points. Still, Tara VanDerveer has a chance to make history at home this weekend.

11. Texas Longhorns (16-2)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: vs. Kansas (Tuesday), at Oklahoma State (Saturday)

After beating TCU last Wednesday, the Longhorns ran into a Kansas State team that defended them better than anyone else has, holding Texas to a season-low 58 points Saturday. The Longhorns shot 35.5% from the field and 18.2% from behind the arc. We wait to see whether DeYona Gaston, who injured her ankle late against the Wildcats, will play this week.

12. Ohio State Buckeyes (13-3)
Previous ranking: 16
This week: at Maryland Terrapins (Wednesday), vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (Sunday)

The Buckeyes have won three in a row since being upset at Michigan on Dec. 30, including victories last week against Rutgers and Michigan State. But they have a lot to prove this week, especially in their home showdown with Iowa.

13. Louisville Cardinals (15-2)
Previous ranking: 15
This week: at Clemson Tigers (Thursday), at North Carolina Tar Heels (Sunday)

The Cardinals are leading the ACC at 4-0 after cruising last week over Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. The win over the Demon Deacons was the definition of a balanced attack, with seven players scoring between 9 and 12 points. That’s exactly how Louisville is winning games this season. Limiting foes to 58.1 points per game helps, too.

14. Florida State Seminoles (14-4)
Previous ranking: NR
This week: at Syracuse Orange (Thursday), vs. Virginia Cavaliers (Sunday)

It was a big week for the Seminoles, who upset North Carolina and Virginia Tech to go to 5-1 in the ACC. Bejedi earned our player of the week honor, but Makayla Timpson and Ta’Niya Latson both contributed a lot as well. Latson tied her career high with 8 assists against the Hokies.

15. Baylor Bears (14-2)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: vs. UCF Knights (Saturday)

Maybe we’re “over-punishing” the Bears by dropping them so far, but they are the only AP Top 25 team that lost twice last week — both to unranked teams. Kansas dominated the Bears by 21 points on Wednesday. Saturday, Baylor led Iowa State by 8 points at halftime, then lost by 3. The Bears will have to watch some tough film from both games and move forward.

16. Virginia Tech Hokies (13-3)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: at Duke Blue Devils (Thursday), vs. Clemson Tigers (Sunday)

A week after handing NC State its first loss, the Hokies were on the other side of an upset Sunday, losing at Florida State. Virginia Tech did get a win last Thursday over Miami, and center Elizabeth Kitley had another big week with a combined 61 points and 23 rebounds.

Dropped out: Indiana Hoosiers