Power Rankings: Can Georgia Tech remain undefeated?
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Michael Voepel, ESPN.com
Coaches and a media panel picked Notre Dame as the preseason favorite in the ACC. So far that’s holding solid. The Irish are again No. 3 in ESPN’s women’s college basketball Power Rankings this week and are a No. 1 seed in Bracketology.
The ACC has had a representative in the women’s Final Four in eight of the past 10 NCAA tournaments — a stretch that (not coincidentally) began the year Notre Dame joined the league. The Irish are the only ACC team in that span to win the national championship (in 2018) and appear to be a top contender once again this season.
Which other teams are expected to get a double-bye into the ACC tournament quarterfinals and set themselves up for a high NCAA tournament seed? That’s two months away, and a lot can happen to change that answer. But before this season started, Georgia Tech wasn’t likely considered one of the possibilities.
Yet the undefeated Yellow Jackets are in the Power Rankings for a fourth straight week. They were 10th in the ACC preseason poll but are off to a 15-0 start. They currently project as an NCAA tournament No. 4 seed, which would allow them to host the early rounds. Georgia Tech has never hosted an NCAA tournament game but made the Sweet 16 in 2012 and 2021. (The Yellow Jackets were a No. 4 seed in 2012, but the tournament then had predetermined sites for the early rounds, and Georgia Tech played those games in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. All games in the 2021 tournament were in the COVID-19 bubble in San Antonio.)
The guard trio of freshman Dani Carnegie and juniors Kara Dunn and Tonie Morgan lead the way for the Yellow Jackets, who host Virginia Tech on Thursday. Georgia Tech’s biggest test should be Jan. 16 at Notre Dame.
The other ACC team currently slated to be an NCAA top-four seed is Duke, which has the first of its two rivalry showdowns with North Carolina on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network) in Chapel Hill. The Blue Devils are off to a 3-0 start in ACC play, along with Notre Dame, Florida State, Georgia Tech and NC State. The Tar Heels have two losses in league play (vs. Georgia Tech and Notre Dame).
While Georgia Tech has been one of the biggest surprises this season, ACC newcomer Stanford has been an uncharacteristic disappointment. To be fair, the Cardinal are dealing with so much that is new: their first season in almost 40 years without Tara VanDerveer as head coach, the loss of key players to the WNBA draft and the transfer portal, and the move to a conference that’s located across the country from the Cardinal’s campus.
Stanford is 0-3 in league play and has lost five of its past six games, including back-to-back defeats on its first true ACC road trip: to SMU and Clemson last week. (The short drive to longtime Pac-12 rival Cal for those teams’ ACC opener on Dec. 13 in Berkeley doesn’t really count.)
It is so odd to see Stanford in a group of teams at the bottom of the ACC; the Cardinal are three-time NCAA champions and won 27 Pac-10/Pac-12 regular-season titles. But like Cal, which is 2-1 to start ACC play, Stanford must adjust to a very different — unimaginable until it happened, actually — experience in conference play.
Previous ranking: 1
The Bruins visited legendary UCLA coach John Wooden’s home state of Indiana and got wins over Indiana and Purdue. Wooden would like how center Lauren Betts plays: She had a combined 42 points and 19 rebounds and shot 70.8% from the field in those victories.
Next seven days: vs. Northwestern (Jan. 12)
Previous ranking: 2
The Gamecocks got terrible news Tuesday: junior forward Ashlyn Watkins is gone for the rest of the season with an ACL injury suffered in the Gamecocks’ victory over Mississippi State on Sunday. She finishes her season averaging 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks; South Carolina especially will miss her defensive presence a lot. A positive is how much depth the Gamecocks have, with Chloe Kitts, Joyce Edwards and Sania Feagin at forward.
Next seven days: vs. Texas A&M (Jan. 9), vs. Texas (Jan. 12)
Previous ranking: 3
The Irish won their only game of the past week 76-66 at North Carolina. Fifth-year senior forward Maddy Westbeld made her season debut after being delayed by a foot injury and played 13 minutes. Notre Dame will benefit from her experience and can afford to ease her back into action. The Fighting Irish have been a good rebounding team even without her.
Next seven days: vs. Wake Forest (Jan. 9), @ Clemson (Jan. 12)
Previous ranking: 4
The Trojans dominated Rutgers 92-42 on Sunday in an anticipated matchup between USC sophomore star JuJu Watkins and promising Scarlet Knights freshman Kiyomi McMiller that didn’t happen. McMiller was benched for disciplinary reasons and expressed her displeasure on social media. USC, which has three wins over Top 25 teams, goes for another at Maryland.
Next seven days: @ Maryland (Jan. 8), vs. Penn State (Jan. 12)
Previous ranking: 5
The Longhorns opened SEC play against former Big 12 foe Oklahoma, winning 80-73 in a foul-marred game in which the officiating unfortunately took center stage. There was no such drama in Texas’ subsequent 90-56 dismantling of Arkansas. The Longhorns’ scoring versatility continues to stand out. A lot of eyes will be on Texas’ matchup against South Carolina in a top-five battle.
Next seven days: vs. Alabama (Jan. 9), @ South Carolina (Jan. 12)
Previous ranking: 6
The Huskies breathed a sigh of relief as guard Paige Bueckers’ knee injury suffered Sunday at Villanova is a sprain and shouldn’t keep her out long. The Huskies won 83-52, the type of score you can expect in their Big East games.
Next seven days: vs. Xavier (Jan. 8), @ Georgetown (Jan. 11)
Previous ranking: 8
The Terps got victories over Rutgers and Iowa last week, led by senior Shyanne Sellers (39 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists). Kaylene Smikle also had a combined 39 points in those games. Now can Maryland get what would be its biggest win of the season so far, against USC?
Next seven days: vs. USC (Jan. 8), @ Wisconsin (Jan. 11), vs. Minnesota (Jan. 14)
Previous ranking: 7
The Tigers remain undefeated after victories over Arkansas and Auburn. Kailyn Gilbert, a junior transfer from Arizona, led LSU in scoring for the first time this season with 16 points against the overmatched Razorbacks. Now, how will the Tigers fare against a Tennessee Volunteers team that will try to press them all game?
Next seven days: @ Tennessee (Jan. 9), vs. Vanderbilt (Jan. 13)
Previous ranking: 9
Like Texas, Oklahoma was frustrated by the 54 fouls called in its loss to the Longhorns. But the Sooners bounced back from that to give Tennessee its first loss of the season (87-86), led by Payton Verhulst‘s 16 points in Knoxville. Oklahoma led most of the way, then held off the Lady Vols despite committing 31 turnovers in the game and being outscored by 15 in the fourth quarter. The giveaways are the biggest area in which the Sooners will continue to try to improve.
Next seven days: @ Mississippi State (Jan. 9), vs. Texas A&M (Jan. 12)
Previous ranking: 10
Ohio State is one of three Big Ten teams, along with UCLA and Maryland, that is still undefeated. That could be tested Wednesday at Michigan. The Buckeyes are coming off a 92-62 trouncing of Northwestern, led by freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge‘s 20 points and six rebounds.
Next seven days: @ Michigan (Jan. 8), vs. Oregon (Jan. 12)
Previous ranking: 11
TCU got 29 points and seven assists from guard Madison Conner in an 81-66 victory against Cincinnati, with center Sedona Prince adding 21 points and nine rebounds. The Horned Frogs are 3-0 in the Big 12, their best start in league play since joining the conference for the 2012-13 season.
Next seven days: @ Kansas (Jan. 7), @ Texas Tech (Jan. 11), vs. UCF (Jan. 14)
Previous ranking: 14
Freshman Dani Carnegie had a season-high 28 points — including six 3-pointers — in an 85-68 win over Syracuse. She has scored in double figures in all but two games for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech has never been ranked in the top 10 in The Associated Press poll, but if the Jackets keep winning, they will get there.
Next seven days: vs. Virginia Tech (Jan. 9), @ Louisville (Jan. 12)
Previous ranking: 13
The Wildcats have cruised so far in the Big 12 and are coming off a 20-point win over Texas Tech. Center Ayoka Lee had 19 points and eight rebounds in just 17 minutes in that game, shooting 9-of-11 from the field to boost her shooting percentage to 66.9. Next up is Utah, which as of the current poll is the only ranked team K-State will play in January.
Next seven days: @ Utah (Jan. 8), @ BYU (Jan. 11)
Previous ranking: 12
The Blue Devils bounced back from a pre-Christmas loss at South Florida to dominate Boston College and Pittsburgh by a combined 65 points. Their rivalry against North Carolina goes back to 1976; the Tar Heels lead the series 55-53. The teams split their matchups last season, with each winning at home.
Next seven days: @ North Carolina (Jan. 9), @ Virginia (Jan. 12)
Previous ranking: 16
The Wildcats opened SEC play with decisive victories against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, topping 90 points in both games. Kentucky set a school record with 18 3-pointers against the Bulldogs, seven each from Georgia Amoore and Dazia Lawrence. Amoore had a combined 51 points and 18 assists in the two games.
Next seven days: @ Florida (Jan. 9), vs. Auburn (Jan. 12)
Previous ranking: 15
The Lady Vols started SEC play with a win over Texas A&M and a near-miss against Oklahoma in which they rallied big-time in the fourth quarter but fell short by a point in their first loss of the season. Jewel Spear had a combined 48 points in those games. The Sooners are the toughest foe Tennessee has played so far; powerhouse LSU is next.
Next seven days: vs. LSU (Jan. 9), @ Arkansas (Jan. 12)
Fell out: None
