Unbeatens are starting to fall -- after the top four

Finally, we're seeing the parity that women's basketball coaches have talked about for so long. At least with most teams. Tennessee, LSU, North Carolina and Duke continue to knock off opponents with ease. It's the rest of the field that has made things interesting through the first weeks of conference play. Baylor became the latest of the unbeatens to fall, allowing Duke to move up to No. 4 in our rankings. Baylor was one of 11 teams to change positions this week, including Notre Dame, which dropped out after a loss to Seton Hall. The absence of the Fighting Irish made room for a familiar name, though. Stanford, sitting atop the Pac-10 standings, returns to our top 16 after four straight wins.

NCAA Basketball Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 Tennessee Volunteers (15-0) Tennessee just has too many weapons. Tye'Sha Fluker, Alexis Hornbuckle, Candace Parker, Sidney Spencer and Shanna Zolman scored in double digits in Saturday's win against rival Connecticut. This time it was Spencer who led the way, scoring a career-high 21 in just her fifth start. Next three: 1/12 vs. Georgia; 1/15 at Mississippi State; 1/19 at Mississippi State 2 2 LSU Tigers (13-0) Sylvia Fowles showed how important she is on Saturday. With Fowles on the bench for much of the first half, LSU fell behind. She never left the floor in the second half, and the Tigers dominated. Oh yeah, Seimone Augustus is pretty good, too. Next three: 1/12 vs. South Carolina; 1/16 vs. Connecticut at Hartford Civic Center; 1/19 vs. Alabama 3 3 North Carolina Tar Heels (14-0) When they can keep that quick pace under control, the Tar Heels are hard to beat. The hectic pace leads to turnovers by their opponents and points for the Tar Heels, who twice broke the 100-point barrier last week. Next three: 1/9 at Miami; 1/15 vs. N.C. State; 1/18 vs. Georgia Tech 4 5 Duke Blue Devils (14-0) Experience continues to pay off for Duke, which has posted some impressive road wins, including Sunday's victory at Maryland. Sophomore center Chante Black seems to be growing more confident and consistent, giving the Blue Devils more size and depth inside. Next three: 1/11 at Georgia Tech; 1/14 at Boston College; 1/16 at Holy Cross 5 8 Connecticut Huskies (12-2) The Huskies are improving. Sure, they lost to top-ranked Tennessee, but the nine-point loss is better than anyone else has fared in Knoxville this season. And if a team can get that little production from its starting lineup and still hang with the Lady Vols, it has to be good. Or at least, the bench is. Charde Houston and Brittany Hunter came off the bench to combine for 31 points. Next three: 1/10 at Seton Hall; 1/12 vs. Cincinnati; 1/14 vs. St. John's 6 4 Baylor Bears (11-1) The defending national champions dropped their Big 12 opener to Missouri, which looks to be better than expected. In fact, the Tigers could find themselves in these rankings soon. Despite the three-point road loss, Baylor remains one of the best teams in the nation. The slip was a good reminder, though, that All-American Sophia Young can't do it alone. Next three: 1/11 vs. Oklahoma State; 1/15 at Texas Tech; 1/18 vs. Texas A&M 7 6 Maryland Terrapins (14-2) The Terrapins are talented, but young. No doubt, the postseason atmosphere that surrounded Sunday's game against a veteran Duke team will help Maryland down the road. Freshman Kristi Toliver, who along with Shay Doron led the Terrapins with 12 points apiece, should gain confidence from her performance as well. Next three: 1/16 vs. Florida State; 1/20 at Virginia; 1/23 at Virginia Tech 8 10 Michigan State Spartans (12-3) Michigan State showed something with its two-point win over Rutgers. Yes, the Spartans were on their home court. But they proved capable of handling a quicker team and ready to compete with the contenders. Liz Shimek and Lindsay Bowen are shining in their leadership roles. Next three: 1/9 at Iowa; 1/12 at Wisconsin; 1/15 at Minnesota