You don't always have to beat the best to be No. 1. Sometimes, it just takes someone else helping you out. It worked for Connecticut. In the spirit of the season, Stanford gave the Huskies a gift -- an open road to the No. 1 spot in this week's power rankings. The Cardinal also gave Tennessee its first loss of the season, a 73-69 overtime defeat on Saturday.
The win catapulted Stanford into second, its highest position ever in these rankings.
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Conneticut Huskies (9-0)
No question, the Huskies are going to miss Kalana Greene, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Her absence, however, hasn't slowed UConn down -- at least not yet. Connecticut moved on just fine with a win over San Diego State. The Huskies showed depth and balance with all five starters scoring in double digits.
Next three: 12/29 vs. Hartford; 12/31 vs. Army; 1/3 at Villanova
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Stanford Cardinal (10-1)
The last time Stanford beat Tennessee was in 1996 with Kate Starbird and Jamila Wideman running the show. But thanks to Candice Wiggins, the Cardinal ended Tennessee's 17-game winning streak. Connecticut is the only team to beat the Cardinal this season.
Next three: 12/28 vs. Washington State; 12/30 vs. Washington; 1/4 at UCLA
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Tennessee Lady Vols (10-1)
A road loss to Stanford isn't the end of the world for the Lady Vols. More than likely, it's just the opposite. Tennessee will learn from its mistakes and come back even stronger than before. It's what the Lady Vols do.
Next three: 1/2 at DePaul; 1/5 at Notre Dame; 1/10 vs. Auburn
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UNC Tar Heels (12-1)
It's hard not to be impressed with the way Rashanda McCants has stepped up this season. McCants leads the Tar Heels with 16.8 points in just 24.9 minutes a game. She's also helping North Carolina dominate the boards. They're outrebounding opponents by 14 a game.
Next three: 12/30 vs. Liberty; 1/5 vs. Georgia Tech; 1/10 at Virginia Tech
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Maryland Terrapins (14-1)
The Terrapins didn't exactly roll over James Madison the way many might have expected, but they've continued to show the balance that brought such success during their championship run two seasons ago. With leading scorer Kristi Toliver struggling with a 3-for-10 shooting performance against the Dukes, Laura Harper, Crystal Langhorne and Marissa Coleman carried the load, combining for 54 points.
Next three: 12/29 vs. Richmond; 12/30 vs. UMBC; 1/3 at Wake Forest
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