NCAA Basketball Power Rankings
| 1 |  |
Last Rankings: 1 |
Connecticut Huskies (28-0, 14-0) If you want to nitpick, this hasn't been UConn's best stretch. They
failed to put up 80 against both St. John's (Feb. 13) and Oklahoma (Feb. 15) and shot under 50 percent from the field in back-to-back games for only the
third time this season. The Oklahoma game is also worth noting because it was just fourth time since the start of the 67-game winning streak that an opponent
was within two points of Connecticut at halftime. The team's upcoming road game against Notre Dame offers an interesting test: The Irish are always tough at
home and are 14-0 at the Joyce Center this season. Still, no one is beating UConn this season.
Quotable: "The people out there that read our
scores and watch us, they're under this impression that we come out, we play and everybody just says, 'OK, let's lose by 30 and then go home.' When other
teams compete and the other teams play really hard and they do what they're supposed to do and they're well-coached, it's going to be a game."
-- UConn
coach Geno Auriemma
Next up: Georgetown (Feb. 27), at Notre Dame (Mar. 1), Big East Tournament (Mar. 5-9). |
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| 2 |  |
Last Rankings: 2 |
Stanford Cardinal (26-1, 16-0) The Cardinal have won 17 straight since their loss to UConn on Dec. 23
and they give you the impression the earliest they'll lose again is the national championship. Stanford captured another Pac 10 title this week -- its sixth
consecutive outright regular season championship -- with a win over Arizona State. Sophomore forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike (18.1 points and 9.2 rebounds)
has emerged as a star alongside All-America center Jayne Appel (14.4 points and 9.9 rebounds). This team won't lose to anyone this season other than
Connecticut.
Quotable: "We're playing our best when it counts. I think we can go a long way. We kind of hit a little bit of a lull through
January, but we've really picked it up in February. Obviously the best time to play your best is in March."
-- Stanford coach Tara
VanDerveer
Next up: at Arizona (Feb. 27), at California (Mar. 6), Pac-10 Tournament (Mar. 11-14). |
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| 3 |  |
Last Rankings: 3 |
Tennessee Volunteers (26-2, 14-1) It's turned into a stunning regular season for Pat Summitt's
team -- the Vols just won their first SEC regular-season title since 2007 -- especially when you consider the ignominious exit in the opening round of the
NCAA tournament last March. The Lady Vols win on Monday over LSU reinforced how deep and athletic this team is; they share the ball, play defense (center
Kelly Cain had 12 blocked shots against LSU) and can score inside with multiple players. Plus, they have size on the wings and in the post. Summitt
says she thinks she has the most imposing post game in the country with Cain and Alyssia Brewer. You have more than a fair argument to argue that
Nebraska should be in this spot. But on a neutral court, I say Tennessee wins.
Quotable: "Cain and Brewer are just outstanding. Then you got
[Glory] Johnson, who's 6-3, and a guard who's 6-2 [Shekinna Stricklen] and a shooter [junior Angie Bjorklund] to go with it. They
got a shot. They got a legitimate shot. I think [Pat] needs to go in before she plays other teams and say 'Guys, we're playing LSU'.
-- LSU coach Van
Chancellor
Next up: Mississippi (Feb. 28), SEC Tournament (Mar. 4-7). |
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| 4 |  |
Last Rankings: 5 |
Nebraska Cornhuskers (26-0, 13-0) Nebraska rolled No. 11 Oklahoma 80-64 on Wednesday for its most
impressive win of the season, finishing the game on an 18-1 run after things got a little tight in the second half. Kelsey Griffin (19.5 points and
10.2 rebounds) is on the short list for national player of the year and coach Connie Yori has three seniors in Griffin, forward Cory Montgomery
(12.8) and guard Yvonne Turner (12.6 points) that she can count on in big moments. Those who claim Nebraska should be ahead of Tennessee here
obviously have plenty of ammunition. Wins over Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State should clinch a No. 1 seed, no matter what happens in the Big 12 Tournament.
One to thing watch: Nebraska's margin of victory slimmed in February and Yori said the team must step up again defensively.
Quotable: "They're
both very gritty teams. They're both very physical teams. They're both balanced and score inside-out. And I think dominant post play is consistent through
both. They're really good teams."
-- Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale on UConn and Nebraska.
Next up: Missouri (Feb. 27), Kansas (March
3), at Kansas State (Mar. 6), Big 12 Tournament (March 11-14). |
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| 5 |  |
Last Rankings: 8 |
Duke Blue Devils (23-4, 11-1) They're coming off a terrific win over Maryland on Feb. 21 in which
junior forward/guard Karima Christmas scored a career-high 25 points. Junior guard Jasmine Thomas remains the only player who averages double
digits (15.7 per game), but this is a team with balance and experience, with senior forward Joy Cheek (9.9 points), Christmas (9.4), senior forward
Bridgette Mitchell (8.7), and junior center Krystal Thomas (8.1). Duke is holding teams to 35 percent shooting.
Quotable: They're
a very confident group. I think KJ [Keturah Jackson] said it in the locker room. She said, 'Our huddles are tight,' she was sort of joking about it
because I think they might have knocked heads or something. But what I mean by that is I think this team is very focused, they're all looking in the same
direction, and they're excited by the challenge at hand. We all know it's not going to be easy. You can't get thinking at all that lopsided scores are the
way things go. You can have some lopsided games, but those are really not at all what it boils down to especially in the NCAA tournament. The bottom line is
that you've got to love a fight, and I think this team keeps the huddles tight and loves the fight."
-- Duke coach Joanne P.
McCallie
Next up: Virginia (tonight), North Carolina (Feb. 28), ACC Tournament (Mar. 4-7). |
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| 6 |  |
Last Rankings: 6 |
Ohio State Buckeyes (27-4, 15-3) Don't put too much stock into the overtime loss last Sunday to
Michigan State, given that the Buckeyes had already clinched the Big Ten title. (Plus, the Spartans really needed the game and Ohio State had an awful
shooting night. All-America point sophomore guard Samantha Prahalis finished 4-for-11 from the line; she's normally an 80 percent free-throw shooter.)
Prahalis (16.5 points) and junior center Jantel Lavender (20.9 points and 18 double-doubles) are as good as it gets for an inside-outside combination.
One thing that should concern Jim Foster is interior defense: You'd like to see Ohio State's rebounding margin a little higher than +6.0 per game,
especially given Lavender is averaging 10.4 rebounds.
Quotable: "We need to work on becoming a 40-minute team. We didn't take care of things in
the first half and we can't continue to put ourselves in a situation where it's hard for the team to win."
-- Lavender
Next up: The Big Ten
Tournament (Mar. 4-7). |
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| 7 |  |
Last Rankings: -- |
Xavier Musketeers (23-3, 13-0) Xavier cruised to another Atlantic 10 title behind junior center
Ta'Shia Phillips, a double-double every night and the conference's inevitable player of the year. Phillips is averaging 13.6 points and 10.7 rebounds
and shooting 60 percent from the field. Frontcourtmate Amber Harris has also had a terrific year (15.3 points and 8.6 rebounds) and gives Xavier two
big-time scorers. It's an excellent rebounding team; Xavier averages about 11 more boards per game than its opponents. Heading forward, you wonder how the
Musketeers do against the major powers; they struggled to beat Dayton in overtime this month and lost to Michigan State (by 13) and LSU
(9).
Quotable: "Rankings don't help you win games. We are focusing on playing our game to help us get as far as we can go. We worry about the
game that is coming up next and how we are going to win that one."
-- Xavier coach Kevin McGuff
Next up: at Fordham (Feb. 27), Atlantic 10
Tournament (Mar. 5-8). |
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| 8 |  |
Last Rankings: 4 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (24-3, 11-3) The ranking is based on future faith (perhaps appropriate that
it's Notre Dame) because the Irish have had a brutal 10 days, including losses at St. John's and Georgetown. But its resume includes wins over Oklahoma, West
Virginia and Michigan State and there's a ton of experience on the roster, including seniors Ashley Barlow (11.7) and Lindsay Schrader (11.4),
who missed both the St. John's and Georgetown games with a left ankle injury. (She returned Wednesday for a win over Marquette.) Freshman point guard
Skylar Diggins (14.1 points) has lived up to the hype. She leads the team in scoring and assists.
Quotable: "I feel I have the nation's
best freshman. This is what I expected from Skylar. Nothing she does will surprise me. She can get 10 rebounds and have a double-double, and it won't
surprise me at all. She has such unlimited potential. She works so hard to get better, you almost expect to see something new every game."
-- Notre Dame
coach Muffet McGraw on Diggins
Next up: at Seton Hall (Feb. 27), Connecticut (Mar. 1), Big East Tournament (Mar. 5-9). |
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| 9 |  |
Last Rankings: -- |
West Virginia Mountaineers (25-3, 12-2) Coach Mike Carey gives heavy minutes to six players,
but his scoring is balanced (four players average more than 10 points; top scorer Liz Repella scores only 14 per game). The resume is solid: The Lady
Mountaineers have lost three games to highly ranked opponents -- UConn, Notre Dame and Ohio State -- and each of those games were on the road. Keep this in
mind: The Mountaineers lead the Big East with a 7-0 record in games decided by five points or less this season.
Quotable: "She's quick with the
basketball. A lot of people are quick, but not with the ball."
-- West Virginia coach Mike Carey on junior point guard Sarah
Miles.
Next up: Marquette (Feb. 27), at Syracuse (Mar. 1), Big East Tournament (Mar. 5-9). |
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| 10 |  |
Last Rankings: -- |
Georgetown Hoyas (24-4, 12-2) They announced themselves on the national stage Feb. 20 with a 76-66 win
over then-No. 4 Notre Dame. Freshman point guard Sugar Rogers has a game as sweet as her name. She leads the team in scoring with 18.7 points, and had
24 against the Irish. The Hoyas are very young -- sophomore forwards Adria Crawford and Latia Magee start along with Rogers -- and you wonder
how deep they can really go in the NCAA tournament. But this is a team to watch in the future and don't dismiss them even though UConn will wax them Saturday
in Hartford.
Quotable: "She's an unbelievable freshman. The numbers she puts up are incredible. The way she can score so explosively makes it
easier for our other kids. It's not new for us (to see that)."
-- Georgetown coach Terri Williams-Flournoy on Rogers
Next up: at
Connecticut (Saturday), Seton Hall (Mar. 1), Big East Tournament (Mar. 5-9). |
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