Girls’s school basketball rankings: Up to date top-25, Kentucky rises, Geno Auriemma ties Tara VanDerVeer

NCAA ladies’s basketball continued to shock in week two. Prime-25 groups fell to each ranked and unranked opponents, a brand new group emerges out of Texas and the Buckeyes virtually fall to a mid-major. Listed below are the present rankings and what stood out in week two:

AP prime 25 ladies’s school basketball rankings after week two:

1. South Carolina
2. UConn
3. USC
4. Texas
5. UCLA
6. Notre Dame
7. LSU
8. Iowa State
9. Oklahoma
10. Kansas State
11. Maryland
12. Ohio State
13. West Virginia
14. Duke
15. Kentucky
16. North Carolina
17. Ole Miss
18. Baylor
19. TCU
20. NC State
21. Nebraska
22. Illinois
23. Oregon
24. Alabama
25. Louisville

Others receiving votes: Iowa 88, Michigan 38, Michigan St. 15, Vanderbilt 14, Stanford 9, Florida St. 5, Miami 4, South Dakota St. 3, Tennessee 3, Richmond 2.

UConn makes historical past in North Carolina

The primary ranked sport of week two got here in North Carolina. Enjoying in Greensboro, NC, a part of a impartial website home-and-home collection after the 2 sides performed on the Mohegan Solar area in 2023, the No. 2 Huskies began sturdy and didn’t relent on their strategy to a 69-58 win of their first ranked matchup of the season, over the No. 14 UNC Tar Heels.

Guard Paige Bueckers had 19 first half factors, together with a buzzer-beater on the finish of the primary quarter, adopted by a skip again in the direction of her bench, and went on to attain 29 factors within the win. Plus, a double-double by fellow No. 1 general freshman prospect Sarah Sturdy who had a double-double of 14 factors and 13 rebounds.

Photograph by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Photos

It was an entire win for the Huskies, one in every of 1,216 wins for legendary head coach Geno Auriemma, celebrating his fortieth season main UConn. The victory ties former Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer for the winningest coach in both males’s or ladies’s school basketball, an honor that VanDerveer achieved final season in her closing season teaching NCAA basketball.

Auriemma’s new accolade joins a number of trophy cupboards of different honors for the 11-time Nationwide Championship-winning coach with 30 convention titles and 28 convention match trophies.

Now, Auriemma and the Huskies can safe the file all to themselves Wednesday, when Fairleigh Dickinson College involves Storrs, CT.

UConn’s top-25 matchup is one in every of doubtlessly 5 earlier than the tip of the calendar 12 months. The Huskies face the Louisville Cardinals, Notre Dame Combating Irish, Iowa State Cyclones and USC Trojans earlier than the calendar flips to 2025.

In that point, the Huskies will get stronger with the return of a 3rd No. 1 general freshman prospect Azzi Fudd, who hasn’t performed since Nov. 12, 2023.

Prime-20 Showdown in Bluegrass Nation

For 9 years, the Louisville Cardinals owned the Battle of the Bluegrass. Jeff Walz’ Louisville group beat two head coaches in practically a decade of rivalry victories, however the Kentucky Wildcats regrouped within the offseason by the way in which of a brand new head coach, prime switch and a strong group of underclassmen.

Saturday evening, first 12 months Wildcats head coach Kenny Brooks’ Kentucky facet defeated the Cardinals at residence within the ninth sport between the 2 groups when each groups had been ranked within the top-20. The final 4 of the ranked editions went to Louisville, and it took additional time for Kentucky to beat their in-state rivals.

Graduate senior Georgia Amoore, who adopted Brooks to the Wildcats from Virginia Tech, lived as much as her All-American standing, main all scorers with 19 factors and 9 assists however Louisville wasn’t prepared to surrender too simply.

Within the closing minute of regulation, Merissah Russell obtained a move within the nook. The guard half-faked a three-point try earlier than dribbling round her defender and hitting a layup to tie the sport with 26 seconds remaining.

Russell stored Louisville in a sport that the guests led via three quarters, however Brooks’ starters performed all 10 minutes of the fourth quarter to get the sport to additional time. From there, the Wildcats took over and gained the commonwealth for the season, defeating Louisville 71-61.

Despite the fact that Kentucky gained this spherical, either side options sturdy underclassmen who confirmed that the rivalry is in place. Wildcats sophomore Clara Strack is taking part in a Elizabeth Kitley-like function that Brooks excelled with in Blacksburg, with the 6-foot-5 middle main the group in factors (16.3) and rebounds per sport (10.8).

Photograph by Dylan Buell/Getty Photos

For Louisville, true freshman Tjianna Roberts averages 14.3 factors and three.0 is Walz star for the long run already taking part in like one.

Kentucky and Louisville is a sport to look at for the foreseeable future if Saturday is any indication of what’s to return.

Stanford Falls in Massive Ten Nation

Indiana has already been the house for a number of ranked upsets in solely two weeks of the NCAA season.

Final week, it was then No. 25 Indiana falling to the Harvard Crimson. The Ivy League facet gained 72-68, with the Hoosiers capturing 34.7 % from the sector and 16.7 % from past the arc.

That defeat and an ideal begin to the season for the Stanford Cardinal kicked the Hoosiers out of the weekly rankings and put the now-ACC facet of their place.

Sunday, Indiana turned the tables.

Indiana guard Chloe Moore-McNeil, identified for her group management and protection, added offensive effectivity. The graduate senior led the Hoosiers with 21 factors and 4 steals, together with 4 pictures from deep for Yarden Garzon and 19 factors from Penn State switch guard Shay Ciezki.

Wealthy Janzaruk/Herald-Instances / USA TODAY NETWORK by way of Imagn Photos

The 2 sides traded leads 5 instances within the first quarter, however from then on it was all Indiana. The Hoosiers regarded like they had been over the post-Mackenzie Holmes hangover and located offense on the perimeter with 9 whole three-point pictures to guide for the final three quarters and stifle the beginning of the season for Stanford.

A Hoosier victory didn’t put Indiana into the top-25, contemplating they adopted up the loss to Harvard with one other upset in opposition to in-state Butler College. Nonetheless, if it is a signal of Teri Moren’s facet figuring issues out, Indiana will likely be in place heading into Massive Ten play on the finish of December.

For No. 24 Stanford, sophomore ahead Nunu Agara led the way in which with 15 factors and confirmed the Cardinal are going to play bodily, outscoring Indiana within the paint 34-28. Even so, the defeat exhibits that first 12 months Stanford head coach Kate Paye had extra adjusting to do.

Notable Upsets

Each upsets within the top-25 got here Sunday, together with one sport that was too shut for consolation for a Massive Ten facet.

After Indiana’s win, the TCU Horned Frogs pulled out a win of their very own in opposition to a prime group, defeating No. 13 NC State 76-73. Sedona Prince, a 6-foot-7 senior was an excessive amount of for the Wolfpack to deal with. Prince scored 31 factors and added 16 rebounds with former LSU Tiger Hailey Van Lith including a double-double of her personal with 18 factors and 10 assists.

For 2 straight weeks, TCU’s earned the second most votes outdoors of the top-25, however the win over NC State put them into the rankings for less than the fifth time in 15 years. It’s the second loss for NC State this season, however every sport was in opposition to prime groups within the nation. On Nov. 10, it was a 71-57 defeat to the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks.

Elsewhere, the Duke Blue Devils and Ohio State Buckeyes had close to upsets.

No. 16 Duke had theirs in opposition to a group that doesn’t get the nationwide consideration till March in South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits have solely missed the NCAA match 4 instances since 2009, and have even been ranked prior to now three years.

Enjoying in South Dakota, the Blue Devils held a lead for your complete fourth quarter, however South Dakota stored coming on the ACC facet. Vanessa De Jesus helped hold the Jackrabbits at bay with seven fourth quarter factors to return away with a 75-71 victory.

In Tennessee although, No. 12 Ohio State reduce it shut. Recognized for needing comebacks over the previous few seasons, head coach Kevin McGuff’s facet didn’t envision needing one in opposition to the Belmont Bruins Sunday.

Final season, the Buckeyes dispatched the Bruins 84-55. With 5:21 remaining Sunday, Ohio State was down 9 factors on a capturing effectivity day the place unhealthy doesn’t begin to describe it.

The Buckeyes went 5-for-8 to finish the sport, and their protection pressured 9 straight misses for the Bruins to present Ohio State a 67-63 victory. Cotie McMahon was the lone constant offensive risk with 21 factors, however freshman Jaloni Cambridge scored them once they counted. Cambridge had seven of her 10 factors within the closing 2:09 of the sport.

That play included a layup within the paint with the sport tied 63-63 that grew to become a three-point play from the free throw line. Then, on protection, Cambridge took contact on the perimeter to get two extra free throws to ice the win.