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Women's basketball AP poll, takeaways: Injury clouds loom over UConn, South Carolina

cassandra negley
Women's basketball reporter
·7 min read

And then there were five.

The last remaining undefeated teams are the Big Ten’s UCLA (15-0), Maryland (14-0) and Ohio State (14-0); SEC’s LSU (17-0); and ACC’s Georgia Tech (15-0). Tennessee and Buffalo took their first losses of the season last week.

Maryland (vs. USC), Ohio State (at Michigan) and LSU (at Tennessee, vs. Vanderbilt) won’t have an easy time staying in the group this week with ranked teams on the schedule. Georgia Tech’s games aren’t gimmes, either, with Virginia Tech on Thursday and then a trip to Louisville on Sunday.

UCLA could be the only one left as its Big Ten season continues with a trip to Purdue on Tuesday and hosting Northwestern on Sunday.

While UCLA, Southern Cal, Notre Dame and Ohio State all recently returned key players, Connecticut and South Carolina are now facing the potential of playing without stars.

UConn’s injury cloud doesn’t seem to have fully dissipated. After returning Azzi Fudd to the lineup following her minor knee sprain, Paige Bueckers exited the third quarter of a blowout win in Villanova after colliding with a defender and twisting her left leg. It’s the same knee she injured as a sophomore and sustained an ACL tear in August 2022.

Head coach Geno Auriemma said on SNY he was “optimistic. Let’s put it that way.” He told reporters that, like Fudd’s injury earlier in the season, “It’s not the worst thing that we can imagine.”

UConn (13-2, 4-0 Big East) hosts Xavier on Wednesday. The Big East schedule is forgiving enough that Bueckers can miss some games without the Huskies taking a major hit, but if it is closer to the worst thing than the best, it sinks UConn’s chances of a championship during Bueckers’ tenure.

South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins left in the second quarter of the Gamecocks’ win over Mississippi State. She appeared to injure her left leg going for a layup and needed help off the court. Head coach Dawn Staley said there was no update on her status.

South Carolina (14-1, 2-0 SEC) has the depth to make up for time without Watkins, though the junior is a key asset off the bench, averaging 7.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. She plays behind Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin. Adhel Tac comes off the bench. The Gamecocks host Texas A&M and Texas this week.

As for those ascending, UCLA (Lauren Betts), USC (Kennedy Smith) and Ohio State (Cotie McMahon) all added back starters last month after stints away due to injury. And Notre Dame graduate forward Maddy Westbeld, a four-year starter, played her first minutes in the team’s fourth win over an AP ranked team in five tries.

UConn's Paige Bueckers suffered a knee injury during the Huskies' win over Villanova and her timeline for return is unknown. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Getty Images)
UConn's Paige Bueckers suffered a knee injury during the Huskies' win over Villanova and her timeline for return is unknown. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Getty Images)

UCLA’s first Big Ten contest against Michigan was notable not for the result — an 86-70 home win despite freshman Syla Swords’ career-high 30 points — but for what head coach Cori Close said immediately afterward.

“It wasn’t one of our better games,” Close said on Wednesday. “We have an immense amount of talent, but we have to decide whether we want to win individual games or we want to become a championship team. And that’s a decision we have to make right away.”

The Bruins led by seven entering the fourth quarter, a much different scenario than their average 30-point winning margin. Though they pulled away in the final 10 minutes, Michigan’s 70 points, 27 made field goals and 40.9 shooting percentage is the highest of any UCLA opponent. The Wolverines “out-toughed” UCLA, Close said, while the Bruins didn’t “win enough teamwork plays.” She said she was happy they had their first Big Ten road trip to Indiana on deck for Saturday.

“I think it’s going to force us to be like, you want to keep winning?” Close said. “You better buck up because you go into Bloomington with that level of urgency and concentration [showed against the Wolverines], we’re going to get beat.”

UCLA delivered, 73-62, to remain undefeated even as Indiana became only the third team to shoot at least 40% against UCLA. Close credited her squad for the growth and maturity in being “willing to win ugly.”

The season-high numbers can be attributed more to UCLA playing higher-caliber competition. Close was right to call out the concern now before it snowballs, particularly since those teamwork plays make or break teams in March. The Big Ten schedule will continue to challenge them, both on the court and off as they visit brand new cities halfway across the country.

Oklahoma’s rosters under the leadership of head coach Jennie Baranczyk have always shared the ball well. When the Sooners offense is running smoothly, the ball pops all around the court for quick buckets. And with the addition of 6-foot-4 center Raegan Beers, Oklahoma is bringing down more offensive rebounds to further fuel their top-five offense.

The style can also lead to a frenzy of turnovers, the major takeaway from the Sooners' foray into the SEC. They turned it over a then-season-high 27 times against Texas in a game slowed by 54 fouls. The Longhorns won, 80-73, with forward Madison Booker and Oklahoma’s Beers largely left on the bench with foul trouble. Days later, the Sooners upped their season-high to 31 against Tennessee. They turned it over nearly one-third of the time (30.4 turnover percentage) in a 87-86 escape.

Texas (15-1, 2-0) and Tennessee (13-1, 1-1) are two of the nation’s best at forcing turnovers and Oklahoma’s totals against them were in line with the averages. Still, many of them were unforced and reckless. It nearly cost them the game against Tennessee, which nearly kept its undefeated season intact by turning Oklahoma over three times in the final two minutes.

Jewel Spear’s 3-pointer off a Talaysia Cooper steal cut the deficit to 85-78, and Cooper scored a 3 and a layup off a steal to pull within two at 1:05. Tennessee couldn’t capitalize on the final possession prompted by an Oklahoma turnover with 10 seconds on the clock.

The Sooners (13-2, 1-1) can’t be as sloppy moving forward. Ole Miss, which they’ll face on the road on Thursday, ranks third in opponent turnover rate behind West Virginia and Texas. SEC programs Vanderbilt and Auburn also rank top-30.

Texas (15-1, 2-0 SEC) at South Carolina (14-1, 2-0), Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (ESPN) — The top two teams in NET ranking, Texas and South Carolina will meet twice this season in games that could ultimately determine the SEC titles and NCAA No. 1 seed lines.

And three extras to add to the calendar, including two teams (Maryland, Tennessee) that could pull off upsets:

Southern Cal (14-1, 4-0 Big Ten) at Maryland (14-0, 4-0), Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET (FS1)

Duke (12-3, 3-0 ACC) at North Carolina (13-3, 1-2), Thursday at 7 p.m. ET (ACCN)

LSU (17-0, 2-0 SEC) at Tennessee (13-1, 1-1), Thursday, 6:30 p.m. ET (SECN+)

1. UCLA
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. USC
5. Texas
6. LSU
7. UConn
8. Maryland
9. Ohio State
10. Oklahoma
11. TCU
12. Kansas State
13. Georgia Tech
14. Duke
15. Kentucky
16. Tennessee
17. West Virginia
18. Alabama
19. North Carolina
20. Michigan State
21. NC State
22. Utah
23. Iowa
24. California
25. Michigan

1. Notre Dame
2. UCLA
3. South Carolina
4. Texas
5. USC
6. Maryland
7. UConn
8. Oklahoma
9. LSU
10. Ohio State
11. Georgia Tech
12. Kansas State
13. Tennessee
14. Duke
15. TCU
16. Kentucky
17. North Carolina
18. West Virginia
19. Alabama
20. Michigan State
21. Iowa
22. Utah
23. Harvard
24. Michigan
25. Vanderbilt