The primary full week of girls’s school basketball returned this week because the calendar web page flipped to 2025. With all conferences now totally in league play, groups all through the top-25 rankings confronted off towards applications in and simply out of the weekly AP ballot.
It included one SEC aspect falling late, one other nearly dropping an 18-point third quarter lead and the Los Angeles faculties persevering with to point out they’re primed for sturdy convention performances.
Right here is how all of the groups stack up.
AP prime 25 girls’s school basketball rankings:
- UCLA
- South Carolina
- Notre Dame
- USC
- Texas
- LSU
- UConn
- Maryland
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- TCU
- Kansas State
- Georgia Tech
- Duke
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
- Alabama
- North Carolina
- Michigan State
- NC State
- Utah
- Iowa
- Cal
- Michigan
Others receiving votes: Florida St. 18, Vanderbilt 18, Mississippi 14, Harvard 10, Minnesota 7, Oklahoma St. 5, Washington 2, Mississippi St. 1.
Texas Freshman Shines
On Jan. 2, the No. 5 Texas Longhorns traveled north to No. 9 Oklahoma to resume the Purple River Rivalry. It was the first time both teams played the rivalry on the women’s basketball court in the new SEC, after each side left the Large 12 within the offseason.
Coming into the sport, a serious storyline surrounded new Sooner switch Raegan Beers taking part in in her first version of the rivalry and Texas’ excellent sophomore Madison Booker hoping to proceed her sturdy type towards Oklahoma in two earlier video games, each Longhorn losses. As a result of foul hassle, neither Beers or Booker performed greater than 20 minutes, combining for 19 factors and 10 rebounds between the 2 All-Individuals.
That meant totally different names wanted to step up early within the recreation and Texas wanted all the assistance it may get. Within the second quarter, Oklahoma already amassed a 12-point lead in entrance of a pleasant Norman, OK crowd. Up a dozen with 8:38 remaining within the second quarter, the Longhorns leaned on Miami switch Kyla Oldacre.
With Beers on the bench in foul hassle, Oldacre managed the sport contained in the paint, scoring six factors, 4 of which got here from the free throw line with Oklahoma doing no matter they may to cease the massive. Level guard Rori Harmon added six factors of her personal within the quarter and Texas scored 20 of the final 27 factors of the second interval to take a one-point lead into the halftime locker room.
Oklahoma tied the sport on the finish of the third quarter however turnovers and inefficient capturing did within the house aspect within the fourth. The Longhorns pressured eight turnovers and held Oklahoma to 37.5 p.c capturing.
With Booker held again with fouls, it was freshman guard Jordan Lee stepping up for head coach Vic Schaefer. Lee entered Tuesday averaging 16 minutes and 5.9 factors per recreation. The freshman eclipsed each of these within the first half alone, going 3-of-6 from the ground, scoring 9 factors in 19 minutes.
Lee ended the day main the Longhorns with 17 factors in a profession excessive 33 minutes.
After the sport Schaefer credited Lee for making large pictures and added “if I may get her to rebound a bit bit extra I feel she’d actually be an excellent participant.”
Oklahoma’s Bounces Again, Escapes Knoxville
Oklahoma’s highway didn’t get a lot simpler on Sunday, touring to Tennessee to face the undefeated Volunteers. Nonetheless, the Sooners made it look fairly straightforward in spells towards the younger Vols aspect led by first yr Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell.
With 3:49 remaining within the third quarter, Oklahoma had a 19-point lead and it appeared just like the Vols have been destined to their first defeat within the Caldwell period. Nonetheless, within the fourth quarter, Tennessee confirmed that that they had plenty of battle left.
Tennessee hit one other degree of depth defensively, forcing eight turnovers from the Sooners within the fourth quarter. Offensively, the Vols took 19 pictures, hitting 11 and located themselves down one level with 40 seconds remaining.
Picture by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures
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With what may have been the ultimate possession, the Tennessee protection received again the ball on an Oklahoma turnover, the final of a season excessive 31 for the Sooners. It gave the house aspect 9 seconds to play with, and try to drag off the unthinkable comeback, solely needing a layup or foul and free throws to drag out a marquee victory.
Tennessee put a play collectively however as soon as the ball acquired into the arms of Sara Puckett, the senior ahead was extensive open on the prime of the arc. Raegan Beers laid off the 24 p.c three-point shooter, nearly daring her to shoot with three seconds left on the sport clock. Puckett obliged, clanging the ball off the entrance of the rim and into the arms of a ready Beers, locking within the victory for Oklahoma.
Payton Verlhust led the Sooners with 16 factors and 5 rebounds. Tennessee’s Jewel Spear led all scorers with 28 factors on 6-of-11 capturing from deep, together with 11 factors within the fourth quarter.
The loss and win this week for Oklahoma dropped the Sooners one spot to No. 10, with Tennessee additionally transferring down one spot to No. 16.
Accidents Hit South Carolina and UConn
The No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks and No. 7 UConn Huskies every continued their undefeated convention schedules final week, however every recreation included a knee harm that would influence the perimeters because the season continues.
Within the second quarter of the Gamecocks 96-68 win over Mississippi State, junior ahead Ashlyn Watkins went up for a contested layup, touchdown awkwardly on her leg, inflicting the ahead to depart the sport.
Head coach Daybreak Staley had no updates on the harm following the sport, however Watkins did obtain remedy within the area and didn’t have to depart for the hospital. It’s a narrative to look at within the coming days with Watkins taking part in a key function off the Gamecocks bench. In 14 appearances this season, Watkins averages 7.2 factors and 6.1 rebounds, taking part in 18.9 minutes per recreation behind beginning ahead Chloe Kitts.
Then, within the third quarter of the Huskies’ 83-52 win over Villanova, beginning guard Paige Bueckers went to the bottom to go after the ball when Jasmine Bascoe dove to the courtroom to win the possession, touchdown on Bueckers’ leg, bending it awkwardly. Bueckers left the sport and didn’t return.
After the victory, head coach Geno Auriemma was optimistic concerning the knee harm, saying “She’ll be fantastic. She seems to be good. I’m optimistic, let’s put it that manner. I really feel good.”
Auriemma later in contrast the harm to an analogous knee situation for Azzi Fudd, who missed a month in 2022. Bueckers celebrated her one centesimal recreation with UConn over the weekend, after a school profession that’s been lined with accidents. Bueckers missed the whole 2022-23 season as a result of a knee harm.
UConn received’t have any issues in Large East play with out Bueckers however the Huskies have video games towards Tennessee and South Carolina between now and Feb. 16.
Different Tales of the Week
- The No. 8 Maryland Terrapins continued their program document begin to the season Sunday, touring to Iowa Metropolis to defeat the No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes. Kaylene Smikle and Shyanne Sellers led the Terrapins with 26 and 17 factors respectively within the 74-66 win.
- No. 3 Notre Dame traveled to Tobacco Street and defeated the No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels 76-66 behind 24 factors by guard Hannah Hidalgo and 13 group three-pointers.
- No. 25 Ole Miss fell out of the top-25 for the primary time this season after scoring eight factors within the fourth quarter to surrender a 12-point fourth quarter lead in a 60-58 defeat to unranked Texas A&M.
