Candice Wiggins led her Stanford Cardinal to an upset of Tennessee in nearly sold-out Maples Pavilion, and thus propelled UConn into the top spot. More important, though, is that Stanford now must be taken very seriously indeed.
There were doubts about the win at Rutgers, but even if the Cardinal don’t survive that game, they still played the tough Scarlet Knights very well. They lost to UConn by only 12, a badge of honor this season, and then got past the Volunteers at home.
Wiggins is the catalyst, of course, but Tara VanDerveer has a bunch of very smart, very solid players to fit around her – and barring injury, this is the best Stanford team this century.
(Record through Monday) Points -- Last week's rank (first-place votes)
1. Connecticut (9-0) 773 -- 2 (29)
Hartford is coming off a nice win against Michigan State (which finally, deservedly, dropped out of the top 25), but the Hawks have also lost to 6-6 UMass. In short, Saturday’s game shouldn’t be too much of a test for the number one Huskies, who will then ring in the new year by pummeling hapless Army, 5-5 with a loss to number 308 in RPI Delaware State.
2. Stanford (10-1) 719 – 4
The Cardinal made it clear they’re for real by knocking off Tennessee, and Candice Wiggins also upped her stock in the WNBA draft. She’s looking more and more like the number three overall pick – and this weekend, she should rack up some more impressive numbers when Washington and Washington State start the Pac-10 season with a depressing Bay Area visit.
3. Tennessee (10-1) 714 -- 1 (2)
Stanford beat Tennessee. Connecticut gave Stanford its only loss. Granted, the Cardinal were at home against the Volunteers and on the road against UConn, but still two people voted Tennessee number one. Don’t the results of the games count for anything?
3. North Carolina (12-1) 691 – 3
The voters got this one right, as the Tar Heels lost only to Tennessee. Because Stanford beat Tennessee, UNC has to drop a spot, despite beating a pretty good Western Kentucky team by 33. Liberty on Sunday will be another test, but the Flames do have to travel to Chapel Hill.
5. Maryland (14-1) 638 -- 5
The Terrapins have had a few days to get over their scare at James Madison, and come back with a home tournament. Richmond and Maryland-Baltimore County are no threats, so the Terps will head into ACC play at 16-1.
6. Rutgers (8-2) 622 – 6
The Scarlet Knights last played on Dec. 12, and getting back into action against a decent Temple team could result in a slow start, and a reasonable shot at an Owl upset. Pepperdine is next, but both games are in Piscataway – and Rutgers’ defensive intensity should send the visitors home unhappy.
7. Georgia (10-0) 593 – 7
Kudos to Andy Landers and Sue Semrau for agreeing to play in the first round of Florida International’s tournament. This will be one of the Dawgs’ toughest preseason games, though Florida State has sputtered at times in 2007. Georgia should be unbeaten heading into SEC play, but there are still questions about how good the Bulldogs really are.
8. LSU (9-2) 567 – 8
The Tigers have played two teams in the top ten – Maryland and Rutgers – and lost to them both, though both games were on the road. Now LSU ventures to Blue Raider country to take on Middle Tennessee State, and though the Raiders aren’t ranked, they’re pretty tough in the friendly confines. If Sylvia gets in foul trouble, watch out …
9. Oklahoma (8-2) 539 – 9
Oh, come on. Central Arkansas? 121-48? Did this game really need to be scheduled? South Carolina at home Sunday will be an actual basketball game – after which the Sooners will take another long break before starting Big 12 play.
10. Baylor (9-1) 478 – 11
Rice, which lost to Furman, and North Carolina A&T, is next up, followed by feared Texas State. Of course, scheduling patsies in preseason has landed Kim Mulkey a million-dollar-a-year contract, which is a lot more than most coaches make, so it’s hard to be too critical.
11. California (9-2) 446 – 12
That 34-point thumping of once-beaten Kansas was pretty darned impressive, and with Devanei Hampton starting to play more and more, the Bears are looking golden. That Pac-10 Bay Area trip is a nasty one, as Washington and Washington State will discover.
12. Texas A&M (9-2) 392 – 10
No way the Aggies should be this high. They lost to unranked, and not that dazzling, Wake Forest, and now to George Washington, which lost to UNLV. Yes, the two-point home win over Auburn is nice, but A&M will need to be more consistent to thrive in the Big 12.
13. DePaul (10-0) 375 – 14
The Blue Demons are unbeaten, but the RPI (which gets more and more meaningful every week) rates their schedule as 227th best in the nation. Of course, Texas is up next, on a neutral site, so we’ll know a lot more after Friday. It says here, though, that DePaul gets exposed.
14. Duke (9-3) 357 – 15
The Blue Devils have played a solid schedule and are riding a four-game winning streak – which should easily extend to six (at Houston, NCCU) before ACC play begins. It appears that Joanne McCallie is getting her message across.
15. Auburn (11-1) 337 – 16
Nell Fortner isn’t ducking anyone. She’s already played at Ohio State, at Arizona State and at Texas A&M, and just to get ready for the SEC opener at Tennessee, she’s got improving George Washington at home next week. First up, though, is Davidson, which has played three BCS teams tough before losing.
16. Notre Dame (10-1) 289 – 17
Muffet McGraw won’t exactly ease her way into Big East play. After hosting St. Francis of Pennsylvania, she’ll take her Irish to Richmond and then welcome Tennessee to South Bend. Notre Dame is going to be ready for whatever conference, and postseason, play delivers.
17. West Virginia (10-2) 267 – 13
Indiana lost to Dayton, but was good enough to beat West Virginia by 13, so I’m a skeptic about the Mountaineers. The best win is Oakland, and since they start the Big East season at surprising South Florida and powerhouse UConn, their stay in the top 25 may not last past Jan. 9.
18. Ohio State (9-2) 260 – 18
As far as the national rankings go, the Buckeyes are a shaky 18; as far as the Big 10 goes, they are a solid number one. Then again, they start conference play at Michigan State, which still has bite, and by hosting 7-3 Michigan, which is stronger than expected.
19. Texas (9-2) 170 – 20
As mentioned, the Longhorns will get to prove themselves on a neutral court against unbeaten DePaul, and then will have two easy ones before starting Big 12 play at Nebraska. This is a team that will only get better as the season goes along.
20. George Washington (9-3) 162 – 22
Overcoming the stain of the back-to-back losses (25 points at James Madison, one against dismal UNLV) has taken a while, but beating Texas A&M offsets at least one of those defeats. If the Colonials beat Auburn at Auburn Jan. 3, all will be forgiven.
21. Vanderbilt (9-3) 150 – 19
Vandy got its confidence back with a 92-37 pasting of 1-10 Lipscomb (which hasn’t beaten a D-1 team), and the young Commodores will need it when Old Dominion and South Florida come to Nashville. This is a good team, granted, but it’s not clear whether it’s a top 25 team.
22. Wyoming (11-1) 86 – 25
I’ve always liked underdogs, and the Cowgirls are about as anonymous as they come in women’s basketball, but let’s be serious. Two of the wins are over non-D1 schools, and the loss is to Colorado, an OK team with some gumption. It’s not a great year for the Mountain West, so Wyoming could be in the top 25 all season – but I’m not a believer.
23. Arkansas (12-0) 82 – NR
So the strength of schedule is 297 – 12-0 is 12-0. It’s not like Delaware and Dartmouth this weekend are going to improve that SOS much, but that should make it 14-0 before Texas Tech finishes the preseason schedule in Fayetteville. Oh, the SEC wars begin with LSU, so the Razorbacks won’t be a mystery for long.
24. Arizona State (6-5) 59 – 21
Has it already come to this? Are voters already scrambling for names to put on the ballot? The Sun Devils’ best win is over Iowa, and they’ve lost five times. That’s five, count ‘em, five losses, and it’s not even January yet. Even if they sweep the L.A. schools this weekend, they don’t deserve to be here.
25. Oklahoma State (10-1) 47 -- 23
The strength of schedule is 298, and the loss (by 34) is to 5-7 TCU. Now Kurt Budke is getting ready for the Big 12 by scheduling Oral Roberts (loser to Texas Southern) and Texas Southern (which has beaten only Oral Roberts). Here’s another balloon primed to burst.
Dropped out: #24 Michigan State.
It’s about time – but what this really points to is the sorry state of the Big 10, which has one team in the top 25, at number 18. Conference play should be interesting, but the postseason prognosis is not good.
Others receiving votes: Hartford 46; Texas Tech 40; Old Dominion 36; Georgia Tech 26; Michigan State 20; Louisville 13; Florida State 12; Iowa State 12; Marist 11; Utah 11; Pittsburgh 10; North Carolina State 6; Marquette 5; Liberty 4; Colorado 3; Penn State 3; Middle Tennessee 2; Illinois State 1; Minnesota 1; South Alabama 1.
Hartford’s solid, but the loss to Massachusetts gives pause. Texas Tech’s win over Arizona State might count as a balance for the loss to Houston, but ASU might not be that good. Which leads us to 7-3 Old Dominion, which has lost to UConn, Stanford and Tennessee, and has wins over Middle Tennessee, Purdue, Penn State and Michigan State. The Monarchs will probably lose at Kentucky and Vanderbilt, but a split should unequivocally move them into the top 25.
The USA TODAY/ESPN Board of Coaches is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The board for the 2007-08 season: Agnus Berenato, Pittsburgh; Pam Borton, Minnesota; Brian Boyer, Arkansas State; Beth Burns, San Diego State; Debra Clark, Florida A&M; Beth Couture, Butler; Leslie Crane, Western Illinois; Dana Eikenberg, Southern Illinois; Tricia Fabbri, Quinnipiac; Sharon Fanning, Mississippi State; Brian Giorgis, Marist; Julie Goodenough, Charleston Southern; Kellie Harper, Western Carolina; Mary Hegarty, Long Beach State; Nate Kilbert, Mississippi Valley State; Melissa McFerrin, American; Kevin McGuff, Xavier; Tina Martin, Delaware; Curt Miller, Bowling Green; Dan Muscatell, Sacramento State; Paul Nixon, Columbia; Rick Reeves, Gardner-Webb; Lee Ann Riley, Stephen F. Austin; Jennifer Rizzotti, Hartford; Rhonda Rompola, Southern Methodist; Julie Rousseau, Pepperdine; Brady Sallee, Eastern Illinois; Cindy Stein, Missouri; LaVonda Wagner, Oregon State; Adrian Wiggins, Fresno State.