I got the ‘rout’ part right, except it was the Cowboys doing the stomping, and the Sooners doing the crying. I have to say I’m still not totally convinced (the RPI says 57, not 19), but putting the wood to Oklahoma certainly got my attention.
Still, the Big 12 is very good again, and even if Oklahoma State is significantly better than its RPI, it’s likely more losses await. But it’s equally clear that the Cowboys can get it done against just about anybody if they’re shooting straight.
(Record through Monday) Points -- Last week's rank (first-place
votes)
1. Connecticut (15-0) 775 -- 1 (31)
A juggernaut is a British mispronunciation of the Sanskrit Jagannatha, which means ‘Lord of the Universe.’ Today, we use it to mean any kind of unstoppable force, similar to the 45-ton wagons that carried the images of Krishna in India. For UConn, either meaning applies: The Huskies are just too good..
2. Tennessee (14-1) 742 -- 2
Kentucky on the road and Vanderbilt at home should cause the Volunteers to work up a mild sweat, but unless the sky falls, Tennessee will roll along like a 40-ton wagon.
3. North Carolina (16-1) 706 –34
The Tar Heels only lost to Tennessee by four, and they travel to Connecticut Monday. Comparative scores may not mean that much, but since Pat Summitt eliminated the game women’s basketball wanted to see, and needed to see, this is as close as we’ll get to a head-to-head matchup.
4. Maryland (20-1) 679 -- 4
The Blue Devils are pretty good, but they were no match for the Terrapins in College Park. But if Maryland gets giddy over the win, Virginia could apply a cold shower of reality Friday.
5. Rutgers (13-2) 658 – 5
Presumably Essence Carson will draw Angel McCoughtry Sunday, in what could be a preview of many years’ worth of WNBA matchups to come. Team-wise, the Scarlet Knights should have their way with Louisville, which has lost three in a row coming into Tuesday’s Cincinnati game.
6. Stanford (14-3) 599 – 7
It’s going to be a big weekend in Phoenix, as Arizona State gets Cal and Stanford back to back. Two wins, and the Sun Devils are back on track. For Stanford, the ideal outcome is a Cardinal win and Golden Bear loss, which will make the Pac-10 race much more interesting.
7. Baylor (14-1) 593 – 8
The Bears survived Texas A&M, 59-56, and after hosting Kansas, must travel to Norman. It says here Baylor loses on the road and becomes yet another casualty in the very tough Big 12.
8. LSU (13-3) 526 – 11
Two solid SEC wins pushed the Tigers back into the top ten, territory that Van Chancellor never trod before this year. Only one game this week, Mississippi State at home, so Van will get to enjoy the landscape a week longer.
9. California (15-2) 512 – 9
Stanford may be the archrival, but the game against Arizona State Thursday is bigger. The Bears have yet to prove that they are the second-best team in the Pac-10, much less the first, and until they show they can win in Phoenix, they can only be considered pretenders.
10. Oklahoma (10-3) 504 – 6
It’s somewhat surprising the Sooners lost to Oklahoma State, but it’s really surprising they lost by 21. But then they did have to leave a lot on the floor to get past gritty Iowa State, and maybe that had something to do with it. On a happier note, Oklahoma is home until February.
11. Georgia (14-2) 413 – 10
As with Oklahoma, it wasn’t so much that the Dawgs lost, it was by how much. Auburn’s good, granted, but 30 points better than Georgia? That 72nd-ranked schedule might be catching up to Andy Landers and company.
12. Duke (13-43) 409 – 13
It doesn’t seem quite right: A 15-point loss results in a jump in the rankings? Sure, the Blue Devils were supposed to lose to Maryland, but they should hold steady, not advance.
13. George Washington (12-3) 374 – 17
Beating Auburn at Auburn Jan. 3, and Xavier at home Sunday got the voters’ attention, and the Colonials rise to 13. If they don’t look past Temple Sunday, they could go even higher.
14. West Virginia (12-3) 367 – 16
Losing to god-like UConn apparently doesn’t register, even if the loss is by a slim 36-point margin, so the Mountaineers move up two spots despite a 1-1 week. Of course, that other game was a 56-50 win over Notre Dame in Morgantown, so it does make some kind of sense.
15. Notre Dame (12-3) 277 – 14
The Irish have lost two out of three, but luckily they get annoying Villanova at home. Watching the Wildcats run down the clock can frustrate almost any team, but Notre Dame still should get the job done.
16. Texas A&M (12-4) 269 – 12
The loss to Baylor, in Waco, is understandable, but losing to 10-5 Kansas State, at home, by 13, means the Aggies have got some ‘splaining to do.
17. Ohio State (13-3) 261 – 19
It’s not the Big 10 is that bad – in fact, it’s pretty good, top to bottom – it’s just that no team really stands out. The Buckeyes are doing their best after that loss at Michigan State, but it’s hard to prove much by winning conference games (though losing them is a killer).
18. Auburn (13-4) 219 – 20
The Tigers showed some grit by spanking Georgia, and their one game this week, at Kentucky, is definitely winnable. But that loss to St. Joseph’s is still a puzzler.
19. Oklahoma State (14-1) 192 – 24
Into the top 20, and deservedly so, after beating Kansas at Kansas and Oklahoma at home. Clearly, playing a schedule that has now jumped 77 spots to 230th best in the nation doesn’t really hurt that much. Still, the trip to A&M Saturday is going to be a tough one.
20. Old Dominion (12-3) 181 – 22t
How ‘bout that? One of the grand old names of the game is back in the top 20, as voters recognized that thumping James Madison by 25 is worthy of note. Virginia Commonwealth is 13-1, though, and the Rams come to Norfolk Thursday.
21. Wyoming (14-1) 180 – 22t
The Cowboys gritted out a win at New Mexico, an achievement no matter what the Lobos’ record is, and get reeling San Diego State at home Saturday. Two more wins, and the top 20 beckons.
22. DePaul (12-3) 144 – 21
After losing three of four, the Blue Demons managed an 11-point win at Providence, but there are still doubters. The next best shot at redemption is at Notre Dame Jan. 22.
23. Texas (12-4) 139 – 15
Kansas State had a pretty nice visit to Texas, knocking off A&M and the Longhorns. And in the Big 12, there’s no mercy, as Texas now gets tough Iowa State at home and must then travel to Texas Tech.
24. Pittsburgh (13-3) 63 – NR
It’s unclear why the wins against Syracuse and Cincinnati were so impressive, but the Panthers vaulted past Arizona State into the 24th spot. They most likely will stay in the top 25, unless they look past a road game against St. John’s, which is 8-1 at home.
25. Arizona State (11-5) 57 -- 25
Beating stumbling Arizona by only 10 wasn’t enough to move up, despite losses by teams higher in the rankings, but wins this week will definitely jump the Sun Devils in the poll. Not too long ago, ASU would have been favored in both games against Cal and Stanford – in 2008, though, the Sun Devils are the underdogs.
Dropped out: No. 18 Arkansas (15-2)
The loss to LSU was only part of it: The Razorbacks also lost post Lauren Ervin to an ACL, derailing not only Arkansas’ postseason hopes, but also Ervin’s 2008 WNBA draft status.
Others receiving votes: Arkansas 54; Iowa State (12-3) 31; Syracuse (14-2) 22; Hartford (11-4) 14; Utah (12-3) 14; Georgia Tech (15-2) 13; Illinois State (14-1) 12; Marist (15-2) 12; Western Kentucky (12-5) 12; Liberty (13-2) 11; Nebraska (13-3) 7; Colorado (12-3) 6; Vanderbilt (12-5) 5; Kansas State (10-5) 4; Penn State (12-5) 4; Xavier (10-6) 4; North Carolina State (12-5) 3; Texas-El Paso (12-2) 3; Middle Tennessee (9-8) 2; Jacksonville (14-3) 1; Minnesota (13-5) 1; Quinnipiac (13-2) 1.
The team most deserving of a closer look this week is Georgia Tech, which has lost only to Georgia and North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets came from behind late to beat Miami of Florida, but with a North Carolina State/Maryland road trip ahead, may get ignored by the voters. They’re better than the unranked teams ahead of them, regardless of what happens.
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; Kay Yow, North Carolina State.
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