College basketball women’s power rankings: How far does Notre Dame fall after a tough week?

College basketball women’s power rankings: How far does Notre Dame fall after a tough week?

For a number of programs across the country, Thanksgiving week was a celebratory holiday. Trophies were presented at some of the annual November showcases. Memories were made in the Cayman Islands, Cancun and Las Vegas. But as I settle on Sabreena Merchant for this week’s power rankings, I’ll start with one of the schools that stumbled: Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish were No. 1 in the Power Rankings last week (for good reason, after a standout win at USC). But Notre Dame struggled in the following two contests, losing games to TCU and Utah this week. In both cases, the Irish failed due to subpar fourth quarters. Notre Dame lost to the Horned Frogs 31:12. A day later, Utah outscored Notre Dame by six points in the final ten minutes.

The Irish’s lack of depth was obvious. This became particularly clear with the problems of freshman center Kate Koval. Koval, one of the top five recruits in the class of 2024, has already been named national freshman of the week. But against the Horned Frogs and Utes, she missed all 12 shots, recorded nine turnovers, committed eight fouls and grabbed just 10 rebounds.

Stars Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron could make more headlines at Notre Dame this season. But keep an eye on the Irish forecourt. Notre Dame’s ceiling could depend on how well the big boys play.

The current state of affairs is as follows:

Dropped out: Illinois (16), Alabama (18), Oregon (25)

Almost Famous: Illinois, Louisville, Stanford, Oregon


Sparty continues to make progress

The Spartans were among the schools that took home hardware during Thanksgiving week. To win the Acrisure Classic, they first had to overcome a five-point second-quarter deficit (and a 16-point deficit) against Cal and another fourth-quarter deficit against Vanderbilt. Michigan State (8-0) set the record for the best start in school history.

Sparty continues to show significant progress in coach Robyn Fralick’s second year. Although Michigan State ranked seventh in offensive rating last year, it ranked 137th nationally in defensive rating. The Spartans’ offense remained efficient, but their defense stepped up, ranking first nationally in points per 100 possessions during Thanksgiving week. Despite slipping to 10th place, Michigan State is still averaging nearly two blocks and six more steals per game than last season. When they force turnovers, they take advantage of the extra opportunities effectively, averaging 22.6 fastbreak points and 32.3 points on turnovers per game – both top 10 nationally.

Taking advantage of easy opportunities was crucial as MSU is typically more active and relies on their opponents’ attack space. The Spartans are averaging 16.1 second-chance points per game, six points more than last season. The key to that difference was the addition of two-time All-Pac-12 honorable mention forward Grace VanSlooten. VanSlooten, a transfer from Oregon, has scored in double figures in all seven games with MSU. She grabbed at least seven rebounds in all but one game and redshirt senior guard Julia Ayrault and she immediately found chemistry.

Fralick spent the last five seasons at Bowling Green. It’s still early, but it looks like the Spartans could make back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 2016-17.

What’s different in Kentucky?

Kenny Brooks has shown he can coach outside of the state of Virginia. In his first season at Kentucky, the Wildcats won both of their games at the Music City Classic, with a emphatic victory over Illinois. With a lead of just six points entering the fourth quarter, Kentucky’s defense was relentless as it went on an 18-0 run to open the Top 25 matchup.

Improved defense was crucial to the Wildcats’ 7-0 start. A year ago, they were ranked 332nd nationally and scored more than 103 points per 100 possessions. They now rank 20th, allowing just over 75 points per 100 possessions. The difference is largely due to their added size – Great Britain leads the nation in blocks per game (10.3). 6-foot-2 center Clara Strack and 6-foot-1 forward Teonni Key transferred from Virginia Tech and UNC, respectively, and each average more than 2.9 blocks per game. Reserve freshman center Clara Silva was used sparingly but was also an immediate presence at 6-7, averaging 2.1 blocks per game. The powerful trio complements 5-6 guard Georgia Amoore, who shoots from the perimeter.

Brooks still relies on his starters β€” Amoore, for example, leads all power conference players with 37 minutes per game β€” but the use of standout edge defenders is a holdover from his time at Virginia Tech. Kentucky faces another tough test when it plays at UNC on Thursday.


Kenny Brooks and Georgia Amoore have the Wildcats on the rise. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

Who is Ohio State’s newest freshman star?

It didn’t take long for Jaloni Cambridge to make a name for himself at Ohio State. In her debut, the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2024 scored 31 points, showcasing her explosiveness. She has continued to excel, most recently scoring all 19 points in the first half of Ohio State’s blowout win over Ohio State.

Similar to recent seasons, the Buckeyes rely on depth β€” 10 players average at least 14.6 minutes per game β€” but Cambridge was as impressive as anyone, leading OSU in total points, assists, steals and free throw attempts. With an average of 16.1 points in just 23.5 minutes per game and a shooting percentage of 47.7, she is already one of the most efficient scorers in the sport. According to CBB Analytics, she is dynamic in transition, averages 4.3 points per game on the break, fearlessly attacks the basket and draws four fouls per game.

Next March, Ohio State looks to host its third Sweet 16 in four years. And even though Cambridge is new to the college scene, one of the program’s biggest stars of late is already praising the freshman who could help the Buckeyes thrive.

β€œShe’s special,” said Dallas Wings guard and new OSU director of player development Jacy Sheldon. β€œYou get the point, and she has a lot more potential. She’s getting better every day, but she’s a great player. I think her speed is what makes her so good and her ability to be so quick and stop in an instant is something very few players can do.”

Since 2013, Georgia Tech has appeared in the AP Top 25 in just one season (2021-22). But the Yellow Jackets are poised to get back into the rankings, possibly as soon as this week, after defeating No. 21 Oregon and extending their winning streak to seven.

It was crucial for the Yellow Jackets to win the battle of possession. Despite both teams committing 14 turnovers against Oregon, Georgia Tech had 15 more offensive rebounds, which led to 24 more shots. The Yellow Jackets rank 8th nationally with 18.3 second-chance points per game, and nearly a quarter of their points come from offensive rebounds.

Kara Dunn, an All-ACC second-team guard, was particularly effective at smashing the glass, grabbing five or more offensive rebounds three times this season despite being just 5-foot-10.

Her teammates were effective in other aspects too. Sophomore guard Tonie Morgan earned the tournament’s MVP honors after averaging 15.5 points and eight rebounds in Georgia Tech’s Hawaii North Shore Showcase win. Freshman guard Dani Carnegie, a top-30 recruit, leads Georgia Tech with 14.3 points per game. The three guards constantly provide the Yellow Jackets with playmakers, making them difficult to stop.

The backcourt battle is one to keep an eye on in the SEC-ACC Challenge

This week’s SEC-ACC Challenge features a number of intriguing games. Highlights include:

Wednesday

Oklahoma at Louisville, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Florida State at Tennessee, 7:15 p.m., SEC Network

Thursday

Kentucky at North Carolina, 5 p.m., ESPN2

Ole Miss at NC State, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Duke at South Carolina, 9 p.m., ESPN

The challenge’s headliner, however, will be in South Bend on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET when Texas takes on Notre Dame. The match features two of the best backcourts in the country: Texas with Rori Harmon and Madison Booker and Notre Dame with Miles and Hidalgo.

Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey relies heavily on her guards and often plays them together. They average more than 31 minutes per game together and have proven to be disruptive (despite their last two losses). Texas coach Vic Schaefer has used his duo much less often, averaging about 18 minutes per game this season. Part of that could be due to scheduling differences (the Fighting Irish played USC this season, for example), while Texas played its first-place opponent on Sunday. Still, it’s worth seeing how much Schaefer plays Harmon and Booker together in this high-profile competition, or how much he overshadows them.

Not only does this matchup feature four of the best guards in the country, but it also features backcourt players who have taken similar paths to their success. Booker and Hidalgo took on larger roles and excelled as rookies due to injuries to their backcourt mates. The experience accelerated their individual development but also helped their respective programs compete nationally.

Keep the sales difference in mind as a determining factor. Entering Sunday, Texas averaged 28.2 turnovers per game (third nationally) while Notre Dame forced nearly 10 fewer giveaways per contest. Whether one backcourt can disrupt the other will go a long way in determining the winner.

(Top photo of Olivia Miles: Jeffrey Brown / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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