Women’s college basketball power rankings: South Carolina survives tough battle against Utah to remain No. 1

It was a relatively calm week without many upsets, so there is not a significant amount of movement in the latest CBS Sports women’s college basketball rankings. South Carolina had a scare against Utah, but the Gamecocks’ depth helped them remain our top team.

Several teams took the week off, but LSU certainly didn’t. The Tigers’ 133-44 win over McNeese State on Tuesday was one of their most dominant showings in program history. Kim Mulkey’s team kept the No. 7 spot, mostly because it would’ve been impossible to justify dropping any of the six teams above. 

Most of the movement can be found in the final five spots. Washington State left the rankings after its loss to Washington, while UNLV leaped to No. 21 after a 92-76 win over Oklahoma. The Lady Rebels were already in the conversation after a 72-53 win over Arizona on Dec. 2, and their scoring margin this season is currently in the top 15 nationally. Meanwhile, North Carolina dropped a bit following its 76-64 loss to UConn, but the Tar Heels are still sticking around at No. 25.

Here are our latest power rankings for the 2023-24 women’s college basketball season.

1. South Carolina (9-0)

The Gamecocks earned the right to keep their No. 1 ranking after surviving a tough battle against Utah on Sunday. Dawn Staley’s squad found itself in an unusual spot during that game, as they led by only two with less than three minutes remaining. The Utes were ready to pull off the upset behind a 37-point performance by Alissa Pili, but the Gamecocks’ depth was in full display with their bench outscoring Utah’s 26-2 in the 78-69 victory.

2. UCLA (9-0)

UCLA has multiple stars that keep shining on a weekly basis. Kiki Rice registered the 10th triple-double in program history against CSUN with 14 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds — while also being just three steals shy of a quadruple-double. A few days later the spotlight was on Lauren Betts, as she lifted the Bruins to a 95-78 win against Florida State with 22 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks.

3. NC State (10-0)

The Wolfpack continued taking care of business with an 80-67 win over Liberty on Sunday. Freshman Zoe Brooks registered 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in her first career start against the Flames, marking the second triple-double in program history. The NC State offense is truly deep, with six players averaging at least 9.5 points per game this season.

4. Colorado (9-1)

Colorado is one of several teams that took the week off. The Buffaloes have not played since Dec. 5, so they neither helped nor hurt their record. They have beaten every opponent by double figures thus far, including LSU in the season opener. Colorado’s only loss has been to NC State, so it is very much worthy of a top-five spot.

5. Iowa (10-1)

Caitlin Clark made history in Iowa’s 67-58 win over Iowa State by reaching 3,000 career points. However, the Hawkeyes are stronger when more players step up offensively. Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke is capable of shouldering more of the offensive load, but she missed three games due to injury heading into the Iowa State game, and she scored just five points during her return against the Cyclones. She shook off the rust and registered a career-high 21 points during Iowa’s 87-65 win against Wisconsin. This is Iowa’s fifth 10-1 start with Lisa Bluder as head coach.

6. USC (8-0)

The Trojans stayed consistent and defeated UC Riverside 85-53 with strong performances on both ends of the court. They held the Highlanders to just 16 points over the first two quarters — the fewest points by an opponent in a half this season. Per usual, freshman JuJu Watkins led USC’s offense with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Rayah Marshall registered her fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds. 

7. LSU (8-1)

The Tigers have had some locker room issues, lost Kateri Poole and are playing without point guard Hailey Van Lith as she deals with plantar fasciitis. However, none of it seems to be affecting them on the court. In fact, LSU is coming off one of the most dominant performances in program history. The Tigers throttled McNeese State 133-44, a game in which the Tigers went on a 47-0 run at one point and held the Cowgirls scoreless in the second quarter. That was also the most points scored in school history and a program-best margin of victory. The usual stars played well, but freshman Aalyah Del Rosario deserves the spotlight as she got her first career double-double by scoring 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting, along with 10 rebounds.

8. Texas (11-0)

Texas is off to its best start since the 2015-16 season. The Longhorns erased any doubts regarding their ability to compete with top teams after beating UConn last week, and they continued that momentum Wednesday with an 88-75 win against Arizona. Texas is one of the best teams in the nation at forcing turnovers, and that’s a huge reason why it beat the Huskies and Wildcats. The Longhorns forced Arizona into 21 turnovers and scored 25 points off of them. It also didn’t hurt that junior guard Rori Harmon almost recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.

9. Notre Dame (7-1)

The Fighting Irish have not played since their dominant 96-42 win against Lafayette on Dec. 6. Despite not being able to shake the injury bug, Notre Dame has figured out ways to win this season — including against Tennessee on Nov. 29. The team has plenty of time to rest as their next game is not until Sunday, when they host Purdue.

10. Stanford (8-1)

Stanford has also taken the week off, but its last game wasn’t as positive as Notre Dame’s. The Cardinal shockingly fell to Gonzaga 96-78 its last time out, but it’s worth noting senior forward Cameron Brink was dealing with an apparent illness and only played 11 minutes. Another key forward for Stanford, Kiki Iriafen, was limited by foul trouble against the Bulldogs. With all this time to recover, coach Tara VanDerveer should have the Cardinal back on the right track soon.

First five out: Washington, Washington State, Maryland, Syracuse, West Virginia