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Thanksgiving week brought turkey, tournaments and movement in Autumn Johnson’s Power 10 women’s basketball rankings.
Here is the Week 3 top 10, with last week’s ranking in parentheses:
1. South Carolina (1)
The Gamecocks stay put at the top after blowout victories over Cal Poly and Hampton. Although South Carolina looked dominant as usual, star forward Aliyah Boston may miss time. She went down with a foot injury against Hampton and surveyed the second half from the bench sporting a walking boot.
RANKINGS: 📈 View the latest women’s basketball AP poll
2. Stanford (2)
Stanford sits at No. 2 for the third week after cruising to win the Rainbow Wahine Showdown. The Cardinal beat FGCU, Grambling State and Hawaii each by at least 25 points.
Haley Jones earned tournament MVP after a strong 24-point, 24-rebound and three-assist performance against FGCU.
3. UConn (3)
The Huskies rank third, again, with an impressive outing at the Phil Knight Legacy. UConn sealed tournament victory by beating No. 9 Iowa 86-79.
Iowa led UConn by 11 midway through the third, but the Huskies stormed back. Azzi Fudd recorded 24 points (22 in the second half) and Aaliyah Edwards came through with a solid 20-point, 13-rebound and six-assist performance to take down the Huskies’ third top-10 ranked opponent.
4. North Carolina (NR)
North Carolina cracks not only the Power 10, for the first week, but the top five after two ranked wins against No. Oregon 18 and No. 5 Iowa State in the Phil Knight Invitational.
The Tar Heels pulled out scrappy wins in both games. They notched a second-half comeback 85-79 victory after finding themselves down 12 points in the first game. Then against the Cyclones, North Carolina erased a 17-point deficit with a 28-point fourth quarter. Deja Kelly was named tournament MVP after scoring 22 of her 24 points in the second half of the championship game.
5. Ohio State (6)
The Buckeyes jump up one spot and remained undefeated in Week 3 beating Wright State and North Alabama, reaching 105 in both wins.
Next week Ohio State’s ranking will be put to the test in the ACC/Big Ten challenge against Louisville.
RELATED: UConn earns women’s basketball Team of the Week honors after top-10 wins
6. Notre Dame (5)
The Irish came out victorious in the Goombay Splash taking down American and Arizona State. The Sun Devils were undefeated and came out swinging against Notre Dame taking the lead at half time. Led by tournament MVP Olivia Miles, the Irish outscored Arizona State 54-31.
Notre Dame’s 6-0 record will be challenged against a red-hot UConn team Sunday, the Irish’s first ranked opponent.
7. Indiana (7)
Indiana stays right at seven for the second week in a row. The Hoosiers outlasted Auburn, Memphis and some tournament controversy in the Las Vegas Invitational.
Indiana remains undefeated with one ranked win under its belt and another big opportunity coming against North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Dec. 1.
8. Virginia Tech (NR)
The Hokies enter the mix staying undefeated winning out the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship. Virginia Tech first beat Kentucky 82-74, then Missouri 73-57 in the championship game.
Virginia Tech has the chance to add some quality wins to its resume with Nebraska and Tennessee on the schedule in the coming week.
9. Iowa State (4)
The Cyclones drop the most this week after sustaining their first loss of the season to North Carolina.
Iowa State has just one game this week against SIUE gearing up for a huge rivalry game at Iowa Dec. 7.
10. LSU (9)
The Tigers remain undefeated, but LSU comes back to earth slightly ending its 100+ point streak at five.