Women’s basketball AP poll, takeaways: Which teams are showing out as conference play ramps up?

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Women’s college basketball quietly returned to the schedule after the holiday break with a crop of games that lacked any real allure. That will change quickly in the coming days with New Year’s Day showcases and conference play fully underway. The SEC and a majority of mid-major leagues have yet to begin their schedules.

Maryland, USC take early Big Ten lead

One of the few highlights of a weaker weekend schedule was action heating up in the Big Ten.

Maryland faced its first big test in more than a month when Michigan State came to town in what was nearly a battle of undefeated squads (the Spartans lost to Alabama before the holiday break). The Terps pulled away from a tie game with five minutes left to win the top-25 matchup, 72-66. The 12-0 start (2-0 in Big Ten) is their best since 2018-19. The record is 18-0 in 2006-07.

“I thought it was a phenomenal game from two really competitive teams,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. “Every league game is going to be like this. It’s going to be every possession matters.”

Maryland and Southern Cal, with its win over a Michigan squad sans Syla Swords, are amongst the few teams taking a slim early lead in the Big Ten standings. They are two of five teams that are undefeated in league play (UCLA, Ohio State, Indiana), a minor claim this early in the season, yet one that carries more weight this year than any other. Though UCLA is the No. 1 team in the country, the Terps are in the next group on the Bruins’ heels.

“It will be the hardest conference slate we’ve ever faced,” Frese said. “Which, I love to be facing it with this team. And I’ve said this all along, with 18 conference games [and] only one team that is a double, every game matters.”

Maryland will double up against Ohio State while UCLA doubles up against USC. They are all similarly positioned. But a team like Indiana doubles up against Purdue, and that’s an advantage if it can keep pace. And with only one game against 16 teams, each game could now…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/womens-basketball-ap-poll-takeaways-which-teams-are-showing-out-as-conference-play-ramps-up-192624584.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-30 19:26:00

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