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With the nation’s most impressive win resume, Texas, unsurprisingly, trails only defending national champion UConn in Week 5 of the AP Top 25 poll. The Longhorns also took 10 of the 32 first-place votes from the Huskies.
Outside the shuffling at the very top, the top 10 remains mostly unchanged, although the coming week’s ACC/SEC Challenge seems certain to make sure such stability is short-lived. Here’s a look at the latest top 25, with first-place votes denoted in parentheses and movement from last week’s poll tracked in brackets:
Here are three insights and inquiries based on the latest poll, beginning with more on Texas’ big wins:
Did the Longhorns deserve more No. 1 love?
With back-to-back wins—on back-to-back days—over the teams then ranked No. 3 and No. 2 in the AP poll, Texas has a win resume that no team in the nation can come close to matching.
Should their accomplishment have earned them more than 10 first-place votes? Should they have seriously threatened for the No. 1 spot?
For now, things shook out fairly. Texas got respect for their Players Era wins over UCLA and South Carolina, while UConn, with their consistent dominance, in addition to a top-10 win of their own, maintains a comfortable distance above their foremost challenger.
Unfortunately, the Longhorns will not be making a trek to Storrs, nor will the Huskies travel to Austin.
However, both teams’ schedules present some worthy challengers that will at least test their standing. UConn plays at No. 16 USC on Dec. 13 before meeting No. 12 Iowa at the Barclays Center for the Champions Classic on Dec. 20. Texas gets a more immediate test, hosting No. 11 North Carolina as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge this Thursday, Dec. 4. They then face No. 14 Baylor in Fort Worth on Dec. 14 for the espnW Invitational.
11 ranked teams will meet in the ACC/SEC Challenge
Including aforementioned Texas and North Carolina, the ACC/SEC Challenge will see 11 top-25 teams in action. Eight are from the SEC: No. 2 Texas, No. 3 South Carolina, No. 5 LSU, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 Vanderbilt, No. 17 Kentucky and No. 19 Tennessee. The ACC’s three ranked participants are: No. 11 UNC, No. 18 Notre Dame and No. 22 Louisville.
Outside of the Longhorns and the Tar Heels, only two other games actually feature a head-to-head battle between ranked foes, with South Carolina traveling to Louisville and Ole Miss hosting Notre Dame.
It seems quite fitting that LSU, ever allergic to a potentially difficult early-season matchup, has lucked out, avoiding what was forecasted as tough matchup by drawing unranked and under .500 Duke.
Huskers, Ducks and Dawgs are in the top 30
The teams in the top 30, meaning those in the “others receiving votes” pool of teams sitting just outside the official top 25 poll, can experience divergent emotions. For teams that began the season ranked, especially ranked in the top 10 like NC State, clinging to the fringes of the top 25 likely feels like a demotion, a signal of a season that, thus far, has gone awry.
For other teams, a smattering a poll votes represents an achievement, a marker of season that is moving in the right direction. Nebraska, Oregon and Georgia are three Power Four schools that fit that description.
The Huskers are on the cusp of claiming a spot in the top 25, with 19 votes at an undefeated 7-0. They just scored their first win over a Power 4 opponent, outlasting Virginia at the Emerald Coast Classic. A scoring leap from sophomore guard Britt Prince has helped power Nebraska. After averaging 13.4 points per game last season, she’s up to 22 points per game, including dropping 30 in the win over UVA.
The Ducks, now at 9-0 and with six poll votes, likewise notched their first Power Four win, beating Auburn on the road. Kaite Fiso’s career-high 24 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter, were key to keeping Oregon perfect. The sophomore point guard leads the Ducks in points and assists, with 14.8 and 7.2, respectively.
Georgia participated in the Fort Meyers Tip Off over Thanksgiving weekend, earning wins over Kansas and Butler to run their record to 9-0. The performances also secured the Bulldogs their first three poll votes of the season. Sophomore Dani Carnegie, who took her talents from Atlanta to Athens, has been a game changer for the Dawgs. Averaging 18.2 points per game, she’s introduced a needed shooting threat to the UGA lineup, swishing 49.2 percent of her 3-pointers.
