NCAAW: Expect craziness with post-Christmas conference play

Last week, Louisville jumped six spots in the AP Top 25 poll, boosted by their overtime win over now-No. 16 North Carolina. The Cardinals maintained their positive momentum, earning another statement win against now-No. 23 Tennessee and advancing three more spots to No. 13.

Louisville’s leap into the top 15 was the most significant upward move of the week, as the top 25 remained mostly stable ahead of quiet Christmas week.

Here’s where the sport stands entering a pause in play due to the holiday, with first-place votes denoted in parentheses and movement from last week’s poll tracked in brackets:

When action resumes, however, expect the quietude to end. Here’s more on the chaos to come, plus two more takeaways from this week’s top 25:

Rankings-rocking Big Ten and SEC battles are ahead

Eight teams from both the Big Ten and SEC are ranked in the top 25, which guarantees a coming glut of ranked matchups that will have significant implications for the standings.

It begins in the Big Ten. On Sunday, Dec. 28, No. 4 UCLA will have the opportunity to earn another ranked victory when they travel to No. 19 Ohio State. The next day, No. 20 Nebraska will test their top 25 bona fides when No. 17 USC visits Lincoln. On Thursday, Jan. 1, the SEC slate opens with No. 5 LSU looking to disprove any doubters when No. 11 Kentucky comes to Baton Rouge.

And that’s just the beginning. For women’s college basketball fans, the best gifts are coming after Christmas.

Will the unranked undefeateds enter the top 25?

Twelve NCAA Division I teams remain undefeated.

Last week, Edwin Garcia examined the eight undefeated teams that then were ranked, and all of No. 1 UConn, No. 2 Texas, No. 5 LSU, No. 7 Maryland, No. 8 TCU, No. 10 Iowa State, No. 12 Vanderbilt and No. 20 Nebraska preserved their perfection. (Although, things got a little scary for the Cyclones.)

Now, Texas Tech has joined them, entering the top 25 at No. 21.

That leaves Alabama, Arizona State and Georgia among the undefeated and unranked. The Crimson Tide received the most respect from voters with 26 votes, while the Bulldogs earned 20 and the Sun Devils received seven. Strength of schedule, or lack thereof, has kept the three on the outside looking in, in spite of their perfection. Based on the NCAA’s NET rankings, Alabama has one Quad 1 and one Quad 2 win. Neither Georgia nor Arizona State have played a Quad 1 opponent; the Sun Devils’ have three Quad 2 wins to the Bulldogs’ one.

The Sun Devils open Big 12 play with games at Utah and BYU. With two tough road wins, surely the Devils and first-year head coach Molly Miller will earn that elusive little number by their name. If either the Tide or Dawgs begin SEC play with a win, they will certainly find themselves ranked. Yet that outcome seems unlikely, as Alabama will be greeted by No. 3 South Carolina and Georgia travels to No. 15 Ole Miss.

Can Maryland survive even more adversity?

No. 7 Maryland’s place in the top 10 feel precarious. (Sorry, Zack!) But if the Terrapins stick in the top 10, they certainly will have earned it.

Last Friday, senior guard Bri McDaniel announced that she has decided to medically redshirt this season, as she continues to recover from her January 2025 ACL tear. McDaniel’s decision follows that of fellow senior guard Kaylene Smikle, who elected to undergo season-ending surgery to address a lingering knee issue. Two other Terps, freshman guard Lea Bartelme and sophomore guard Ava McKennie, also have suffered torn ACLs this season.

There’s more! Senior forward Saylor Poffenbarger recently missed two games for rest after dealing with an ankle injury. Freshman guards Rainey Welson and Addi Mack also have not been immune from the injury bug, as Welson has been managing a lower leg issue and Mack was absent for a game with an ankle injury.

While the Poffenbarger, Welson and Mack should be good to go when Big Ten play resumes, the loss of four players, two of whom in McDaniel and Smikle were expected to be two of the Terps’ most important players, is hard to overcome.

Maryland already has shown that is is unwise to doubt them, as evidenced by their incredible comeback at Minnesota. However, surviving all the rigors of the Big Ten will require even more spunk, spirit and never-say-quit from head coach Brenda Frese and her Terps.