Texas Tech loses ranking after loss to Kansas State

Sophomore Mikayla Blakes is averaging 25 points per game for Vanderbilt.

And, then there were two. 

Two undefeated teams left in the NCAA women’s basketball Top 25, a shocking turn of events after the strength previously undefeated Texas Tech showed early in the season.

But a loss to an unranked Kansas State dropped the Lady Raider’s right out of the top, and most likely out of the championship picture. 

The two remaining teams without losses are the expected UConn Huskies, and the surprise team this year, the Vanderbilt Commodores.

UConn has been consistently strong, but the Commodores shocked the women’s basketball community with their success this year, and they continue to climb in the rankings. 

Sophomore Mikayla Blakes is averaging 25 points per game for Vanderbilt, and with the help of senior Sacha Washington’s 7.7 rebounds per game, the Commodores are preparing to make a tournament run as March approaches.  

Alabama drew attention last week with their impressive record and ranking jump, but has fallen completely out of the rankings this week due to back-to-back losses to unranked Auburn and No. 15 ranked Tennessee. 

Despite South Carolina beating Texas in a close matchup, the Longhorns took the Gamecocks No. 3 ranking following a 45-point win over Texas A&M. Both the Gamecocks and the Longhorns are top teams this season and are competing with UCLA and UConn for the top spots in the country, so every win and loss can have big effects at this point in the season. 

Ohio St., currently ranked No. 18, has one of the best records among those ranked below the top 10 in the country, and they recently beat No. 10 TCU in a two-point game 71-69. The Buckeyes are the team to keep an eye on as some of the underdog teams start to make themselves known heading into the tournament. 

Here is the current ranking, according to NCAA.com.

25. Southern California, (11-7)

24. Oregon, (14-6)

23. Oklahoma St., (15-4)

22. West Virginia, (15-4) 

21. North Carolina, (15-5)

20. Ole Miss, (16-4)

19. Nebraska, (14-4)

18. Ohio St., (17-2)

17. Duke, (13-6)

16. Minnesota, (12-6)

15. Tennessee, (13-3)

14. Oklahoma, (14-4)

13. Iowa, (16-2)

12. Maryland, (17-3)

11. Kentucky, (17-3)

10. TCU, (18-2)

9. Michigan St., (17-2) 

8. Louisville, (18-3)

7. Vanderbilt, (19-0)

6. Michigan, (15-3)

5. LSU, (17-2)

4. South Carolina, (19-1)

3. Texas, (19-2)

2. UCLA, (17-1)

1. UConn, (19-0)

Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Clara Romae Slowinski is a student-intern at Penn State University.