Women’s college basketball teams jostle for position; Tennessee’s coach issues warning

Ashlon Jackson is a key player to watch for Duke.

The Tennessee women’s basketball coach summed up in a few words why a handful of Division I teams are barely holding onto their top-25 spots.

“Things don’t go our way, and I have a team that will just quit on you…you can’t do that in big games,” Kim Caldwell said in a recent post-game interview.   

The Lady Vols are struggling in SEC competition, including a 43 point loss to No. 3 ranked South Carolina on Sunday. They have dropped two spots in NCAA Net Rankings.

With over 20 turnovers contributing to that loss and clear frustration displayed on her player’s faces, some are beginning to speculate if Caldwell has lost the locker room. 

With a huge game against No. 4 ranked Texas looming, it is going to be key for the young coach to regain control over her team, and make it clear to competitors that the mindset of her team is March Madness ready. 

While a few historic dynasties have been struggling, newer names to women’s college basketball are emerging, specifically in the Duke Blue Devils program. 

The Blue Devils are on a 15-game winning streak, their most recent loss being in early December against LSU. Duke has jumped within the top 10. 

Duke is led by Ashlon Jackson, returning guard, who is averaging over 11 points and 4 assists per game. The senior had 11 points and 10 assists in 26 minutes during their most recent matchup against SMU on Sunday. 

The Blue Devils are coming up on a huge matchup against ranked Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina on Sunday. Duke also face-off with North Carolina in their final game. 

UConn is anticipated to go undefeated for the rest of the season as they have a very light schedule, but one of the teams to keep an eye on is Texas. The Longhorns have some big, ranked matchups coming up that could affect ranking going into the tournament. 

Most recent NCAA Net Rankings:

25. Nebraska, (16-8)

24. NC State, (17-7)

23. Oregon, (18-8)

22. West Virginia, (20-5)

21. Tennessee, (15-6)

20. Southern California, (15-9) 

19. North Carolina, (20-5)

18. Ole Miss, (19-5)

17. Ohio St., (22-3)

16. Kentucky, (18-7)

15. Iowa, (18-5)

14. Maryland, (19-6)

13. TCU, (21-4)

12. Oklahoma, (17-6)

11. Michigan St., (20-4)

10. Minnesota, (18-6)

9. Duke, (18-6)

8. Vanderbilt, (23-2)

7. Louisville, (22-4)

6. Michigan, (20-4)

5. LSU, (22-3)

4. Texas, (23-2)

3. South Carolina, (24-2)

2. UCLA, (23-1)

1. UConn, (25-0)

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