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Women’s college basketball power rankings: South Carolina returns to familiar place

James Brown

If the hope was that two weeks of basketball would have given a clearer picture of the hierarchy in women’s college basketball this season, that hasn’t been the case. In fact, most of my conversations since November 6th have included some variation of “Wait, Team X is good?”

Aside from South Carolina at the top (stop me if you’ve heard that before), every other projected contender has had its share of criticism. While the Gamecocks outperform their rivals, most teams across the country need some time to come up with new rosters and systems. Growing pains were expected, such as LSU and Virginia Tech integrating new transfers, or Maryland and Indiana dealing with the graduations of WNBA first-round picks.

However, overall the quality of play across the country has been better than expected. But given my regional biases and the fact that this is the final year of the Pac-12 as we know it, these inaugural rankings will focus on the west, on the conference that is in the midst of an epic farewell party.

almost famous: Duke, Princeton, Maryland

Is the promise of the Stanford avant-garde being fulfilled?

The Cardinal had a lot of riches at the forward positions last season, but there were too many options for any individual player other than Cameron Brink to get enough run, especially since Stanford often went short on Haley Jones at the four. Now the rotation is shorter and the main beneficiary is Kiki Iriafen, who is thriving with the increased amount of minutes.

Carolyn Peck called Iriafen a mix of Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike with a touch of A’ja Wilson on Sunday’s Stanford-Duke broadcast, and while the praise seems hyperbolic, Iriafen’s start has been noteworthy. The junior is averaging 21 points and nine rebounds per game in four games, surpassing her per-minute averages from the previous two seasons. The Cardinal were already a good paint offense in 2022-23, converting 63 percent of their shot attempts at the rim; Iriafen’s success rate so far is almost comically impressive, as she has made 25 of 31 field goals. Brink’s ability to space the floor as a shooter and high-low passer allows Iriafen room to operate, and that tandem in the frontcourt is the main reason Stanford remains undefeated despite hosting two opponents. strong (Indiana and Duke) at Maples Pavilion to start the year. .

One of the most confusing storylines of Stanford’s 2022-23 campaign was the way the Cardinal used (or perhaps didn’t use) Lauren Betts. The No. 1 recruit in the country was an afterthought in Stanford’s rotation, averaging less than 10 minutes and receiving DNP twice, so it wasn’t exactly surprising that Betts sought a different location for the rest of his career. university.

Betts’ move to Los Angeles clarified the frontcourt situation for the Cardinal, and it has also been a blessing for the Bruins. UCLA plays an active type of defense, surrounding ball handlers and applying heavy ball pressure, but that can create openings at the rim if the opponent gets behind the defense, especially when the Bruins spent much of the season without a traditional center on the court. That’s no longer a problem for Betts, who serves as an eraser in the paint, but more often deters opponents from even trying to shoot near her. Opponents are taking less than 15 percent of their shots at the rim against UCLA, better than 97 percent of defenses, according to CBB Analytics.

What’s interesting is that Betts’ impact has actually been more pronounced on offense. Through four games, UCLA is 38 points per 100 possessions better with Betts on the court, and 25 of those points have come from offense. She works hard to seal off her defender so the Bruins can get the ball inside to her, but when that doesn’t work, she’s a willing and effective blocker who creates space for her guards to get to the basket. Against Princeton, Betts made all nine of his field goal attempts in three quarters, but failed to make a single shot attempt in the quarter as the Tigers did everything they could to deny him the ball. She responded by playing pick-and-roll with Charisma Osborne, and while a defender stayed glued to Betts, Osborne had open jumpers and driving lanes.

The most complete offensive player in the Pac-12.

Iriafen, Brink and Betts have brought the good to start the season, and although the Utes were the first Pac-12 team to record a loss in 2023-24, that doesn’t diminish how good the reigning conference player of the year has been. . The only way to stop Alissa Pili is to take her off the court, because Pili can do almost anything on offense. She entered Sunday having made nearly 79 percent of her field goals for the season; her jump shot was spot-on, an almost unfair complement to her beautiful footwork in the post.

This reverse shot by Pili against Baylor at the top of the glass was difficult to understand even in real time.

Later, we’ll delve into the defensive improvements Utah needs to make and how it can stay afloat when Pili is in foul trouble. For now, it’s more fun to simply appreciate what a uniquely skilled offensive player Pili is.

Why the Buffs are in the national conversation

We’re weeks away from conference play and I’m already giddy about the potential race for Pac-12 Player of the Year. The league is full of dominant frontcourt players, but for two weeks, I can’t take my eyes off Jaylyn Sherrod. Listed at 5-foot-7, he finishes 60 percent of his shots in the restricted area and gets there nearly five times per game. It takes a rare combination of speed and strength to get to the basket so frequently and effectively, especially when his long-range jump shot is essentially nonexistent. Even when Sherrod’s defenses drop, since she’s not a threat coming off a screen, they can’t corral her on her way to the rim.

The most impressive thing about Sherrod is his ability to adapt to any pace. Colorado is comfortable executing in the middle of the court, whether it’s letting Sherrod dictate the action from the top of the zone or using its forwards as transfer centers at the elbows. Sherrod can also push the ball into opponents’ throats with his speed in transition. Against LSU in the opener, the Buffaloes excelled in the open court, and against SMU on Saturday, Colorado had to execute against a set defense. Both matches resulted in comfortable victories.

Notre Dame’s one-man demolition crew

From a fifth-year senior to a bold rookie, the state of guard play in college basketball is at an all-time high. It’s hard to believe Hidalgo is in her first year at Notre Dame, because she has led that team on both ends of the floor like a seasoned veteran. Injuries to Olivia Miles and now Sonia Citron (although coach Niele Ivey was relieved to reveal that Citron should return in a few weeks) have given Hidalgo more responsibility on the Irish, but it seems that, with her confidence, she would have taken control. a bigger role anyway.

Hidalgo has been a devastating team for Notre Dame, and it’s fitting that the player who sealed a gold medal for Team USA at the FIBA ​​Under-19 World Cup this summer with a steal has provided that level of defensive skill to South Bend. She’s averaging nearly seven steals per game (for context, 117 teams in Division I are recording fewer) and she had a 12-steal night that tied a program record with her New Jersey teammate, Marina Mabrey.

It’s disconcerting to see opposing teams try to carry the ball against her full-court press or attack Hidalgo on defense without trying to protect her from the ball. She has an endless motor as a point-of-attack defender and tremendous instincts in help defense. Notre Dame is 22.1 points per 100 possessions better on defense alone when Hidalgo is on the court, which seems like a misprint until you realize that opponents turn the ball over 11 percent more often in those minutes. Two weeks into her college career, Hidalgo could be the most exciting defensive playmaker in the country.

Is vaccine distribution in Iowa the problem?

Monika Czinano attempted 10.6 field goals per game last season, with another 7.7 from McKenna Warnock. That’s about 18 shots per night that Iowa had to reallocate for this season. The ideal outcome would be for Hannah Stuelke to take on most of that workload, but she only added four more attempts per game. Sharon Goodman and Addison O’Grady have each added three more shot attempts to their averages, but that still leaves about eight more field goals per game, with most of them going to Caitlin Clark.

In theory, giving the best offensive player in the country more shots isn’t a problem, but Clark’s workload is a little overwhelming for Iowa right now. And the reigning national player of the year admitted after the Hawkeyes’ loss to Kansas State that she needs to get better at getting everyone involved. Coach Lisa Bluder further emphasized that point when she said of her post players: “We have to have more faith in them.”

The magic Clark created with Czinano can’t be easily replicated, even if it seems like Iowa is constantly churning out one big post after another. But the only hope for that to happen is for Clark to at least give Stuelke, Goodman and O’Grady a chance.

(Photo by Te-Hina Paopao: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

By James Brown

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