LSU dropped out of the top five of the CBS Sports women’s college basketball Power Rankings after suffering its first loss of the season against South Carolina. However, the Tigers hadn’t been tested much ahead of that game, and they actually showed a lot of potential. It took South Carolina an immense defensive effort to get the 66-56 win.
Only UCLA remains undefeated and kept the No. 1 spot this week, but the Bruins can’t get too comfortable because Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are looking dangerous.
South Carolina is on a 15-game winning streak since falling to UCLA in November. Despite the Gamecocks having the toughest strength of schedule this season, they have an impressive 20-1 record that includes nine wins against ranked opponents.
South Carolina beats Tennessee to extend winning streak to 15, including five straight over ranked foes Isabel Gonzalez South Carolina beats Tennessee to extend winning streak to 15, including five straight over ranked foes The Gamecocks’ latest ranked win was Monday’s 70-63 road victory over Tennessee — a team that only fell one spot this week because of a deceiving SEC record. The Lady Vols are 3-5 in conference play, but they lost to Oklahoma, LSU, Vanderbilt and Texas by a combined eight points.
Speaking of Vanderbilt, the Commodores entered the Power Rankings by collecting strong wins over Tennessee and Alabama in the past week. In addition, they put on a solid fight in a 83-77 loss to LSU on Jan. 13. Florida State also joined the rankings following an 86-84 win over North Carolina, which happened thanks to a game-winning buzzer-beater by Ta’Niya Latson.
Maryland is going through a rough period after losing Bri McDaniel (torn ACL) for the rest of the season, and having Shyanne Sellers day-to-day because of a knee injury she suffered against Texas on Jan. 20. The Terrapins have lost three consecutive games against Texas, Ohio State and UCLA. Those are not devastating losses, but Maryland dropped to No. 16 this week.
Here are the latest CBS Sports women’s college basketball Power Rankings.
A’ja Wilson will be the first South Carolina women’s basketball player to officially have her jersey retired on Feb. 2, and the ceremony can’t come soon enough for coach Dawn Staley.
“A’ja Wilson is by far the best player in the world,” she said during Carolina Calls. “…I think it should’ve happened a long time ago.”
The South Carolina native will be honored ahead of the game against Auburn, when the Gamecocks chase their 70th straight victory at home. The school made the announcement of her jersey retirement last October.
Wilson wore No. 22 for the Gamecocks from 2014–2018 and helped put the team on the map. She was part of the roster that lifted the 2017 NCAA Tournament trophy, the first one ever for South Carolina basketball.
Before becoming a WNBA star, Wilson was the only player in program history to be a four-time All-American, and she is still the Gamecocks’ all-time leading scorer with 2,389 points. She wrapped up her college career by sweeping every major national player of the year award in 2018.
Her jersey is about to go in the rafters, but Wilson already got another huge honor a few years back. In 2021, the school installed her statue in front of Colonial Life Arena.
On Wednesday, Staley took some time to talk about Wilson’s legacy and also went on social media to encourage fans to attend Sunday’s game and see the “real life statue.” Their relationship goes far beyond just player and coach, as Wilson often refers to Staley as her “second mom.”
“She is such a national treasure that we don’t get to see her as often as we like,” Staley said before joking about how Wilson needs to come around more often. “We have to retire her jersey for her to spend a weekend with us. So we might have to have an annual jersey retirement for A’ja so we can see her more than once a year.”
The game between No. 2 South Carolina and Auburn is set for Sunday at noon ET. It will be available on the SEC Network.
Vanderbilt freshman Mikayla Blakes set an SEC single-game scoring record by exploding for 53 points in the Commodores’ 99-86 win over Florida on Thursday night.
Blakes’ 53 points are tied for the second-most points ever scored by a freshman in a Division I game, according to the NCAA record book and CBS Research. She trails only Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne, who scored 54 against James Madison in 2010, and is tied with Nevada’s Chris Starr, who also went for 53 back in 1983 against Sacramento State. Additionally, USC star Juju Watkins scored 51 in a game last year.
Blakes, who also set a school record on Thursday, is the only Division I basketball player — men’s or women’s — to top 50 points in a game this season. It’s the most points in a game by any player since Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee set the Division I record with 61 points against Oklahoma in 2022.
The previous SEC record was 51 points. South Carolina’s Jocelyn Penn reached that mark in 2003, tying Tennessee’s Patricia Roberts (1976).
In the win, which improved the No. 23 Commodores to 18-4 (5-3 SEC) on the season, Blakes went 16 of 24 from the field, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range and 16 of 18 from the foul line.
“Just come in the game and take over,” Blakes said when asked about her mindset coming into the game. “I think that’s the mindset for every single game coming in here, and just doing whatever my team needs me to do. They keep me positive when I feel like I’m missing shots.”
While it was an impressive career night, Blakes had already shown how powerful of a weapon she can be for Vanderbilt. The 5-foot-8 guard, a McDonald’s All-American, has been averaging 21 points per contest entering Thursday’s game. Her previous career high was 36 points against Georgia on Jan. 2.
“Mikayla had one of the most incredible performances I’ve ever seen, and I’ve coached a lot of really good players,” said Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph while comparing Blakes to women’s basketball legend Maya Moore.
Ralph said during the game Blakes was upset at herself for missing some free throws and had no idea how many points she had scored.
With Blakes on the roster, Vanderbilt entered the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since 2014. The Commodores have beaten two ranked opponents — Tennessee and Alabama — for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
No. 7 LSU earned a 107-100 win over No. 13 Oklahoma on Thursday in a game that had it all. Oklahoma’s Liz Scott and LSU’s Sa’Myah Smith were ejected in the first quarter, which was only part of a drama-filled battle that almost resulted in a 24-point comeback for the Sooners.
Thursday was the first game with 100-plus points by both teams since 2010. It was also the first game in SEC history in which each team scored 100-plus points in regulation, per ESPN.
Kim Mulkey’s squad won its 20th consecutive game at home and improved to improve to 22-1 overall and 7-1 in the SEC. Meanwhile, the Sooners dropped to 16-5 overall with a 4-4 mark in conference play.
Here is a closer look at the eventful Thursday night:
Chippy game, two players ejected The incident between Scott and Smith happened with 4:10 remaining in the first quarter, when Smith was battling against Oklahoma’s Beatrice Culliton in the paint. Things got chippy when Culliton turned around and pushed Smith’s arm away. Smith shoved her to the ground, and Scott rushed to defend her teammate. Fortunately, it didn’t escalate much more as the players were quickly separated.
Both players will also have to sit out one game because officials deemed their altercation as a “fight.”
That was not the only notable moment involving referees. Oklahoma finished the night with 27 fouls, including an early exit for Zya Vann, who fouled out. LSU got 26 with Jersey Wolfenbarger also fouling out.
The first half saw an intentional foul called on LSU’s Aalyah Del Rosario after it appeared her elbow hit Oklahoma star Raegan Beers’ throat while trying to post up. In addition, Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk was hit with a technical foul for disputing a call in the second quarter.
Mulkey also got a technical in the second half after Flau’jae Johnson got her third foul. Emotions were high on Thursday, and there was even a moment in which Mulkey smacked a clipboard held by assistant coach Seimone Augustus.
Dramatic ending The Tigers had a 24-point lead in the third quarter, but just when it looked like the they were going to cruise to the finish line, the Sooners pushed back. LSU was struggling with turnovers, and Oklahoma cut the deficit to single digits early in the fourth quarter.
LSU kept sliding and it became a one-point game with under two minutes remaining. Mulkey’s team had possession of the ball and missed two consecutive shot attempts, but offensive rebounding saved the Tigers.
With 24 seconds left on the clock, Mikaylah Williams made a 3-pointer that gave her team a 104-100 lead. Del Rosario came up big defensively with a block, which led to a defensive rebound by Williams and then a layup by Johnson.
This time, the Tigers were able to keep their foot on the gas to finish the night on top.
Williams, Johnson and Morrow combine for 83 points Williams was the spark the Tigers needed late in the game and finished with 37 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Postgame, Mulkey praised her for willingness to do whatever the team needs to win.
Meanwhile, Williams said she felt confident early in the night.
“I know when I hit a shot early, that it’s going to be a real big game for me,” Williams said. “Just very thankful for my teammates for feeding the hot hand and finding me at the end of the game.”
Johnson put up 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. Meanwhile, Aneesah Morrow earned her 20th double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
The Tigers had struggled offensively in their games against South Carolina and Texas A&M, but they bounced back on Thursday by shooting 52.2% from the field.
Oklahoma also had a good night offensively and shot at 54.7%. Payton Verhulst led the Sooners with 26 points, while Beers contributed with 20 points and seven rebounds.
Mulkey updates Last-Tear Poa’s status Thursday marked the second consecutive game that senior guard Last-Tear Poa sat out. Mulkey said postgame that Poa is being disciplined for “breaking a team rule,” but did not go into more detail or say when she might return.
Poa has appeared in 18 games this season, eight as a starter, while averaging 12 minutes per contest.
The SEC has been nothing short of a buzzsaw this season, as a majority of the conference (nine of its 16 teams) currently sits in the top 20 of the NET rankings.
However, that’s been no trouble for the reigning national champions. South Carolina is the only remaining undefeated team in SEC play, and recently the Gamecocks have made history in a pretty unique way.
Five straight games for Dawn Staley’s team have come against ranked opponents (No. 5 Texas, No. 19 Alabama, No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 5 LSU and No. 18 Tennessee). South Carolina has won all five.
They are the third team since 2000 to beat a ranked team in five straight games, but they are the only one to do so entirely in the regular season.
Last year, Notre Dame did so in its final two regular-season games and three conference tournament games. The 2008-09 UConn Huskies accomplished the feat from the Round of 32 onward in the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina is also the only team in the group to win all five games against teams ranked in the top 20 of the AP Poll instead of the top 25.
It’s a testament to the strength of both South Carolina and the entire SEC. But there’s another SEC team worthy of a shoutout: Vanderbilt.
After a three-game losing streak early in the month threatened to send Vandy’s season into a tailspin, the Commodores have rattled off four straight, including ranked wins against Tennessee and Alabama.
Thursday night at Florida, Mikayla Blakes scored an SEC-record 53 points, the most in Division I since Ayoka Lee’s record 61-point game in 2022 and the most by a freshman since Elena Delle Donne’s 54-point outing in 2010.
Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes sets SEC single-game scoring record with 53-point outburst in win over Florida Isabel Gonzalez Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes sets SEC single-game scoring record with 53-point outburst in win over Florida Blakes has been on a tear as of late, with 86 points in her last two games. But she’s just one part of the only teammate duo in the country each averaging at least 20 points per game. Khamil Pierre is the other, and the pairing has Vanderbilt up to a No. 6 seed.
No. 1 seeds
*UCLA (20-0, 8-0 Big Ten): NET 4, SOS 42 Lauren Betts continued her ridiculous run of form with a career-high 33 points in a road win against then-No. 8 Maryland in which she missed just a single shot from the field.
UCLA faces just one remaining opponent (Wisconsin) not projected to make the NCAA Tournament, so the Bruins will have to keep their foot on the gas to hold onto the No. 1 overall seed.
*South Carolina (20-1, 8-0 SEC): NET 1, SOS 1 If not for the head-to-head loss against UCLA, South Carolina would likely be the No. 1 overall seed even with UCLA’s undefeated record. With 10 Quad-1 wins (twice UCLA’s total) including four victories against NET top-10 teams, there is no one whose resume matches up favorably with the champs’.
It almost definitely won’t matter — with the way this team is playing, it’s difficult to see the Gamecocks not getting a No. 1 seed in one of the Birmingham Regionals.
USC (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten): NET 5, SOS 13 The Trojans took down a Minnesota team desperate for a quality win 82-69 on Thursday. The Gophers are an impressive 18-4 overall, but make no mistake — with a 1-4 record against Quads 1 and 2, Minnesota is a bubble team.
USC goes on the road this week against Iowa and Wisconsin, but it’s the matchups next week (against Ohio State and UCLA) that should be circled on fans’ calendars.
*Notre Dame (18-2, 9-0 ACC): NET 6, SOS 5 Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo share the cover of the latest issue of SLAM Magazine, and for good reason. The backcourt duo has wrecked gameplans all season long, to the tune of roughly 42 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and almost six steals per game.
No ACC opponent has found the solution yet. Clemson has come closest, only losing to the Irish by nine points.
No. 2 seeds
Texas (21-2, 7-1 SEC): NET 3, SOS 4 It was a more nerve-wracking week than Texas would have liked. The Longhorns needed an 8-0 run over the final 3:42 for a three-point road win against Ole Miss and trailed Missouri by as many as 11 points before winning by nine points at home.
But at the end of the day, wins are wins. Texas travels to face rival Texas A&M before embarking on a South Carolina-esque stretch of four straight games against ranked teams. One of those is a second meeting this season with those Gamecocks.
LSU (22-1, 7-1 SEC): NET 9, SOS 62 LSU’s 107-100 win over Oklahoma on Thursday marked the first game in SEC conference play history that two teams each reached the century mark in regulation. 83 points came from just three Tigers and Mikaylah Williams exploded for a season-high 37.
With just one loss to its name, Kim Mulkey’s team remains lurking should the few teams above them slip up.
*UConn (20-2, 11-0 Big East): NET 2, SOS 32 The matchup at Creighton last Saturday was UConn’s toughest Big East test on paper. While it tightened up a bit toward the end, the Huskies passed the test without much difficulty, leading by as many as 20 points in an 11-point victory.
We’re now less than a week away from UConn’s game at Tennessee, pitting the sport’s two winningest teams against one another. Connecticut leads the all-time series 17-9 and has won four straight. The Vols’ last win in the series came back in 2007.
Ohio State (19-1, 8-1 Big Ten): NET 15, SOS 74 After a pair of Quad-1 wins, Ohio State’s only loss against Penn State looks more like a bad day than anything else.
Now with eight wins in Quads 1 and 2, the Buckeyes are in a pretty secure position. Even with losses against UCLA and USC in the coming weeks, Ohio State shouldn’t fall further than the No. 3 line.
No. 3 seeds
TCU (20-2, 8-1 Big 12): NET 10, SOS 61 Sedona Prince has recorded seven straight 20-point games for the 20-win TCU Horned Frogs. The team’s signature wins against Notre Dame and NC State continue to age better and better for Mark Campbell’s team, which previously has never received better than a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament but is on pace to comfortably earn a hosting spot.
Duke (17-4, 8-1 ACC): NET 8, SOS 3 All four of Duke’s losses this season have come in true road games, but the Blue Devils won 55-50 at a ranked Georgia Tech team on Sunday to put some of those worries to bed.
Another road test is coming against NC State. However, few teams in the country are shutting down opponents like Duke is right now, so it’ll be on the Wolfpack to break through against a stingy Blue Devils defense.
*Kansas State (20-2, 8-1 Big 12): NET 7, SOS 82 A week ago, we asked whether Kansas State could keep rolling without Ayoka Lee. They responded with an upset loss at Colorado and by needing overtime to take care of Iowa State. Both of those teams are currently in the Last Four In, so a 1-1 split is far from the worst outcome. But we’ve now seen cracks in what had been a well-oiled machine.
North Carolina (19-4, 7-3 ACC): NET 12, SOS 29 UNC’s loss to Florida State marked the Tar Heels’ first of the season against an unranked team, but it vaulted the Seminoles up to No. 25 in this week’s AP Poll and to a No. 8 seed in the projected NCAA Tournament field.
North Carolina responded with a win at No. 19 California to preserve its standing on the No. 3 seed line.
No. 4 seeds
Kentucky (18-2, 7-1 SEC): NET 20, SOS 66 With its win against Alabama on Thursday, Kentucky picked up an important second Quad-1 victory to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume. The Wildcats will have six more Quad-1 opportunities over the remainder of the regular season, including shots at the SEC’s top class of South Carolina, Texas and LSU.
Any of those wins would be massive in helping Kentucky stay in Lexington for the first weekend of March Madness.
Maryland (17-4, 7-3 Big Ten): NET 24, SOS 7 There’s no doubt it’s been a difficult patch for the Terrapins, who’ve gone from 14-0 to now 17-4. But each of those losses has come against a team currently projected as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
We’ve learned that Maryland isn’t in that elite group, but this is still a team with a strong overall resume and a healthy spot in that next tier of programs.
Oklahoma State (18-3, 8-2 Big 12): NET 27, SOS 78 The Cowgirls are one of this week’s big winners. Victories over Texas Tech and Arizona State won’t do a ton to move the needle, but Oklahoma State was the beneficiary of losses by teams like Alabama, Oklahoma and California, paving the way for a No. 4 seed in this update.
NC State (17-4, 9-1 ACC): NET 23, SOS 31 Monday’s showdown between NC State and Duke pits the ACC’s only one-loss teams against each other. Currently sitting in second and third in the conference behind Notre Dame, it’s not too early to be thinking about conference tournament seeding.
NC State enters the matchup having won 13 of its last 14 games. The Wolfpack have also won five of the last seven home meetings against the Blue Devils.
Iowa stunned No. 4 USC, 76-69, on the day of Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey retirement. The Hawkeyes weren’t perfect, but their defense caused issues for the Trojans from the beginning.
Lucy Olsen led the way with 28 points. Her biggest moment came with 4:30 remaining as she picked up a steal and made a layup that injected more energy into Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This gave Iowa (15-7, 5-6 Big Ten) a 67-60 advantage and forced USC (19-2, 5-1 Big Ten) to call a timeout.
“It’s our moment,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said in the huddle. “We are going to take it.”
And take it they did. Jensen’s team pulled off a huge signature win in her first season at the helm of the program. In the process, the Hawkeyes snapped USC’s 15-game winning streak and handed Lindsay Gottlieb’s team its first loss in the Big Ten.
USC entered Sunday’s game right behind UCLA for tops in the Big Ten, but the Trojans’ loss muddies the picture. Ohio State now has a chance to pass USC in the Big Ten standings with a victory in their matchup next week, as they both have one conference loss this season. That highly anticipated matchup is slated for 9 p.m. ET Saturday in Los Angeles.
USC couldn’t overcome frigid start The Hawkeyes held the Trojans to just one point over the game’s first nine minutes. JuJu Watkins finally hit USC’s first field goal, a 3-pointer, with 26 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. By then, Iowa had already reached 18 points while USC started 1 of 14.
Things looked a little brighter for USC in the second quarter, however, as Watkins reached 15 points, including a buzzer-beater, to give her team a 29-28 advantage at the break.
Iowa defense comes up big It seemed USC was stealing the momentum as the Trojans found a six-point lead in the third quarter. However, this didn’t last because Iowa’s defense was persistent.
The Hawkeyes knew how to change up the defense and didn’t let Watkins get too comfortable. She only made three field goals in the second half, but managed to end the day with 27 points.
USC shot 35.4% from the field, marking the team’s worst shooting percentage this season. Its second worse was 35.8% in the loss to Notre Dame in November.
The Trojans are averaging 15.1 turnovers per game this season, and they gave up 17 points off of 18 turnovers against Iowa.
Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark returned to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday to see her No. 22 Iowa jersey officially retired by the program. Clark, a two-time national Player of the Year, finished her college basketball career as the all-time Division I leading scorer with a total of 3,951 points.
As expected, the arena was sold out to watch the postgame ceremony.
When she arrived to Iowa, Clark famously told then-coach Lisa Bluder her goal was to take Iowa all the way to the Final Four. The former Iowa star still remembers that conversation as the beginning of her legendary career.
“There wasn’t many people when I first signed here, when I said I wanted to take this place to the Final Four, they kind of laughed at me,” Clark said. “Coach Bluder was literally the only person that agreed with me. Thank God, or else I probably wouldn’t be here. I’m just very lucky and fortunate.”
Bluder was in attendance, as was Clark’s family, some of her former Iowa teammates and Fever coach Stephanie White, among others.
UCLA is No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll for the 11th consecutive week, but this is the first time the Bruins are a unanimous selection. Cori Close’s roster is the last undefeated team in the nation with a 21-0 record, and the team has tied the longest winning streak in program history.
The Bruins have a tough test coming up on Wednesday as they host No. 8 Ohio State — a team whose only slip-up was a three-point loss to Penn State in January.
Meanwhile, now-No. 7 USC dropped out of the top five after falling to Iowa during Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement day. The Trojans face Wisconsin on Wednesday and then Ohio State on Saturday.
No. 2 South Carolina took care of then-No. 18 Tennessee last Monday, which was the Gamecocks’ fifth consecutive win against a ranked opponent. They also beat Auburn on Sunday while celebrating the retirement of A’ja Wilson’s jersey.
Kentucky moved up to No. 11 following wins over Alabama and Oklahoma. This is the highest ranking for the Wildcats since 2021, which says a lot about what first-year coach Kenny Brooks is doing with the program.
Things were relatively calm with no new teams in the poll this week.
UCLA remains the No. 1 team in the CBS Sports women’s college basketball Power Rankings with a 21-0 record, which marks the best start in program history. Meanwhile, USC dropped to No. 7 after the Trojans were stunned by Iowa in Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement game.
USC stunned by Iowa: JuJu Watkins, No. 4 Trojans fall to Hawkeyes in Caitlin Clark jersey retirement game Isabel Gonzalez USC stunned by Iowa: JuJu Watkins, No. 4 Trojans fall to Hawkeyes in Caitlin Clark jersey retirement game South Carolina stays put at No. 2 this week. The Gamecocks won their 70th consecutive home game Sunday with an 83-66 victory over Auburn. However, the highlight of the day was A’ja Wilson’s jersey retirement.
NC State is one spot away from the top 10 following an 89-83 win over Duke on Monday. Aziaha James led the Wolfpack with a career-high 36 points, including 27 in the second half.
Another team coming off a good week is Illinois, who reentered the rankings for the first time since December after pulling off a 66-65 win over Maryland. It was a dramatic finish with three lead changes in the last minute. Illinois came out on top thanks to Genesis Bryant making two clutch free throws with six seconds left on the clock.
Nebraska, a program that has been in and out of the rankings this season, is on the outside looking in once again. The Cornhuskers fell out the top 25 following Sunday’s 76-60 loss to Indiana.
Here are the latest CBS Sports women’s college basketball Power Rankings.
This week’s women’s college basketball Star Power Index is all about buckets. From Mikayla Blakes’ record-breaking night to Georgia Amoore scorching the Sooners, there were plenty of points handed out this weekend.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these flame-throwing performances in the latest Star Power Index.
Georgia Amoore, Kentucky
Georgia Amoore is asserting herself as the most valuable transfer player in the country. Amoore, who followed coach Kenny Brooks to the Wildcats from Virginia Tech, has used her scoring and playmaking to solidify No. 11 Kentucky as a threat in the SEC. On the season, Amoore is averaging 19.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 7.5 assists. But on Sunday, she had a signature night that’ll define her career as a Wildcat.
Amoore scored 43 points in 38 minutes against then-No. 13 Oklahoma Sooner to give Kentucky a 95-86 victory over a top-15 opponent. This scoring barrage included seven made 3-pointers and eight assists.
With this win, the 19-2 Wilcasts now have an 8-1 record in SEC play, which puts them in a three-way tie with No. 4 Texas and No. 6 LSU for second place in the conference.
No. 11 Kentucky will play Ole Miss on Monday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. ET
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Optically, it’s easy to see that No. 24 Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes is having an impressive freshman year. But on Thursday, the good got even better when Blakes scored 53 points in Vandy’s 99-86 win over Florida.
Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes sets SEC single-game scoring record with 53-point outburst in win over Florida Isabel Gonzalez Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes sets SEC single-game scoring record with 53-point outburst in win over Florida Blakes poured in the points in a variety of ways, hitting over 66% of her shots from the floor against the Gators and cashing in on five made 3-pointers. She also took a brief break from her scoring heater to chip in two assists, grab three rebounds and poke away three steals.
Blakes’ outstanding showing against Florida etched her into the history books. The 53 points she scored set the NCAA freshman single-game scoring record.
No. 24 Vanderbilt will play No. 4 Texas on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Hannah Hidalgo is the heartbeat of this No. 3-ranked Notre Dame team. She’s a do-it-all player who impacts the game at every level. This past week, she used her scoring to lift the Irish to two wins over conference foes.
On Thursday, Hidalgo scored 30 points on nearly 63% from the field to give Notre Dame a 77-61 win over Virginia Tech. Then, on Sunday, she tallied 34 points in a 89-71 win over Louisville.
These two victories give the Irish a 20-2 record. They sit atop the ACC with a perfect 10-0 record in conference play.
No. 3 Notre Dame will play Stanford on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET
Mikaylah Williams, LSU
No. 6 LSU has an abundance of weapons. On any given day, one of their talented stars can cut through a defense, leaving teams searching for answers. This week it was Mikaylah Williams’ turn to lead the Tigers’ offensive charge.
On Thursday, Williams scored 37 points against then-No. 13 Oklahoma to give LSU a 107-100 win over the Sooners. Williams’ outburst included seven made 3-pointers, seven rebounds and five assists.
Williams also helped the Tigers hold their ground against Mississippi State on Sunday, scoring 22 points on 50% from the floor in the blowout win.
This week’s women’s basketball Freshman Tracker is headlined by Mikayla Blakes’ historic performance against Florida. However, there are other first-year players who are emerging as reliable pieces for programs looking to make a postseason push. This includes one freshman who has been on fire since returning from injury.
Here’s a closer look at some of the sport’s top first-year players in the latest women’s college basketball Freshmen Tracker.
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Mikayla Blakes’ freshman season went from great to historic in Vanderbilt’s 99-86 win over Florida last week. The New Jersey native exploded for 53 points against the Gators, setting the NCAA freshman single-game scoring record in the process.
The Florida outing was as efficient as it was productive for Blakes, as she converted 66% of her field goal attempts. She also added five made 3-pointers, two assists, three rebounds
Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes sets SEC single-game scoring record with 53-point outburst in win over Florida Isabel Gonzalez Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes sets SEC single-game scoring record with 53-point outburst in win over Florida Blakes has emerged as not just one of the country’s best freshmen, but one of the best players, period. Her 22.1 points a game is seventh nationally and tops among freshmen, plus she’s led Vanderbilt into the AP Top 25 poll for the first time in 11 years.
No. 24 Vanderbilt will play No. 4 Texas on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET
Zamareya Jones, NC State
Zamareya Jones has been instrumental to No. 14 NC State’s 10-1 record in ACC play. On Sunday, she helped add to the Wolfpack’s second-place conference standing by scoring 17 points off the bench in NC State’s 90-83 win over Wake Forest.
Although Jones’ season average won’t jump off the page, she’s been a steady presence for NC State. She’s averaging close to 20 minutes a night as a second-unit player, showing she can be a reliable reserve for a team that’s a threat to win the ACC.
No. 14 NC State will play No. 22 Florida State on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET
Berry Wallace, Illinois
Berry Wallace may not get the same national attention that freshmen stars like Blakes, Dani Carnegie (Georgia Tech) or Sarah Strong (UConn) get, but make no mistake about it: Wallace is a gamer who is making an impact at Illinois.
The former McDonald’s All-American battled through a hand injury at the start of the season. However, since her return, she’s been a bright spot for the 18-5 Illini.
Wallace’s presence was truly felt Sunday in Illinois’ 66-64 win over then-No. 14 Maryland. The freshman forward scored 14 points off the bench to lift the Illini, including four made 3-pointers.
