Following a stint outside of the top-four teams in the nation, No. 5 Duke looks poised to make its way back into the top three teams in the NCAA rankings heading into the week. In the marquee matchup of the week, No. 4 Louisville faced the supremely talented No. 1 Connecticut Sunday and found itself quickly overpowered. The Huskies commanded the game winning 81-64 on the play of Breanna Stewart who lead the team in scoring, rebounds and assists with 24, 10, and six respectively. Though Connecticut beating handily another top-ranked opponent is no phenomenon, the rest of the week was an eventful one in Women's College basketball.
On Sunday three ranked teams lost to unranked opponents. The two less significant upsets were for No. 15 Kentucky and No. 11 Arizona State who lost to Florida and Arizona respectively. However, the most significant upset for both Duke and the nation came to No. 3 Stanford, which fell to an unranked Washington squad that held on for the victory late in the game. With losses to both Stanford and Louisville on Sunday, expect the Blue Devils to jump back in the rankings either as the No. 4 or No. 3 seed. It seems as if No. 2 Notre Dame and Connecticut hold the top two spots easily having beaten Duke in their meetings at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but things are looking up for the Blue Devils.
Next up for Duke is a highly anticipated home game Monday night against rival No. 13 North Carolina, which has been on a recent slide losing earlier in the week to an unranked Georgia Tech team. The Tar Heels will hope to snag an upset at Cameron Indoor Stadium Monday night, but with the level they have been playing at recently, there is little chance of an upset. The major ACC opponent who may pose the greatest threat to Duke other than Notre Dame is No. 10 Maryland, which continues to win games in the conference. The Blue Devils will still face North Carolina, Maryland and Notre Dame after this week, pointing to the importance of those games on the schedule more so than any other as a barometer for how well Duke is playing. With about a month left in the season, the final push is beginning and upsets will certainly continue to happen. Duke may play a part in some of those contests. Looking ahead to the week across the nation:
Game to Watch: No. 5 Duke vs. No. 13 North Carolina. Monday, 7:00 pm.
Key ACC Matchup: No. 10 Maryland vs. Miami. Thursday, 7:00 pm.
Upset alert: No. 15 Kentucky vs. No. 8 Tennessee. Sunday, 1:00 pm.
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