The road to Tampa, Women's basketball update, Week 13

As the calendar passes the midpoint of February and starts to look toward March, this week pitted several conference front-runners against each other. A look at how some of the top teams fared and some likely shakeups in the rankings:

In perhaps the most anticipated matchup of the season, No. 2 Connecticut reasserted its dominance in the world of women’s college basketball by demolishing top-ranked and previously unbeaten South Carolina 87-62. The Huskies were firing on all cylinders from the field, hitting better than 50 percent from the field and knocking down 8-of-11 treys. Forward Breanna Stewart led a balanced attack with 22 points and eight rebounds for a Connecticut squad that boasted four starters who scored at least 15 points.

The No. 11 Blue Devils took care of business in their lone contest of the week, coming away with an easy 71-45 win against Virginia punctuated by a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds from freshman Azura Stevens. Duke’s ACC record now stands at 10-2—good enough for a three-way tie for second place—and has a colossal matchup Monday with No. 4 Notre Dame, which currently stands at the top of the ACC with a 10-1 conference ledger.

Elsewhere in the ACC, No. 17 North Carolina pulled off a big upset of No. 7 Florida State Thursday night. The Tar Heels trailed by seven at halftime, but used a monster second half and a game-high 22 points from guard Allisha Gray to emerge with a 71-63 victory that gave the Seminoles their second conference loss of the year. Just three days later, though, it was North Carolina who was unable to hold on after building a first-half lead. The Tar Heels fell to No. 9 Louisville 75-66 Sunday afternoon, with the Cardinals racking up 26 points from the free throw line as they pulled away from North Carolina late.

Although it has been the Kentucky men’s team who has been receiving the bulk of the media attention recently, the women’s squad generated a few headlines with its two big games this week. The No. 10 Wildcats emerged victorious in a 92-90 double-overtime thriller against No. 13 Mississippi State Thursday night. Sophomore Makayla Epps lit up the scoreboard with 42 points, including the game-winner as time expired in the second overtime to give Kentucky the win. But the Wildcats success wouldn’t last them through the weekend, as they were defeated by No. 6 Tennessee 72-58 Sunday, as the Lady Volunteers preserved their perfect mark in SEC play.

In the Big Ten, No. 5 Maryland also maintained a spotless record in conference play, dispatching No. 16 Rutgers 80-69 Tuesday night to earn its 16th consecutive win. The Scarlet Knights now fall to third in the conference with a 10-4 record, while the Terrapins preserved their two-game cushion ahead of Iowa’s 11-2 mark.

Rivals in Rank: No. 10 Kentucky vs. No. 15 Texas A&M, Thursday, Feb. 19, 7 p.m.

ACC Game to Watch: No. 11 Duke at. No. 4 Notre Dame, Monday, Feb. 16, 9 p.m.