The place to be during Thanksgiving was Portland, Ore., where the PK Legacy games delivered two finals between top-10 teams — a wonderful capper for a holiday weekend. UConn continued its undefeated start and captured the tournament title despite missing Dorka Juhász for both games, and North Carolina pulled off a shocker by winning the invitational against previously unbeaten Iowa State.
This week’s power rankings start with the Tar Heels, the newest entrant into my top five after two otherworldly second halves in Portland.
Dropped out: Tennessee (22)
Notes on the votes
• If it were possible to rank teams based on their performance in individual halves, the second-half Tar Heels would be perhaps the most impressive group in the country. After coming back from 12 down against Oregon to advance to the PK Legacy final, North Carolina upped the ante by falling behind by 17 to Iowa State. All the Tar Heels had to do from that point was score the first 14 points of the fourth quarter and force more Cyclones turnovers than made field goals in the second half on the way to victory. Mission accomplished.
When UNC lost to South Carolina in the 2022 Sweet 16 — the only game the Gamecocks won by single digits — it was Deja Kelly carrying an unrealistic burden. Her help has come to…
