The Athletic’s power rankings are back for the 2022-23 women’s college basketball season, and to start things off, not much has changed since the end of last year.
Our rankings debut with last year’s national finalists in the top two spots. Defending champion South Carolina held onto its perch at No. 1 after a thrilling overtime win in Palo Alto, Calif., over Stanford, and UConn lands in the second spot thanks to two wins over top-10 AP teams this week.
Beyond the top two, not everything is so neat and tidy. It’s been a raucous start to the season with seven top-10 losses this week. The madness has come early, so expect lots of movement throughout these top 25 rankings as we make our way through the season. Here’s where things stand in this year’s first power rankings.
Almost famous: Duke, Gonzaga, South Dakota State, Marquette
Notes on the votes
• Not enough praise can be heaped on South Carolina (4-0) to start the year. Sure, the Gamecocks’ first ranked win of the season came against a Maryland team missing Diamond Miller, but the defending champs proved their mettle — and then some — by coming from behind against Stanford on the road. In a game where Aliyah Boston had to sit out the entire second quarter in foul trouble, for South Carolina to gain points on…
