The LSU women’s basketball team is in its full form. They’ve just rolled to another non-conference win against New Orleans by 126–62 on the road. And that too came with a dominant punch, as every available player on the roster scored. And all this now places them with a clear 10–0 record so far this season. Yet, it isn’t enough to take over Geno Auriemma and the Huskies!

As per the most recent NCAA women’s basketball NET rankings released on December 8th, UConn is placed at No. 1, whereas LSU is at No. 2. Following them are: 3. Michigan, 4. UCLA, 5. Texas, 6. South Carolina, 7. Kentucky, 8. TCU, 9. Iowa, 10. Michigan State. That’s a major shakeup for this week. That’s because earlier this month, Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers squad held the No. 1 spot in the NET rankings while Geno and the Huskies came in at No. 2.

But of course, the switch of No. 1 and No. 2 came for a reason. Apart from wins and losses, the NET rankings take several things into account. That includes net offensive and defensive efficiency, game results, game location, the quality of wins and losses, and strength of schedule.

So while LSU has been extremely impressive to this point in the year, scoring at least 100 points in every game aside from one and dominating all of their opponents, most of their wins came against inferior teams that LSU was expected to handle with ease.

Meanwhile, UConn has played a much tougher non-conference schedule thus far. They’ve already beaten No. 6 Michigan and No. 22 Louisville. They’re dominant across almost every statistical category, whether offensively, defensively, efficiency-wise, or in taking care of the ball.

Even in their last win, the Huskies easily routed DePaul 102–35, marking the largest margin of victory in 28 meetings against the Blue Demons, topping a 47-point win in 2013. And that’s why the Huskies aren’t just topping the NCAA NET rankings. They’re also the leaders in AP’s recent poll. The Huskies received 23 first-place votes from a national media panel to remain strong at No. 1.

AP Top 25 rankings are important, since they do a neat job of conveying which teams are viewed as the best by sportswriters and broadcasters across the country. But these rankings aren’t the most important when it comes to postseason positioning. In that case, NET rankings are more helpful, as they’re used to determine the seedings for each NCAA tournament.

Also, NET rankings have accurately predicted the winner since the concept’s inception in 2021.

Other teams to watch out for, as per the AP Poll

Apart from UConn and LSU, Texas and South Carolina are in the race too. All four programs make up the top tier of collegiate basketball. While Texas sits at No. 2 with a 10–0 record, South Carolina is placed at No. 3 with a 9–1 record, as per the latest AP rankings.

The Gamecocks have already beaten the No. 16 Trojans and No. 23 Louisville on the way. Their only defeat came against the No. 2 Texas Longhorns.  So far, they’re riding a two-game winning streak, with the latest win coming against NCCU.

That’s when Ta’Niya Latson poured in a season-high 32 points, and Joyce Edwards added 25 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Supporting them were Ayla McDowell with 16 points and Madina Okot adding 10 points and nine rebounds. That’s a great achievement because the Gamecocks are struggling with depth issues, since Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts are out for the season.

Meanwhile, Texas is just as impressive. They’ve topped the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season to remain undefeated in Austin. Their junior forward, Breya Cunningham, just delivered her career best of 30 points and 14 rebounds in a 101–42 win over Prairie View.

So yes, both the Gamecocks and Longhorns are legitimate contenders, but of course, there’s still a long way to go before March Madness.