Before tipoff of Friday night’s top-10 matchup between No. 1 UConn and No. 6 Michigan, UConn coach Geno Auriemma told Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico he thought this was Barnes Arico’s best team.
After 40 minutes, the last 20 of which saw the contest flip from a dud to a dandy, Auriemma had a simple message for his opponent: “I told you,” he said.
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“Sometimes we play teams that are top-10 teams, and we make it look like this is the easiest thing in the world to play a top-10 team,” Auriemma said.
This was not the case against the Wolverines.
He continued: “Michigan’s way too much like us. And I don’t like playing teams that are just like us.”
UConn eked out a 72-69 win as the Huskies’ Azzi Fudd and the Wolverines’ Syla Swords went shot-for-shot in the fourth quarter. The quality of play in the fourth quarter, especially, rivaled a late-stage NCAA Tournament game and not a third week of November showcase. Coaches and players felt it. It’s hard to punish Michigan in my rankings as a result.
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I’m filling in for Sabreena Merchant this week, and differences between our rankings are to be expected. We’ve differed on Ole Miss all season, for instance. After adding Cotie McMahon among other experienced players via the transfer portal, the Rebels deserved a ranking in my preseason poll and have continued to appear every week since. The Rebels play top-tier defense and are overpowering opponents on the offensive glass. With each victory, they keep climbing. (You can always find my AP Top 25 ballot posted here.) In addition to this week’s top 25 are thoughts on a surprise team worth keeping a close eye on, a player (and backcourt pairing) to watch and a riser coming off two big wins.
But first, more from the game of the season thus far.
|
Rank |
Team |
Previous rank |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
UConn |
1 |
|
2 |
UCLA |
2 |
|
3 |
South Carolina |
3 |
|
4 |
Texas |
4 |
|
5 |
LSU |
5 |
|
6 |
Michigan |
6 |
|
7 |
Maryland |
12 |
|
8 |
Iowa State |
14 |
|
9 |
TCU |
7 |
|
10 |
Ole Miss |
NR |
|
11 |
Vanderbilt |
NR |
|
12 |
Oklahoma |
11 |
|
13 |
North Carolina |
15 |
|
14 |
Michigan State |
22 |
|
15 |
Iowa |
8 |
|
16 |
Washington |
16 |
|
17 |
Baylor |
9 |
|
18 |
Kentucky |
10 |
|
19 |
Tennessee |
23 |
|
20 |
Notre Dame |
21 |
|
21 |
West Virginia |
NR |
|
22 |
USC |
13 |
|
23 |
Richmond |
25 |
|
24 |
South Dakota State |
24 |
|
25 |
Oklahoma State |
19 |
Michigan’s zone changeup will pay dividends
In the opening quarter of Michigan’s eventual loss to UConn on Friday night, the Huskies sped up the Wolverines. Relying primarily on four sophomores and a junior, Barnes Arico said her team took time adjusting to the road environment. “You play UConn in Connecticut, and it’s a different type of environment. So I think our kids just needed to settle.”
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The Wolverines rushed shots. Quick misses turned into easy UConn transition opportunities. It wasn’t a fluke that the Huskies led by 17 after the first quarter.
But among the laundry list of impressive takeaways from Michigan’s performance, albeit in a loss, was how they switched defenses on the fly and had near immediate success.
Before Friday’s showcase, Michigan had not played a possession of a 2-3 zone that didn’t involve full-court pressure. But to open the second quarter, the Wolverines dusted off a zone. They forced a turnover on the opening possession of the second, and kept building from there. Barnes Arico said they didn’t expect to rely on it as much as they did, but it became the foundation of their comeback.
“We wanted to throw them off their rhythm, and we thought that was the best way that we could do it. It played to our favor for sure,” she said.
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The Wolverines stopped the Huskies on 26 of 32 zone possessions, according to Synergy Sports, and Auriemma acknowledged that Michigan’s defense slowed UConn’s pace. Michigan outscored UConn 18-4 in the third quarter.
Despite Michigan’s youth and the intense road environment, it adjusted on the fly and thrived. That bodes well for not only the regular season but also the NCAA Tournament. Syla Swords and Olivia Olson make the Wolverines dangerous on offense, but the ability to adapt and succeed — against the best team in the country — is a statement in itself.
Keep a close eye on Michigan State
Speaking of other teams from the state of Michigan …
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You have to be careful about drawing major conclusions from early-season nonconference games. Opponent strength matters, and scores can be misleading when comparing teams nationally. But as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, and Big Ten play begins in early December, keep a watchful eye on Michigan State.
The Spartans have made the NCAA Tournament in both of coach Robyn Fralick’s first two seasons, earning their highest seed (No. 7) in March Madness since 2015-16. Michigan State looks even more capable this season.
Senior forward Grace Van Slooten has been one of the conference’s most efficient and effective players, averaging 17.2 points and five rebounds in just 23 minutes per game. Guards Rashunda Jones and Jalyn Brown have been immediate contributors after transferring from Purdue and Arizona State.
It’s early, but Michigan State leads the nation in net rating. Heading into Sunday’s matchup against Oakland, the Spartans led the nation in turnovers forced per game (29.8) while committing the fewest turnovers per game (8.2). Key to that ratio is the Spartans’ regular application of full-court pressure after baskets.
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That split might regress some as the season progresses, but it’s a ratio that will bode well if it holds even slightly. Michigan State puts pressure on opponents, converts on offensive transition opportunities and ranks as a top-15 3-point shooting team.
Conference play will eventually illuminate just how good the Spartans are, but in a loaded conference, they might be a sleeper to watch.
Rori Harmon’s success and the rise of her successor
Texas and UCLA play Wednesday in arguably the best game of the week. That means one final major nonconference regular-season test for Longhorns senior guard Rori Harmon.
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Harmon has been, and continues to be, a pillar of Texas. UT has lost just 18 games she’s played in, winning two regular-season conference titles and two conference tournament championships in her tenure. Before Harmon stepped on campus in 2021, the Longhorns hadn’t won a regular-season conference title since 2004, won a conference tournament title since 2003 or made a Final Four since 2003. That’s only part of her legacy.
Harmon is playing fewer minutes than ever, perhaps because of the Longhorns’ light schedule thus far. But Texas’ point guard of the future, Bryanna Preston, is also a more significant contributor.
Preston, a sophomore, received inconsistent playing time last season. But in her first NCAA Tournament run, the 5-foot-9 guard showed why she’s poised for an impactful career as well, most notably scoring 12 points off the bench in 27 minutes in Texas’ Sweet 16 victory over Tennessee. She matched the frenetic energy of the pressing Lady Vols.
This season, Harmon and Preston are receiving more playing time together. After playing only 110 minutes together last season — more than 20 percent of which came in that tournament game against Tennessee — the duo has already played 19 minutes together. Texas has forced 20 turnovers with the duo on the floor, as their ball pressure can easily frustrate opponents. The pair has also contributed to Texas playing with more pace this season and scoring more in transition.
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Preston has shown improvement with Harmon off the floor, too. She is Texas’ top reserve in minutes and doubled her scoring output while shooting a better percentage from the field. The Longhorns’ defense is stout yet again, and their shot profile hasn’t changed much. But they are rich in quality depth with experienced performers such as Madison Booker and Harmon and rising contributors such as freshman Aaliyah Crump and Preston.
Iowa frontcourt helps it climb
The Hawkeyes picked up two competitive victories, defeating No. 7 Baylor and unranked Miami at the WBCA Showcase in Orlando. They’ve found success playing 6-5 center Ava Heiden and 6-2 forward Hannah Stuelke next to each other, electing both to serve as foundational offensive components.
Heiden, a sophomore, is new to Iowa’s starting lineup after averaging only 9.8 minutes off the bench last season. Already, she’s recorded her first career double-double as well as career highs in points (21) and rebounds (14). Heiden made her first nine shots in Saturday’s win over Miami and is shooting 84 percent (21 of 25) on post-up opportunities, per Synergy Sports. That’s up from 60.5 percent last season, and just two shy of her post-up baskets (23) in 2024-25.
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The Hawkeyes opened last season playing center Addison O’Grady and Stuelke next to each other. But by mid-January, they adjusted their rotations and the duo shared the court only four times from Jan. 16 onward.
This season, the shift to slide Heiden next to Stuelke has caused the senior to adjust her game. Stuelke is taking fewer shots at the rim, and her five corner 3-point attempts are already one more than she attempted all of last season. Still, she makes an impact, recording a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double against the Hurricanes.
The early returns on Iowa’s double-big lineups are encouraging. Though much offseason attention was on the addition of freshman Addie Deal, so far the more impactful recent out-of-state commit has been Heiden, Iowa’s first Oregonian.
Games to watch
(All games ET)
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UCLA vs. Texas, 2 p.m. Wednesday, TruTV
South Carolina vs. Duke, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, TruTV
Maryland vs. Kentucky, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, FloSports
North Carolina vs. South Dakota State, 11 a.m. Thursday, FloSports
TCU vs. Richmond, 9 p.m. Thursday, FloSports
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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