Women's College Basketball: Upsets Mean Movement in the Top 25 Rankings

Undefeated no more: After narrowly avoiding an upset at the hands of unranked Virginia Tech last Sunday, No. 2 NC State saw their luck run out on Thursday, falling 83–71 to the still unranked Hokies in overtime. The win was Virginia Tech’s highest-ranked victory in program history. Yeah, we’d say that calls for celebration.

• No. 2 NC State did play without their leading scorer, center Elissa Cunane, who’s been in COVID-19 protocol. The good news? Cunane will likely return in time for tonight’s marquee matchup with No. 1 Louisville, tipping off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN 2.

UConn bounce back: In more upset news, No. 3 UConn took their first L of the season on Thursday, falling 90–87 to No. 19 Arkansas. But we’re sure No. 17 DePaul wasn’t too happy about the loss. The Huskies have not lost back-to-back contests since March 1993 (!!!), and they kept up the tradition on Sunday, routing DePaul 100–67.

• Adding to the excitement, the matchup aired on Fox, marking the first time women’s college basketball has aired on the network. And there’s even more good news: two female analysts, Lisa Byington and Sarah Kustok, called the game. More of this, please.

What to watch: Before tuning in for tonight’s can’t-miss matchup between Louisville and NC State, watch for today’s rankings release to see if this will still be a showdown of the nation’s top two teams. Spoiler alert: we’re thinking Louisville does keep the top spot but NC State falls in the rankings, adding even more drama to this conference rivalry. Bring it on.