1,203 reasons to love women’s sports

The GIST: There was some Top-10 men’s mayhem this weekend (more on that later), but all eyes (literally!) were on women’s hoops — and the gals more than lived up to the hype.

The Pac-12 erupts into chaos: The West Coast reenacted the Anchorman fight scene as the conference’s top teams competed in a brutal round-robin. At the center of it all was No. 3 Colorado, who took a tough 76–68 home loss to No. 5 UCLA on Friday, then immediately bounced back with a 63–59 win over No. 6 USC yesterday.

• USC was the weekend’s undisputed loser — No. 20 Utah also blew them out 78–58 on Friday — but the true winner is TBD until tonight when UCLA visits Utah at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Stakes high enough to put you in a glass case of emotion.

No. 18 Ohio State hands No. 2 Iowa their first Big Ten loss: Even Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark’s 45 points weren’t enough yesterday as Ohio State silenced the rest of the Hawkeyes’ roster, running away with the 100–92 overtime (OT) dub. Buckeyes forward Cotie McMahon was everywhere, racking up 33 points, 12 rebounds, and a slew of clips for her highlight reel.

More upsets in the ACC: No. 15 Florida State notched their second straight L to an unranked team yesterday when Virginia — who was previously winless in ACC play — stunned the ’Noles 91–87. Meanwhile, No. 13 Louisville’s six-game win streak ground to a halt in a 79–68 loss to No. 23 UNC.

• TL;DR? The conference with the most ranked teams is also the least predictable.

Major matchups ahead: Once UCLA vs. Utah wraps tonight, flip over to No. 7 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Baylor at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Kansas State hasn’t lost since Thanksgiving weekend, while Baylor’s dropped two this month and barely beat a terrible UCF on Saturday — but overlooking the Bears could still be a huge mistake.

The GIST: Just three weeks into the season, women’s gymnastics teams are stunning judges left and right. Athletes racked up eight perfect 10s this weekend alone, with half coming from squads you might not expect...

The fresh faces: Hello, Ball State! The Cardinals exploded onto the national stage with a historic performance at Saturday’s Tennessee Collegiate Classic. Three athletes nabbed perfect 10s, helping the squad score 198.025 — a program record and the Mid-American Conference’s (MAC) highest team total ever. Hot damn.

• The Cardinals weren’t the only under-the-radar MAC team to impress at that meet: Kent State also set a program record with 197.725 points, plus grad student Karlie Franz’s perfect 10 on floor was the team’s first in nearly 20 years.

The Top-10 matchups: The SEC is arguably the nation’s toughest conference, and this Friday showed why: LSU gymnasts Kiya Johnson and Haleigh Bryant were perfect on floor and bars, respectively, leading their No. 8 Tigers to a fierce upset over No. 6 Kentucky, and newly-lethal No. 4 Arkansas proved they’re the real deal as they tied powerhouse No. 3 Alabama.

• And while No. 14 Michigan wasn’t in the Top 10 this weekend, they could be after today’s rankings update — yesterday’s big road win over No. 9 Ohio State signals a return to dominance for the Wolverines after a disastrous Week 1.

What’s next: There’s one more spicy-hot meet tonight to carry you through the freezing-cold week. The Big Ten is the other cutthroat conference, and two of its toughest, No. 15 Minnesota and No. 18 Iowa, will go head-to-head at 8 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network. Meet ya on the mat.

From unprecedented viewership to big-time media rights valuations, women’s college basketball is exploding. Wish this moment could last forever? Well, thanks to Topps, it can.

Topps is celebrating collegiate basketball with their Bowman U Chrome Basketball launch, which includes female hoopers from the most prolific programs. A collection of cards featuring female athletes? The old boys’ club of card trading just went from Ken’s Mojo Dojo Casa House to Barbie’s a women’s sports dreamhouse.