On a Thursday night that saw several top NCAA basketball teams stumble, No. 6 LSU narrowly managed to keep their perfect season intact, though No. 16 Tennessee took the Tigers to the brink in a close 89-87 conference battle.
The SEC's rising parity was fully on display as stars Jewel Spear and Talaysia Cooper posted 25 and 24 points, respectively, to try and put their surging Tennessee side on top.
Though the Vols chipped away throughout the game at LSU's nine-point first-quarter lead, it was Tiger junior Kailyn Gilbert who cemented LSU's win with a wild, last-second bucket, putting a bow on her 22 points off the bench.
LSU senior Aneesah Morrow also shined, registering 23 points and 21 rebounds — her NCAA-leading 16th double-double and second 20+ point, 20+ rebound performance this season.
Now 18-0, LSU is one of just three undefeated Division I college basketball programs this season, joining just No. 1 UCLA and No. 9 Ohio State in remaining unbeaten.
Seven top 25 NCAA teams fall on Thursday
LSU's victory over Tennessee was just one of seven NCAA basketball games to see ranked teams fall on Thursday night. No. 5 Texas annihilated No. 18 Alabama to the tune of 84-40, while No. 19 UNC and No. 24 Cal registered upsets of No. 14 Duke and No. 21 NC State, respectively.
Unranked teams also did damage in the Top 25, with Illinois downing No. 23 Iowa and Mississippi State bouncing back from the 95-68 shellacking they took at the hands of No. 2 South Carolina on Sunday by taking down No. 10 Oklahoma 81-77.
That said, No. 13 Georgia Tech suffered the most consequential defeat after seeing their unbeaten season disappear in a 105-94 double-overtime loss to unranked Virginia Tech.
Yellow Jacket junior Kara Dunn's game-leading 33-point, 10-rebound double-double and teammate Tonie Morgan's 28 points kept Georgia Tech alive throughout much of the back-and-forth battle.
However, 17+ point showings from Virginia Tech's entire starting lineup, not to mention a late, stifling defense that allowed them to outscore Georgia Tech 13-2 in the second overtime period, ultimately secured the win for the Hokies.
NCAA basketball weekend rife with upset potential
With 23 ranked NCAA teams facing unranked opponents this weekend, the potential for upsets is high, though the lone ranked pairing is a highly anticipated Top-5 affair.
The SEC will take center court again, as No. 5 Texas takes on defending national champions No. 2 South Carolina on Sunday.
Ahead of the tense matchup, guard Rori Harmon promised that the Longhorns are "going to make sure it's a knockdown, drag out."
"It's going to be a battle, and we look forward to the battle," said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, referencing her team's tough conference slate.
How to watch top-ranked NCAA basketball this weekend
No. 5 Texas will visit No. 2 South Carolina on Sunday at 1 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.
With all eyes on the stacked midweek NCAA basketball slate, No. 4 USC eked out a gritty road win over No. 8 Maryland on Wednesday, shattering the Terrapins' undefeated season in the process.
Despite guard Shyanne Sellers's game-leading 26 points and forward Christina Dalce posting the contest’s only double-double, the Terps fell 79-74 in their first meeting with the Trojans since 1995.
USC rallies the troops
New Big Ten team USC had to band together to overcome Maryland's defense, which stifled star JuJu Watkins's firepower by holding her to 7-for-19 from the field and 1-for-5 from beyond the arc with eight turnovers. That said, Watkins still managed to match forward Kiki Iriafen's team-leading 21 points before fouling out in the final minute.
With star guard Talia von Oelhoffen unavailable due to injury, USC’s No. 1-ranked freshman class stepped up. Guards Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell, and Kayleigh Heckel each added double-digit points to push the Trojans over the line.
"We just kind of have this unwavering confidence in ourselves," Watkins said after the game. "It was just a matter of coming together and closing the game out."
Big Ten ruled Wednesday's NCAA court
Unlike Maryland’s unbeaten record, No. 9 Ohio State’s undefeated season narrowly survived arch-rival No. 25 Michigan on Wednesday night. After falling behind 44-31 at the half, the Buckeyes put together a second-half surge to snag the 84-77 win. Freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge led Ohio State's charge with 29 points.
Elsewhere, unranked Nebraska handed No. 20 Michigan State a second conference loss on Wednesday. Buoyed by senior Alexis Markowski’s 28 points, the Huskers channeled a second-quarter lead to down the Spartans 85-80.
LSU to test perfect NCAA season against tough Tennessee side
The top-ranked midweek NCAA basketball action continues on Thursday, headlined by a tightly matched high-octane showdown between two historic SEC heavy-hitters.
No. 6 LSU faces their toughest test so far when they visit No. 16 Tennessee, a team that leads the nation in offensive scoring and rebounding, three-pointers, and forced turnovers.
"[Tennessee's] style of play is like nothing I’ve ever seen," LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said ahead of the game.
"They score a lot of points and they make you play fast with their press. It’s going to be quite a challenge to keep them from scoring in the '90s. We score a lot of points, too, [but] I’ve got to stress defense. At some point we’ve got to try to stop them from scoring as much as they’d like to score."
Despite the numbers, the Vols suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday — a one-point stumble against No. 10 Oklahoma. They'll look to avenge their loss by halting the 17-0 Tigers' unbeaten streak.
More ranked college clashes take center court on Thursday
Shortly after LSU takes on Tennessee, longtime ACC rivals No. 19 UNC and No. 14 Duke will meet for the 109th time. The host Tar Heels hold a narrow edge with a 55-53 all-time record against the Blue Devils, and will enter the clash with a redemption plan after falling 76-66 to No. 3 Notre Dame on Sunday.
With a significantly shorter history on the line, one-loss teams No. 5 Texas and No. 18 Alabama will face-off in Thursday's SEC nightcap, with the Tide rolling into Austin to seek a program-first win over their newest conference foes.
Last season’s Sweet Sixteen showdown was the pair’s first meeting since 1984, and Alabama has never beaten or even scored more than 56 points against the Longhorns throughout their three all-time meetings.
How to watch NCAA women's basketball on Thursday
LSU and Tennessee will tip off Thursday's ranked matchups at 6:30 PM ET, with live coverage on SECN+.
Duke and UNC will follow at 7 PM ET, airing live on ACCN, before Texas hosts Alabama at 8 PM ET on SECN+.
Just five teams remain undefeated in NCAA Division I basketball, after an eventful weekend showcased how thin the margins can be in conference play.
In their first season in the SEC, No. 10 Oklahoma followed up last week's loss to No. 5 Texas with a narrow victory over their previously undefeated new conference rival, No. 16 Tennessee, on Sunday. The Sooners led by as many as 19 points before the Vols mounted a furious comeback, but Oklahoma managed to overcome 31 turnovers to eke out the 87-86 road win.
With Tennessee conceding their season's first loss, only No. 1 UCLA, No. 6 LSU, No. 8 Maryland, No. 9 Ohio State, and No. 13 Georgia Tech stand unbeaten entering the 10th week of the 2024/25 NCAA campaign.
The top-ranked Bruins took down unranked Indiana 73-62 on Saturday, silencing the Hoosiers behind UCLA center Lauren Betts's game-leading 25 points and 12 rebounds.
On another Big Ten court, Maryland snapped No. 23 Iowa's 21-game home win streak 74-66 on Sunday, handing the Hawkeyes their first loss at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since February 2022.
Injuries rattle NCAA teams
While undefeated teams continues to impress this weekend, college basketball fans held their collective breath for a very different reason on Sunday, as two of the NCAA's biggest names exited their respective games with apparent injuries.
UConn superstar Paige Bueckers left the court after suffering a knock to the leg during the No. 7 Huskies' 83-52 win against Villanova, later returning to the bench without assistance.
"It's not the worst that we can imagine," UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said of Bueckers's tumble after the game. "So, that's great news considering how awkward it was."
Elsewhere, No. 2 South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins suffered a non-contact knee injury in the first half of the Gamecocks' 95-68 win over Mississippi State. Unlike Bueckers, Watkins failed to return to the bench after exiting.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley didn't provide a postgame update on Watkins's status, but did confirm that the junior was not taken to a local hospital.
"Obviously, we feel for Ashlyn and her injury, and her not being able to finish the game," said Staley. "But her teammates had her back. And they did take it to another level on both ends of the floor."
How to watch this week's top-ranked college basketball games
While UConn and South Carolina face unranked Xavier and Texas A&M this week, the college court's top-ranked action returns to full force on Wednesday.
First, No. 9 Ohio State's unbeaten season will be tested by NCAA conference rival No. 25 Michigan at 7 PM ET, live on BTN+.
Then at 8:30 PM ET, undefeated No. 8 Maryland will host one-loss No. 4 USC for the first time as conference foes, with live coverage on FS1.
With Saturday's 78-68 upset win over then-No. 17 Iowa, Tennessee earned their first NCAA basketball AP Top 25 nod since November 2023, slotting in at No. 19 and putting an end to the historic powerhouse's longest-ever unranked streak.
The still-undefeated Vols have featured in nearly 90% of the 870 total AP polls since the list's 1976 beginnings, but this week's Top 25 return is a triumphant one.
"The beauty of it is we earned it," head coach Kim Caldwell told reporters after the rankings dropped on Monday. "Not because the name is Tennessee. We didn’t start (ranked)."
Minor shifts pervade updated AP basketball rankings
While No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 UConn, and No. 3 South Carolina held steady atop Monday's poll, last week's elite NCAA basketball schedule caused minor shifts throughout much of the Top 25. Behind losses to the defending champion Gamecocks, Duke dropped one spot to No. 9 and TCU slid three to No. 12.
After suffering their season's first loss on Thursday, an 80-70 overtime thriller against Notre Dame, the Texas Longhorns fell two poll positions to No. 6.
The Irish used their momentum to tack on a second victory on Sunday, routing Syracuse 93-62 behind a trio of 20+ point double-doubles from Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles, and Sonia Citron. Those big wins lifted Notre Dame two spots to No. 8 this week.
Behind respective losses to aforementioned Tennessee and then-unranked NC State, Iowa and Ole Miss fell the farthest, tumbling four spots each to Nos. 21 and 22.
On the other hand, undefeated Michigan State's best start in program history saw the Spartans leap seven spots to No. 17 in the poll's biggest bump.
AP basketball poll exits and newcomers
Joining Tennessee in making their 2024 AP poll debut this week is No. 25 Georgia Tech, whose 9-0 record marks the Yellow Jackets' best season start since 1977. NC State is also back, tying Ole Miss at No. 22 after a week out of the rankings.
Meanwhile, Louisville's fourth season loss by way of UConn's 85-52 Champions Classic smackdown on Saturday sent the now-unranked Cardinals packing. Joining them in leaving this week's poll are Illinois, who logged their third season loss against No. 11 Ohio State on Sunday, and Alabama, who succumbed to unranked Cal last week.
How to watch midweek Top 25 NCAA basketball
Under the new rankings, NCAA basketball has two ranked matchups on deck this week. First, No. 18 Iowa State will battle state rivals No. 21 Iowa at 9 PM ET on Wednesday, airing live on FS1.
The marquee midweek matchup, however, hits the court at 7 PM ET on Thursday, when preseason All-Americans Paige Bueckers and Hannah Hidalgo will meet when No. 8 Notre Dame hosts No. 2 UConn.
The battle between two of the nation's best guards will be broadcast on ESPN.
Week 6 AP college basketball rankings
- 1. UCLA (9-0, Big Ten)
- 2. UConn (8-0, Big East)
- 3. South Carolina (9-1, SEC)
- 4. LSU (11-0, SEC)
- 5. USC (8-1, Big Ten)
- 6. Texas (8-1, SEC)
- 7. Maryland (10-0, Big Ten)
- 8. Notre Dame (7-2, ACC)
- 9. Duke (9-2, ACC)
- 10. Oklahoma (8-1, SEC)
- 11. Ohio State (8-0, Big Ten)
- 12. TCU (9-1, Big 12)
- 13. Kansas State (10-1, Big 12)
- 14. UNC (9-1, ACC)
- 15. West Virginia (9-1, Big 12)
- 16. Kentucky (8-1, SEC)
- 17. Michigan State (9-0, Big Ten)
- 18. Iowa State (8-2, Big 12)
- 19. Tennessee (7-0, SEC)
- 20. Michigan (8-1, Big Ten)
- 21. Iowa (8-1, Big Ten)
- 22. Ole Miss (6-3, SEC)
- 22. NC State (6-3, ACC)
- 24. Nebraska (8-1, Big Ten)
- 25. Georgia Tech (9-0, ACC)