The women’s college basketball world was chaotic last week, which makes the second JWS top-25 ranking of the season a challenge — but a good challenge. Parity in the NCAA is at an all-time high, and that makes for great competition and thrilling games.

There’s plenty of room for debate, but at least South Carolina and Stanford have delivered each week. After the top two, the hierarchy gets messy. Here’s where things stood two weeks ago in our inaugural top-25 rankings.

1. South Carolina (8-0)

2. Stanford (10-1)

3. UConn (6-1)

The Huskies are coming off a loss to Notre Dame on Sunday, but Azzi Fudd missed most of the contest after appearing to injure her knee. They’ve beaten a lot of good teams so far this season — Texas, NC State and Iowa — and Notre Dame is a team that I can see in the Final Four. For those reasons, I’m keeping them at No. 3.

4. Ohio State (8-0)

If you’re an Ohio State fan, you’re most likely wondering why I’m keeping the undefeated Buckeyes below a UConn squad that just lost. When you look at these teams head-to-head, UConn (with Fudd) is the better team. Ohio State’s best win so far came over Louisville, a team that is underperforming. But if Ohio State keeps its undefeated streak going, with wins over strong Big Ten competition, this team will find itself in the top three.

5. Notre Dame (7-1)

What a crazy week for the Fighting Irish. Three days after losing to Maryland on a buzzer-beater by Diamond Miller, they handed UConn their first loss of the season. Against Maryland, they lacked any sort of inside presence and couldn’t hit from long range. Miller needed a heroic 31 points to lead her team to victory. Against UConn, both Lauren Ebo and Maddy Westbeld had breakout games. The fact that the Irish could correct their errors so quickly and defeat a top team bodes well for them going forward.

Olivia Miles bringing the energy ⚡ pic.twitter.com/sOsiBXXtkx

— espnW (@espnW) December 2, 2022

6. Indiana (9-0)

The Hoosiers were dominant against North Carolina in a 87-63 win on Thursday. Led by Mackenzie Holmes in the paint (25 points) and Sydney Parrish from the outside (24 points), the Hoosiers shot 53.3 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from beyond the arc. But without Grace Berger, who was injured against Auburn, there will be ups and downs for this team as they learn to make up for the loss of their floor general. Their 65-61 win over unranked Illinois on Sunday was less convincing, but overall the Hoosiers are performing in the face of adversity.

7. Iowa State (6-1)

8. Virginia Tech (8-0)

I didn’t come away from Virginia Tech’s 59-56 win over Tennessee feeling particularly confident in the Hokies. They turned the ball over 16 times and shot just 33.3 percent from the field, while Elizabeth Kitley disappeared offensively against the defense of Tamari Key. The Hokies need her to perform better if they’re going to make a deep run this season. That being said, they managed to get a win without an injured Ashley Owusu (finger), and they got contributions from a lot of different players to make up for Kitley’s quiet game. The Hokies are undefeated, and they won’t need to wait long to prove themselves, with Notre Dame awaiting on Dec. 18.

9. North Carolina (6-1)

10. NC State (7-1)

After getting blown out by UConn on Nov. 20, the Wolfpack responded in a big way against their next ranked opponent, defeating Iowa 94-81 on Dec. 1. Caitlin Clark went off for 45 points, but NC State contained everyone else and used a balanced offensive attack to get the win. Four of five starters finished in double figures, and Saniya Rivers had a breakout game off the bench, scoring 22 points. The South Carolina transfer is a dynamic talent who can contribute in many ways. Her career-high game is a good omen for the Wolfpack moving forward.

Transition buckets by @Ihoop___22.

🐺 11
🟡 17
:59, 1Q pic.twitter.com/6XPFzkJsem

— #10 NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) December 2, 2022

11. Arizona (7-0)

12. UCLA (8-1)

13. Oregon (6-1)

14. Creighton (7-1)

15. Maryland (7-3)

My early concerns about the Terrapins have turned out to be true: They go where Diamond Miller takes them. Against Notre Dame, her 31 points and impressive buzzer-beating shot sealed a victory, But against Nebraska a few days later, she was held to 13 points, and despite an excellent game from sophomore Shyanne Sellers (21 points, eight rebounds), the Cornhuskers came away with a 90-67 upset. That’s the second-highest points total for Nebraska this season, raising concerns about Maryland’s defense as well.

16. Iowa (6-3)

17. Michigan (9-0)

18. Utah (7-0)

19. LSU (9-0)

What to do with LSU? I think the Tigers are good, but with their strength of schedule (or rather, lack thereof), it’s hard to tell. Yes, they are undefeated, but they have yet to play a ranked team or tough unranked team. Southeastern Louisiana played the Tigers close in an eight-point loss on Nov. 29, which is less than ideal for an LSU squad trying to prove itself despite the weak schedule. I won’t feel comfortable putting the Tigers in the top 15 until they win in the SEC.

20. Baylor (6-2)

21. Gonzaga (7-2)

22. Louisville (5-4)

Coach Jeff Walz has described this team as “Jekyll and Hyde,” but lately, it’s been a lot more Hyde. A loss to Ohio State makes sense, and losses to South Dakota State and Gonzaga aren’t season ruiners, but a 67-49 defeat to Middle Tennessee on Sunday is downright bewildering. I’ll need to see a lot more from the Cardinals going forward, and another loss to an unranked opponent will likely drop them from the rankings entirely.

23. Villanova (7-2)

24. Oklahoma (7-1)

25. Marquette (7-2)

Marquette has two quality wins over Texas and Gonzaga plus an overtime loss to UCLA. After they were upset by Seton Hall this week, I thought about dropping the Golden Eagles from the top 25, but their resume is good enough to keep them in. I also considered Texas for the last spot this week, and the Longhorns are out of chances after losing to South Florida with Rori Harmon in the lineup.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

LOVB volleyball is coming back to cable, as the pro volleyball league announced a Wednesday night primetime partnership with USA Network for its 2026 season.

From January through April, USA Network will air a "Match of the Week" nearly every Wednesday evening, starting with a 2025 championship rematch between runners-up LOVB Nebraska and title-winners LOVB Austin on January 7th, 2026.

USA Network will also broadcast a portion of LOVB's 2026 postseason, including one semifinal and both games in the league's new two-match championship series.

Gearing up for its second season, LOVB features a talented player pool amid an increasingly crowded pro volleyball market.

One in every five LOVB athletes are Olympians, with 90% of the league's international players and 75% of its US players boasting national team experience.

Even more, growing demand for the sport has expansion on the horizon for the six-team league, with LOVB preparing to launch its seventh franchise in Los Angeles — backed by Angel City and Chelsea FC investor Alexis Ohanian — in 2027.

How to watch the 2026 LOVB season on USA Network

The second season of LOVB opens when inaugural champions Austin take on runners-up Nebraska at 6 PM ET on January 7th, 2026.

Live coverage will air on USA Network.

With the rookie card of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark still doing numbers, trading card manufacturer Panini America is debuting Caitlin Clark Chronicled this week, dropping a limited-edition release on Monday that features a 22-page collectible book and 100-card set of the WNBA standout.

The book spans images of Clark on and off the court, and includes eight four-card packs and 32 randomly inserted trading cards, as well as autographed exclusives.

"I'm excited to launch 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' with Panini America and share some of my favorite moments on and off the court from my first two years in the WNBA," Clark said in Monday's statement. "We wanted to create something different that combined great photography with trading cards, including some special exclusives. I am proud of this collection and hope fans enjoy it."

The WNBA superstar is an exclusive Panini partner in the trading card and autographed memorabilia space, with Clark making headlines last July when her one-of-one autographed rookie card sold for more than $600,000 — setting a new world record for a women's sports card.

How to buy Panini's 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' card set

Panini's limited edition Clark collection is currently available for purchase at Target stores and Target.com.

Tensions remain high between the WNBA and WNBPA, after The Athletic reported on Monday that the latest CBA proposal from Players Association more than doubles the league's revenue share offer — suggesting a deepening rift in negotiations.

The union outlined a deal that would give players around 30% of total WNBA and team revenue — a significant leap from the league's proposed 15% share.

According to sources, the WNBPA also suggested linking the salary cap to the previous season's total revenue, factoring in player benefits and the number of teams in the league.

The move intends to undercut an accusation from the WNBA that the players have yet to put forward an economically viable revenue sharing model.

The union's proposal begins at 29% of the prior season's total league grosses, then grows to 34% by the final year of the CBA with a one-time adjustment for the new 11-year, $2.2 billion WNBA media rights deal.

Notably, the league recently rejected a flat 33% revenue share CBA proposal, prompting this week's 1%-per-year increase system in response.

It's clear that the WNBA office and the WNBPA are at odds, but the union is showing their work as both sides strive for a CBA that will keep players on the court in 2026.

Olympic swimming icon Katie Ledecky has done it again, becoming the first woman to break the 15-minute mile with a time of 14:59.62 at her namesake Katie Ledecky Invitational in Maryland.

Smashing her own US record of 15:01.41, Sunday's sub-15 minute mile gives Ledecky the 1,650-meter freestyle's eight fastest times, with US teammate Erica Sullivan earning the ninth-best in 2019.

"This is a special one for sure," Ledecky said afterwards. "This has been a goal of mine, to break 15 minutes in the 1,650, for probably eight or nine years. So, just putting in the hard work, believing that I could do it someday, and to do it at this meet, is really special."

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The 28-year-old Washington, DC, product is the most decorated women's swimmer in the history of the sport, prompting Nation's Capital Swimming — where Ledecky got her start at age six — to name their annual event in her honor earlier this year.

"I definitely was a little nervous before the race, just knowing there were a lot of eyes on me and all that," she continued. "But I knew I could just relax and have fun with it, and whatever happened, happened."

How to watch Katie Ledecky in action

Ledecky's next major competition will likely be the TYR Pro Swim Series, which kicks off in Austin on January 14th, 2026.

The domestic competition series will be covered across NBC Sports platforms.