NCAA Women's Basketball Post-Thanksgiving Top 25 Rankings

Thanksgiving gave us an obscene number of games to add precious data points to the early season of play; the beginning of last week feels like an eternity ago. I finally feel like I have enough of a grasp of where every team is at to dive into and unveil rankings I feel comfortable.

While I understand why polls exist off rip, I'd rather wait to rank until we see things play out for a while on court, which is why I waited the first month of the season to really let it marinate.

I'm not an AP voter, this is just my own personal feel on where I'm at with what we've seen thus far in the college season.

I plan on having this drop every Monday from here on out in the college season as I keep tweaking what my weekly column looks like. If you have any thoughts or questions, as always, hit me up on twitter, I'm happy to explain my case on why I feel where I'm at with certain teams.

Without further ado, the rankings!

1. South Carolina

2. UCLA

3. USC

4. NC State

5. Stanford

6. Baylor

7. LSU

8. Iowa

9. Ohio State

10. Colorado

11. UConn

12. Texas

13. Virginia Tech

14. Utah

15. Kansas State

16. Indiana

17. Notre Dame

18. Florida State

19. Penn State

20. Ole Miss

21. Washington State

22. Mississippi State

23. Louisville

24. Princeton

25. Marquette

First Few Out:  Miami, Creighton, Arizona, Davidson, Maryland, Vanderbilt

Kiki Iriafen is Here

Stanford has impressed early in the year, looking like a team with a real shot at making the final weekend of the tournament given their improvements. Cameron Brink has a claim as the best player in college basketball, excelling as a two way force... but, I point to Kiki Iriafen as the most important player in Stanford's early season success.

Last season, Iriafen was a low minutes starter who didn't always close games. The flashes were there, but consistency was not her forte. 

Now, she would be hard to keep off of an All-American team, and that stands out given the strength of Stanford's schedule thus far.

She finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds against Florida State, both career highs, pulverizing a much smaller and less physically imposing frontcourt.

Her face-up game is so polished, and the quickness with which she gets into her counters stands out. She's not hesitating, she's doing. There were many moments last year where you could tell that Kiki was pausing to survey the defense, looking for what she would do next.

She's dictating on her own terms now.

I can't say enough good things about her footwork and how fundamentally she's playing; it's a joy to watch things fully click for someone, even if it's just from afar.

With a well-spaced team and the high-low game of Iriafen and Brink, Stanford is primed for a great run in the PAC's final season.

South Carolina & UCLA

I wrote on the Gamecocks during the first week of the season and want to shed that same light on them and UCLA. These are THE two teams setting the standard this season. While nothing is ever set in stone, especially during a single elimination tournament to end the year, I point to these two programs as the top of the top this year.

That's a simple notion, but I want to highlight why.

They both center around dominant posts, and not just dominant posts, but posts that can impact both sides of the ball and play in the flow of an offense. Lauren Betts and Kamilla Cardoso have owned the paint for their respective squads, scoring with ease on the interior and dominating as rim protectors. But, it's less about the scoring for me and more about the threat of scoring.

They suck in defense at such a high level, something that became a substantial problem for UConn during their most recent matchup with UCLA. You drop in 3 defenders in help, an doh hey, Lauren Betts can make that quick pass to the corner to attack where help came from. 

What's scary for opposition is that I don't think either team has even seen their posts hit their highest gear to the fullest.

Outside the posts, you have awesome guard play.

Kiki Rice and Raven Johnson are two of the best floor generals in the game, and that means even more as both have made strides as individual scorers, key to keeping the defense honest. Their ability to set the table in transition, but also know when to pull the ball back and kick into sets is pivotal as they control the flow of the game. 

Charisma Osborne and Te-Hina Paopao are two of the best veteran guards in the country, capable of playing well on and off the ball. They can run bench lineups or slot in alongside their lead guards and play off their posts. Osborne is getting her three ball up at a career high clip and shooting with supreme efficacy; the shot looks a bit cleaner than it did last season, and her confidence has been awesome to watch.. The two player game she and Betts have when UCLA empties out a side for them to work is something to keep an eye on, as it was huge in their 4th quarter win over Princeton.

Both teams fill out their rosters with versatile wings and forwards that give them variation around their stars, amplifying them, but also new looks they can go to depending on opposition.

When you talk about versatile rosters that have top end talent... these are the two teams. Both are in line for the NCAA Title.

Mid-Major Spotlight

We have an unreal crop of mid-major teams this season, already securing a number of marquee victories against power 5 programs. 

Florida Gulf Coast just secured a huge win over North Carolina. Green Bay secured its second Top 25 win of the year, knocking off a good Washington State team a week after ousting Creighton. The Ivy League remains remarkably competitive.

The A-10 has my attention.

• George Mason is 7-0, their best start since the turn of the century and a very promising beginning under year three of Vanessa Blair-Lewis. We're going to find out a lot about this team as they take on Maryland this coming Sunday at the XFINITY Center in College Park.
• VCU is 5-1, their only loss coming to a solid James Madison team, after winning 7 games total last season.
• Rhode Island took NC State down to the wire last week, and that just looks better and better.
• The Davidson Wildcats might be the best team of the bunch.

Davidson has steadily improved and built under Gayle Coats Fulks, and her 7th team has the air and feel of a group that can make it to postseason play. They lost a close game to North Carolina before winning over Duke, and they showed their mettle as a team that belongs in those matchups.

They don't play at a high pace, actually one of the lower paced teams in the country, but that's part of their bread and butter; make smart plays, don't force them, and play to their strengths.

What are their strengths? While they have top end talent, I think I find myself most impressed by their depth and what each player brings to the table. It's not as simple as "every player has the same skillset," but there's a level of that within the roster. It's not positionless basketball, but it's not NOT positionless basketball.

Let me explain.

Every player can drive the basketball, every player can and will make the right pass, every player can screen, every player is empowered to attack the glass (They have a 37.1% offensive rebound rate!!! That's top 20% in the country per Her Hoop Stats).

They spread the floor and create out of smart basketball, drawing two, moving the ball, moving bodies, and then finding good shots from there.

Charlisse Dunn has been phenomenal as a newcomer off the bench (Virginia Tech transfer), great at winning with change of pace, strength, and off the dribble shooting. Elle Sutphin opens up so much for the Wildcats as a stretch big that can attack off the bounce and post. Millie Prior eats on the interior and is adept passing from there on out.

I could go on and on, and will throughout the year, but the point stands that this is just a damned good team that's well coached and hard to play against given how they play. I can't wait to see what's next for them.

They play App State this coming Wednesday with a few more non-con matchups before A-10 play starts. Buckle in, and don't forget about what they've done in the early season.

Fantastic Freshmen

JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley have captivated off rip as the season started, a remarkably impactful freshman class at the top end. I want to use this space weekly to highlight some player in the freshman class you might not know about, but should!

Oklahoma State has been through the ringer, playing an extremely difficult non-conference schedule; Colorado, Penn State, and Ohio State in a less than two week stretch is a haul, and it's worth noting how competitive this OSU team has been despite those three losses. Jacie Hoyt took this team to the tournament last season, her first in Stillwater, and I'm excited to see how she continues to round out this talented, albeit undersized group.

Stailee Heard is the player I keep coming back to from watching this team play.

Heard is one of those players where you read her box score and you just cannot get the full image of how she actually plays. Listed at 5'11, Heard is averaging 14 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 60% from the floor and 69.9% on twos, incredibly efficient!

She's always on balance, playing off two feet, which I think is so key in how efficient she is around the rim and through contact.

She's been empowered to push the break, where she excels. She's a stout screener, solid already on the roll, and will take the open shot (although I want to see it with less hesitation as time goes on). She has a knack for making the right read as well and has polished footwork on drives.

Heard can kind of do a little bit of everything, and do it well, which is what makes her such a great fit in Oklahoma State's system. The foundation she already has as a freshman is incredibly impressive, and I can't wait to see what she and the Cowgirls have in store this season.

Games of the Week

Wednesday (Nov. 29th)

• Notre Dame @ Tennessee, 5pm EST on ESPN 2
• Florida @ Georgia Tech, 5pm EST ACC Network
• Seton Hall @ Princeton, 7pm EST FloHoops
• Appalachian St. @ Davidson, 7pm EST
• Vanderbilt @ NC State, 7:15pm EST ACC Network
• Miami @ Mississippi State, 7:15pm EST SEC Network
• Louisville @ Ole Miss, 9:15pm ESPNU

Thursday (Nov. 30th)

• Duke @ Georgia, 5pm EST
• Alabama @ Syracuse, 7pm EST
• South Carolina @ North Carolina, 7pm EST ESPN
• Michigan State @ DePaul, 7pm EST CBS Sports
• Richmond @ Villanova, 7pm EST
• Arkansas @ Florida State, 7pm EST ESPN2
• Baylor @ SMU, 8pm EST ESPNU
• Virginia Tech @ LSU, 9pm EST ESPN

Friday (Dec. 1st)

• Jackson State @ Kansas State, 7:30pm EST
• Tulsa @ TCU, 7:30pm EST

Saturday (Dec. 2nd)

• Bowling Green @ Iowa, 1:30pm EST Fox Sports 1
• Drake @ Minnesota, 2pm EST
• Michigan @ Harvard, 2pm EST
• Georgia Tech @ Nebraska, 3pm EST
• Arizona @ UNLV, 5pm EST
• BYU @ Utah, 9pm EST Pac-12 Network

Sunday (Dec. 3rd)

• George Mason @ Maryland, 1pm EST
• South Carolina @ Duke, 1pm EST ABC
• Florida Gulf Coast @ Old Dominion, 1pm EST
• Princeton @ Rhode Island, 1pm EST
• Oregon @ Baylor, 2pm EST Fox Sports 1
• Kansas @ Texas A&M, 2pm EST
• Villanova @ Columbia, 2pm EST
• Middle Tennessee @ Belmont, 3pm EST
• UConn @ Texas, 3pm EST ABC
• UCLA @ Arkansas, 3pm EST
• Auburn @ UAB, 3:30 pm EST
• Stanford @ Gonzaga, 4pm EST
• Ohio State @ Tennessee, 5pm EST ESPN