Examining the resumes of No. 1 UConn and No. 2 Texas in this week's AP poll. Longhorns have a case to be the top-ranked team in the country.
The No. 2 Texas Longhorns continue to stream roll through the non-conference slate, most recently dismantling a solid No. 13-ranked Baylor team 89-54 at the Sprouts Farmers Market espnW Invitational in Fort Worth on Sunday.
The win propelled the Longhorns to 12-0 on the season, but they stood pat at No. 2 in the AP rankings amid belief that they've showed enough to be classified as the nation's top team. Instead, UConn has stayed at No. 1 earning 24 of the 32 first-place votes.
It's clear these two are a cut above the rest in collegiate women's basketball at the moment, but if we investigate each team's early-season resume comparatively, the Longhorns could make the case to be atop the rankings as we move into conference play in the new year.
Danny Davis of the Austin Statesman raises the point by putting UConn and Texas side by side following their Week 6 performances (the Huskies beat No. 19 USC 79-51 on Saturday).
At the moment, UConn has less wins than Texas, has scored over three points less per game while only allowing one point less to their opponents, and has faced worse competition than the undefeated Longhorns have. Two of Texas' five ranked wins (No. 24 Richmond not pictured above) have come against teams ranked in the top three, and they have won their ranked games by an average of 18.4 points.
South Carolina (No. 3) and UCLA (No. 4) remain at the top of the rankings with their lone losses coming at the hands of the Longhorns. LSU at No. 5 rounds out the top grouping in this week's AP poll.
Yes, the Huskies are the reigning national champs, but these Longhorns are putting together a clinic that is incomparable this season and building a strong argument on why they should be crowned the best of the best.
While the Longhorns team hasn't been given the top respect yet in the rankings, the AP has issued notable praise to Texas' best player, junior forward Madison Booker, who was named the AP National Player of the Week this week. She also earned the same recognition by the USBWA and SEC.
Booker averaged 27.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game on the week, guiding Texas to wins over UTRGV and Baylor. In that former game against the Vaqueros, Booker became the fifth player in program history to record a triple-double as she filled the stat sheet with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 110-45 win.
Against Baylor, she stuck to her scoring prowess with 27 points while adding eight rebounds and five assists.
Texas head coach Vic Schaefer visited with ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith on his show to discuss the Longhorns' dominant start to the season.
"We have a great group of young ladies," Schaefer said on what's made his team so successful. "We do our homework, my staff does a tremendous job in recruiting, we have really good players, I've got two of the best guards in the country, and to go along with a great, great cast with them.
"So, really really just been fortunate to have all that and then some to do what we've been able to do."
With the big ranked wins and near-top-ranking poll position, Schaefer talked about how being on the Forty Acres in Austin brings the best out of his team - no matter the challenge.
"You know, Stephen A., when you're at the University of Texas, it's just what comes with signing up to be here," the coach said about handling the weight of expectations. "We get everybody's best shot. ... So, you know, as we tell them in recruiting, when you come here it's 'Texas vs. Everyone', and so you've got to wear that."
That apparently stays the same when it comes to AP voting, too.
The Longhorns will look to continue building on their case to be the best team in the country when they face Northwestern State at the Moody Center on Dec. 17 - one of three more out-of-conference games before Texas travels to Missouri on Jan. 1 to start SEC play.