For the first few weeks of voting in the AP Top 25 Poll this season, I had at various points been ranking South Carolina and UCLA ahead of the UConn Huskies. This wasn’t because I didn’t think UConn couldn’t repeat as national champions — of course I do. Have you seen that roster? Have you seen Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd play?
Rather, I was rewarding the Gamecocks and Bruins for playing challenging opponents early in their schedule and comfortably beating them. South Carolina owned a win over USC, while UCLA notched double-digit victories over Oklahoma and North Carolina.
And so, abiding by my own rules and way of thinking, I was compelled to elevate UConn to the top spot in my ballot this week. Because Michigan is better than any team that South Carolina or UCLA have faced so far, and UConn beat the Wolverines in one of the best games so far this season.
Michigan was ranked No. 6 in last week’s AP Top 25 Poll after blowing out Notre Dame by 39 points. After a narrow loss to UConn and a double-figure win over Syracuse, the Wolverines should remain in the top 10.
Back to the Huskies though. What the win over Michigan showed us was an answer to a question a lot of folks had coming into the season: When games got tight, who was going to step into the shoes of Paige Bueckers and drag this team to victories? As it turns out, the answer is both Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, who have emerged as tandem, co-bus-drivers for this UConn team.
Fudd made three consecutive 3-pointers to open the fourth quarter and then knocked down four game-sealing free throws in the waning moments of the game. Meanwhile, anytime anyone missed, Strong was there to corral the ball. She grabbed 20 rebounds in addition to totaling 16 points, six assists, four blocks and three steals. It was their play that kept the heroics of Michigan’s Syla Swords at arm’s length.
Strong and Fudd look like the most dynamic duo in the country. Until someone figures out how to slow them down, they make UConn look like the nation’s best team.
Here’s what my AP Top 25 ballot looks like after Week Three of the season…
Just missed: Fairfield, NC State, Princeton, Indiana, South Dakota State
25. Richmond
24. Michigan State
23. Ole Miss
22. Washington
21. Vanderbilt
20. Oklahoma State
19. West Virginia
18. USC
17. Notre Dame
16. Stanford
15. Iowa State
14. Baylor
13. Tennessee
12. Maryland
11. Iowa
10. North Carolina
9. Michigan
8. Oklahoma
7. Texas
6. LSU
5. Kentucky
4. TCU
3. UCLA
2. South Carolina
1. UConn
Games to watch this week:
- Princeton at Rhode Island: Wednesday, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+
- Texas vs. UCLA (in Las Vegas): Wednesday, 2 p.m. ET on truTV
- Oregon State vs. Vanderbilt (in Saint Thomas): Thursday, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+
- Fairfield at Iowa: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network
- Tennessee at UCLA: Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1
