A new-look DII women’s basketball Power 10 rankings for the new year
Grand Valley State has yet to lose to a DII women’s basketball program, and Ashland made more DII history. It would appear not much has changed in the new year as the Lakers and Eagles battle atop the DII women’s basketball Power 10 rankings. However, that is far from the truth.
Three teams are making the Power 10 debut this season, while three others move up and down the rollercoaster that is the Power 10 rankings thus far in 2023-24.
🏀 The DII women’s basketball all-stats starting five for December
Remember, these are my rankings, and I try to capture an overall picture of DII women’s basketball. That means combining selection committee metrics with the simple eye test while looking at what lies ahead in the new year to see if teams can maintain their current hot-streak status. That usually means my rankings look very different from the national rankings. As with the DII men’s basketball Power 10 rankings, this season I will be using stats from InkblotSports. You can see those metrics — which include RPI and PI amongst other selection metrics — here or join the Inkblot Sports Patreon here.
The second DII women’s basketball Power 10 rankings of the regular season
(all stats and records through Saturday, Jan. 6)
No. 1 Grand Valley State | Previous: 1
The Lakers are a perfect 11-0 against DII women’s basketball competition with their lone loss coming to Division I Ohio State on Dec. 15. They have not played the toughest schedule in the Power 10, but they have torched the competition of late, winning their last three DII contests by an average of 38 points since that Ohio State loss. The Lakers, as usual, are built on a suffocating defense that allows just 48 points per game — second-best in the division. Offensively, it is a balanced attack with eight players chipping in at least six points per night. While I don’t count games that are not against DII opponents, it is worth mentioning that GVSU set its program record with 127 points in an 82-point win over NAIA Rochester. This team is grooving.
No. 2 Ashland | Previous: 2
Though the Eagles saw their 45-game winning streak snapped in an upset to Ferris State in December, they made DII women’s basketball history this past Saturday. Ashland won its 33rd-straight road game, breaking Saint Rose’s mark of 32 set from 1996-99. This team looks every bit capable of being a repeat champion and comes at you in so many different ways. Annie Roshak is simply one of the best all-around players in the division, while Zoe Miller can flat-out score. Then there’s Hayley Smit. She’s a beast off the boards and leads the team in rebounding.
No. 3 Catawba | Previous: 4
Catawba dropped an early season game against perennial tournament-bound North Georgia, but have been on a tear since, winners of seven in a row. That includes huge conference wins against Lenoir-Rhyne and Anderson (SC), two programs in the top 8 of the Southeast Region. Four starters are averaging more than 11 points per game, and Lyrik Thorne continues to be one of the best players in the division averaging 21.5 points per game over her last five.
No. 4 Union (TN) | Previous: 10 (tied)
Union is now 12-1 against DII opponents and the top team in a tough South Region, scoring at least 90 points in each of its past two blowout victories. This team has crazy depth in scoring as four players average more than 11.1 points per game and three more chip in at least 9.2 points per game. That helps Union win games by an average of 31.3 points per game, the top mark in DII women’s basketball. The Gulf South Conference is no easy task, so we’ll see if this team can keep steamrolling tournament-ready competition, but right now, there are few teams hotter than the Bulldogs.
No. 5 Southern Nazarene | Previous: 6
The Storm is the last remaining undefeated team, now 12-0 on the season. Their resume is littered with signature wins including victories over nationally ranked Minnesota State, Northwestern Oklahoma State and Lubbock Christian. Southern Nazarene has the top defense in the GAC, allowing just 53.7 points per game — a top-10 mark in the division. On offense, Lauryn Reither and Hannah Giddey are a handful, they combine for 28.9 points, 16.0 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game.
No. 6 Fairmont State | Previous: First five out
The Fighting Falcons are flying and are currently the No. 1 in the Atlantic. While Gannon is getting more love in the national polls, Fairmont State has played a tougher schedule and has the No. 1 RPI and PI in the region, which is why I have the Falcons higher in the Power 10. Alyssa DeAngelo is one of the best scorers in DII women’s basketball, now averaging 22.2 points per game and backed by a starting five that can all score at will. The MEC has a much different look this year, so far at least, and it may be Fairmont State’s for the taking.
No. 7 Colorado School of Mines| Previous: First five out
The Orediggers’ RMAC rivals Colorado Mesa is atop the South Central in RPI, but Colorado School of Mines won the first matchup against the Mavericks and jumped into the Power 10. With a 12-1 overall record and two huge wins against the Mavericks and Montana State Billings (the two teams they are currently contending with as top dog of the South Central), this team is very much worthy of top-10 status, especially winning their last 10 in a row. Ashley Steffeck continues to be one of the division’s elite players, posting nightly averages of 18.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.5 steals per game.
No. 8 Gannon | Previous: 8
The Golden Knights are on fire, winners of 12 in a row with a big, one-point victory over a nine-win Cal (PA) team on Saturday. That’s just another resume-building win for Gannon, who has victories over ranked West Chester, Tampa and Angelo State to its name. Though the defense has been the key, allowing a paltry 52.1 points per game, Samantha Pirosko has been huge thus far, contributing 17.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
No. 9 Azusa Pacific | Previous: First five out
The Cougars have won eight in a row, have played an SOS with a .543 winning percentage (the eighth toughest in a tricky West Region) and have the No. 1 PI and a top-3 RPI in the region — and were left out of last week’s national rankings. While their loss to Western Washington could haunt them come bracket time, if the tournament was seeded today, this is arguably the top team in the West.
No. 10 Bentley| Previous: 10 (tied)
Heading into this past weekend, Bentley and Saint Rose were battling for the top spot in the East Region, statistically speaking. The gap was widened as Bentley moved to 10-2 with an utterly dominating 57-32 victory over the Golden Knights. The Falcons are allowing just 53.1 points per game, and opponents have a tough time shooting against their defense, shooting 35.8 percent from the floor and a dismal 22.6 percent from 3. Maggie Whitmore and Ella Thompson lead the way in scoring and on the boards, but this is a total team effort.
First five out (in alphabetical order):
- Colorado Mesa: As I mentioned, the Mavericks have the top RPI in the South Central and have Olivia Reed playing like a player of the year.
- Ferris State: The Bulldogs get dinged for the upsets to Wisconsin-Parkside and now Daemen (who is incredibly underrated this year). Ferris State is still very tough and battling atop a deep Midwest Region.
- Jefferson: If you’ve followed the all-stats team, you know Jefferson made all-stats history with two players leading the way in Morgan Robinson and Sam Yencha off to hot starts. They are a huge reason the Rams have only one loss.
- Lubbock Christian: The Chaps have the second-highest RPI in the South Central, have played an extremely tough schedule and are still 9-3. They need to start winning some signature games to build their resume, but I’m not counting them out yet.
- Montana State Billings: The Yellow Jackets have some tough losses but are right atop the West Region right now. Kola Bad Bear has been impressive, leading this team in scoring and rebounding.
Just missed: Central Missouri, Fayetteville State, Fort Hays State, Harding, Northwest Missouri State, Pittsburg State, Tampa, Texas Woman’s, Valdosta State, Virginia State, Western Washington
