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Michael Voepel, ESPN.comDec 25, 2023, 09:30 AM ET
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- Michael Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
Thinking of giving gifts during the holidays can be tricky, whether with family, friends, or teams. Sometimes, it’s hard to know what people really need. However, determining what basketball teams need is a little easier based on what we’ve seen so far in the 2023-24 women’s college basketball season.
As we close the year, the final ESPN Power Rankings remain unchanged, as the top 16 teams had just one loss to a higher-ranked team. We expect to see more changes starting from New Year’s Day, as conference play takes over.
So far this season, we’ve learned several things: some freshmen are ready for prime time, mid-major and small conference teams have defeated Power 5 schools, and the South Carolina Gamecocks are determined to run the table in the regular season for a second year in a row despite a new starting lineup.
This week, we consider what each team needs as it enters league play and takes another big step toward March Madness.
Player of the week: Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State
The Buckeyes split games last week — falling to UCLA but beating Belmont — and Sheldon had a combined 61 points. She was 24 of 41 from the field overall (58.5%) and 8 of 15 from behind the arc (53.3%). The fifth-year guard, who was limited to 13 games last season due to injury, has started every game and leads Ohio State in scoring (19.1 PPG) and steals (2.2). She is shooting 56% from the field overall and 43.4% from behind the arc.
Team of the week: Oregon State
In a week where Oregon State secured a future basketball home (for at least two years) in the West Coast Conference along with Washington State, the Beavers moved to 10-0. They got victories over SE Louisiana and Texas Tech at the Maui Classic. Talia von Oelhoffen was tournament MVP with a combined 38 points, 11 rebounds and 17 assists. Oregon State has one more nonconference game before facing rival Oregon in its Pac-12 opener Sunday.
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Oklahoma Sooners vs. Southern Jaguars – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Oklahoma Sooners vs. Southern Jaguars, 12/22/2023
Win of the week: Southern 79, Oklahoma 70
Southern as a No. 4 seed won last season’s Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament and earned an NCAA tournament automatic bid. The Jaguars followed that this season with an extremely tough nonconference slate; Southern has the No. 8 strength of schedule. It paid off Friday as they beat the Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma was the ninth Power 5 team — fifth from the Big 12 — the Jags have faced this season,
