Much more was on the line than a simple victory Saturday when the top-ranked Maryland women?s basketball team faced No. 19 Michigan State at the Comcast Center.
The game not only represented one of Maryland?s toughest opponents to date, but it also gave the Terps the chance to prove that the Atlantic Coast Conference is the top women?s basketball league in the nation. Maryland supported the argument by trouncing its Big 10 opponent, 97-57, in front of 12,295 fans and a nationally televised CBS audience.
“We want to represent the ACC and show its dominance,” Maryland guard Kristi Toliver said Saturday. “In our opinion, the ACC is the No. 1 conference in the country, and we just tried to show that today in our play.”
But according to the latest Ratings Percentage Index, the Big 10 has the top-ranked conference in the country. The Southeastern Conference follows in second place, while the ACC is third and the Big East is fourth. Each conference can make its case for supremacy based on both the AP Top 25 and through results over the weekend.
No. 4 Tennessee made the case for the SEC, which has five teams in the AP top 25,with its 70-64 win over No. 7 Connecticut of the Big East. The Big 10 made its case as No. 6 Ohio State took care of the SEC?s Kentucky, 53-51. The ACC, meanwhile, boasts the top three ranked teams in the country in Maryland, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Duke.
“I was joking with the CBS people that the RPI in the Big 10 is No. 1 right now,” Michigan State coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “But you wouldn?t believe it after that game. You want to do well for your conference, and we didn?t represent the Big 10 well at all.”
North Carolina State interim coach Stephanie Chance admitted there is a drop-off in the ACC after the top three teams, but she added that the rest of the league still should not be taken lightly.
“The conference is really tough as always,” Chance said. “It?s top-heavy this year with those teams being ranked one, two and three ? and legitimately so. The conference is still very challenging after that, so it will be a very interesting year. But [the ACC] continues to be the best conference in the country for women?s basketball, so that alone makes it very challenging game in and game out.”
