Women's college basketball Power Rankings: LSU has chance to make statement

Maryland had some recent struggles in the Big Ten, but an 86-70 road win over Michigan State on Wednesday helped the Terrapins move up to No. 16 in the CBS Sports women's college basketball Power Rankings this week.

While Brenda Frese's squad snapped a four-game losing streak, Michigan State coach Robyn Fralick said that was her team's "most disappointing game of the season." It was the Spartans second consecutive loss, as they also fell to Michigan in overtime on Sunday. However, both Michigan and Maryland are strong opponents so the Spartans only dropped down three spots to No. 17.

The top five teams remained intact, but all eyes will be on No. 3 Texas and No. 5 LSU as the Longhorns host the Tigers for a Thursday night SEC battle. This will be an important game because sweeping the series against Texas could potentially help LSU make a case for a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers are fresh of their 12th 100-plus-point game of the season with a 103-63 win over No. 22 Alabama on Sunday. That same day, the Longhorns got a quality 78-70 win against Oklahoma, our No. 9 team this week.

Another intriguing SEC matchup on Thursday will be between No. 7 Vanderbilt and No. 19 Kentucky. Before a 20-point win against Arkansas, the Wildcats had lost consecutive games against Mississippi State, Tennessee and Georgia. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt lost games against South Carolina and Ole Miss before a win over Florida on Sunday. This game will be an opportunity for both teams to get another quality win in the conference.

In the ACC, Duke has been trending in the right direction with the Blue Devils up to No. 15 this week. They have a big test on Thursday as the take on No. 6 Louisville on the road. The Cardinals are on a 14-game winning streak, while Duke has won 13 straight games. The momentum both teams have made this matchup one of the top five February games to watch.

Here are the latest CBS Sports women's college basketball Power Rankings.

Women's college basketball Power Rankings

1	Huskies
Last week: 1
2	Bruins
Last week: 2
3	Longhorns
Last week: 3
4	Gamecocks
Last week: 4
5	Lady Tigers
Last week: 5
6	Cardinals
Last week: 7
7	Commodores
Last week: 6
8	Wolverines
Last week: 9
9	Sooners
Last week: 10
10	Hawkeyes
Last week: 8
11	Buckeyes
Last week: 11
12	Rebels
Last week: 16
13	Horned Frogs
Last week: 12
14	Bears
Last week: 13
15	Blue Devils
Last week: 17
16	Terrapins
Last week: 18
17	Spartans
Last week: 14
18	Lady Volunteers
Last week: 15
19	Wildcats
Last week: 20
20	Mountaineers
Last week: NR
21	Huskies
Last week: 19
22	Crimson Tide
Last week: 22
23	Cyclones
Last week: 24
24	Tigers
Last week: 21
25	Tar Heels
Last week: NR

First five out: Georgia, NC State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, USC