Here's our rundown on Richmond's Rachael Bilney

The first question you have to ask Richmond junior Rachael Bilney is why the "a?" I mean, who spells Rachael that way? The answer's got to be Jody Bilney, Rachael's mother, right? Well, not exactly. The story goes......

The nurse at the hospital I was born at asked my mother how she wanted Rachael to be spelled. My mom said, 'I just delivered twins. I don't care how you spell it. I’m exhausted.' So I have an a. Like Michael Shafer. 

Samantha Bilney was the other baby born on May 24, 1990, and she's also a Spider. Rachael has the ACL injury this season, but it's Sam who has endured the share of the knee problems in the family. Sam has torn her the ACL in her right knee three times. She has torn the ACL in her left knee once and sat out all of last season due to the injury. Rachael tore hers two days before the start of practice.

The knee problems prevented Sam from being heavily recruited. So when Shafer offered Rachael a scholarship, she dropped a not-so-subtle hint about her sister being a pretty good player, too.

Do you know about Sam? she asked.

Shafer thought to himself, "She has a brother?"

Send us some tape, he told the family. Shafer knew if he wanted Rachael, he'd have to take Sam. "We felt like we had the scholarship and it was worth the shot. When she rolled in here as a freshman, it was unbelievable how good Sam Bilney was. Oh, my gosh! Aggressive. Attacking. It killed us when she went down. She was a leader, a captain as a freshman.

Sam has started every game this season and continues to be the calming influence she was on the floor before her season ended 22 games in. She's also someone who can relate to Rachael, who was devastated by her injury after putting in a terrific summer.

Says Rachael: "I was a rah-rah person when she was going through it, but she's almost like an encyclopedia for me."

It's easy to become disconnected with the team when you're sitting on the bench, knowing you're not going to be on the floor the entire season. Instead, Rachael has become the social media butterfly for Richmond. For starters, she writes a blog, and it's not a sophomoric effort. She described in exquisite detail the team's trip to Scandanavia over the summer.

We boarded a boat that would take us through the fjord. Everyone was able to get a seat outside and we all just sat in complete awe of what we were seeing. Cliffs that made skyscrapers look like tinker toys surrounded us and waterfalls were sprinkled throughout the mountains creating a beautiful contrast with the rocks. This same stunning scene lasted the entire two hours we were on the boat and continued on throughout the following bus and train rides. 

Rachael also takes folks inside the team with "Rach's Rundown," a regular video feature focusing on the Richmond freshmen. (Haven's seen her piece on Becca Wann? It's a scream.) She's a natural on camera, a field that has interested her since she was small. 

When we were 5, we moved to Texas, and Sam and I didn't like it. We were in this big house and we had our own room, but I didn't want to sleep up there, so I slept on the floor of my parents' bedroom. Every morning to wake us up, my mom would turn on the TV and it would be "The Today Show" and Katie Couric. At the age of 7 I decided I wanted to wake people up in the morning. I wanted to be the first voice they heard.

These days Rachael still loves broadcasting, though her passion has evolved.

Erin Andrews is my woman. I think the opportunity to do what she does is terrific. Go to every game. That's so unique. Journalism and broadcasting set people up to have experiences nobody else has.

As much as Rachael loves her behind-the-scenes role, she's looking forward to playing again, too. She knows she likely won't be completely uninhibited due to the knee injury.

It's unfortunate, but I think it's something that will always be in the back of my mind. Any time I go on a fastbreak layup from now on, I will always think about it. You have to be confident in how diligent you worked during your rehab and be confident in how you play. If it happens, it happens.

Richmond, Radford, Hampton looking to keep win streaks alive

Saturday's previews:

Charleston Southern (9-9, 3-2 Big South) at Liberty (9-8, 3-1), 2 p.m.
Buccaneers senior guard Katie Tull leads the conference in scoring (15.1 ppg) and Charleston-Southern comes in on a three-game win streak. Tull is also 12th nationally in 3-pointers made with 3.0 per game. If history is an indication, you'd have to bet on the Flames, who own this series 42-5 and have won the last 27, holding Tull scoreless in her last visit to the Vines Center. Liberty's loss to Radford confounds us, but we think they'll come out on top here. Liberty 77, Charleston-Southern 61.

Hampton (12-5, 5-0 MEAC) Bethune-Cookman (8-8, 2-3), 2 p.m.
After destroying NC A&T earlier in the week, we wonder if anyone in the MEAC is up to challenging the Pirates, whose offense has become potent behind freshman Nicole Hamilton. The Wildcats, meanwhile, have lost six of their last seven to the Pirates and average a mere 57.6 ppg. Yep, it's on the road, but for reasons that seems obvious, we pick Hampton. Hampton 78, Bethune Cookman 49

Presbyterian (5-11, 2-2 Big South) at  Radford (7-11, 4-1), 3 p.m.
A Blue Hose victory would make history as the team has never won six games in Division I. And yes, Presbyterian has the best scoring defense in the conference and beat a pretty decent Winthrop team. But the Highlanders have won all six meetings between these teams and come in riding high after a huge road win at Liberty that puts them in a tie for first place in the league. Da'Naria Erwin-Spencer is our girl (14.4 ppg) and Radford's our pick here. Radford 66, Presbyterian 55

North Carolina Central (2-15) at Norfolk State (6-8), 4 p.m.
Spartans have dropped their last four and are without a win since Jan. 2. NSU didn't inspire us after shooting 21 percent against Howard, and they have dropped both meetings in this series since moving to Division I. No way to sugarcoat this. NSU needs a win and should get it here. Norfolk State 63, North Carolina Central 51

Dayton (11-7, 2-2 Atlantic 10) at Richmond (13-5, 4-0), 7 p.m.
So pumped are we for this one that we're taking it in ourselves. The Flyers are no doubt flying high with an offense that averages 79.3 ppg, good enough for 17th in the nation. A year ago Dayton destroyed Richmond 83-31 in a game that started the Spiders on a downward spiral. New year, new team? We think so. The Spiders have to feel pretty good about themselves after climbing back from 21 down on the road to beat Duquesne. Brittani Shells, the A-10's scoring leader at 20.4 ppg, has never played better, and Richmond is 5-0 at home. Richmond 73, Dayton 70

Virginia falls in OT to Maryland

Friday's game:


Maryland 77, Virginia 75 OT:

What a heartbreaker for the Cavaliers. Diandra Tchatchouang, who forced OT by hitting the Terrapins' only 3 of the game, made a driving layup with 6.1 seconds to play in OT for the gamewinner. Ariana Moorer had a good look and a great shot at a 3 to win it, but it did everything but fall, causing the senior to collapse on the floor of John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia (11-9, 0-4 ACC) led 68-62 with two minutes to play in regulation but managed only one more point in the period. Chelsea Shine led four players in double figures; Alyssa Thomas led Maryland with 18.

Virginia shoots for 1st ACC win vs. Maryland

Friday's game

#15 Maryland (14-3, 1-2 ACC) at Virginia (11-8, 0-3 ACC), 8:30 p.m.
The Cavaliers' 0-3 conference start isn't terribly surprising; their three opponents, Miami, Georgia Tech and Florida State, are a combined 49-9 this season and 11-1 in the ACC. And remember, Virginia was picked to finish 10th in the league. Size-rich Maryland poses yet another daunting challenge. The Terrapins began the week tops in the ACC and No. 3 in all of Division I in rebounding margin, which figures since their starting lineup typically features 6-2 freshman sensation Alyssa Thomas, 6-3 Tianna Hawkins, 6-3 Diandra Tchatchouang and 6-4 Lynetta Kizer. Maryland has outrebounded its opponents in 15 of its 17 games; Virginia is 1-6 when it gets outrebounded. It would help if the Cavs could find some rhythm with their halfcourt offense. It didn't look good in Sunday's 54-45 victory over Penn, so let's hope they used the practice days since well. There will be a premium each possession on creating a high-percentage shot because the way Maryland rebounds, often that one shot will be all they get. The numbers certainly favor Maryland. But we're playing a hunch that homecourt advantage, time to prepare and a sense that the Terrapins might be a bit overrated will tip things towards the Cavaliers. The game will be televised on Comcast Sportsnet (check your local listings). Virginia 67, Maryland 63

VCU holds off ODU; 4 teams tied for CAA lead

Number 600 will have to wait. VCU's Rams made sure of that by dominating on the boards and with the law firm of Hurt, Johnson and Barbour, then surviving some shaky late-game execution to leave Lady Monarchs coach Wendy Larry's career win total stuck on 599. Now, instead of one unbeaten squad lording over the rest of the CAA, there are four teams able to wag their index fingers and claim, We're No. 1! 


Current CAA Standings
UNC Wilmington      5-1   13-4
James Madison         5-1   12-6
Old Dominion           5-1   11-6
VCU                        5-1   10-6
Drexel                      3-3   11-6
Hofstra                     3-3   11-6
Delaware                 3-3    10-7
George Mason         2-4     8-9
Georgia State           2-4    7-10
Northeastern            2-4    7-10
Towson                   1-5    7-10
William and Mary    0-6    1-15

Thursday's games

VCU 63, Old Dominion 60: Courtney Hurt, Sonia Johnson and Andrea Barbour combined for 34 of 38 first-half points for the Rams, who built a 10-point halftime lead by getting second- and third-shots seemingly at will. They went into intermission with more offensive rebounds (14) than ODU had total rebounds, and a 24-10 advantage on the boards overall. The second half started out with more of the same and the Rams' lead grew to 14. No one can say this Lady Monarchs team won't fight, though. A week ago, they rescued a game at Georgia State by confounding the Panthers with pressure defense. Thursday, they damn near unhinged VCU with it, too, and a Jasmine Parker 3-pointer got the Lady Monarchs to within 2 with less than 3 minutes to go. But the Lady Monarchs turned it over on their next two possessions to slide back down 5. Then the Rams began acting as though they didn't want it, either, as they missed all five of their free throws over the final 1:09. But Parker's potential game-tying 3-pointer with 6 seconds left fell short, and Jo Guilford's 35-foot  prayer at the buzzer went unanswered as well. The nation's leading rebounder, Hurt finished with 16 of VCU's 39 rebounds along with a 19 points. Johnson also had 19 points for the Rams and Barbour added 11, all in the first half. Tia Lewis and Kquanise Byrd paced ODU with 11 points each. Both teams left the game with stuff they need to work on. But the Rams also left with a victory, a share of the CAA lead and the knowledge that, after going 36 years without a victory against the Lady Monarchs in Norfolk, VCU teams are now 2-for-2.

James Madison 72, William and Mary 59: It wasn't close at the end, but for much of the night the Tribe were positioning themselves nicely for their first CAA win. With Taysha Pye on, Dawn Evans off  and the Dukes missing layups with alarming frequency, the Tribe led through most of the first half and were still up 4 with about 15 minutes left in the second. Then Dukes center Lauren Jimenez hit a pair of free throws. And Evans, who missed her first 10 shots, hit a 3-pointer. And another. And another. They were the daggers in the 17-1 run that crushed W&M's upset bid and replaced it with a comfortable JMU victory. Jimenez, who blitzed the Tribe for 23 points and 11 rebounds on Jan. 6 in Williamsburg, torched them again Thursday with 21 points and 10 boards. Evans, the nation's leading scorer whose first field goal came at the 13:08 mark of the second half, wound up with 15 points and Courtney Hamner contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds. Pye had a game-high 22 points and Jaclyn McKenna added 16 for the Tribe.

George Mason 49, Drexel 47: One week ago, Drexel's Hollie Mershon nailed a prayer 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime against JMU. On Sunday, the Dragons' Kamile Nacickaite splashed a trey at the buzzer for a one-point win at William and Mary. Nacickaite was at it again Thursday, as she drilled a jumper to tie things at 47 with 22 seconds left. Problem was, she left too much time. Taleia Moton answered for the Patriots, knocking down a jumper of her own with 5 seconds left to snap Mason's four-game losing streak and deliver the Patriots' first victory over Drexel in 9 meetings. As the final score suggests, the Pats won this with defense as they limited the CAA's best long-distance shooting team to just 4 3-pointers - the Dragons average 8.2 per game, 5th in Division I - and 31.2 percent shooting overall. Mason also enjoyed a 37-29 rebounding advantage. Moton led the Patriots with 14 points, Brittany Poindexter added 12 and Amber Easter 11. Rahneeka Saunders (4 points) was the only other Patriot to score. But with their defense clamping down on the hard-to-guard Dragons, on this night four scorers were just enough. Moton made sure of it.

Other CAA results

UNC Wilmington 66, Delaware 47: Seahawks star Brittany Blackwell goes for 21 points (on 9-of-9 shooting) and 10 rebounds. Still no Elena Delle Donne for Delaware.

Hofstra 81, Towson 74: Shante Evans leads the Pride with 27 points and 13 rebounds.

Northeastern 72, Georgia State 48: Deanna Kerkhof scores 16 points to lead four players in double figures for the Huskies.

(600th) Win-day for Wendy?

Thursday's games

Virginia Commonwealth (9-6, 4-1 CAA) at Old Dominion (11-5, 5-0 CAA), 7 p.m.

Two major sources of motivation for the Lady Monarchs tonight. A victory would be the 600th in Division I for ODU coach Wendy Larry, something you may have read a few words about this week. Also, the last time the Rams visited the Constant Center, they beat the Lady Monarchs in Norfolk for the first time since 1972-73. Beat 'em bad, too -  75-56, ODU's worst-ever CAA loss at the Constant Center. We'll never forget Larry's words in the aftermath: "Too many opponents think they can come in here and make a name for themselves. Today, it just didn't seem to be important enough to us." We suspect the Lady Monarchs will make defending the home court much more of a priority tonight. ODU 69, VCU 63

William and Mary (1-14, 0-5 CAA) at James Madison (11-6, 4-1 CAA), 7 p.m.

When these teams met two weeks ago - crazy scheduling, huh? - the Tribe fell behind and were forced into a shootout. That was fine with the Dukes, as five players scored in double figures in the 89-75 victory. Senior center Lauren Jimenez finished with a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, but hasn't played since while dealing with concussion-like symptoms. JMU says Jimenez may make her return tonight. The Tribe is coming off a heartbreaking 59-58 loss to Drexel, a game that went the other way when the Dragons' Kamile Nacickaite drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer. It was the Tribe's fourth loss this season either in overtime or on the last possession, so it's clear this isn't your garden-variety 1-14 team. Then again, former NFL coach Bill Parcells' famous line - "you are what your record says you are" - is the unfortunate reality. JMU 78, William and Mary 64

Drexel (11-5, 3-2 CAA) at George Mason (7-9, 1-4 CAA), 7 p.m.

The Patriots have lost four straight, but the games have been against ODU, VCU, UNC Wilmington and James Madison, the current top four teams in the conference (combined CAA record: 17-3). It doesn't get much easier tonight, either, as the Dragons continue to work around injuries and remain contenders as well. Drexel's unique style is problematic for most teams and has been particularly confounding to the Patriots, who have dropped eight straight in the series.  Drexel 58, George Mason 54

Richmond rallies, comes up big at Duquesne

Richmond 72, Duquesne 58: Up until now, beating N.C. State represented the high point of the Richmond season. But this is bigger, in part because it came on the road but also because, frankly, Duquesne is a better team than N.C. State. The Dukes (15-3, 2-1 Atlantic 10) came in with a seven-game winning streak and the resume of a Top 25 team. Early on, they played like one, too, as the jumped on the Spiders and built a 21-point lead. But Duquesne's weakness is committing turnovers, which works out well for the Spiders since their strength is forcing turnovers. And early in the second half, with the Spiders still down 15, Richmond's defense and running game created a 19-0 spurt that completely flipped this game over. The Spiders wound up outscoring the Dukes by 26 points in the second half. Brittani Shells had 25 points, Crystal Goring 18 (on 6-of-8 shooting) and Abby Oliver 16 for the Spiders (13-5, 4-0 A-10), who scored 22 points off 20 Duquesne turnovers. The Spiders have now won four straight and 9 of their last 10. By the way, we waffled on picking Richmond in this game, but we had a guest analyst do the picks and he went with the Spiders. Maybe we should consult him more often....

South Carolina Upstate 61, Longwood 57: Hard-luck Lancers (3-13) lose their fourth straight game by four points or less. This one might be the most painful of the bunch, as for the first 33-plus minutes, Longwood was giving the Lady Rifles (8-8) a pretty good whuppin'. Crystal Smith's layup with 6:42 left gave the Lancers a 55-45 lead, but then...nothing. Over the next 6:34, Longwood went 0-for-11 from the field, 0-for-5 from 3-point range, 0-for-2 from the line, committed four fouls and coughed up six turnovers. When Chelsea Coward got a layup to fall to finally end the drought, only eight seconds remained. Then the buzzer sounded, and we can imagine the Lancers alternating glances at the scoreboard and each other and wondering, what the heck just happened here?

Tough A-10 showdown for Richmond

Wednesday's games

Richmond (12-5, 3-0 Atlantic 10) at Duquense (15-2, 2-0 Atlantic 10), 7 p.m.
 This is a big road test for the Spiders, a showdown between two of the four teams currently tied for first in the A-10 (the other unbeatens are Temple and Xavier). Both teams are on a roll (or would that be on rolls -- plural, hmmmm ... ). Richmond has won eight of its last nine, and Duquesne has won 9 of its last 10. Recent history is on the Dukes' side, as they have won the last two meetings with Richmond (including an impressive win at the Robins Center last January). But the Spiders are looking especially good right now. Abby Oliver is the conference's reigning Player of the Week (she put up 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting Sunday), and if she can continue to complement Brittani Shells, then Richmond is awfully hard to contain.
Richmond 65, Duquesne 61.

Longwood (3-12) at South Carolina Upstate (7-8) at 7 p.m.

First things first: Where is S.C. Upstate anyways? It's in Spartansburg, hence the team is the Spartans. Now that we've got that settled ... The Lancers have lost their last three games by a total of 10 points. SC Upstate has also lost its last three, but the combined margin is 39 points. The suspicion is that Longwood is due to pull out a close one. On the one hand, Longwood whupped up on Campbell 71-48, while Campbell played Upstate much closer in an 85-71 loss. On the other hand (there's always two of them, you know), Longwood lost to Marshall, while Upstate beat that same Thundering Herd, so the "common opponents" thing looks like a wash. In the end, (a.) it should be a close game, (b.) Longwood seems primed to win a close one after three straight closes losses, and (c.) the Lancers are good free throw shooters, which always comes in handy in a tight game.
Longwood 73, S.C. Upstate 68

USA Today discovers JMU's Evans

By now you may think you've read everything there is to read about JMU's Dawn Evans. But we pretty much guarantee you'll learn something you didn't know in this terrific read by USA Today's Erik Brady. Among our favorite nuggets:

Rosalyn Evans, Dawn's mother: "One doctor told her she might not play anymore and she looked him straight in the face and said: 'No disrespect, but God has the last word on that.' She told him Alonzo Mourning did it and the doctor said, 'He had to retire.' And she said, 'No, he played for years after that.' And he said, 'He did? Then I'll reevaluate.' "

We're scoring that one Dawn 1, Doctor 0.

Silent majority rankings #11

Previous rankings
Week 9
Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1
Preseason

ESPN mid-major rankings
Collegeinsider.com mid-major poll

1. Xavier (14-2)
Last week: 1
Milestone alert: Musketeers head coach Kevin McGuff's next victory will be the 200th of his coaching career. Now in his 9th season, McGuff currently has a 199-72 record. Up next: Wednesday vs. St. Bonaventure; Saturday at Charlotte.

2. Marist (15-2)
Last week: 2
The Red Foxes' RPI (80) continues to sink as though there's an anvil attached to it, but that's life during a down year in the MAAC. It's only going to get worse, too, as the "best" RPI team left on Marist's schedule - unless the Red Foxes can re-schedule their storm-related postponed game at Arizona State - is Loyola (Md.) at 189. None of this should matter a great deal, though, as the Red Foxes proved during the non-conference season that they can beat NCAA Tournament-caliber teams on a neutral floor, which for most team is what the NCAA Tournament is all about. On deck: Saturday at Manhattan; Monday vs. Loyola (Md.).

3. Green Bay (17-1)
Last week: 3
Last week the Phoenix shot 60 percent in the second half of a victory over Youngstown State, and three days later shot a season-best 63.6 percent in the first half of a win over Illinois-Chicago. If Green Bay can ever put two halves like that together, they should call UConn and dare the Huskies to take them on. On deck: Saturday vs. Milwaukee.
Related: ESPN: The best 3 minutes of Green Bay's season

4. Duquesne (15-2)
Last week: 6
Saturday's 61-57 victory at Dayton boosted the Dukes' record to 9-1 in road games. The nine wins are more than anyone in the latest AP Top 25, and Duquesne's road winning percentage is greater than everyone in the poll except Duke (8-0, 1.000). AP No. 20 Iowa State (1-3) and No. 25 Ohio State (2-4 and a loser to Duquesne at home) actually have losing road records while No. 1 Baylor (1-1), No. 14 Oklahoma (3-3), No. 18 Iowa (3-3) and No. 19 Kentucky (3-3) sport .500 marks in their opponent's gym. We're not that surprised that AP voters haven't looked that deeply inside the numbers. But coaches know how hard it is to win on the road. Shouldn't they be giving these Dukes more credit in the ESPN/USA Today poll? On deck: Wednesday vs. Richmond; Saturday at LaSalle.

5. Florida Gulf Coast (14-0)
Last week: 6
We knew the Eagles loved to shoot the 3-ball, but...55 times? That's how many they launched during Monday's 87-52 win over Mercer, eclipsing the NCAA Division I record 52 attempts of Alabama (2002) and Cal Poly (1999). The Eagles connected on a school-record 20 of them - one shy of another NCAA mark. "We love when teams play zone against us," junior guard Eglah Griffin told the Naples Daily News. We bet. The victory was also the Eagles' 32nd straight at home, the third-longest such streak in the country behind UConn (71) and Stanford (54). On deck: Thursday at Stetson; Monday at Campbell.

6. Princeton (12-3)
Last week: 6
It's official - star sophomore Niveen Rasheed is out for the season with a torn ACL in her right knee. Rasheed  was leading the Ivy League in scoring (16.4 ppg) and steals (29) and ranked second in rebounding (7.3 rpg), so obviously the Tigers will be affected. Then again, they beat Drexel with Rasheed playing just 16 foul-plagued minutes. They beat Davidson with Rasheed missing most of the second half after sustaining the injury. And they beat Wake Forest (on the road), LaSalle and Penn without Rasheed at all. Will the loss of such an impact player eventually catch up with these guys? A couple of weeks ago, we were convinced it would. Now, we're not so sure. On deck: Jan. 28 at Brown.

7. Bowling Green (16-2)
Last week: 3
Prior to last week's 44-43 setback at Kent State, the Falcons hadn't lost in so long (15 games) they may have forgotten what it felt like. Still stinks, doesn't it? Bowling Green shot just 28.6 percent in the game, by far their season low, had nearly 10 assists fewer than average and turned it over 19 times, the most since the Falcons' season-opening loss to Evansville. Also, the 43 points were 19 fewer than they'd scored in any other game. Anyone can throw in a clunker on the road in conference, so since this was so atypical of the Falcons, for now we're going to credit Kent State for great defense and consider Bowling Green's effort an outlier. Tuesday's victory at Buffalo was a nice bounceback. On deck: Saturday vs. Central Michigan.

8. Gonzaga (15-4)
Last week:
It wasn't quite vintage Bulldogs, but the Zags did enough to survive at Loyola Marymount 65-59 and move to 3-0 in the West Coast Conference. An added bonus - all three wins have all come on the road. The Bulldogs continue to lead the nation in assists (19.9 apg, led by Courtney Vandersloot's Division I leading 9.2 apg) and are second to Marist in assist-turnover ratio. On deck: Thursday vs. Santa Clara; Saturday vs. San Francisco.

9. Middle Tennessee State (14-4)
Last week: 9
Sunday's 57-52 victory at Arkansas State was the Blue Raiders' fifth straight. Freshman Ebony Rowe ranks 7th in Division I in field-goal percentage (60.2) and is the only player among the top 25 on this list to be under six feet tall. Rowe is listed at 5-11, which probably means she's actually around 5-9, 5-10 tops. On deck: Wednesday vs. Troy; Friday vs. Denver.

10. Louisiana Tech (11-5)
Last week: 10
The Lady Techsters and Fresno State waged a Game of the Year candidate - maybe the frontrunner - before LaTech survived 94-92 in triple-overtime at Fresno. A Brietta Thomas 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left finally settled as the Lady Techsters prevailed despite trailing by 13 in the second half and having to play all three overtimes without leading scorer and rebounder Adrienne Johnson, who fouled out with 14 seconds left in regulation. On deck: Wednesday vs. Utah State; Friday vs. Nevada.

11. Tulane (15-2)
Last week: 11
The Green Wave used suffocating pressure to make quick work out of Marshall (68-38) last week and have now won eight in a row since losing to Louisiana Tech on Dec. 17. Roshaunda Barnes ranks second in Division I in steals (3.6 spg). On deck: Thursday vs. Southern Miss., Sunday at Tulsa.

12. TCU (12-6)

Last week: 13

Horned Frogs coach Jeff Mittie, after his team forced 31 turnovers, held Colorado State to 31.8 percent shooting and outrebounded the Rams by 13 in a 66-40 rout: "I did not think it was a great game defensively." Tough taskmaster, this coach Mittie. On deck: Wednesday vs. BYU; Saturday at Utah.

13. Richmond (12-5)

Last week:

Big ups to Spiders junior Abby Oliver for earning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors; individual awards are tough to snag in a 14-team league featuring that double-double duo at Xavier and so many other talented players. Oliver's teammate, Brittani Shells, is quite the awards hog, too. So Abby must have been really good. The Spiders have won three straight and 8 of their last 9, but the schedule is about to get tricky. A year ago, it was at this point of the season where the Spiders went south for about three weeks. We don't expect the wheels to come off this year, but it will be interesting to see how Richmond handles itself over these next four games. On deck: Wednesday at Duquesne; Saturday vs. Dayton.

14. Houston (13-4)

Last week: 18

The Cougars stumbled through a 1-2 stretch during the three games senior Courtney Taylor sat out with a knee injury but have gone 4-0 since her return. Taylor averaged 19.0 ppg and 12.0 rpg in two victories last week to earn her eighth career Conference USA Player of the Week honor. She needs just eight rebounds to become the school's all-time leader. Also, Brittney Scott will be the school's all-time leading 3-point shooter when she connects on two more bombs. On deck: Thursday at UAB; Sunday vs. Memphis.

15. Old Dominion (11-5)

Last week: 14

Shaky in road games throughout the first two months of the season, the Lady Monarchs have won all three of their Colonial Athletic Association road games and are the only team unbeaten overall in CAA play (5-0). ODU's veterans have stepped up the most, as seniors Jasmine Parker, Alena Voronina and Kquanise Byrd - the reigning CAA Player of the Week - along with junior Tia Lewis have taken turns assuming starring roles in ODU victories. And let's not forget coach Wendy Larry, who continues to keep her teams one step ahead of her conference rivals during the regular season. Sunday's 62-59 win at Delaware was Larry's 550th at ODU and 599th of her career. On deck: Thursday vs. VCU; Sunday vs. Towson.

16. Charlotte (14-4)

Last week: 16

Strong road win Saturday at St. Joseph's as the 49ers dominated the boards (49-32) and got terrific efforts from the McCallum sisters - Shannon had 20 points and Paige had 16 points and 8 rebounds -en route to a 66-57 victory. Eager to see if these guys have anything for Xavier at home on Saturday. On deck: Wednesday at Rhode Island; Saturday vs. Xavier.

17. Hampton (11-5)

Last week: 17

The Lady Pirates have all along seemed like the class of the MEAC, but it was still stunning to see how easily they dispatched the thought-to-be league's second-best team, North Carolina A&T, in Monday night's 71-36 rout. Second-year coach David Six has said several times that his goal is to build a team that plays at a significantly higher level than the conference in which it plays. Looks like he's ahead of schedule. On deck: Saturday at Bethune-Cookman; Monday at Florida A&M. 

18. Temple (11-6)

Last week: 23

We know Rhode Island and Fordham aren't upper-division Atlantic 10 teams, but the fact that the Owls outscored these two teams by a combined 152-62 last week is, well, let's just say Temple appears to be hitting its stride. On deck: Wednesday vs. St. Joseph's; Saturday vs. Penn.

19. James Madison (11-6)

Last week: 24

A week ago, it appeared as though the loss of center Lauren Jimenez to concussion-like symptoms would set the Dukes back. Instead, they outlasted Drexel in overtime and crushed George Mason, and they did it without superhuman performances from Dawn Evans. Evans still averaged 25.5 ppg in the two games, but Tarik Hislop chipped in 17.5 ppg during the week and Lauren Whitehurst, Jalissa Taylor and Nikki Newman all contributed a double-figures scoring game. In other words, the Dukes got the kind of all-hands performances that, if they continue with Jimenez, could make them a really dangerous team the rest of the way. On deck: Thursday vs. William and Mary; Sunday vs. VCU.
Related: USA Today: JMU's Dawn Evans gives kidney disease her best shot

20. Dayton (10-7)
Last week: 12
Saturday started out as a downer, as the Flyers shot a season-low 30.2 percent and let one get away 62-59 at home against those road warriors from Duquesne. But the players will likely always look back on the day with a smile because after the game, they hosted a clinic for 225 kids with special needs. On deck: Wednesday vs. George Washington; Saturday at Richmond.

21. Fresno State (12-6)
Last week: 20

Apparently there was no hangover from the 94-92 triple-overtime loss to Louisiana Tech because two nights later, the Bulldogs hammered New Mexico State 76-49. Jaleesa Ross needs 21 points to surpass Yvette Roberts (1,778 points) as the program's all-time leading scorer. On deck: Monday vs. Hawaii.

22. UNC Wilmington (12-4)

Last week: NR

It's about time we stop ignoring these Seahawks, who won road games at George Mason and Hofstra to move to 4-1 and a second-place tie behind Old Dominion in the CAA. On deck: Thursday vs. Delaware; Sunday at Northeastern.

23. Kent State (13-3)

Last week: NR

The Golden Flashes won their 13th straight at home and snapped a 13-game losing streak to Bowling Green by engineering a 44-43 decision. The 44 points represented the fewest in a victory in the 998-game history of the program. On deck: Wednesday vs. Akron; Saturday at Ball State.

24. Drexel (11-5)
Last week: 21

Kamile Nacickaite's 3-pointer saved the Dragons from a humbling loss at 1-14 William and Mary. It was a road game and William and Mary isn't an awful team, but that wouldn't have mattered. When you lose to someone that has just one win, you're humbled. Good to see forward Tyler Hale back on the court; Hale had sat out three games after sustaining a concussion. On deck: Thursday at George Mason; Sunday vs. Hofstra.

25. Central Michigan (11-5)

Last week: 19

We're suckers for offense and teams with a lot of firepower, so naturally we enjoy these Chippewas. Saturday's loss at Ball State was concerning, though, and now they must face a hot Toledo team that has had the upper hand in this series of late. We're going to give Kaihla Szunko and Co. the benefit of the doubt for now, but they've got a huge week coming up. On deck: Wednesday vs. Toledo; Saturday at Bowling Green

Hey, what about us?

Toledo (13-5) - Winners of 5 straight heading into Wednesday's showdown at Central Michigan.

St. Joseph's (11-6) - Tough 2nd half vs. Xavier - led by 4, lost by 21.

Memphis (13-5) - Dropped back-to-back games to UTEP and UAB. Maybe the Tigers are allergic to acronyms....

Nevada (13-4) - Coming off a 12-point loss at Utah State

Lamar (13-4) - Lady Cards continue to prove they're more than just Jenna Plumley.

UC Davis (13-4) - Nice overall record but just 3-2 in the Big West. Got back on track with last week's 85-67 victory over Long Beach State.

Missouri State (14-4) - Three straight wins since a loss at Northern Iowa

St. Bonaventure (12-6) - Bonnies will take their shot at Xavier Wednesday.

Illinois State (10-6) - Redbirds looking forward to Thursday's home game against Creighton after dropping their last three games on the road.

Arkansas-Little Rock (11-5) - Winners of eight straight; last loss was on Dec. 11 at Memphis.

San Diego State (8-8) - A victory Wednesday at Air Force will put the Aztecs above .500 for just the second time this season.

Cal Poly (9-7) - Mustangs stumbled through their non-conference sked but are 5-0 in the Big West, with 3 of the wins coming on the road.

Northern Iowa (12-5) - Panthers have won four straight, including one over Missouri State, to vault to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.

VCU (9-6) - Tossed in a real clunker by losing at Towson, but recovered well to take out Northeastern.