What a week in college basketball.

Admittedly, this was a more action-packed week than most with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The collection of games over these last eight days will be tough to surpass until March. The Coretta Scott King classic delivered two bangers, following a weekend of fantastic conference clashes. Another undefeated team dropped from the ranks, TCU won on a true buzzer-beater and multiple overtime affairs kept our attention.

Though LSU, Louisville and Ohio State made their cases as contenders, the SEC had a rash of upsets with injuries to Kentucky’s Teonni Key and Alabama’s Essence Cody looming large. The Horned Frogs followed up their miracle in Morgantown with a letdown in nonconference play, and Michigan came up just short yet again in a statement game.

The expansion of conferences has led to a lack of familiarity among programs in the same league. Teams are still trying to learn what awaits on the conference slate, which has led to some surprising results.

One thing is for certain: It helps to have veterans. Even if players are learning a new system or a new conference, they know college basketball, and that experience shines through. This week’s power rankings will highlight some fifth- and sixth-year players whose performances dictate their team’s success, as well as one youngin’ who is too cool to overlook.

Dropped out: Utah (24), Iowa State (19)

Also considered: Virginia, West Virginia, Mississippi State

Veteran SEC guard returns a favor

When Texas and South Carolina met in November in the Players Era championship game, fifth-year Longhorns guard Rori Harmon delivered the decisive blow to edge their conference rivals. In the rematch Thursday — the one with actual stakes in the SEC title race — fifth-year Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson had her turn.

Even after leading South Carolina to the 2025 national championship game, the season was somewhat disappointing for her. Her shooting percentages plummeted from the Gamecocks’ undefeated 2023-24 campaign, and she deferred too often to teammates Chloe Kitts, Te-Hina Paopao and Joyce Edwards, failing to establish herself as a consistent offensive threat. Johnson has flipped the script in her final college season, firmly taking the reins for South Carolina on both ends of the floor. She’s back to about 10 points and five assists per game while making 36.7 percent of her 3-pointers and a career-best 84.4 percent on free throws. More importantly, coach Dawn Staley has told Johnson that when all else fails, she is the one who has to make a play.

Down the stretch against Texas, Johnson took that to heart. She defended Harmon on one end, limiting the Longhorns point guard scoreless with only two assists in the final frame. She handled the backcourt pressure and controlled possession, committing her lone turnover on a bad lob to Edwards. Johnson found her teammates for jumpers when Texas’ defense collapsed inside. And when the plays Staley drew up fell apart, Johnson went and got herself some buckets, twice extending South Carolina’s lead to five in the final 90 seconds.

The margin between these teams is almost negligible. Both matchups were played in similar fashion and decided by one possession, and it would be unsurprising if a meeting in the SEC tournament followed a similar script. Even if Johnson got the edge Thursday, it figures to be a short-lived advantage for the Gamecocks.

Does Olivia Miles have enough help?

Speaking of veteran guards, two-time All-American Olivia Miles had herself a day against Ohio State, tallying 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. She was practically spoon-feeding her teammates, creating wide-open opportunities under the basket and beyond the arc with her skip passes. It wasn’t enough to beat the Buckeyes, however, and it points to some larger issues with TCU’s roster.

Only eight Horned Frogs are averaging 10 minutes through 20 games, and Maddie Scherr is now out with a back injury. Considering Scherr missed last season after injuring her back, that’s a scary predicament for TCU. Taylor Bigby can step in for Scherr’s starting minutes, but that leaves a gaping hole off the bench for Veronica Sheffey (who just crossed the 10 mpg barrier against Ohio State) to fill in her first season with the program.

To the RACK 😤#GoFrogs | @oliviamiles06 pic.twitter.com/RnwKPV06I6

— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) January 19, 2026

The Horned Frogs were running out of people who could dribble against the Buckeyes, a recurring theme after they committed 24 turnovers against West Virginia. When Miles wasn’t part of the press break, TCU was giving away the ball in the backcourt with regularity. (As an aside, Mark Campbell should never have allowed Miles to start possessions in the frontcourt, but it did expose some shortcomings.) Marta Suárez had nine turnovers, and Donovyn Hunter had three, which exceeded her assist total of two.

Miles’ assist total could have been much higher had her teammates converted her passes more effectively. Kennedy Basham had one gift-wrapped opportunity at the rim and fumbled away the ball. The Horned Frogs have built themselves as a defensive team, but they’ve lost both games when they’ve allowed at least 63 points. A team that expects to contend in March must be able to also count on its offense.

Miles came to TCU to get reps in a pro-style offense, and Campbell’s system has showcased her passing ability. But this isn’t a deep team, and she isn’t a singular creator and scorer.

Charlisse Leger-Walker back to her Wazzu self

The timeline for ACL recoveries ranges from 12-18 months, but most experts say it takes about two years for athletes to return to their previous form. The end of this month will mark two years since UCLA guard Charlisse Leger-Walker tore her ACL, then as a member of Washington State, and her ascent is perfectly timed for the Bruins. They have a clear window to compete for a title with five senior starters and a senior reserve, none of whom has eligibility beyond this season. Leger-Walker at full strength allows them to maximize that window.

With her final dime of the day, Charlisse Leger-Walker joined the 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣-career assist club! 🪙

Congrats, CLW!#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/37vdlUZ262

— UCLA Women’s Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 18, 2026

She ranks 13th nationally in assists despite playing next to Kiki Rice, another point guard. Leger-Walker is making 36 percent of her 3-pointers and nearly 60 percent of her 2-pointers. She is UCLA’s best screen navigator on the perimeter, providing some heft at a position that was occupied by 5-foot-4 Londynn Jones a season ago. The Bruins are  17.6 points per 100 possessions better with Leger-Walker on the court, far and away the team’s best on-off differential. The last time she was in the postseason, she put together an MVP performance in the Pac-12 tournament for the undermanned Cougars.

Leger-Walker had her best performance of the season Sunday against Maryland, flirting with a triple-double (17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists) as UCLA obliterated the then-No. 12 Terrapins by 30 points. With how the Bruins spread the floor, they need someone like Leger-Walker who can rifle entry passes into the post before help comes. She is also really good at crashing the glass as a bigger guard and pushing the pace (11-2 fastbreak advantage). She reads the floor well, optimizing the surfeit of talent on UCLA’s roster. Along with Gianna Kneepkens, the Bruins have the perimeter creators they were lacking last season when Rice was ineffective or in foul trouble. Leger-Walker is making everyone’s job easier, and it looks so simple for her.

Imari Berry getting buckets

There might not be a more aesthetically-pleasing player to watch than Imari Berry. Louisville is so deep that Berry can’t even crack the starting lineup, but she is eye-popping when she gets on the court, and her scoring was why the Cardinals beat NC State at home Sunday. Berry has a good burst on her drives and can finish creatively around the rim, including some high-off-the-glass layups against the Wolfpack. She has a little swing in her legs when she takes jumpers, which makes it seem like she’s fading even when her form is pretty straight. To put it plainly, it looks cool.

That jumper was a weapon against NC State. She made eight of them en route to 33 points in the overtime win and became only the second power conference player this season to score 30 off the bench. The highlight was an eight-point sequence to end the third quarter that cut an 11-point deficit to three. Berry hit an elbow jumper with 45 seconds left in the frame, forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds, hit a baseline jumper on Louisville’s next possession, and then closed out the quarter with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that grazed all of the rim and bounced off the backboard before falling in. It was that kind of day for the sophomore guard, who bested her previous career-high by 12 points.

The Cardinals were arguably lucky to escape Raleigh with a win thanks to some poor clock management from Zoe Brooks down the stretch. But when the unexpected opportunity came to tie in the final 10 seconds, Berry seized it. A fitting end to a superb performance.