Big Ten recruits UCLA and USC are getting a lot of well-deserved attention this season. But conference stalwart Ohio State looks to be one of the best teams in the country.

This week, the Buckeyes joined UCLA, USC and Maryland in the top 10 of ESPN's women's college basketball power rankings, ranking No. 9. Ohio State is the highest-ranked team so far this season and is one of three remaining undefeated teams, along with UCLA and LSU.

The Buckeyes' biggest test is yet to come: They haven't faced the Bruins, Trojans or Terps yet. They will play Maryland twice (January 23 and March 2) and travel to Los Angeles to take on UCLA and USC from February 5-8. Ohio State has beaten just two ranked teams, neither of which are in this week's Top 25 poll.

Still, Ohio State is 16-0 overall and 5-0 in the league. The Buckeyes have won or tied for the Big Ten regular-season title 17 times and hope to be among them again this season.

Ohio State is doing that with some familiar names to Buckeye fans: junior forward Cody McMahon (team-high 16.4 ppg), senior guard/forward Tyler Thierry (team-high 16.4 ppg) 10.8 points) and backup guard Madison Green (4.8 points per game), both Ohio natives, played their entire careers at Ohio State. Forward Ebony Walker is in her third season in Columbus after starting her career at Arizona State.

A group of newcomers — transfers and freshmen — quickly gelled to help the Buckeyes adjust to losing three starters. Leading the way are two dynamic guards: junior Chance Gray and freshman Jaloni Cambridge. Gray returned to her native Ohio State after playing her first two seasons at Oregon State and became the Buckeyes' second-leading scorer at 15.4 points per game. Cambridge is one of the top freshmen in the country, averaging 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Ohio State still has a lot to prove as the schedule gets tougher, but the Buckeyes are off to as good a start as they could have hoped for this season.

Previous rankings: 1

Due to the horrific wildfires in Los Angeles, Northwestern has chosen not to travel there for games against UCLA and USC that were scheduled for Jan. 12-15. The Bruins haven't played since Jan. 7. Penn State does travel to Los Angeles and will face UCLA in Long Beach on Wednesday. It's about 35 miles from the Bruins campus and not far from the Pacific Palisades Fire. Next Monday, UCLA will play Baylor in an unofficial matchup in the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic.

Next 7 days: vs. Penn State (Jan. 15), Newark, N.J. vs. Baylor (Jan. 20)

Previous rankings: 2

Losing junior forward Ashlyn Watkins (ACL) is tough, but it doesn't do justice to the Gamecocks' stellar performances in wins over Texas A&M and UT. The 67-50 win over the Longhorns didn't feel like a top-five game: South Carolina controlled the game throughout. Post players Chloe Kitts, Joyce Edwards and Sania Feagin combined for 29 points and 17 rebounds for Texas Maintained a shooting percentage of 27.8%.

Next 7 days: @Alabama (Jan 16), vs. Oklahoma State (Jan 19)

Previous rankings: 3

The Irish defeated Wake Forest and Clemson; the win over the Tigers was without star guard Hannah Hidalgo, who was sidelined with an ankle injury. Notre Dame missed their leading scorer and tied a season low with 67 points against Clemson. But forward Liatu King, one of the best transfer players in the country this season, finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Irish's upcoming game against Georgia Tech, which fell out of the power rankings this week after losing its first two games of the season, will be interesting.

Next 7 days: vs. Georgia Tech (Jan. 16), vs. SMU (Jan. 19)

Previous rankings: 4

On January 8, the Trojans notched their biggest win since beating UConn in December: they beat Maryland 79-74 on the road. JuJu Watkins then scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 95-73 home win over Penn State. USC's game against Northwestern scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed as the Wildcats avoid traveling to Los Angeles due to wildfires.

Next 7 days: @Indiana (January 19)

Previous rankings: 8

The Tigers were tested by Tennessee and Vanderbilt, but won both games by eight points. Part of the reason they were able to finish the game so well was because LSU had a lot of great breakout players, which made it difficult for the Tigers to defend for 40 minutes. Add to that the sheer talent of Aneesah Morrow, who combined for 46 points and 36 rebounds in two games.

Next 7 days: @Florida (Jan 19)

Previous rankings: 6

The Huskies defeated Xavier 81-27, but came out stronger at Georgetown, winning 73-55. The best news in the victory was Azzie Ford, who scored 44 points on 17-for-27 shooting. Guard Paige Bueckers did not play as she recovers from a sprained knee.

Next 7 days: @St. John's College (Jan. 15), vs. Seton Hall College (Jan. 19)

Previous rankings: 5

The Longhorns have experienced both sides of SEC play. They were doing everything right in their dominance at the time - no. 18 Alabama 84-40 at home. But then they didn't get it right and lost to South Carolina 67-50. However, the Gamecocks' defense held Texas to 27.8% shooting, its lowest score of the season. Like UCLA and Baylor, the Longhorns will face Maryland in the upcoming Coretta Scott King Classic.

Next 7 days: @Auburn (Jan 16), vs. Maryland (Jan 20) in Newark, NJ

Previous rankings: 7

The Terps lost to USC on Jan. 8 but bounced back with wins over Wisconsin and newly ranked Minnesota. Guard Bree McDaniel is a concern for Maryland; she suffered a knee injury in Tuesday's win over the Gophers. Maryland will play four ranked opponents in a row, followed by Texas in the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic.

Next 7 days: vs. Texas in Newark, N.J. (Jan. 20)

Previous rankings: 10

As expected, the Buckeyes were tested last week at Michigan State but prevailed 84-77 with Jaloni Cambridge scoring 29 points, six rebounds and four assists. They then defeated the University of Oregon 69-60 at home. Their toughest rivals in the league are still ahead, but they've been playing well so far.

Next 7 days: @Wisconsin (Jan 16), @Penn State (Jan 19)

Previous rankings: 11

TCU has been strong this past week, picking up wins at Kansas and Texas Tech and a home game against UCF. These aren't big wins, but they show the Frogs are in good shape. Center Sedona Prince averaged 25.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in the win.

Next 7 days: vs. Utah (January 17)

Previous rankings: 13

Like TCU, the Wildcats continue to perform well in Big 12 play. They came away victorious on a mountainous road trip to Utah and BYU. Kansas State senior guard Serena Sundell had 13 assists against the Cougars, her sixth double-digit assist game of the season. Her 7.6 APG leads Group I.

Next 7 days: vs. Arizona (Jan. 16), vs. Arizona State (Jan. 19)

Previous rankings: 15

The Wildcats had decisive wins last week at Florida State and at home against Auburn, with guard Georgia Armor totaling 39 points and 15 assists. Kentucky continues to build confidence, which is good preparation considering how tough their SEC lineup will be from Jan. 30 against Alabama to March 2 in the regular-season finale against South Carolina.

Next 7 days: @Georgia (January 19)

Previous rankings: 9

The Sooners have the opposite schedule to Kentucky: They've already played two opponents in the SEC standings and have three more through Feb. 2. That said, even unranked SEC teams are dangerous, and the Sooners experienced that in 81 games. On January 9, they lost 77 to Mississippi State. They bounced back with a home win over Texas A&M on Sunday, but leading scorer/rebounder Raegan Beers injured her shoulder in that game and it's unclear whether she will be available this week.

Next 7 days: vs. Missouri (Jan. 16), @South Carolina (Jan. 19)

Previous rankings: 14&nsp;

The Tar Heels are back in the power rankings for the first time since December 11th. They were coming off wins over arch-rival Duke (admittedly, a 53-46 overtime decision in which both offenses struggled) and Boston College.

Next 7 days: @SMU (Jan 16), @Pittsburgh (Jan 19)

Previous rankings: 16&nsp;

Tennessee's loss to LSU on Jan. 9 was Tennessee's second straight loss to a top-10 team. The bright side is that those two losses - the other was to Oklahoma State - were by a combined three points. That's how close the Lady Vols came to maintaining a perfect record. They bounced back with a 93-63 victory over Arkansas on Sunday.

Next 7 days: vs. Mississippi State (Jan. 16), @Vanderbilt (Jan. 19)

Previous rankings: 14

The Blue Devils maintained their position in the power rankings, but the decline in offensive production was concerning. After losing to North Carolina in overtime, they needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Virginia 60-55. Duke's shooting percentage in the two games combined was 29.9%.

Next 7 days: vs. California State (Jan. 16) vs. Cal State Stanford (Jan. 19)

It fell out: Georgia Institute of Technology