The DII women's basketball Power 10 opens 2020 with a perfect opening week

Talk about the perfect opening to the second half of the DII women's basketball season. The top 10 teams combined to win all of their games — an unblemished 17-0 — the first week back after the holiday break. That left Lubbock Christian and Drury in their familiar top spots, and the rest of the Power 10 unchanged 

ICYMI: How the final DII women's basketball Power 10 of 2019 shaped up

In case you are new to the DII women's basketball Power 10, here's what you need to know. These are my top 10 rankings, and mine alone. I used some of the same criteria the selection committee uses come NCAA DII tournament time: toughest schedules, wins against ranked opponents and average margin of victory, just to name a few.  

ALL-STATS STARTING FIVE: Take a look at this lineup of box score stuffers

Be sure to check back every Monday through the end of the season to see how the Power 10 unfolds.

DII women's basketball Power 10: Jan. 6

(Note: All records and stats through games played Sunday, Jan. 5.)

No. 1 Lubbock Christian | 13-0 | Previous: 1
The reigning champs opened 2020 with two huge blowout victories closing out the week with a 94-point output, the largest scoring output of their season. The real beauty of the Lady Chaps is that you won't find anyone up high on the DII leaderboards as this is truly a team effort with nine players contributing points in over 11 minutes per game.
This week: Jan. 11 vs. Angelo State

PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCHLIST: Keep an eye on these 21 players

No. 2 Drury | 12-0 | Previous: 2
The Panthers are now 47-1 over the past season and a half and are showing no signs of slowing down. They won both games easily to open 2020 and star Hailey Diestelkamp became Drury's all-time leading scorer in the process. Drury leads the Great Lakes Valley Conference in scoring offense (81.3 points per game) and defense (58.0) in one of the most balanced attacks in the nation. 
This week: Jan. 9 vs. UMSL; Jan. 11 vs. Lindenwood

No. 3 Grand Valley State | 13-0 | Previous: 3
Kudos to Lake Superior State for holding the Lakers and their potent offense to 57 points. That said, Grand Valley State still won by 18 points. Cassidy Boensch remains one of the premier centers in DII leading this offense and defense with 3.8 blocks and 6.3 defensive boards per game. The Lakers have their biggest test of the year this week against No 4 Ashland in what is the game of the DII women's basketball season so far.
This week: Jan. 9 at Ashland; Jan. 11 at Wayne State (MI) 

DII BASKETBALL SHOWCASE: The complete schedule and how to watch

No. 4 Ashland | 13-0 | Previous: 4
The Eagles have scored at least 80 points per game over their last five contests, breaking the 90-point mark on three of those occasions. They have the second-highest scoring offense in DII women's basketball with Sara Loomis' 17.2 points per game leading six Eagles in double-digit scoring. Ashland hosts Grand Valley State for the first time this season, looking to rebound after dropping two to the Lakers last year.
This week: Jan. 9 vs. Grand Valley State; Jan. 11 vs. Davenport

No. 5 Texas A&M-Commerce | 13-0 | Previous: 5
The Lions continue to impress, outscoring their opponents 75.7 to 52.7 per game with a top-12 scoring defense. Alexis Bryant leads a very balanced attack, scoring 11.6 points per game with a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game. The defense has been the key, holding teams to just a 34.9 percent field goal percentage while allowing nothing from the outside by holding opponents to 25.5 percent from 3.
This week: Jan. 9 Texas A&M International; Jan. 11 Texas A&M Kingsville

TOURNAMENT PREP: How the DII women's basketball championship works

No. 6 Virginia Union | 9-1 | Previous: 6
The Panthers reeled off their eighth-straight win this past week in dominating fashion. Peyton Evans has emerged as the go-to scorer in the absence of DII women's basketball's leading scorer Shareka McNeill, dropping over 20 points for the second game in a row. Virginia Union has a big three-game week ahead and need to keep the momentum going without its top scorer.
This week: Jan. 6 at St. Augustine's; Jan. 9 at Claflin; Jan. 11 at Winston-Salem 

No. 7 Adelphi | 14-0 | Previous: 7
It seems the key to being in the Power 10 is to be nicknamed the Panthers. Like the other Panthers, Adelphi is undefeated thanks to a balanced offensive and defensive attack. Leonie Edringer leads four Panthers in double-figure scoring, averaging 14.3 points to go along with 9.5 rebounds per game. Adelphi has played one of the toughest schedules in the Power 10 in regards to winning records, so it is fair to think this 14-0 run is very much for real.
This week: Jan. 8 at Southern Connecticut State; Jan. 11 vs. Southern New Hampshire

No. 8 Alaska Anchorage | 14-1 | Previous: 8
The Seawolves are powered by a top 10 defense, allowing just 51.7 points per game. You won't find many stat leaders because they have 12 players that average more than 11 minutes per game. Alaska Anchorage has made the round of 16 in each of the past two seasons — losing both games by a total of three points — and look very much like a team ready to do it again.
This week: Jan. 9 vs. Central Washington; Jan. 11 vs. Northwest Nazarene

No. 9 Fort Hays State | 10-2 | Previous: 9
The Tigers are past their early two-game skid and look very much the part of a top-10 team once again. Fort Hays State has the fourth-best scoring defense in DII women's basketball, allowing a stingy 50.4 points per game and defeating its opponents by an average of 28.6 points per game. Four Tigers score more than 10 points per game with Belle Barbieri nearly averaging a double-double per night.
This week: Jan. 6 vs. Pittsburg State; Jan. 9 at Northeastern State; Jan. 11 at Rogers State

No. 10 Lee | 13-1 | Previous: 10
The Flames bounced back from their first loss of the season with back-to-back wins, the most recent over a Union team receiving votes in the latest national poll. Abby Bertram and Haley Schubert lead the offensive attack, while their 55.5 points per game allowed is second-best in the conference. The Gulf South Conference has been Union's the past few seasons. Lee took a huge step to change that this past week.
This week: Jan. 9 at West Georiga; Jan. 11 vs. Alabama Huntsville

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Just missed (in alphabetical order):

• Cal (Pa)
• Hawaii Pacific
• Indiana (Pa)
• North Georgia
• Sioux Falls