South Carolina climbed to No. 2, LSU and TCU rounded out the top 10, and the AP Women’s Basketball Top 25 saw a shakeup Monday after another week that saw four teams lose out on the top 10.
UConn was the unanimous first choice for the first time this season, receiving all 32 first-place votes. The Huskies continue to cruise through Big East play, winning an average of nearly 47 points per game. They are the only team in the top ten to remain in the same position as the previous week.
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South Carolina moved up to No. 2, followed by UCLA and Texas, which dropped two spots after LSU handed the Longhorns their first loss of the season. No. 5 Vanderbilt is one of three undefeated teams, along with UConn and No. 17 Texas Tech, in its highest ranking since the final poll in 2002, when the Commodores were ranked No. 4.
LSU jumped six spots to No. 6. The Tigers defeated Texas 70-65 and spent much of the season in the top 10 before losing their first two SEC games.
Kentucky, Michigan State, Louisville State and TCU round out the top 10.
in and out
Maryland and Oklahoma State both lost last week and fell out of the top 10 for the first time this season, falling to Nos. 12 and 13 respectively.
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Alabama (No. 21), Notre Dame (No. 23) and Illinois (No. 25) are all on the ballot this week. The Crimson Tide have lost just one game (South Carolina) after beating Kentucky last week.
Washington State, Southern California and North Carolina all lost at least one game last week and fell out of the polls. The Trojans have been No. 1 in the polls 51 times in a row and the Tar Heels have been No. 1 30 times in a row.
falling whirlwind
After winning its first 14 games of the season, Iowa State has dropped three straight games, falling nine spots to No. 20 in this week’s polls. The Cyclones travel to Colorado and Oklahoma this week.
Meeting first
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The SEC has nine teams in the top 25, including five in the top seven. This season, only the Big Ten also has nine teams ranked in a single week; eight teams are ranked this week. The BIg 12 has four ranked teams and the ACC has two. The Big East and Ivy League each have one.
Game of the week
On Thursday, Texas was ranked fourth and South Carolina was ranked third. The Longhorns will look to bounce back from their first loss when they face the Gamecocks for the second time this season. The two teams played a tournament game over Thanksgiving, with Texas winning by two points.
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