Texas moved up to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 after statement wins against UCLA and South Carolina during last week’s Players Era Championship. The rankings shook up a lot during the first month of the season, but reigning national champion UConn has held on to the top spot.
Against UCLA, the Longhorns put on a defensive clinic to get their biggest victory of the season — that is, until 24 hours later when they also took down South Carolina thanks to a clutch shot by Rori Harmon in the final seconds. Dawn Staley said she was not disappointed with the loss in the championship game because it was a good learning experience for her Gamecocks.
Meanwhile, a players-only meeting helped the Bruins bounce back in the third-place game with a 89-59 win over Duke. They kept that momentum going in a 99-77 victory over then-No. 14 Tennessee on Sunday.
LSU comes in at No. 5 after scoring 100+ points in eight consecutive games. The Tigers haven’t faced any ranked opponents yet, but their upcoming game against Duke on Thursday should be interesting since the Blue Devils had some good moments against South Carolina in Las Vegas.
Maryland also got a key victory this week with a 74-66 result against then-No. 16 Kentucky on Wednesday. The Terrapins stayed at No. 7, one spot behind Michigan. The Wildcats still look dangerous at No. 17. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State was almost upset by Miami but pulled off a 87-84 win to remain in the top 25.
Although the Wolfpack didn’t lose last week, NC State left the rankings to make room for Ohio State, who edged out West Virginia 83-81 last Wednesday.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn | 7-0 | 790 (22) | 1 |
| 2 | Texas | 8-0 | 777 (10) | 4 |
| 3 | South Carolina | 7-1 | 719 | 2 |
| 4 | UCLA | 8-1 | 713 | 3 |
| 5 | LSU | 8-0 | 652 | 5 |
| 6 | Michigan | 6-1 | 629 | 6 |
| 7 | Maryland | 9-0 | 599 | 7 |
| 8 | TCU | 8-0 | 561 | 8 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 7-1 | 546 | 9 |
| 10 | Iowa State | 9-0 | 502 | 10 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 8-1 | 463 | 12 |
| 12 | Iowa | 8-0 | 452 | 11 |
| 13 | Ole Miss | 7-0 | 396 | 13 |
| 14 | Baylor | 7-1 | 355 | 15 |
| 15 | Vanderbilt | 8-0 | 335 | 17 |
| 16 | USC | 5-2 | 288 | 18 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 8-1 | 284 | 16 |
| 18 | Notre Dame | 5-1 | 276 | 19 |
| 19 | Tennessee | 5-2 | 245 | 14 |
| 20 | Michigan State | 8-0 | 233 | 20 |
| 21 | Washington | 7-0 | 171 | 22 |
| 22 | Louisville | 7-2 | 105 | 23 |
| 23 | Ohio State | 6-1 | 84 | 23 |
| 24 | Oklahoma State | 8-1 | 83 | 24 |
| 25 | West Virginia | 6-1 | 64 | 21 |
Others receiving votes: NC State 26, Nebraska 19, Richmond 7, Texas Tech 7, Princeton 6, Oregon 6, Georgia 3, Stanford 2, Fairfield 1, Alabama 1.
