Following a historic victory that put the school in the top spot for the first time, UCLA is now ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll.
With a resounding 77-62 victory on Sunday, the Bruins ended UCLA’s 0-20 record against No. 1 teams. South Carolina, the reigning national champion, had been ranked first in the previous 23 polls. It also took place in front of a boisterous, celebrity-studded audience.
As the poll was revealed on Monday, UCLA coach Cori Close stated, “I think the piece that really hits me is that we’re doing something for the first time in school history and we shared it with decades of alum.” Having so many former students in our locker room to share it with was fantastic. The individuals who cleared the path for us to walk in are truly unique.
The 32-member national media panel gave 20 first-place votes to UCLA, which was ranked No. 5 in the poll last week. After a memorable week in which coach Geno Auriemma set the NCAA all-time victories record, UConn held onto second place with nine first-place votes.
After defeating then-No. 3 USC over the weekend in Los Angeles, Notre Dame advanced to third place. In a week when just four teams were still in the same positions as the previous week’s poll, the Fighting Irish were awarded the remaining three No. 1 votes.
After ending its 43-game winning streak, South Carolina fell to fourth place. Texas came in sixth. LSU, Oklahoma, Kansas State, and Maryland completed the top 10, while USC dropped to sixth place. After losing against Northern Iowa by 12 points, Iowa State fell from ninth to fifteenth place.
Since the 1976–77 season, the Bruins have been the 26th different school to occupy the top rank in the women’s Top 25.
We came here with the goal of being a top basketball program, so it’s important to be among the 26th programs to ever rank as a top squad, said Close. Thank you.
Iowa is back.
Iowa jumped into the rankings at No. 22, marking their first appearance in the Top 25 this season.
Under the leadership of talented player Caitlin Clark, who is currently thriving in the WNBA, the Hawkeyes advanced all the way to No. 2 last season. The club is 6-0 this year and has held four of its six opponents to fewer than 60 points thanks to excellent defense. Following a defeat to Indiana, Baylor dropped out of the poll.
Ascending the charts
This week, Illinois rose to No. 19, its highest position since Jan. 17, 2000, when it was ranked 13th. With 10 straight wins following South Carolina’s defeat, the Illini currently hold the nation’s longest winning run. The team is 5-0 this year and won the first WBIT last season.
Dominance of gamecocks
With the exception of the preseason Top 25 on October 17, 2023, where then-defending champion LSU was the top pick, South Carolina had been ranked No. 1 in 61 of the previous 62 surveys. The Gamecocks subsequently made the largest jump in the poll’s history to return to the top of the rankings, moving up from No. 6 to No. 1 in the first regular season poll.
Prior to it, South Carolina had not been ranked first since the season’s last poll on March 15, 2021.
What is the recent performance of the Gamecocks? The Gamecocks suffered their first road loss since December 2021 and their largest margin of defeat since the 2019 Sweet 16.
According to coach Dawn Staley, her team will resume their work.
According to her, losing will assist us concentrate on the players we play.
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