Women's College Basketball Rankings: AP Poll Top 25 following Christmas week

The month of December is quickly coming to an end and with that the women’s college basketball race is in full swing. Now a few days after the Christmas holiday, the AP Poll has shared another present with a shake-up to the Top 25.

There was a relatively limited number of games during Christmas week. However, teams have been in action since the last time the Women’s AP Poll dropped. With that, there was plenty of room for movement throughout the rankings.

Keeping all of that in mind, here is a look at the final Women’s AP Poll Top 25 for the month of December and the 2024 calendar year.

1. UCLA

UCLA only had one game during the last week. That was, however, a Big Ten Conference game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. It ended up being a blowout, with UCLA winning by a score of 91-54. So, it’s not a surprise they’re still so highly ranked in the AP Poll.

From here, UCLA will get into a bit more of a schedule with its conference games. That means playing about two conference games every week, starting with Michigan and Indiana next week as the schedule intensifies.

2. South Carolina

South Carolina, being in the SEC, has yet to play a conference game. They have, however, continued to dominate non-conference play, beating Wofford by 46 points last week. That made for seven wins in a row since they dropped a game to UCLA.

On Thursday, SEC play will kick off for South Carolina against Missouri. Then, they’ll get a second game in conference play against Mississippi State before the next AP Poll comes out. So, the schedule should be intensifying soon.

3. Notre Dame

While Notre Dame does have two losses this season, the Irish also have wins against three teams currently ranked in the AP Top 10. That goes to show the kind of challenging non-conference schedule that the Irish have faced. Now into ACC play, the Irish added a dominant win over Virginia last week.

Notre Dame will have about a week off before being back in action against a tough North Carolina team. The ACC remains one of the toughest conferences for women’s college basketball and it’s going to be a long battle for a conference championship but Notre Dame is poised well right now.

4. USC

USC is still widely considered to be a frontrunner not just in the Big Ten but nationally as well. The Trojans dropped one game to Notre Dame and since then have won eight in a row, including a conference game against Michigan last week.

Big Ten play is in full swing now. Next week, USC has games against Nebraska and Rutgers. That Rutgers game is going to be on the road and highlights the challenges of travel in the Big Ten moving forward.

5. Texas

The Texas Longhorns continued to dominate their non-conference schedule during the week of Christmas. Texas-Rio Grande Valley was overmatched last week and Texas beat them 94-35. With that, heading into SEC play, their only loss is to Notre Dame.

Texas’ first season of SEC play will get underway next week. That starts with an intriguing game against Oklahoma to open January. It’s a game that could end up having a long-term impact on the SEC regular season race. From there, Texas is set to play Arkansas.

6. LSU

LSU is one of only a few unbeaten teams remaining in women’s college basketball. That continued last week with a 22-point win over Albany. If there’s a knock on LSU, the Tigers haven’t played a conference game yet and their schedule hasn’t been overly rigorous. Otherwise, they’d likely be higher in the AP Poll.

Next week, the schedule gets much more challenging for LSU. That’s because SEC play is getting underway. That starts with games against Arkansas and Auburn next week.

7. UConn

UConn has a pair of losses, but they’re very respectable losses against Notre Dame and USC. So, while it would have been better to win them, they’re not overly harmful. UConn also bounced back with a Big East win by double digits over Providence.

While UConn does have a couple more challenging non-conference games coming down the line, it’ll be mostly about the Big East from here. That continues with Marquette and Villanova before next week’s AP Poll.

8. Maryland

Maryland got a win in its second Big Ten game of the season last week, beating a talented Michigan State team in a thriller that saw the Terrapins fight to hold onto their lead late in the game. 

As Maryland turns the page to January, the Terrapins are going to get into a rhythm with the schedule. That starts next week with games against Rutgers and Iowa before the next AP Poll is set to come out.

9. Oklahoma

Since dropping an overtime game to a good Duke team in November, the Sooners have won six straight non-conference games. That includes a double-digit win against New Mexico State last week. 

The schedule is going to immediately heat up in SEC play for Oklahoma. The Sooners have games against Texas and Tennessee to open conference play. Depending on how those go, the entire outlook for Oklahoma could be completely different.

10. Ohio State

Big Ten play is now going in full force. Last week that saw Ohio State win its second conference game of the season against Rutgers. It was a double-digit win that saw the Buckeyes jumped out to a quick lead in the first half and won convincingly. 

The challenge of playing in the Big Ten is the depth of the conference for women’s basketball. There are several incredibly talented teams, including UCLA, USC, and Maryland. So, nothing is going to be easy in this race, which continues for Ohio State next week against Northwestern.

Rest of AP Top 25 Poll

11. TCU
12. Kansas State
13. Georgia Tech
14. Duke
15. Tennessee
16. Kentucky
17. North Carolina
18. West Virginia
19. Alabama
20. California
21. Michigan State
22. NC State
23. Iowa
24. Michigan
25. Ole Miss