Women's College Basketball Rankings: AP Poll Top 25 updated after Texas topples South Carolina

There are only a few weeks left in the regular season for women’s college basketball. With that, the games seem to be more important and the latest AP Top 25 Poll proves that. Big games, now more than ever, are going to be the lasting image many have of these teams going into the postseason.

The biggest game of the week was, of course, the upset that Texas pulled over South Carolina. It was just the second loss of the season for the Gamecocks and even in a very close game, it’s going to be enough to shake up the top end of the AP Poll. The question was just how much impact that game would have in a week full of big games.

With all of that in mind, here’s a look at the updated AP Top 25 Poll in women’s college basketball after a week of major ranked games.

1. UCLA

In what has been a difficult year for the Los Angeles community, the UCLA Bruins are having a special season. Still unbeaten, UCLA added wins against a good Ohio State team and Oregon last week. So, it’s not a surprise that they’re still atop the AP Poll now in the second week of February.

Next week is going to be one of the toughest stretches of games this season for UCLA. First, they’ll hit the road for a game against rival and AP ranked USC. Then, they’ll host a Michigan State team more than capable of pulling off an upset. With just a half game lead over USC in the Big Ten standings, it’s a vital week.

2. Notre Dame

Notre Dame has been putting on a show in ACC play. Now 12-0 in the conference standings, the Irish hold a one-game lead on NC State and a two-game lead on Duke in the conference standings. That comes on the back of a week where they had an average margin of victory against Stanford and Cal of 44 points.

The Irish are only going to have one game next week. That should be an interesting road trip to play Pitt. The Panthers are looking for answers in ACC play, but Notre Dame is looking to stay focused on the task at hand and dominate the game.

3. Texas

The Texas Longhorns announced themselves to the SEC. Upsetting South Carolina is never easy, but the Longhorns were able to do it on the back of an excellent team performance. Still, Madison Booker stood out in particular with a game high 20 points in the win. With that, Texas has now won eight straight games, going back to a bad road loss to that same South Carolina team.

Putting aside the AP Poll, Texas’ upset win over South Carolina means that there is now a three-way tie atop the SEC standings with South Carolina, Texas, and LSU all sitting at 10-1 on the season. Then, Kentucky is at 8-1, making the conference a four-team race. Texas’s next two games are against Kentucky and LSU. So, the Longhorns need to avoid a letdown to stay at the top of the standings.

4. South Carolina

The South Carolina Gamecocks dropped their second game of the season, snapping a 17-game winning streak on Sunday. Like their first loss, it was against another excellent team, dropping it to a Texas team ranked at the top of the AP Poll. After going into the fourth quarter tied, South Carolina’s offense couldn’t get the job done late and in the end, shooting 36.8 percent on the road cost them.

Now, South Carolina will look to bounce back quickly. Their next game is on Thursday against Florida. After that, South Carolina is going to turn to a non-conference game against UConn. That game will, once again, be coming against one of the highest ranked teams in the country and could help rinse the taste of the loss from their mouths. 

5. LSU

Since dropping their only game of the season against South Carolina in January, the LSU Tigers have won five games in a row. That includes wins against LSU and Tennessee last week. The win against Tennessee was, in particular, important with the Volunteers trying to stay in the conversation for the SEC regular season race.

LSU now has some time off before playing again on Sunday. That’s a game they’re going to need plenty of time to get ready for too because it’s against Texas. The Longhorns are one of the teams LSU is tied with atop the SEC standings and is coming off a win over South Carolina, so finding a way to win this one is vital for the Tigers.

6. USC

USC is coming off a week where they dominated a pair of Big Ten opponents. First, the Trojans had a 22-point road win against Wisconsin. After that, they returned home to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes, winning by 21 points, despite Ohio State being ranked in the AP Top 10 last week. 

That run of success for USC has set up a massive game on Thursday. That’s when the Trojans are set to host UCLA as the rivals battle for the top of the Big Ten. It’s one of two games they’ll need to play against one another in the final weeks of the regular season. After that, USC will hit the road and need to maintain focus against Washington. 

7. UConn

It was a week of ups and downs for UConn. On Thursday, the Huskies dropped a close game against Tennessee in a non-conference game between AP-ranked teams. After that, they returned to Big East play where UConn dominated Providence. With that, they moved to 13-0 in Big East play, a game ahead of the Creighton team they beat by double-digits in January.

Next week is going to be an interesting one for UConn. First, the Huskies are set to host St. John’s. After that, it’s back to non-conference play against South Carolina. The Gamecocks are coming off a tough loss and looking to bounce back in their own right. So, that game, which is set to be played on Sunday, will likely shake up the AP Poll again.

8. Kentucky

Kentucky basketball rarely goes under the radar. However, that’s exactly what the women’s team has done this season. In the first year for head coach Kenny Brooks in Lexington, he rebuilt the program more quickly than expected. Now, Kentucky is an AP Top 10 team threatening for the SEC regular season championship.

Last week, Kentucky added ranked wins over two different teams, Alabama and Oklahoma. Now, they’ll look to stay focused against a capable Ole Miss team on Monday. That will lead them into a massively important home game against Texas on Thursday night.

9. Ohio State

It was a difficult week for Ohio State. The Buckeyes dropped a pair of games on a road trip to the West Coast. There’s no shame in losing UCLA and USC. The problem is how they lost those games, both of which were by double digits. In turn, that made it very difficult to win the Big Ten in the regular season.

Next week, Ohio State is returning home. There, they’ll hope to bounce back quickly. First, they host Minnesota. After that, a capable Iowa team is coming to town, which should make for an interesting week.

10. NC State

It was a good week for NC State, who managed to move up in the AP Poll on the back of beating multiple teams ranked in last week’s poll. First, they had a close win over Duke, which is a major boost in the tight ACC standings. After that, they went on to dominate Florida State and with that they now have an eight game winning streak.

On Thursday, NC State is going to be back in action against Miami. After that, it’s a vital game against rival North Carolina on Sunday. That’s going to be one of the biggest games of the season for both teams, especially given that the two are separated by just two games in the ACC standings.

Rest of AP Top 25 Poll

11. TCU
12. North Carolina
13. Duke
14. Kansas State
15. Tennessee
16. Oklahoma
17. Maryland
18. West Virginia
19. Georgia Tech
20. Oklahoma State
21. Alabama
22. Michigan State
23. Florida State
24. Creighton
25. Baylor