Women's College Basketball Rankings: AP Poll Top 25 updated with new No. 1 after Notre Dame goes down

The women’s college basketball season is rapidly coming to an end. Before that, though, there was still time for a round of upsets throughout the country, which once again has led to some major changes in the AP Poll Top 25 rankings.

The most notable upset came in the ACC last week. There, Notre Dame, who was ranked first in the AP Poll at the time, fell on the road to a good NC State team. It’s the second week in a row where the top-ranked team went down in the AP Poll too, meaning that there really is no truly dominant team this season and everything is up for grabs.

Entering the final week of February, and with all of those upsets in mind, here’s a look at the most recent women’s college basketball AP Poll Top 25.

1. Texas

The Texas Longhorns had a quiet week, not playing a game since the last AP Poll came out. Prior to that, they’d beaten three straight excellent teams, including South Carolina, Kentucky, and LSU. That made them competitive to win the SEC going into the final week of the regular season and helped make them one of the most well respected teams in the country.

This upcoming week will be a much busier one for Texas. The Longhorns have three games coming up, all of which are in SEC play this week. That starts with a road trip to play Georgia and Mississippi State before returning home to finish the season against Florida. Along the way, they can make a statement in their first season in the SEC by winning a portion of the regular season.

2. UCLA

It hasn’t been an easy slate of Big Ten games for UCLA since they lost to rival USC on February 13th. That included playing two AP-ranked [at the time they played] teams in Michigan State and Illinois. Then, the Bruins took on a tough Iowa team, needing a strong second-half effort to avoid getting upset.

Next week, UCLA finishes the regular season with its last true game against Wisconsin before returning home to take on USC once again. That final game of the season is going to be one of the biggest in all of women’s basketball this year. It also will likely decide who wins the Big Ten in the regular season given they’re both currently sitting atop the conference standings with one loss each.

3. Notre Dame

Going into Sunday, Notre Dame had the chance to clinch the ACC for the regular season. All they had to do was beat a good NC State team. Of course, the Irish would come up short, losing in a double-overtime thriller. It’s a game that saw three Notre Dame players score better than 20 points, but shooting 16 fewer free throws than NC State ended up being costly. 

That loss was Notre Dame’s first in ACC play this season and their first since the month of November. The Irish will look to avoid letting one loss become two losses on Thursday when they return home to play Florida State. After that, they can build momentum again going into the postseason.

4. USC

USC got a pair of tough wins last week, beating Michigan State and Illinois. Neither of those teams are pushovers, so avoiding slipping up in those games was crucial. That’s especially true when considering that the Trojans still need to play UCLA again in a game where the Big Ten is expected to be on the line. 

Since their last loss this season, USC has now won six games in a row. They’ll have one more regular season game this season, next Saturday on the road against UCLA. There is some help coming in the form of the schedule too. USC hosted its games last week while UCLA still has another road trip to finish in the Midwest. So, the Trojans get to wait in Los Angeles for the Bruins, even if it’s a road game.

5. UConn

It’s been a while since UConn played a close game, let alone lost a game. In their last five games, which includes a non-conference game against South Carolina, UConn has won them all by at least 29 points. Last week, that included a 91-49 point win against Seton Hall, who is tied for third in the Big East standings, and a 78-40 win over St. John’s.

Next week, UConn wraps up the season against Creighton Marquette. That game against Creighton is particularly interesting. With only one conference loss this season, Creighton could create havoc late in the season as they try to catch the Huskies in the conference standings at the 11th hour. Marquette is no slouch, on top of that, tied for third in the Big East.

6. South Carolina

At one point ranked first in the AP Poll this season, the Gamecocks slipped back a bit but are still one of the best teams in the country. After dropping a game to UConn, the Gamecocks did bounce back last week against Arkansas and Vanderbilt, blowing out both of their opponents.

It’s going to be a difficult final two games of the season for South Carolina. Ole Miss and Kentucky are both capable of pulling off an upset, so South Carolina can’t get caught napping. At 13-1 in SEC play, only half a game ahead of Texas who they split their season series with, there’s no room for error at the end of the regular season.

7. LSU

The LSU Tigers bounced back from their loss to Texas with a pair of important wins, beating Georgia and Kentucky. That win over Kentucky, who is an AP-ranked team, was particularly important. It gave some cushion from the Wildcats in the conference standings as the regular season winds down. 

To win the SEC in the regular season, LSU is going to need some help moving forward. First, the Tigers can’t afford another loss. Against Alabama and Ole Miss, those wins aren’t promised, either. Win both of those games, and then get some help, and there is an outside shot that the Tigers are able to win this conference in the regular season.

8. North Carolina

It was almost a disastrous Sunday for North Carolina. The Tar Heels needed a fourth-quarter comeback to overcome an upset bid by Louisville. That came just after their rival, NC State, had upset Notre Dame. Still, the Tar Heels won to move to seven straight wins and 13-3 in ACC play.

At this point, it’s a tight race at the top of the ACC standings. Notre Dame still appears to be in control, but with their, loss nothing is guaranteed. Two games remain and that’s how far the Tar Heels are out of first place. NC State, in second place and one game behind the Irish, already lost to the Tar Heels this season. So, while they play Duke and Virginia, not one of the teams ahead of them in the standings, the Tar Heels still have plenty to play for. 

9. NC State

The NC State Wolfpack had the biggest win of the week, upsetting Notre Dame, and that was good enough to move them into the AP Top 10. That came on the Heels of a big win over Georgia Tech, another ranked team. Still, the focus will be on beating Notre Dame, a game that saw the Wolfpack score 104 points, led by Zoe Brooks with 33 points. 

With the win, NC State stayed alive in the ACC regular season race, even if they still trail the Irish by a game in the standings. So, with a pair of wins next week against Wake Forest and SMU, to go along with some help and another Irish loss, winning the ACC in the regular season is on the table.

10. TCU

TCU kept winning last week, starting with a blowout over Arizona State. After that, the Horned Frogs returned home to beat an AP-ranked West Virginia team by 21 points. TCU jumped out to an early start in that game, scoring 20 first quarter points to control the game throughout. 

The Horned Frogs are now 14-2 in Big 12 play, tied with Baylor. That’s also one game ahead of Kansas State. So, it’s a real race down to the wire. Next week, TCU is set to take on Houston before traveling to Baylor. The Horned Frogs can’t afford to get caught looking ahead but that game is going to be massive.

Rest of AP Top 25 Poll

11. Tennessee
12. Ohio State
13. Oklahoma
14. Kansas State
15. Kentucky
16. Duke
17. Baylor
18. West Virginia
19. Maryland
20. Alabama
21. Oklahoma State
22. Creighton
23. Michigan State
24. Florida State
25. Louisville