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Notre Dame women’s basketball stay at No. 1 short-lived after losing to NC State

IMG_9992by:Tyler Horka•about 10 hours•

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Notre Dame women's basketball at USC. (Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics)

Notre Dame women’s basketball’s time as the top-ranked team in the country only lasted one week. Last Monday, the Fighting Irish assumed the pole position in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2019. Today, Notre Dame fell to No. 3 in the rankings following their 104-95 double overtime loss to NC State on Sunday.

Texas (26-2) is the new No. 1 team in the AP Top 25. Notre Dame beat the Longhorns, 80-70, in overtime in South Bend on Dec. 5. Since then, Texas has only lost once; 67-50 at then-No. 2 South Carolina on Jan. 12. The Longhorns got the Gamecocks back in Austin, 65-58, on Feb. 9.

Notre Dame’s defeat against the Wolfpack, meanwhile, was head coach Niele Ivey’s team’s first since suffering back-to-back losses at the Cayman Islands Classic in the final two days of November.

The Irish would have won the regular season ACC championship with a win at NC State. They have the same opportunity to claim a title Thursday against Florida State. The situation is the same — beat the Seminoles, and Notre Dame will earn its second regular season conference crown in the last three seasons. Lose, and NC State will still be clinging to an outside shot of stealing the league from the Irish on the final day of the regular season Sunday.

Notre Dame hosts Louisville on March 2. NC State’s next two games are against Wake Forest and SMU. Those are the worst two teams in the conference. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has to play two of the top six teams in the league to close out the regular season.

Week 17 Women’s Basketball AP Top 25:

1. Texas (26-2)
2. UCLA (26-1)
3. Notre Dame (24-3)
4. USC (25-2)

5. UConn (26-3)
6. South Carolina (25-3)
7. LSU (27-2)
8. North Carolina (25-4)

9. NC State (22-5)
10. TCU (26-3)
11. Tennessee (21-6)
12. Ohio State (23-4)

13. Oklahoma (21-6)
14. Kansas State (25-4)
15. Kentucky (21-5)
16. Duke (21-7)

17. Baylor (24-5)
18. West Virginia (21-6)
19. Maryland (21-6)
20. Alabama (22-6)

21. Oklahoma State (22-5)
22. Creighton (23-4)
23. Michigan State (20-7)
24. Florida State (22-6)
25. Louisville (19-8)

Week 17 ACC Standings

Notre Dame (15-1)
NC State (14-2)
North Carolina (13-3)
Florida State (12-4)
Duke (12-4)
Louisville (12-4)
California (10-6)
Georgia Tech (9-7)
Virginia Tech (8-8)
Stanford (6-10)
Virginia (6-10)
Clemson (6-10)
Boston College (5-11)
Miami (4-12)
Pittsburgh (4-12)
Syracuse (4-12)
SMU (2-14)
Wake Forest (2-14)

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