Texas has ascended to the apex of The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball rankings, marking the third team in as many weeks to claim the prestigious No. 1 spot, and achieving this position for the first time in over two decades.
The Longhorns’ promotion to the top was confirmed on Monday following the previous leader, Notre Dame, suffering a double-overtime defeat to North Carolina State. Prior to Notre Dame, UCLA held the top ranking for an impressive twelve consecutive weeks.
In a conversation held before Texas took on Georgia, Coach Vic Schaefer expressed immense pride in his team, remarking, “I’m so happy for my kids, they’ve earned where they are today.” This marks a rare occurrence in recent years, being only the fifth instance since 2001 that saw three different schools occupying the No. 1 position in a brief three-week timespan. Including South Carolina, which initiated the season as No. 1, there have now been four different schools topping the rankings this year, a scenario witnessed only six times since the inception of the poll in 1976. Historically, five schools have never shared the top position in a single season.
Schaefer added, “There’s so much parity in the game right now,” echoing sentiments that the competitive landscape of women’s college basketball has never been so balanced. Texas, which last held the top spot on February 16, 2004, garnered 19 first-place votes from the 31-member national media panel. The Longhorns have maintained the top position for an aggregate of 48 weeks, a testament to their storied history dating back to their first No. 1 ranking in 1980. Schaefer, acknowledging the legacy of former coach Jody Conradt, stated, “So much respect and admiration for coach Conradt and the tradition of our program and I certainly understand the standard we hope we can live up to.”
In the shiftings of the rankings, Notre Dame fell to third place as their impressive 19-game winning streak came to a halt. UCLA moved up to the second position, following their narrow victory over Iowa with a score of 67-65, assisted by late crucial free throws, receiving 11 top votes in the process. USC, occupying the fourth position, received one first-place vote. UConn secured its place at number five. Following them in the rankings were South Carolina, LSU, and North Carolina. Meanwhile, North Carolina State climbed four positions to secure the ninth spot upon their significant victory over Notre Dame. TCU rounded out the top ten.
In terms of movement within the rankings, Florida State and Louisville re-entered, ranking at No. 24 and 25 respectively. Florida State impressed with victories over Pittsburgh and the then-ranked No. 20 Georgia Tech. Meanwhile, Louisville managed to defeat the then-ranked No. 11 Duke, before succumbing to North Carolina. Both Georgia Tech and Illinois dropped out of the Top 25.
Analyzing the conference representation, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) boasts seven ranked teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has six, while both the Big Ten and Big 12 feature five, and the Big East has two teams listed.
Highlighted games of the week include Saturday’s showdown between No. 4 USC and No. 2 UCLA, with the Big Ten regular-season title on the line. USC previously handed UCLA their only defeat this season. A significant clash awaits on Thursday as No. 22 Creighton faces No. 5 UConn with first place in the Big East at stake. Two ACC rivals, No. 8 North Carolina and No. 16 Duke, will compete on Thursday for a crucial second meeting this season, eyeing a double-bye into the conference tournament quarterfinals. Lastly, Sunday will feature a Big 12 top-tier confrontation as No. 10 TCU visits No. 17 Baylor, potentially to vie for first place in the conference.
