South Carolina emerged as the unanimous leader in the latest women’s basketball rankings, solidifying its position as the No. 1 team following two victories that marked the beginning of its pursuit for a consecutive national championship. Kansas State made its way into the top ten, while both Stanford and Oregon made their appearances in the first regular-season poll of the year.
The Gamecocks secured a challenging six-point victory against Michigan in Las Vegas to start their season, followed by a 14-point win over previously-ranked No. 9 North Carolina State. These wins led to South Carolina being the sole choice of the 31-member national media panel. In the preseason rankings, UConn held the second spot with two first-place votes, while USC was placed third with one first-place vote.
The rankings for the top eight teams remained stable, with Texas and UCLA claiming the fourth and fifth stripes, respectively. Following them were Notre Dame, LSU, Iowa State, Oklahoma, which was placed ninth, and Kansas State rounding out the top ten. North Carolina State slipped to the 13th position after their defeat.
Stanford and Oregon, both formerly part of the Pac-12, climbed into the rankings after strong performances. The No. 24 Stanford team, led by new coach Kate Paye, achieved a perfect 3-0 record last week, boasting an average margin of victory of 41 points. This marked their first absence from the preseason poll since 2000.
The No. 25 Oregon Ducks entered the poll following a narrow two-point victory over then-No. 12 Baylor, breaking a previous 13-game losing streak against ranked teams. Consequently, Baylor fell to the 17th position in the rankings.
Maryland saw a significant rise in the rankings, climbing seven spots to reach No. 11 after an impressive 85-80 win against Duke, who was then ranked No. 11 as well. This matchup was their first meeting since Maryland triumphed over Duke in the Sweet 16 in 2015. The victory follows a tumultuous period for the Terrapins, who saw their long-standing presence in the polls end last season. Duke slipped down to 16th after this loss.
Meanwhile, three teams—Creighton, Indiana, and Florida State—dropped out of the rankings after facing early setbacks. Creighton lost to South Dakota State, Indiana suffered a defeat at home against Harvard, and Florida State fell short at Illinois, which subsequently broke into the poll at No. 23.
UConn’s head coach, Geno Auriemma, is now just one win away from matching the all-time record for victories, held by retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, with 1,216 wins to date. Auriemma has the opportunity to tie VanDerveer when UConn faces No. 15 North Carolina on Friday night. The record-setting win could be achieved at home on November 20 against Fairleigh Dickinson. The Stanford court was recently named in VanDerveer’s honor, recognizing her contributions to the sport.
This week’s highlighted game features No. 16 Duke traveling to South Dakota State on Sunday. Coach Kara Lawson has designed an early-season challenge for her squad, with three of their first four games being played on the road. Duke started the season at Liberty and then faced off against Maryland in their previous game.