Notre Dame has surged to No. 3 in the latest Top 25 rankings following a significant victory against UConn, with a final score of 79-68. This win allowed the Irish to leap five positions, while the Huskies dropped to fourth place. With this latest triumph, Notre Dame now boasts three victories against top five teams this season, having also previously defeated USC and Texas.
In a statement, Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey expressed gratitude towards her team for their resilience and performance during the game, highlighting the importance of this win. “This is a major win for us,” Ivey noted. “Obviously, it’s just one win, but I’m really grateful for this group and really proud of our effort and the way that we showed up today with such toughness and discipline.”
On the other hand, UCLA has maintained its position as the top-ranked team, claiming 30 out of 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. South Carolina follows closely at No. 2, having secured one first-place vote, along with Notre Dame. LSU is currently ranked fifth, with Texas, USC, and Maryland rounding out the top eight. Duke and Oklahoma occupy the final two spots in the top ten.
In the rankings, Georgia Tech has been making significant strides, currently standing at No. 17 following their notable 82-76 win against then-No. 14 North Carolina on Sunday. This victory marked the Yellow Jackets’ first win in Chapel Hill since 2012 and has contributed to their exceptional start of 11-0, which is a record for the school.
Additionally, Cal has made its first appearance in the poll since 2019, debuting at No. 24. The Bears have achieved a 12-1 record, with their only defeat coming at the hands of No. 15 Michigan State. They recently ended a lengthy losing streak against rival Stanford by defeating them by 20 points, marking the largest margin of victory in their rivalry since the 1981-82 season.
However, Iowa State has dropped out of the rankings after suffering a loss to rival Iowa last week. The Cyclones, holding a record of 9-3, face a challenging matchup ahead as they are scheduled to compete against UConn at the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase on Tuesday night.
Examining the conference representation, the Big Ten continues to have a strong showing with eight teams in the rankings. The Southeastern Conference follows with seven teams, while the ACC has six representatives. The Big 12 contributes three teams, whereas the Big East has one team ranked.
Looking ahead, a highly anticipated matchup is set for Saturday, featuring No. 7 USC visiting No. 4 UConn. This game is expected to showcase two of the brightest stars in college basketball: JuJu Watkins from USC, the third leading scorer nationally at 24.6 points per game, and Paige Bueckers of UConn.