The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference are both making a strong case for being recognized as the leading leagues in women’s basketball this season.
Each conference boasts seven teams in the latest Top 25 women’s basketball rankings, which were released on Monday, including four teams from each league in the top 10. The recent shifts due to conference realignment have fortified both leagues, with No. 1 UCLA and No. 4 USC joining the Big Ten, while No. 5 Texas and No. 10 Oklahoma are now part of the SEC.

UCLA is once again at the top of the rankings after securing 30 of 32 first-place votes from a national panel of sports journalists. The Bruins have held the No. 1 position since their victory over previous top-ranked team, South Carolina, in late November. The Gamecocks, still holding the No. 2 rank, are set to host No. 5 Texas this Sunday.

Notre Dame occupies the third spot in the rankings and claims the remaining two first-place votes, which were taken from South Carolina. Following the Longhorns are LSU and UConn, with undefeated Maryland sitting in eighth place. Ohio State improved one position to ninth after Oklahoma split games with Texas and then ranked No. 15 Tennessee.

Utah is making headlines as well, having overcome a coaching transition early in the season when Lynne Roberts departed for a role in the WNBA. Longtime assistant Gavin Petersen has taken over and has led the Utes to a rank of No. 22, marking their third consecutive season appearing in the rankings. Petersen expressed pride in how his team managed to adapt to the situation with resilience, stating, “Our resilient crew has stepped up and faced the adversity that’s in front of them.” Utah celebrated a significant Thanksgiving tournament victory against Notre Dame and is gearing up to take on No. 12 Kansas State this Wednesday.

Meanwhile, No. 18 Alabama is enjoying its best start in the SEC in over two decades, having achieved a 2-0 record in conference play for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Their latest victory was a 68-49 triumph over Missouri. Alabama’s next challenge will be against No. 5 Texas on Thursday.

In terms of team representation in the rankings, both the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten have seven teams included this week after Ole Miss dropped out of the Top 25. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) follows with six teams, while the Big 12 has four, and the Big East has one.

A few key matchups to watch this week include No. 4 USC facing No. 8 Maryland on Wednesday; the Terrapins will aim to maintain their undefeated status as they take on JuJu Watkins and the Trojans. This matchup marks Maryland’s first top-10 clash of the season.
On Thursday, No. 14 Duke will take on No. 19 North Carolina in an eagerly anticipated rivalry game as both teams strive to remain competitive in the ACC.
Finally, No. 5 Texas will go head-to-head with No. 2 South Carolina on Sunday, in their first of two regular-season encounters this year, a rematch against the defending national champions.