UCLA is the new No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll after a historic win that vaulted the school into the top spot.
The Bruins defeated South Carolina, the defending national champion who had occupied the top spot in the previous 23 polls, with a dominant 77-62 victory that broke UCLA’s record of 0-20 against No. 1 teams. It also happened in front of a raucous, star-studded crowd.
“I think the piece that really gets to me is that for the first time in school history, we’re doing something and we’ve shared it with decades of alumni,” UCLA coach Cori Close said when the poll was released. “It was great to have so many alumni in our locker room that we could share this with. The people who have mapped out the path for us are truly special.”
UCLA, which was No. 5 in last week’s poll, received 20 first-place votes from the 32-member national media panel. UConn remained second and earned nine first-place votes after a historic week of its own, with coach Geno Auriemma setting the NCAA’s all-time wins record.
Notre Dame, which caused its own upset this weekend in Los Angeles by beating then-No. 3 USC, moved up to third place. The Fighting Irish received the other three No. 1 votes in a week that saw only four teams remain in the same spot as in last week’s poll.
South Carolina fell to fourth place after its 43-game winning streak ended. Texas came fifth. USC fell to sixth place, while LSU, Oklahoma, Kansas State and Maryland finished in the top 10. Iowa State dropped from eighth to 15th after a 12-point loss to Northern Iowa.
The Bruins are the 26th school to hold the No. 1 ranking in the history of the women’s Top 25, which began in the 1976-77 season.
“We came here and said we want to be an elite basketball program and be part of that company as the 26th program ever to become a No. 1 team is important,” Close said. “I am grateful.”
Iowa is back
Iowa entered the Top 25 for the first time this season, jumping to No. 22 in the poll.
The Hawkeyes finished second last season behind star guard Caitlin Clark, who is now flourishing in the WNBA. This year’s team is 6-0 and has used excellent defense to remain undefeated thus far, holding four of six opponents under 60 points. Baylor fell out of the poll after a loss to Indiana.
Climbing the charts
Illinois climbed to No. 19 this week, the school’s best ranking since it was 13th on Jan. 17, 2000. After losing to South Carolina, the Illini now have the nation’s longest active winning streak with ten straight victories. The team won the first WBIT last season and is 5-0 this year.
Dominance of the gamecock
South Carolina has been No. 1 in 61 of the past 62 polls, with the lone exception being the preseason Top 25 on Oct. 17, 2023, when then-defending champion LSU was the top pick. The Gamecocks then moved back up to No. 1 in the first poll of the regular season, climbing from No. 6, the biggest jump in the poll’s history, to first place.
The last time South Carolina wasn’t No. 1 before that was March 15, 2021, the final poll of that season.
How good have the Gamecocks been lately? The loss to UCLA was the Gamecocks’ largest margin of defeat since the 2019 Sweet 16 and the school’s first road loss since December 2021.
Coach Dawn Staley says her team is getting back to work.
“Taking a loss will help us focus on everyone we play,” she said.
