Tennessee has returned to the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 19, ending the school’s longest drought in the 48-year history of the women’s basketball poll.
The Lady Vols (7-0) had not been ranked since Nov. 27, 2023, a span of 22 polls. Since the rankings began in 1976, Tennessee has been in the Top 25 in 779 of the 870 total weeks (89.5%).
Tennessee, under first-year head coach Kim Caldwell, is off to an undefeated start with an urgent style that sees new players coming in all the time.
UCLA, UConn and South Carolina remained the top three teams in the poll. The Bruins received 24 first-place votes from the 32-member national media panel. UCLA defeated Washington by 11 in their only game. The Huskies earned the remaining eight top votes after defeating Louisville 85-52 in the Women’s Champions Classic.
LSU and USC each moved up one spot after then-No. 4 Texas lost to Notre Dame 80-70 in overtime. The Longhorns fell to sixth place and the Irish rose two spots to eighth. Maryland finished seventh. Duke and Oklahoma rounded out the top 10, while the Sooners moved up one spot.
Spartans climb
Michigan State moved up seven spots to No. 17 as the Spartans (9-0) are off to the best start in school history. They defeated DePaul in their only game and then faced No. 21 Iowa. It’s the team’s best ranking since the Spartans finished 15th in 2019. Robyn Fralick’s squad improved on previous best 8-0 starts in 2012-13 and 2020-21.
Moving in and out
Georgia Tech (9-0) entered the poll for the first time since Feb. 28, 2022, landing at No. 25 as the team is off to its best start since 1977-78. The Yellow Jackets host Louisiana-Monroe before visiting No. 14 North Carolina. NC State also returned to the polls at No. 22, while Illinois, Alabama and Louisville dropped out. The Cardinals have suffered four losses this season, all against ranked teams (UCLA, UConn, Kentucky and Oklahoma).
Conference breakdown
The Big Ten has eight teams in the poll, one fewer than in the previous poll. The Southeastern Conference has seven, while the ACC and Big 12 have five and four, respectively. The Big East has one.
Game of the week
No. 2 UConn at No. 8 Notre Dame. The two former Big East rivals tip off in one of the most highly anticipated games of the season. Both teams have All-American stars in UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. The Huskies are at full strength, while the Irish are still dealing with some injuries.
