TCU earned its best-ever ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll after a convincing win over Notre Dame, after the rankings received an shakeup following a holiday tournament week marked by key losses.
The Horned Frogs climbed eight spots to No. 9, the first time the school has ever been in the top 10. The team’s best previous ranking was 13th in 2004.
The Fighting Irish, who finished third, fell seven spots to 10th after losses to TCU and Utah in the Cayman Islands.
UCLA remained No. 1 with UConn right behind them. The Bruins received 25 first-place votes from a national media panel, while the Huskies earned the other seven. The Bruins won three games in three days in Hawaii over Thanksgiving weekend. The Huskies had two wins in a holiday tournament in the Bahamas.
South Carolina, Texas and LSU trail UConn in the poll. The Tigers jumped past USC and moved into fifth place. The Trojans, Maryland, Duke, TCU and Notre Dame round out the top 10.
The Blue Devils moved up five spots to eighth after defeating then No. 9 Kansas State and No. 8 Oklahoma in a tournament in Las Vegas. It is the highest ranking for Duke in a decade, comparable to the No. 8 ranking on Nov. 24, 2014. The Wildcats fell to 13th and the Sooners to 11th.
To withdraw
Both Michigan and Michigan State participated in the poll for the first time this season. The last time the two schools were both ranked was Jan. 4, 2021. That was the No. 24 Spartans’ last appearance in the Top 25. The 23rd-ranked Wolverines were in the final poll of the 2023 season .
To move house
NC State fell out of the poll for the first time in 24 weeks, marking the tenth-longest active streak. The Wolfpack are 4-3 and all of those losses have come to their current top 10 opponents (South Carolina, TCU and LSU). Wes Moore’s squad faces No. 18 Ole Miss in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Oregon also dropped out.
Rising tide
Alabama rose four spots to No. 19, the school’s best ranking in 25 years. The Crimson Tide led 8-0 in a matinee against Georgia State. They matched the team’s best start since the 2020-2021 season.
Conference breakdown
The Big Ten has nine teams in the poll, the most of any conference. The SEC is second with seven. The ACC and Big 12 each have four Top 25 teams and the Big East has one.
Game of the week
No. 4 Texas at No. 10 Notre Dame. The SEC/ACC Challenge features many great matchups, including the Longhorns visiting the Irish. The game features two of the best duos in the game, with Texas stars Madison Booker and Rori Harmon playing against Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo. The Irish want to snap a two-game skid.
