Women's College Basketball Rankings: AP Top 25 gets new look after Week 15 schedule

As usual, women’s basketball delivered fans an entertaining week. On Monday, AP Poll voters released their updated women’s college basketball Top 25 rankings.

Ten ranked teams suffered losses this past weekend alone. With powerhouses such as South Carolina and LSU clashing, fans had no shortage of entertainment.

Conversely, AP Poll voters had plenty to consider. With so much action to reflect upon, let’s get into the latest women’s college basketball rankings.

1. UConn Huskies

With wins over Creighton and Marquette in Week 15, UConn remained undefeated. The Huskies only appear to be picking up steam as they head into the postseason—a scary proposition for the rest of women’s college basketball.

In UConn’s 71-56 triumph over Marquette on Saturday, Azzi Fudd led all scorers with 25 points, while shooting 5-8 from beyond the arc. Sarah Strong didn’t trail far behind, piling on 22 points of her own.

2. UCLA Bruins

UCLA looked like a well-oiled machine this past week, picking up back-to-back dominant victories. Most recently, the Bruins handed Indiana a 92-48 shellacking on Sunday.

In the win, UCLA forward Lauren Betts stuffed the stat sheet, tallying 16 points and 14 rebounds. In total, the Bruins reeled in 23 offensive rebounds, compared to the Hoosiers’ mere four.

3. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina is currently the team to beat in the SEC. On Saturday, the Gamecocks downed LSU 79-72 in a highly-anticipated top-10 showdown.

Tessa Johnson led the Gamecocks with 21 points on efficient 4-5 shooting from 3-point range. Raven Johnson was also phenomenal, notching 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

4. Texas Longhorns

Texas had a tumultuous week. On Thursday, the Longhorns suffered a stunning 86-70 loss to Vanderbilt. Nonetheless, Texas didn’t allow the loss to fester and bounced back with a 65-63 win over Tennessee on Sunday.

Texas’ performance was far from perfect. The team didn’t make a single 3-pointer in the win, but scored 40 points in the paint. Texas’ Madison Booker scored a team-high 14 points.

5. Vanderbilt Commodores

Vanderbilt’s week was the exact opposite of Texas’. After jumpstarting the week with a triumph over the Longhorns, the Commodores fell 76-74 to unranked Georgia on Sunday.

Vanderbilt was ice-cold in the loss, shooting 37% from the field and 31% from downtown. Vanderbilt’s bench only scored four total points against the Bulldogs.

6. Michigan Wolverines (+1)

Michigan won its rivalry game in style this weekend, defeating Michigan State 86-65. The Wolverines’ defense smothered the Spartans, forcing them to commit 24 turnovers.

Michigan didn’t allow its efforts to go to waste. The Wolverines scored twice as many points off turnovers as Michigan State.

7. LSU Tigers (-1)

LSU fell 79-72 to South Carolina on Saturday, but the Tigers showed they’re a capable team. It was a back-and-forth affair before South Carolina ultimately gained control in the second half.

LSU out-rebounded the Gamecocks and scored more in the fast break. Alas, the Tigers’ couldn’t overcome their 2-12 (17%) shooting from range.

8. Louisville Cardinals (+1)

Since falling to Duke on Feb. 5, Louisville has won three consecutive games by an average margin of 20.3 points per contest. Most recently, the Cardinals soared past Florida State in an 88-65 blowout.

In no surprise, Louisville’s Laura Ziegler was spectacular, notching 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. The Cardinals’ bench added a combined 43 points to the team’s winning effort.

9. Duke Blue Devils (+2)

The Blue Devils have been dominant in the ACC, and they’re showing no signs of stopping. On Sunday, Duke secured a pivotal 72-68 win over in-state rival North Carolina to improve to 14-0 in conference play.

Free throws were the difference-maker in the game. The Blue Devils scored 17 points at the charity stripe, while North Carolina didn’t shoot a single free throw. Now, Duke is firmly in the top 10 of the women’s basketball rankings.

10. Ohio State Buckeyes (-2)

The Buckeyes suffered a nail-biting 76-75 loss to Maryland on Sunday. Nonetheless, they retained their spot in the top 10.

Ohio State led the Terrapins by 19 points at one point before ultimately giving away its lead. Jaloni Cambridge collected 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the loss.

11. Oklahoma (-1)
12. TCU (+5)
13. Iowa (+2)
14. Maryland (+6)
15. Baylor (-3)
16. Kentucky (+2)
17. Ole Miss (-3)
18. Michigan State (-5)
19. West Virginia (-4)
20. Texas Tech (+1)
21. Tennessee (-1)
22. North Carolina
23. Minnesota
24. Georgia
25. Alabama (-2)

Others receiving votes: Rhode Island 41, Washington 22, Princeton 14, Richmond 12, Fairfield 7, North Dakota State 2, Iowa State 2, Illinois 2, Syracuse 1, Columbia 1.