Women's College Basketball Rankings: AP Top 25 updated following exciting week of play

The women’s college basketball season is now in full swing with non-conference play, and is coming off a thrilling week of action. With that, the AP Top 25 Poll has been updated to reflect the week that was.

There is a lot of season to go, and the AP voters are still feeling out where teams belong. That’s not a ton of in-season information to be voting off of. At the same time, there were AP Top 10 teams who went down last week and plenty of ranked matchups. So, there are plenty of changes.

Ultimately, the AP Poll is a good signal of how teams are regarded at a current point in the season. You can see how those teams ended up getting ranked below.

1. UConn

The UConn women’s basketball team continues to roll. In the past week, they added blowout wins over Loyola and Ohio State. That Ohio State win was particularly impressive, as the Buckeyes were receiving votes in last week’s AP Poll.

This upcoming week, UConn is going to play a couple of more games against teams from premier conferences. That includes an excellent Michigan team that is going to have a mind to pull off the upset on Friday.

2. South Carolina

South Carolina added a couple of wins last week. First, there was the blowout win over rival Clemson. Then, against a USC team ranked No. 8 at the time they played, the Gamecocks won a one-possession game on the back of a fourth quarter comeback.

It’s no surprise that South Carolina has, accordingly, maintained a high AP ranking. They’ll look to continue along that path next week with what should be an easier schedule against a pair of mid-majors.

3. UCLA

Last Thursday, UCLA was expecting to get tested by a ranked North Carolina team. That would be a game they took a shot in early, but bounced back to dominate the rest of the way, eventually giving them a double-digit point win over an AP-ranked team.

At this point, UCLA seems to be rolling and is going to continue to hold a high AP ranking. This next week will see an easier slate for the Bruins. They don’t play again until Sunday when they’re set to take on Southern.

4. Texas

Texas came into the season highly ranked in the AP Poll, and they’ve yet to do anything to change that. Once again, the Longhorns added a pair of dominant wins over outmatched mid-majors last week. 

This upcoming week, Texas only has one game. That’s against another mid-major in James Madison. After that, the schedule is going to start getting trickier, but for now, that’s a problem that the future holds.

5. LSU

LSU just had one game this past week against Charlotte. That ended up being a blowout win to keep the Tigers unbeaten. It also helped them maintain their high ranking in the AP Poll.

This next week, LSU has a couple of mid-major opponents on the schedule. That starts with an interesting test against Tulane on Monday. Those in-state battles can be tricky against teams that would love nothing more than to pull off the upset.

6. Michigan

Michigan only had one game a week ago. That was a massively impressive win, though. The Wolverines took down an AP-ranked Notre Dame team 93-54. So, with that on their resume, they jumped into the Top 10 of the AP Poll.

This next week, it’s an interesting slate with three non-conference games. That includes UConn on Friday before a quick turnaround to Syracuse on Sunday. So, the Wolverines need to be ready.

7. Baylor

Baylor keeps on winning this season. So, it’s no surprise that they’re holding strong in the AP Poll after adding a pair of non-conference wins. 

The Lady Bears are going to see their schedule ramp up this next week, though. On Friday, Iowa should prove to be a true test. That’s before another interesting game over the weekend against Davidson.

8. Oklahoma

Oklahoma has pretty thoroughly bounced back from its loss to UCLA. In three games last week, all of which were overmatched mid-majors, the Sooners were dominant. That includes winning by more than 60 points on Sunday.

Still ranked highly in the AP Poll, Oklahoma wants to make noise this season. For now, they’re still going to be taking on mid-majors who they should be big favorites against this next week.

9. Maryland

Maryland has been rolling out of the gates this season. So, perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that they’re still ranked so highly in the AP Poll. Of course, that was a week of games against mid-majors.

Those mid-major opponents will continue next week for Maryland. That is going to start with a game against Bethune-Cookman on Thursday.

10. TCU

The TCU Horned Frogs got off to a hot start this season. Then, on Sunday, they got a massive resume win, knocking off NC State. In the process, they made a big jump in the AP Poll. 

The non-conference slate is a bit easier next week for TCU, only facing mid-majors. That starts up on Thursday against Tarleton State.

11. USC
12. Iowa State
13. Ole Miss
14. North Carolina
15. Tennessee
16. NC State
17. Vanderbilt
18. Oklahoma State
19. Iowa
20. Kentucky
21. Louisville
22. Michigan State
23. West Virginia
24. Notre Dame
25. Washington

Others receiving votes: Duke 89, Minnesota 24, Ohio St. 12, Stanford 8, South Dakota St. 7, Nebraska 6, Richmond 3, Princeton 2, Fairfield 1.