Women's College Basketball Rankings: AP Top 25 updated following first week of action

The college basketball season is finally here and it was an exciting first week of action around the sport. Now, the AP Top 25 Poll has received its first update of the season, looking to show off all of those early season results.

It’s still very early in the season and the AP voters had their expectations coming into the year. However, it’s not uncommon for those expectations not to quite meet reality once teams hit the court. That does allow for a lot of movement, especially early, when the voters finally have actual date points to use from this season.

Keeping that in mind, the AP Top 25 Poll was shaken up following the first week of action. You can see those rankings below.

1. UConn

UConn opened as the preseason No. 1 in the AP Poll. Through two games, they haven’t disappointed, adding two wins against ACC opponents. That included a ranked win against Louisville to open up the season.

This next week will see UConn back in action twice. First, against Loyola-Chicago. After that is an interesting test against an upset-minded Ohio State.

2. South Carolina

After a frustrating end to last season, South Carolina opened with massive expectations this season. So far, so good on the court. The Gamecocks added a pair of blowout wins against overmatched opponents. 

The competition is going to get much tougher this next week, with South Carolina seeing a pair of power conference teams. First, in-state rival Clemson. Then, it’s an interesting game against USC, who is also ranked in the AP Poll.

3. UCLA

The UCLA Bruins added a pair of double-digit wins in the first week of the season. So, unsurprisingly, after opening ranked highly in the AP Poll, they’re still right there. 

This next week will do more to set the tone for UCLA. On Monday night, they’ll have a massive game against Oklahoma. After that, they’ll take on another highly ranked team in North Carolina. Then, for good measure, they’ll have a neutral site game against USF, a tournament team from a season ago.

4. Texas

Texas was ranked highly in the Preseason AP Top 25 poll and, through their first couple of games, the Longhorns haven’t done anything to slip. That included adding multiple double-digit point wins. One of those wins was against Richmond, ranked No. 24 in the preseason poll.

Next week, Texas will continue against a pair of mid-major opponents. That starts with Louisiana on Monday night. So, for the time being, they’ll be trying to avoid upsets.

5. LSU

The LSU Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 start. They’ve also yet to play a close game, blowing out three overmatched opponents so far. So, without a power conference opponent played so far, it’s a little difficult to tell how good the Tigers are, but they’ve certainly taken care of business. 

In this next week, LSU only has one game to play, giving them a slight break after a busy first week. That’s against another mid-major, Charlotte.

6. Oklahoma

Oklahoma entered the season ranked No. 6 in the Preseason AP Poll. Since then, they’ve only played in one game, beating Belmont by double digits. 

The Sooners are about to face their first major test of the season. On Monday, they’re set to travel to Sacramento to take on UCLA. That’s going to be a massive test and could shake up early season expectations for both teams.

7. Baylor

Coming into the season ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll, Baylor made the jump to being ranked within the Top 10. Beating Lindenwood didn’t hurt, but most of that leap likely stems from knocking off Duke, who had previously been No. 7 in the country.

This upcoming week, Baylor is set to add a couple more games in which they’ll need to avoid an upset. That starts with UNLV on Friday.

8. USC

The USC Trojans made the jump into the Top 10 of the AP Poll this week. That comes after opening the season with a blowout win over New Mexico State. More importantly, there was also a Top 10 win over a good NC State team.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier from here, though. Next up, on Saturday, USC is set to take on South Carolina. That showdown could go a long way to changing expectations this season for the Trojans.

9. Maryland

Opening the season with three dominant wins has helped Maryland earn its AP ranking. The toughest of those tests was certainly Georgetown. Even then, Maryland won by 19 points. 

This next week, Maryland is set to play a pair of mid-majors. First, there’s Towson and later in the week will be Princeton. So, while neither of those is expected to be a major test, Maryland will need to be vigilant against upsets.

10. NC State

NC State opened the season with a massive win over Tennessee. Then, they followed it up against USC, suffering a close loss. Both of those were AP-ranked opponents. So, the voters felt they still deserved their spot in the Top 10.

Next up is a game against Maine. After that, it’s another major test, this time against TCU. So, while it’s early, NC State doesn’t ease into anything.

Rest of the Women’s AP Top 25:

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

Others receiving votes: Ohio St. 27, Princeton 19, Richmond 16, West Virginia 15, Kansas St 11, Minnesota 10, South Dakota St. 6, Kansas 5, Stanford 4, Columbia 4, Nebraska 2, Fairfield 1.