Women's Basketball: AP Poll updated after an thrilling week of play
The AP Poll has been updated for women’s college basketball after another thrilling week of play. This comes with the regular season rapidly coming to an end and the postseason just around the corner.
At this point in the season, the storylines are always turned up and become much more notable. That includes the South Carolina Gamecocks‘ chase for perfection this season. On top of that, the Big Ten is in the midst of an incredibly competitive race. Meanwhile, there were several upsets around the AP Top 25 that are going to help reshape the poll.
There isn’t much women’s basketball left to play in the regular season. With that in mind, here is the latest AP Poll for the women’s game.
1. South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina keeps on rolling and is once again atop the AP Poll. That included two more dominant wins in SEC play. First, the Gamecocks dominated Alabama, winning by 28 points. That was then, very quickly, overshadowed by the win against Kentucky, where South Carolina scored 103 points and won by 48.
With just two games left in the regular season, South Carolina has a three-game lead in the SEC standings. That makes it impossible to catch the Gamecocks. Still, South Carolina is looking to stay focused to enter the postseason with momentum and complete an unbeaten season.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State is in a race for the Big Ten this regular season. In particular, Indiana and Iowa have been knocking on the doors for the Buckeyes late in the season. For now, Ohio State hasn’t done anything to hurt itself, either, adding two more conference wins last week.
Ohio State can’t afford a slip up against rival Michigan before finishing the season with a marquee game against Iowa. For now, the Buckeyes have a two-game lead over Indiana and Iowa, but that could change quickly, especially with a head-to-head game to manage.
3. Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns have continued to roll, winning two more games. That included a dominant 31-point win on the road at UCF. Despite that, and where they’re ranked in the AP Poll, Texas is still only in second place in the Big 12 standings, trailing rival Oklahoma by a game.
Luckily, for the Longhorns, there are still two games left. That includes a road test against those Oklahoma Sooners that is going to be vital down the final stretch of the season. Win that game, then take care of business against BYU, and Texas should be in good shape.
4. Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal stumbled last week, taking an upset loss to Arizona on the Cardinal’s home floor. Stanford was able to bounce back with a win against Arizona State, but that was a tough game to drop as the Cardinal try to hold off Oregon State in the Pac-12 race.
That team that Stanford is trying to hold off is Oregon State. The Beavers are currently two games behind Stanford with two games remaining. One of those games, on Thursday, Stanford will be on the road to play those Beavers.
5. Virginia Tech Hokies
The Virginia Tech Hokies have continued to surge late this season. Now, the Hokies have won 10 straight games. That’s helped to account for their rise in the AP Poll and the ACC standings, with Virginia Tech now leading the conference.
At 14-2 in ACC play, Virginia Tech has a slight lead over Syracuse in the conference standings. Certainly, with two games left, nothing is decided yet. On top of that, the Hokies don’t have an easy final two games, with road games against Notre Dame and rival Virginia.
6. Iowa Hawkeyes
Last week, Iowa went on the road and played an incredibly important Big Ten game against Indiana. It was a game that the Hawkeyes lost and cut into Iowa’s chances to win the Big Ten. After that game, the Hawkeyes bounced back against Illinois, scoring 101 points in a big win.
Still, those chances to win the Big Ten aren’t dead yet. At two games out, Iowa will need some help. However, a game against Ohio State to end the season is going to be a very interesting game for both teams.
7. USC Trojans
The USC Trojans went into last week knowing it would be a challenge against multiple AP-ranked teams. In the end, those Trojans split the games, beating Colorado but losing to Utah. With that, the Trojans moved to 11-5 in conference play.
With two games left, USC is tied for second in the Pac-12 standings and is two games behind Stanford atop the conference. To win the conference, the Trojans would need some help and to avoid another loss to either Arizona or Arizona State.
8. UCLA Bruins
UCLA has only played one game since the last AP Poll came out. For the Bruins, it was a dominant win, beating a ranked Utah team by 30 points. It was the kind of statement game that helps a team move up in rankings.
However, even with that dominant win, UCLA only has the longest of shots to get to the top of the Pac-12 standings. The Bruins have three games left, with most other teams only having two. That helps. However, with three teams ahead of the Bruins in the conference standings, UCLA needs to be perfect and get help in the form of multiple upset losses to get there.
9. LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers lost two games at the end of January. However, the month of February has been good to the Tigers, with LSU winning six straight games in the month. With that, LSU has also climbed back into the Top 10 of the AP Poll.
At three games behind South Carolina, there’s no catching the Gamecocks at this point. Still, the Tigers can use their final two games against Georgia and Kentucky to build momentum for the postseason and to help try and defend their national championship.
10. UConn Huskies
The UConn women’s basketball team is still unbeaten in Big East play at 16-0. With that, the Huskies have a three-game lead in the conference with just two games to go. That means nobody is catching UConn in the Big East.
The Huskies have two more Big East games, against Villanova and Providence. Winning those would mean the Huskies finish the season unbeaten in conference play. With that, heading into the postseason, nobody is overlooking UConn.
Remaining teams in AP Top 25
11. Oregon State
12. NC State
13. Colorado
14. Indiana
15. Kansas State
16. Gonzaga
17. Notre Dame
18. Utah
19. Syracuse
20. Oklahoma
21. Baylor
22. Louisville
23. Creighton
24. UNLV
25. West Virginia
Others Receiving Votes: Fairfield 49, Duke 33, Princeton 7, North Carolina 5, Florida State 3, Columbia 2, Mississippi 1.