Women's College Basketball Rankings: AP Top 25 updated following Week 3 of play

Week 3 of action is in the books for the women’s college basketball season. With that, the AP has released its updated Top 25 Poll.

It’s still only November, so there’s plenty of time for these rankings to change. These teams are also ranked largely on the back of non-conference play. So, even coming off a week where multiple AP-ranked teams lost, this is a good snapshot of where things currently stand.

The AP Top 25 Poll acts as a sort of time capsule in a season. It demonstrates the consensus of where teams stand around the sport at different points in the season. So, you can see how things shook out here.

1. UConn

UConn keeps on rolling, adding wins against a pair of Power Conference opponents last week. That included Michigan, which was AP No. 6 at the time. So, it’s no surprise the Huskies are still at the top of the rankings.

This next week, UConn has a bit of a break over Thanksgiving. When they’re back in action, it will be in Big East play, though, ready to take on Xavier.

2. South Carolina

After a week taking on a pair of mid-majors and winning both games by at least 50 points, South Carolina remains undefeated. So, it’s not a surprise to anyone how high the Gamecocks are ranked in this week’s edition of the AP Poll.

Upcoming, South Carolina will have just one game in the upcoming week. That’s an interesting test against Duke, who opened the season in the AP Top 10 and played the Gamecocks in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. However, after opening the season 3-3, has slid in the rankings.

3. UCLA

UCLA only played one game a week ago. That wasn’t a particularly close battle, either. The Bruins would beat Southern by 51 points.

Upcoming, UCLA has a much tougher schedule, taking on multiple AP-ranked teams this week. First, on Wednesday, UCLA has a showdown with Texas. Later, the Bruins will take on Tennessee. So, it’s time to learn a lot about UCLA.

4. Texas

Texas remains highly ranked in the AP Poll. That’s a position they’ve been in all season, and after playing five mid-majors, they also haven’t played a close game yet. That included a blowout win over James Madison last week.

Upcoming is a bit of a step up in competition. UCLA will present the toughest non-conference game that Texas has had all season. That comes on Wednesday afternoon.

5. LSU

The LSU Tigers continued to dominate their non-conference schedule last week, adding another pair of blowout wins. It’s hard to find a knock on LSU, perhaps with the exception that they haven’t been challenged yet. Without a major test, it could be hard to move up in the AP Poll.

Next week, LSU won’t find that much more difficult schedule. On Black Friday, the Tigers play Marist. That’s their only game before next week’s poll, though.

6. Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines dropped a game last week, but they’re still sitting in the AP Top 10. That’s probably because that loss came to UConn. More than that, it was only a one-score loss and they bounced back with a big win against Syracuse.

Over the week of Thanksgiving, Michigan will play one non-conference game against Detroit Mercy. There, they’ll be a big favorite.

7. Maryland

The Maryland Terrapins continued their undefeated season through the third week of action with comfortable wins over Bethune-Cookman and George Mason. Now, they’re firmly an AP Top 10 team.

On Wednesday, Maryland will have a very real test. The Terrapins are set to take on Kentucky, one of the best teams coming out of the SEC this season.

8. TCU

The TCU Horned Frogs have just kept on winning. Since taking down NC State over a week ago, TCU has added another pair of wins. Both were blowouts over overmatched mid-majors.

Looking to continue to solidify their AP ranking, TCU has games against Richmond and UAB next week. Those back-to-back games come on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

9. Oklahoma

Oklahoma only had one game last week. That was against East Texas A&M and it was never a close battle. So, now on a four-game winning streak since losing to UCLA, the Sooners earned their spot in the AP Top 10.

Over the Thanksgiving break, Oklahoma is only going to have one game. That’s against Coppin State, which the Sooners will be a big favorite to win.

10. Iowa State

Iowa State has continued its winning ways. Last week, that meant adding wins by double-digits over a pair of mid-majors. Now, they’ve made their way into the AP Top 10.

The Cyclones only have one game this next week. That could be an interesting test too, taking on Marquette out of the Big East.

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

Others receiving votes: Stanford 36, South Dakota St. 24, Ohio St. 15, Richmond 10, Nebraska 10, Texas Tech 5, Princeton 4, South Dakota 3, Oregon 2, Kansas 2, Fairfield 2.