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South Carolina women's basketball maintains top three AP poll rank

Screenshotby: Kevin Miller1 hour agokevinmillerGC

South Carolina women’s basketball bounced back from its last-second loss to Texas in Las Vegas with a 2-0 week last week. The Gamecocks beat a tough, ranked Louisville team on the road, 79-77, and then, Dawn Staley’s group returned home for a 106-42 whipping of the North Carolina Central Eagles. Now 9-1 overall, USC will have final exams this week before playing another power conference opponent on Sunday.

Ahead of exam week, the Associated Press released its top 25 rankings for week six. With Carolina handling business last week, the Gamecocks again ranked third nationally. Like last week, Dawn Staley’s team trails the UConn Huskies and the Texas Longhorns.

Once again, South Carolina did not receive a first-place vote, following a drop in ranking last week. UConn remained at No. 1 and now carries 23 first-place votes, while the Texas Longhorns are No. 2. Vic Schaefer’s group also earned nine first-place nods.

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You can check out the entire AP top 25 below (overall first-place votes in parentheses):

  1. UConn Huskies (23)
  2. Texas Longhorns (9)
  3. South Carolina Gamecocks
  4. UCLA Bruins
  5. LSU Tigers
  6. Michigan Wolverines
  7. Maryland Terrapins
  8. TCU Horned Frogs
  9. Oklahoma Sooners
  10. Iowa State Cyclones
  11. Iowa Hawkeyes
  12. North Carolina Tar Heels
  13. Baylor Bears
  14. Vanderbilt Commodores
  15. Kentucky Wildcats
  16. Southern Cal Trojans
  17. Ole Miss Rebels
  18. Tennessee Lady Volunteers
  19. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  20. Washington Huskies
  21. Ohio State Buckeyes
  22. Louisville Cardinals
  23. Oklahoma State Cowboys
  24. Nebraska Cornhuskers
  25. Michigan State Spartans

Also receiving votes: Princeton Tigers, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, NC State Wolfpack, Oregon Ducks, Stanford Cardinal, Illinois Fighting Illini, West Virginia Mountaineers

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South Carolina has not been below seventh in the AP poll at any point since the preseason poll ahead of the 2019-2020 season. The Gamecocks finished that year as the No. 1 team in the country before the Covid-19 pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament.

The Gamecocks’ current No. 3 spot is also second in the SEC, behind Texas. USC is one of eight total Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the top 25.

The 2025-2026 South Carolina women’s basketball schedule includes games against 10 currently ranked opponents.

The Gamecocks have already beaten the Southern Cal Trojans (No. 16), lost to the Texas Longhorns (No. 2), and beat Louisville (No. 23). USC also has upcoming games on the schedule against the Texas Longhorns (No. 2), Oklahoma Sooners (No. 9), Vanderbilt Commodores (No. 14), Tennessee Lady Volunteers (No. 18), LSU Tigers (No. 5), Ole Miss Rebels (No. 17), and Kentucky Wildcats (No. 15). They will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in SEC play, a team in the “also receiving votes” portion of the poll.

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This week, the Gamecocks will play just once, a home contest at Colonial Life Arena following the completion of South Carolina’s exam week.

On Sunday, the Penn State Nittany Lions will be in Columbia for a 3:30 p.m. contest. ESPN will broadcast the non-conference showdown, while the ESPN app makes it available via streaming.

Penn State leads the all-time series, 4-6; however, the Nittany Lions and Gamecocks haven’t played since 2011. That year, PSU won, 55-50 in Columbia, with the visiting team ranked 11th nationally. The roles are reversed this time around, as South Carolina is No. 3, and Penn State is unranked.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!