TCU, Duke climb into top 10, Notre Dame drops in women’s AP Top 25; UCLA and UConn remain 1-2
AP Basketball Writer
TCU has grabbed its best ranking ever in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll on Monday after a convincing win over Notre Dame as the rankings got a shakeup following a holiday tournament week marked by key losses.
The Horned Frogs climbed eight spots to No. 9, the first time the school has ever been in the top 10. The team’s best previous ranking was 13th in 2004.
The Fighting Irish, who were third last week, fell seven spots to 10th after losses to TCU and Utah in the Cayman Islands.
UCLA remained No. 1 with UConn right behind them. The Bruins received 25 first-place votes from a national media panel while the Huskies garnered the other seven. The Bruins won three games in three days in Hawaii over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Huskies had two wins in a holiday tournament in the Bahamas.
South Carolina, Texas and LSU follow UConn in the poll. The Tigers leaped past USC to move up to fifth. The Trojans, Maryland, Duke, TCU and Notre Dame round out the top 10.
The Blue Devils moved up five spots to eighth after beating then-No. 9 Kansas State and No. 8 Oklahoma in a tournament in Las Vegas. It’s the highest ranking for Duke in a decade, matching the No. 8 ranking on Nov. 24, 2014. The Wildcats fell to 13th and the Sooners 11th.
Moving in
Both Michigan and Michigan State entered the poll for the first time this season. The last time the two schools both were ranked was Jan. 4, 2021. That was the No. 24 Spartans’ last appearance in the Top 25. The 23rd-ranked Wolverines were in the final poll of the 2023 season.
Moving out
N.C. State dropped out of the poll for the first time in 24 weeks, which had been the 10th longest active streak. The Wolfpack are 4-3 with all of those losses coming to current top 10 opponents (South Carolina, TCU and LSU). Wes Moore’s squad faces No. 18 Ole Miss on Thursday in the SEC/ACC challenge. Oregon also fell out.
Rising Tide
Alabama moved up four spots to No. 19, the school’s best ranking in 25 years. The Crimson Tide were 8-0 ahead of a Monday matinee against Georgia State. They equaled the team’s best start since the 2020-21 season.
Conference breakdown
The Big Ten has nine teams ranked in the poll, most of any conference. The SEC is second with seven. The ACC and Big 12 each have four Top 25 teams and the Big East has one.
Game of the week
No. 4 Texas at No. 10 Notre Dame, Thursday. The SEC/ACC challenge brings a lot of great matchups, including the Longhorns visiting the Irish. The game features two of the best duos in the game with Texas stars Madison Booker and Rori Harmon playing against Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo. The Irish are looking to snap a two-game skid.
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