Notre Dame is the new No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s college basketball, ascending to the top spot Monday for the first time since 2019.
The Fighting Irish replaced UCLA , which lost its first game of the season last week, falling to rival USC, 71-60. Notre Dame was last No. 1 on Jan. 21, 2019.
“It’s definitely an honor to be the nation’s top team, but we are just focused on getting better every day,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said.
The Irish, who received 16 first-place votes from a 30-member national media panel, faced No. 11 Duke on Monday night.
Texas moved up to second for its best ranking since 2017. The Longhorns, who garnered eight first-place ballots, became the first team to beat three straight top 10 teams since 2004-05, according to ESPN, topping South Carolina, Kentucky and LSU.
The Bruins had been No. 1 for 12 straight weeks after beating South Carolina in late November. UCLA fell to third and received the other six first-place votes.
USC moved up to fourth and UConn was fifth after routing then-No. 4 South Carolina, 87-58, on Sunday. The Gamecocks, who saw their 71-game home winning streak end, fell to sixth. LSU and Ohio State were next.
North Carolina climbed up three spots to ninth for its highest ranking in three seasons after beating North Carolina State, 66-65, on Sunday. TCU was 10th.
Illinois re-entered the poll this week at No. 25 after beating Penn State and Nebraska. The Illini spent the first few weeks of the season ranked. Florida State fell out after losing to Louisville and edging Miami (Fla.).
It was a rough week for Kentucky. One week after earning its best ranking in a decade, Kentucky fell six spots to 14th. The Wildcats lost games to Ole Miss and Texas before beating Georgia.
The SEC still reigns with seven ranked teams. The Big Ten has six, while the ACC and Big 12 each have five. The Big East has two.
With a month left to the start of the NCAA Tournament, the selection committee has revealed the top 16 teams to that point. UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Notre Dame were the No. 1 seeds. The reveal came before South Carolina’s loss.
Here’s the full AP Top 25:
1. Notre Dame
2. Texas
3. UCLA
4. USC
5. UConn
6. South Carolina
7. LSU
8. Ohio State
9. North Carolina
10. TCU
11. Duke
12. Kansas State
13. North Carolina State
14. Kentucky
15. Tennessee
16. Oklahoma
17. West Virginia
18. Alabama
19. Baylor
20. Georgia Tech
21. Maryland
22. Michigan State
23. Creighton
24. Oklahoma State
25. Illinois
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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