Women's college basketball rankings: Iowa reenters top 10, Geno Auriemma makes history with 655th week in poll
The UConn coach passed Tara VanDerveer for most appearances by a coach in the AP Top 25
Iowa has reentered the top 10 of the AP Top 25 after a stellar performance from Ava Heiden led the Hawkeyes to a 62-44 victory over then-No. 6 Michigan. Jan Jensen's team is finishing the regular season strong and is now up to No. 2 and tied with Michigan in the Big Ten standings.
Heiden registered her eighth career double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, along with two blocks and two steals. The sophomore was a key part of Iowa's defense, holding the now-No. 8 Wolverines to their lowest point total of the season.
Another big shake-up in the top 10 came from unranked Virginia upsetting then-No. 8 Louisville 74-72 in Kentucky. Meanwhile, then-No. 9 Duke had its 17-game winning streak snapped in a 53-51 loss against Clemson. Both winners are bubble teams, so this past weekend could have been a significant one when it comes to NCAA Tournament implications.
The top five did remain steady, although No. 5 Vanderbilt barely snuck away with an 81-79 win against Kentucky on Sunday. UConn is once again the unanimous No. 1, but this week is a little more special. The program has now appeared in the AP Top 25 poll a total of 655 times under Geno Auriemma, which passed former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer's record during her 41-year Hall of Fame career.
Tennessee is another historic women's basketball program, but the team has been struggling as of late. A 100-93 loss to Oklahoma became their fourth consecutive loss and now the Lady Vols have fallen out of the rankings.
AP Women's Basketball Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn | 28-0 | 775 (31) | 1 |
| 2 | UCLA | 27-1 | 744 | 2 |
| 3 | South Carolina | 27-1 | 713 | 3 |
| 4 | Texas | 26-2 | 665 | 4 |
| 5 | Vanderbilt | 25-3 | 660 | 5 |
| 6 | LSU | 24-4 | 624 | 7 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 21-6 | 543 | 11 |
| 8 | Michigan | 22-5 | 531 | 6 |
| 9 | Iowa | 22-5 | 522 | 13 |
| 10 | Louisville | 24-5 | 472 | 8 |
| 11 | TCU | 25-4 | 462 | 12 |
| 12 | Duke | 20-7 | 449 | 9 |
| 13 | Ohio State | 23-5 | 415 | 10 |
| 14 | Maryland | 22-6 | 382 | 14 |
| 15 | Michigan State | 22-6 | 319 | 18 |
| 16 | Kentucky | 20-8 | 286 | 16 |
| 17 | West Virginia | 22-6 | 264 | 19 |
| 18 | Baylor | 23-6 | 224 | 15 |
| 19 | Ole Miss | 21-8 | 219 | 17 |
| 20 | Texas Tech | 24-5 | 206 | 20 |
| 21 | North Carolina | 23-6 | 177 | 22 |
| 22 | Minnesota | 21-7 | 161 | 23 |
| 23 | Georgia | 20-7 | 68 | 24 |
| 24 | Alabama | 21-7 | 55 | 25 |
| 25 | Princeton | 21-3 | 30 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Colorado 23, Fairfield 18, Tennessee 12, Columbia 10, Rhode Island 7, N Dakota St 7, Virginia 6, Villanova 6, Southern Cal 5, Rice 4, Iowa St. 3, Syracuse 2, Illinois 2, Notre Dame 1, Washington 1, NC State 1.
