Do you like roller coasters? Because the first month of the 2024-25 women's college basketball season has been quite a ride. We've seen multiple losses by top-five teams, and most recently the TCU Horned Frogs pulled one such upset against Notre Dame, previously ranked third in the nation.
A week ago, Notre Dame was in the spoiler role when the Fighting Irish upset the USC Trojans on Nov. 23 and had moved up to No. 3, but then lost to TCU, 76-68, on Nov. 30 and to Utah, 78-67, on Dec. 1. In this week's AP Top 25 poll released Monday, Notre Dame has slid down to No. 10, and TCU is now at No. 9, its best ranking ever.
The Irish were almost joined by the UCLA Bruins, who were tested in the first half against Hawaii on Dec. 1. Eventually, UCLA pulled away in the third quarter, finishing the night with a dominant 70-49 win behind 21 points from Kiki Rice. This result helped Cori Close's team remain undefeated and retain their No. 1 ranking.
After losing to UCLA on Nov. 24, reigning national champion and previous No. 1 South Carolina bounced back with a 76-36 victory against then No. 15 Iowa State on Thanksgiving. That was the Cyclones' second loss of the season, which dropped them down to No. 20, while the Gamecocks moved back up to No. 3.
Geno Auriemma's UConn has been the only consistent team in the top five, but while the undefeated Huskies remain at No. 2, they have a tough road ahead because four of their next six games will be against ranked opponents.
NC State left the top 25 after losing its fourth game of the season following its 82-65 loss to LSU on Nov. 27. The Wolfpack entered the 2024-25 campaign with high expectations, but they currently have a 4-4 record.
Women's college basketball AP Top 25 poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 8-0 | 792 | 1 |
| 2 | UConn | 6-0 | 771 | 2 |
| 3 | South Carolina | 7-1 | 727 | 4 |
| 4 | Texas | 7-0 | 704 | 5 |
| 5 | LSU | 9-0 | 629 | 7 |
| 6 | USC | 6-1 | 619 | 6 |
| 7 | Maryland | 8-0 | 572 | 10 |
| 8 | Duke | 8-1 | 564 | 13 |
| 9 | TCU | 8-0 | 513 | 17 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 5-2 | 501 | 3 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 6-1 | 499 | 8 |
| 12 | Ohio State | 7-0 | 443 | 11 |
| 13 | Kansas State | 7-1 | 425 | 9 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 7-0 | 405 | 14 |
| 15 | West Virginia | 8-1 | 390 | 15 |
| 16 | North Carolina | 7-1 | 351 | 16 |
| 17 | Iowa | 8-0 | 214 | 22 |
| 18 | Ole Miss | 5-2 | 211 | 18 |
| 19 | Alabama | 8-0 | 183 | 23 |
| 20 | Iowa state | 6-2 | 176 | 15 |
| 21 | Illinois | 6-1 | 129 | 19 |
| 22 | Louisville | 5-2 | 111 | 24 |
| 23 | Michigan | 7-1 | 96 | NR |
| 24 | Michigan State | 8-0 | 86 | NR |
| 25 | Nebraska | 6-1 | 68 | 25 |
Others receiving votes: NC State 58, Georgia Tech 33, Stanford 28, Tennessee 16, Oregon 15, Florida St. 14, Richmond 13, Mississippi St. 11, Vanderbilt 8, Baylor 6, Utah 5, Harvard 4, South Dakota St. 4, Creighton 3, Minnesota 3.
