Geno Auriemma equaled Tara VanDerveer’s record for the highest number of listings in the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll when UConn maintained its premier position at No. 1 on Monday.
Auriemma has guided the Huskies to 654 entries in the poll throughout his distinguished 41-year Hall of Fame career, thereby matching VanDerveer, who concluded her tenure at Stanford in 2024. UConn has held a ranking for an uninterrupted 619 consecutive weeks, a streak commencing with the preseason 1993-94 poll, and was once more the undisputed top selection from the 31-person national media panel. This Monday marked the 900th iteration of the rankings, spanning their 50-year history.
UCLA and South Carolina held onto their second and third positions, trailing the Huskies. Following them were Texas and Vanderbilt, with the leading five teams retaining their placements. Last week, the Commodores secured a victory over the Longhorns, only to suffer a defeat against Georgia on Sunday.
Michigan, LSU, and Louisville followed. Duke re-entered the top 10, securing the ninth spot, as the Blue Devils are currently on a 16-game victory run after their Sunday triumph over their competitor, North Carolina.
Ohio State descended two positions to tenth place subsequent to their Sunday defeat by Maryland. Concurrently, the Terrapins ascended six ranks, reaching 14th.
Additions and Removals
Minnesota made its inaugural appearance in the Top 25 for this season, securing the 23rd position for the Golden Gophers. Possessing an eight-game winning streak, they nonetheless face a challenging week with matchups against Ohio State and No. 18 Michigan State. Minnesota had been listed for two weeks in the previous season. Georgia also re-entered the standings this week, landing at 24th place subsequent to their victory over Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Princeton and Washington were excluded from the poll.
Conference Leadership
The SEC maintained its position as the premier conference, boasting 10 teams in the current survey. The Big Ten follows with seven. The Big 12 features four squads, the Atlantic Coast Conference has three, and the Big East contributes a single team.
Weekly Highlights
No. 6 Michigan at No. 13 Iowa, Sunday. This contest pits them against each other for the second spot in the Big Ten, as the Wolverines and Hawkeyes are separated by just one loss in the conference’s overall standing, behind UCLA.
No. 7 LSU at No. 17 Mississippi, Thursday. An important SEC encounter where the Tigers aim to recover from their recent defeat by South Carolina. The Rebels face a demanding schedule this week, including games versus Tennessee, LSU, and South Carolina.