Indiana reaches No. 2 in women’s AP Top 25; South Carolina still No. 1

South Carolina beat one top rival to remain No. 1 in the Associated Press women’s college basketball poll released Monday and now has a matchup with another looming this weekend.

The Gamecocks (23-0) topped the then-No. 5 UConn, 81-77, on Sunday to remain undefeated and remain the unanimous choice at the top of the 28-member national media panel poll. After facing Auburn on Thursday, South Carolina will play No. 3 LSU on Sunday in a matchup of the last two undefeated teams in Division I women’s college basketball.

Dawn Staley’s team has won 29 straight games and been No. 1 in the poll for 33 consecutive weeks. One week remains to tie the Huskies for the third-longest streak in the poll. Only UConn (51 weeks) and Louisiana Tech (36) have had longer runs at No. 1.

While South Carolina has been in control of the No. 1 seed for more than a year, Indiana is making its first appearance at No. 2 after Stanford lost to Washington.

“I enjoyed it for a minute, knowing where the program was and where it is,” Indiana coach Teri Moren said. “We’ve made a lot of history since we’ve been here in our nine seasons, and it’s one of the most historic things we’ve been able to accomplish. Give credit to our players, I don’t want to discount what this is a huge accomplishment. We’re beyond humbled to be number 2”.

Indiana has won 10 straight since suffering its only loss of the season to Michigan State. The Hoosiers have a tough stretch, starting with a home game against No. 5 Iowa on Thursday. Indiana, which had not been ranked No. 4 before Monday, next plays No. 13 Ohio State and No. 12 Michigan.

“That’s why we take it one game at a time, but you understand the magnitude of what’s ahead of us. I tell the kids all the time that we’re in control of our own destiny,” Moren said.

LSU stayed at No. 3 after close wins over Tennessee, Georgia and Texas A&M. The Tigers have a week to prepare for the Gamecocks.

UConn moved up one spot to fourth after its narrow loss to the Gamecocks and Iowa was fifth.

The Cardinal fell to sixth with Utah, Maryland, Duke and Notre Dame rounding out the top 10. The Blue Devils beat the Irish on Sunday to take sole possession of first in the ACC and move up seven spots in the survey. It’s Duke’s best finish since the team finished the 2017 season ranked ninth.

The NCAA will have its first reveal of the top 16 teams in the tournament so far on Thursday.

It was a tough week for Iowa State, which lost to Kansas by one point and Baylor by six. The Cyclones fell nine spots in the poll from 12th to 21st.

Colorado moved back into the poll at No. 25 after beating Oregon and Oregon State over the weekend. The Buffaloes were ranked for four weeks before falling last week. Middle Tennessee dropped out of the poll after losing both games last week.

Associated Press report.

AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll

1. South Carolina (23-0)
2. Indiana (22-1)
3. LSU (23-0)
4. UConn (21-3)
5. Iowa (19-4)
6. Stanford (22-3)
7. Utah (20-2)
8. Maryland (19-5)
9. Duke (20-3)
10. Mother of God (18-4)
11. Virginia Tech (18-4)
12. Michigan (19-5)
13. Ohio State (20-4)
14. North Carolina (17-6)
15. Villanova (20-4)
16. Oklahoma (18-4)
17. Arizona (18-5)
18. UCLA (18-6)
19. Florida State (20-5)
20. Texas (18-6)
21. Iowa State (15-6)
22. North Carolina State (16-6)
23. Gonzaga (22-3)
24. South Florida (22-4)
25. Colorado (18-5)