South Carolina stays unanimous No. 1 in women’s AP Top 25. West Virginia in, Washington out

South Carolina has maintained its undisputed position as the top-ranked team in the women’s basketball poll of The Big Big News. This Monday, The Gamecocks received unanimous support from all 36 votes cast by a national media panel, extending their reign at the pinnacle for the seventh consecutive week. It’s worth noting that South Carolina had previously held the top spot for an impressive 38 consecutive weeks over the previous two seasons, only relinquishing it this year when LSU claimed the preseason No. 1 ranking.

In light of the holiday season, most teams had a relatively light schedule last week, resulting in minimal changes in the top 10 rankings. Following South Carolina, the top positions remained unchanged, with UCLA, North Carolina State, Iowa, and Texas trailing closely behind the Gamecocks.

Notably, Ohio State experienced a drop in the rankings, sliding four spots down to No. 17 following a six-point loss to UCLA.

The emergence of West Virginia into the poll at No. 25 marks a significant development for the Big 12 Conference, bringing the total number of ranked teams from the conference to five. This is the first appearance for West Virginia in the rankings since 2021. The Big 12 now boasts a strong presence with Texas, Baylor, No. 11 Kansas State, No. 23 TCU, and West Virginia, a situation not seen since the 2021-22 season. It’s worth highlighting that the Big 12, Pac 12, and SEC are the only three conferences where every school maintains a winning record.

As we approach the new year, conference play is set to kick off for most schools, promising a series of exciting matchups. Some of the standout games to watch include UCLA facing USC, Colorado taking on Utah, and Baylor going head-to-head with Texas. Additionally, a key Big East matchup is scheduled with Marquette visiting UConn, adding to the anticipation of the upcoming games.

In a historical context, this marks the seventh time that the poll has been released on Christmas. The previous instance was in 2017 when Stanford notably dropped out of the rankings for the first time in 17 years. The other years featuring a Christmas release were 1979, 1983, 1995, 2000, and 2006.

For those interested in staying updated on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season, you can sign up for poll alerts and updates on the official AP women’s college basketball website at [insert URL].

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• Official AP Women’s College Basketball Poll
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