South Carolina came out on top against a tough UConn team on Sunday, which helped the Gamecocks stay remain No. 1 for the 33rd consecutive week. Meanwhile, the Indiana Hoosiers made their first appearance ever at No. 2 after their 10 straight victory.
Indiana has been strong this season, with its only loss being a 78-83 result to Michigan State on Dec. 29. The Hoosiers registered a 69-46 win over Purdue at Mackey Arena on Sunday, largely thanks to a solid defensive effort in the third quarter. They only gave up two points in the third period, which was the fewest allowed in any quarter since the quarter system began in 2015-16.
"I'm going to relish this for a minute, knowing where the program was to where it is," Indiana head coach Teri Moren told the AP. "We've made a lot of history since we've been here in our nine seasons and it's one of the more historical things we've been able to accomplish. Give our players credit, I don't want to discount what a big achievement this is. We're more than humbled to be No. 2."
Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers remain undefeated after close wins over Tennessee, Georgia and Texas A&M last week. LSU and South Carolina are the only two unbeaten teams remaining in the nation. There will only be one team remaining next week, as they will face each other on Sunday afternoon.
Washington (13-9, 5-7 Pac-12) is still unranked and not receiving votes, but the Huskies' 72-67 win over then-No. 2 Stanford on Sunday became their first win over a Top-5 ranked opponent since 2016. The Cardinal dropped four spots to No. 6.
Duke climbed seven spots to No. 9 after an upset against then-No. 9 Notre Dame on the road. The 57-52 result allowed the Blue Devils to be the sole top team in the ACC. Iowa State took the biggest drop this week, falling nine spots after losing to Kansas State and Baylor.
Middle Tennessee dropped off the rankings, while Colorado made it back in with the No. 25 spot.
AP Women's Basketball Top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' women's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina (28) | 23-0 | 700 | 1 |
| 2 | Indiana | 22-1 | 649 | 4 |
| 3 | LSU | 23-0 | 643 | 3 |
| 4 | UConn | 21-3 | 611 | 5 |
| 5 | Iowa | 19-4 | 569 | 6 |
| 6 | Stanford | 22-3 | 568 | 2 |
| 7 | Utah | 20-2 | 543 | 7 |
| 8 | Maryland | 19-5 | 509 | 8 |
| 9 | Duke | 20-3 | 448 | 16 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 18-4 | 429 | 8 |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 18-4 | 394 | 13 |
| 12 | Michigan | 19-5 | 359 | 18 |
| 13 | Ohio State | 20-4 | 337 | 10 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 17-6 | 328 | 11 |
| 15 | Villanova | 20-4 | 245 | 19 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 18-4 | 241 | 20 |
| 17 | Arizona | 18-5 | 233 | 22 |
| 18 | UCLA | 18-6 | 201 | 14 |
| 19 | Florida State | 20-5 | 187 | 23 |
| 20 | Texas | 18-6 | 182 | 24 |
| 21 | Iowa State | 15-6 | 168 | 12 |
| 22 | North Carolina State | 16-6 | 164 | 15 |
| 23 | Gonzaga | 22-3 | 118 | 17 |
| 24 | South Florida | 22-4 | 98 | 25 |
| 25 | Colorado | 18-5 | 81 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Baylor 29, Illinois 18, UNLV 14, Tennessee 13, USC 8, Middle Tennessee 8, Florida Gulf Coast 2, Louisville 2, Cleveland State 1
