Tennessee back in AP Top 25 women’s poll; UCLA, UConn at the top

Tennessee has returned to the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 19, ending the school’s longest drought in the 48-year history of women’s basketball voting.

The Lady Vols (7-0) had not been ranked since Nov. 27, 2023, a span of 22 polls. Since the rankings began in 1976, Tennessee has been in the top 25 in 779 of 870 total weeks (89.5%).

Tennessee, under first-year head coach Kim Caldwell, is off to an undefeated start with a pressing style that includes fresh players constantly coming in.

UCLA, UConn and South Carolina remained the top three teams in the poll released Monday. The Bruins received 24 first-place votes from the 32-member national media panel. UCLA beat Washington by 11 in its lone game last week. The Huskies earned the other top eight votes after downing Louisville 85-52 in the Women’s Champions Classic.

LSU and USC each moved up one spot after then-No. 4 Texas lost to Notre Dame 80-70 in overtime. The Longhorns fell to sixth and the Irish moved up two spots to eighth. Maryland was seventh. Duke and Oklahoma rounded out the top 10, with the Sooners moving up one spot.

CLIMBING

Michigan State moved up seven spots to No. 17, as the Spartans (9-0) are off to the best start in school history. They routed DePaul in their lone game last week and will next face Iowa No. 21 on Sunday. It’s the team’s best finish since the Spartans were No. 15 in 2019. Robyn Fralick’s squad bettered previous best 8-0 starts in 2012-13 and 2020-21.

WHO’S IN; WHO’S OUT

Georgia Tech (9-0) entered the poll for the first time since Feb. 28, 2022, coming in at No. 25 as the team is off to its best start since 1977-78. The Yellow Jackets host Louisiana-Monroe before visiting No. 14 North Carolina on Sunday. NC State also returned to the poll at No. 22, while Illinois, Alabama and Louisville dropped out. The Cardinals have four losses this season, all to ranked teams (UCLA, UConn, Kentucky and Oklahoma).

CONFERENCE DIVISION

The Big Ten has eight teams in the poll this week, down from the previous poll. The Southeastern Conference has seven with the ACC and Big 12 having five and four, respectively. The Big East has one.

GAME OF THE WEEK

no. 2 UConn at no. 8 Notre Dame (Thursday): The two former Big East rivals square off in one of the most anticipated games of the season. The teams feature All-America stars in UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. The Huskies are at full strength, while the Irish are still working through some injuries.