NCAA Division I Women’s College Basketball Rankings: Will The Top 3 Change?

The most shocking result from last week was the formerly ranked No. 4 USC women’s basketball team losing to Iowa on the day of Catlin Clark’s jersey retirement ceremony.

Clark’s jersey wasn’t the only college basketball great to get her jersey retired; A’ja Willson also got honored by No. 2 South Carolina this past Sunday when the team played Auburn, where they won 83-66. 

With every win the Gamecocks pick up, all eyes are then on No. 1 UCLA women’s basketball, who still come in as the best-ranked team after winning big over Minnesota and defeating South Carolina to take over the top spot earlier in the season. 

Top Team Performances And Matchups

  • Iowa upset USC after the Trojans struggled to begin the game, only scoring four points in the first quarter. Juju Watkins also had a rough night, shooting 8-22 even though she finished with 27. No one else on the team finished with 15 points or above.
  • The USC loss benefited the UConn women’s basketball team the most, as they moved into the sixth spot. 
  • Of course, Texas WBB was able to move into the No. 5 spot thanks to the loss, but it helps the Huskies more since they lost the head-to-head matchup.-ranked team after winning big over Minnesota and defeating South Carolina to take over the top spot earlier in the season. 

Biggest Matchups This Week

  • On Monday, No. 10 Duke women’s basketball played No. 14 NC State on the road. The Wolfpack defeated the Blue Devils by six points. The win for the NC State WBB will likely put them ahead of Duke in the next rankings.
  • Other games may affect next week’s rankings as well, such as one of the biggest Big Ten matchups of the year, between No. 1 UCLA and No. 8 Ohio State, and a Big 12 matchup between No. 9 TCU and No. 12 Kansas State.
  • Every game a ranked team plays is important, but those two have to be projected as the best remaining ranked games this week, which could be very important as the tournament draws closer.

Which Of The Top Teams Will Blink First

  • For most of the season, especially over the last few months, UCLA, South Carolina, and Norte Dame women’s basketball have consistently ranked as the top three teams.
  • As the stakes get higher with the NCAA tournament nearing, it will be interesting to see which team crumbles when it matters most.
  • South Carolina, the defending champion, has years of experience in big games, but this year presents new challenges.

AP NCAA Women’s Basketball Rankings 

As of Feb. 3

  1. UCLA – 21-0 – Prev. 1
  2. South Carolina – 21-1 – Prev. 2
  3. Notre Dame – 19-2 – Prev. 3
  4. Texas – 22-2 – Prev. 5
  5. UConn – 21-2 – Prev. 6
  6. LSU – 23-1 – Prev. 7
  7. Southern California – 19-2 – Prev. 4
  8. Ohio State – 20-1 – Prev. 12
  9. TCU – 21-2 – Prev. 9
  10. Duke – 17-4 – Prev. 14
  11. Kentucky – 19-2 – Prev. 12
  12. Kansas State – 21-2 – Prev. 11
  13. North Carolina – 20-4 – Prev. 15
  14. North Carolina State – 17-4 – Prev. 17
  15. Oklahoma – 16-6 – Prev. 13
  16. Maryland – 17-5 – Prev. 14
  17. Georgia Tech – 18-4 – Prev. 20
  18. West Virginia – 17-4 – Prev. 21
  19. Tennessee – 16-5 – Prev. 18
  20. Michigan State – 18-4 – Prev. 16
  21. California – 19-4 – Prev. 19
  22. Florida State – 18-4 – Prev. 25
  23. Alabama – 18-5 – Prev. 22
  24. Vanderbilt – 18-5 – Prev. 23
  25. Oklahoma State – 18-4 – Prev. 24

Dropped out: None

Others Receiving Votes: Creighton 30, Baylor 24, Illinois 13, Utah 12, Mississippi 11, Michigan 7, Minnesota 6, South Dakota St. 6, Harvard 5, Columbia 2, Richmond 1.

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