Notre Dame moves to No. 1 in Top 25 as UCLA falls

Field Level Media|published: Mon 17th February, 12:52 2025

Dec 20, 2024; Notre Dame, Indiana, USA; The mascot for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Notre Dame soared to No. 1 as UCLA and South Carolina sank in the women's basketball Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday after a landscape-shifting week.

The loss by UCLA to Southern California last Thursday dropped the Bruins from No. 1, where they'd sat since Thanksgiving. The Bruins (24-1) fell to No. 3, while the Trojans (23-2) rose two spots to No. 4.

Notre Dame (22-2) has won 17 in a row following a dominant 88-57 win at Pitt on Thursday. This is the first time since 2019 that the Fighting Irish have occupied the No. 1 spot. They captured 16 of the 30 first-place votes.

Moving up one spot to No. 2 is Texas (26-2). The Longhorns have won 10 in a row, including three straight against fellow Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the Top 10.

The Longhorns' No. 2 ranking is their highest since 2017. They earned eight first-place votes, with UCLA garnering the remaining six.

Coming in at No. 5 is UConn (24-3), which rose two spots after its 87-58 trouncing of defending national champion South Carolina on Sunday. The Gamecocks (23-3) fell two places to No. 6 after seeing their 71-game home winning streak halted.

Rounding out the Top 10 are No. 7 LSU (25-2), Ohio State (21-3), North Carolina (23-4) and TCU (24-3).

The remainder of the poll:

11. Duke (20-5)

12. Kansas State (24-3)

13. North Carolina State (20-5)

14. Kentucky (20-4)

15. Tennessee (19-6)

16. Oklahoma (19-6)

17. West Virginia (20-5)

18. Alabama (20-5)

19. Baylor (22-5)

20. Georgia Tech (21-5)