South Carolina finished the season No. 1 in the AP women’s college basketball poll, finishing the entire season as the nation’s No. 1 team.
They’re the first team to do so since UConn in the 2017-18 season. It’s also the second time in the past three seasons that the Gamecocks have finished atop the poll, with UConn finishing at No. 1 last season.
The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, South Carolina received 20 first-place votes out of a possible 30.
A perfect 11-0 against other AP Top 25 teams, the Gamecocks lost just two games all season.
“I’m really proud of our team for how they’ve handled the season getting everyone’s best shot,” Staley said. “I’m happy to see that the schedule we played was recognized throughout the season, and the team could reap the rewards of that full body of work.”
Stanford finished second, receiving nine first-place votes while NC State finished third with one first-place vote. Louisville and UConn finished fourth and fifth, respectively. It’s the 16th season in a row that UConn has finished within the top five.
BYU was the biggest mover of the week, falling five spots to No. 20 while Baylor fell three spots to seventh after losing to Texas in the Big 12 championship. Texas, meanwhile, moved up one spot to sixth after winning their first Big 12 tournament title in 19 years.
Iowa, LSU and Iowa State rounded out the top 10, with Iowa State finishing at their best ranking since finishing eighth in 2001.
The NCAA Tournament begins Wednesday with the First Four matchups.