With just nine days left in the 2025/26 NCAA basketball regular season, this weekend's ranked lineup could dictate both conference champions and national tournament seeding — with the SEC leading the charge.
The SEC steals the spotlight on Sunday, as college basketball's deepest conference will dominate ESPN with a triple-header of ranked matchups.
Fresh off a tight 78-70 loss to No. 7 LSU, No. 17 Ole Miss will close out their ranked schedule against conference leaders No. 3 South Carolina on Sunday, with the 8-5 Rebels currently sitting in a three-way SEC standings tie with No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 21 Tennessee.
"If you look at the history of our league, we always have anywhere from four to five to six teams in the Sweet 16," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "When we're in here fighting night in and night out, it's tough, and you can lose at any point."
The Sooners and Vols will then face off in their own battle for conference positioning, before No. 5 Vanderbilt looks to bounce back from a 76-74 upset loss to No. 24 Georgia by defeating No. 16 Kentucky.
How to watch Sunday's SEC basketball triple-header
No. 17 Ole Miss will tip off Sunday's SEC triple-header against No. 3 South Carolina at 12 PM ET, before No. 21 Tennessee takes on No. 11 Oklahoma at 2 PM ET.
Following both live matchups on ESPN, No. 16 Kentucky will visit No. 5 Vanderbilt in a 4 PM ET clash on ESPN2.
While the SEC and Big Ten still run the AP Poll, Monday's update revealed one ACC team quietly shooting up the Top 25 as the 2025/26 NCAA basketball regular season nears its end.
Dominant conference play fueled No. 6 Louisville's one-spot Week 13 gain, as the Cardinals ride a 14-game winning streak to the team's highest ranking in four years.
Louisville's 11-0 ACC record matches their best conference start in program history as they close in on their first regular-season title since 2021.
Elsewhere, unbeaten UConn remains the unanimous No. 1 pick after another blowout slate, with the rest of last week's Top 4 following suit.
Benefitting from now-No. 7 Vanderbilt's two-game skid, LSU rose to No. 5 while No. 13 Ole Miss jumped four spots in the week's biggest boost.
Suffering the largest fall was No. 22 Maryland, who dropped six spots as the injury-struck Terrapins keep trying to right the ship on a four-game Big Ten losing streak.
How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this week
The ranked basketball action continues on Wednesday, when No. 22 Maryland visits East Lansing to take on a tough No. 12 Michigan State side reeling from their own injuries — with both teams hunting bounce-back wins.
The game tips off live at 6:30 PM ET on B1G+.
2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 13
1. UConn (23-0, Big East)
2. UCLA (21-1, Big Ten)
3. South Carolina (22-2, SEC)
4. Texas (21-2, SEC)
5. LSU (21-2, SEC)
6. Louisville (21-3, ACC)
7. Vanderbilt (21-2, SEC)
8. Michigan (19-3, Big Ten)
9. Ohio State (20-3, Big Ten)
10. Iowa (18-4, Big Ten)
11. Oklahoma (17-5, SEC)
12. Michigan State (19-3, Big Ten)
13. Ole Miss (19-4, SEC)
14. TCU (20-3, Big 12)
15. Baylor (19-4, Big 12)
16. Kentucky (18-5, SEC)
17. Duke (16-6, ACC)
18. Texas Tech (21-3, Big 12)
19. Tennessee (14-5, SEC)
20. West Virginia (18-5, Big 12)
21. Alabama (19-4, SEC)
22. Maryland (17-6, Big Ten)
23. Princeton (18-2, Ivy)
24. Washington (17-5, Big Ten)
25. North Carolina (18-5, ACC)
Once-unbeaten No. 5 Vanderbilt is charging ahead, getting an extra day to recover from their blowout loss to No. 3 South Carolina after winter weather pushed Thursday night's ranked clash with No. 17 Ole Miss to Friday.
"This is why you want to play games like this, on the road in an incredible environment," Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph said after Sunday's streak-ending defeat. "There are all kinds of things that we can't control that are happening right now, but the most important part to me is how we respond to it, and that's what we're going to focus on."
As for the Rebels, Ole Miss is fresh off a bounce-back victory of their own, beating unranked Missouri 82-61 last week behind forward Cotie McMahon's 33 points.
In light of the winter storm sweeping the South, the now-Friday afternoon game will take place at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
"Disappointed that we lost a home game BUT grateful that we get to play," Ole Miss head coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin posted to social media on Tuesday, thanking administrators after the storm forced the Rebels to also postpone Monday's matchup against No. 15 Tennessee indefinitely. "Alabama Rebs we could use your support!"
The SEC foes last met in February 2025, with Ole Miss topping Vanderbilt 76-61 — though the Commodores' hot start could flip that script this year.
How to watch Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss this week
The No. 5 Commodores will tip off against No. 17 Ole Miss at 3 PM ET on Friday, airing live on SECN+.
Monday's NCAA basketball action will put two of the nation's top guards to the test, as No. 10 TCU faces No. 14 Ohio State in Newark, New Jersey's Coretta Scott King Classic — part of a stacked MLK Day slate.
Buckeye sophomore Jaloni Cambridge is on a tear in this season, averaging 21.8 points per game — good for No. 10 in the country — and tallying 102 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists across Ohio State's last three games.
At the same time, TCU has seen similar stylings from Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles, with the senior putting up a career-high 19.2 points per game while sitting at No. 9 in the nation behind her 7.3 assists average for the Horned Frogs.
Even more, Miles is lapping her collegiate cohort in triple doubles on the season, posting four of the elite stat-sheet performances while all other NCAA players have a maximum of one.
Both teams are meeting expectations head-on this season, impressing following 2025 NCAA tournament exits that spurred significant offseason roster changes.
Ohio State star forward Cotie McMahon transferred to Ole Miss after the Buckeyes' second-round ousting, while TCU graduated standout starting guard Hailey Van Lith and center Sedona Prince.
With Miles and Cambridge leading the charge, however, both squads are flourishing: TCU faltered just once in their 2025/26 campaign so far — a January 3rd overtime loss to unranked Utah — while Ohio State's two season losses came at the hands of titans No. 1 UConn and No. 3 UCLA.
"Ultimately, [TCU forward] Marta [Suarez] and Miles are two of the best players in college basketball," Horned Frogs head coach Mark Campbell said after Sunday's win over Arizona State. "But for our team to reach our full potential, we need these other players to show great growth. And I think we have."
How to watch TCU vs. Ohio State basketball on Monday
The No. 10 Horned Frogs will take on the No. 14 Buckeyes at 12 PM ET on Monday, airing live on FOX.
In the first AP women's basketball poll in two weeks, Monday's new rankings reflected last week's conference upsets, sending four Top 10 teams skidding down the table while other contenders broke through.
Now-No. 12 LSU suffered the biggest drop, falling seven spots after consecutive losses to No. 6 Kentucky and No. 7 Vanderbilt.
The Wildcats and the still-undefeated Commodores experienced the opposite effect, jumping five spots each after their ranked victories, with No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 10 Louisville making similar three-spot advances.
The biggest winner of this week's AP poll, however, sits just outside the Top 10, as No. 15 Michigan State leapt nine spots, defeating unranked Indiana, Illinois, and Rutgers after closing out nonconference play with a 66-49 upset win over now-No. 18 Ole Miss.
Chasing the Spartans' rise up the ranks are No. 16 Baylor, who earned a six-spot jump after handing No. 11 Iowa State their first loss of the season on Sunday, and No. 17 Texas Tech, whose unbeaten status saw the Red Raiders claim a four-spot boost.
Meanwhile, a struggling Notre Dame dropped out of the Top 25 entirely after losses to unranked Georgia Tech and Duke, snapping an 85-week AP Poll appearance streak — the third-longest in women's basketball history.
Additionally, the Top 4 remained unchanged after perfect results from No. 1 UConn, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 South Carolina, and No. 4 UCLA — who dominated their crosstown rival No. 21 USC 80-46 on Saturday.
How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this week
Top 25 teams will continue their conference slates this week, starting with USC taking on unranked Oregon on Tuesday.
The Trojans and visiting Ducks will tip off live at 10 PM ET on Fox Sports.
2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 9
1. UConn (15-0, Big East)
2. Texas (17-0, SEC)
3. South Carolina (15-1, SEC)
4. UCLA (14-1, Big Ten)
5. Oklahoma (14-1, SEC)
6. Kentucky (15-1, SEC)
7. Vanderbilt (15-0, SEC)
8. Maryland (15-1, Big Ten)
9. Michigan (12-2, Big Ten)
10. Louisville (14-3, ACC)
11. Iowa State (14-1, Big 12)
12. LSU (14-2, SEC)
13. TCU (14-1, Big 12)
14. Iowa (13-2, Big Ten)
15. Michigan State (14-1, Big Ten)
16. Baylor (13-3, Big 12)
17. Texas Tech (16-0, Big 12)
18. Ole Miss (14-3, SEC)
19. Ohio State (13-2, Big Ten)
20. Tennessee (10-3, SEC)
21. USC (10-4, Big Ten)
22. UNC (13-4, ACC)
23. Washington (12-2, Big Ten)
24. Princeton (13-1, Ivy)
25. Nebraska (13-2, Big Ten)
While the AP Top 10 stayed mostly intact this week, a few programs — including the Oklahoma Sooners — are making a case for themselves as the 2025/26 NCAA women's basketball season's nonconference schedule hits its peak.
The Sooners were the only Top 10 riser in Monday's AP Poll, jumping one spot to No. 8 after taking down rivals Oklahoma State 92-70 on Saturday — a game that sent the Cowgirls out of the rankings entirely.
Bouncing back from an early season loss to No. 4 UCLA, Oklahoma's strengthening record dislodged undefeated TCU, with the Horned Frogs falling to No. 9 despite a perfect week against unranked competition.
Meanwhile, No. 1 UConn retained their crown after Saturday's top-ranked win over now-No. 19 USC, while No. 2 Texas continues to shine after humbling in-state rivals No. 15 Baylor on Sunday.
The Longhorns received eight first-place votes this week, a tick down from the last round after notching two Top 5 wins in late November.
Despite some ranked blowouts, the ACC saw the greatest movement, as No. 16 Louisville rocketed up six spots after upsetting then-No. 12 North Carolina — sending the Tar Heels skidding the same distance down to No. 18.
The SEC also saw gains, as No. 12 Kentucky and No. 14 Ole Miss both rose three spots as they creep toward the Top 10 with one loss apiece.
2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 7
1. UConn (10-0, Big East)
2. Texas (12-0, SEC)
3. South Carolina (10-1, SEC)
4. UCLA (9-1, Big Ten)
5. LSU (11-0, SEC)
6. Michigan (9-1, Big Ten)
7. Maryland (12-0, Big Ten)
8. Oklahoma (11-1, SEC)
9. TCU (11-0, Big 12)
10. Iowa State (12-0, Big 12)
11. Iowa (10-1, Big Ten)
12. Kentucky (11-1, SEC)
13. Vanderbilt (10-0, SEC)
14. Ole Miss (10-1, SEC)
15. Baylor (10-2, Big 12)
16. Louisville (10-3, ACC)
17. Tennessee (7-2, SEC)
18. UNC (9-3, ACC)
19. USC (7-3, Big Ten)
20. Notre Dame (8-2, ACC)
21. Ohio State (9-1, Big Ten)
22. Washington (9-1, Big Ten)
23. Nebraska (11-0, Big Ten)
24. Michigan State (9-1, Big Ten)
25. Princeton (10-1, Ivy)
No. 2 Texas will continue their ambitious 2025/26 NCAA basketball nonconference schedule on Thursday, when the Longhorns take on the No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels as part of the annual two-day ACC/SEC Challenge.
The game will mark Texas' third ranked matchup in nine days, after the Longhorns claimed a pair of impressive wins over No. 3 South Carolina and No. 4 UCLA at the Players Era Championship last week.
"We're still a long way from a finished product," said Texas head coach Vic Schaefer, tempering early season expectations following his team's 81-63 win over unranked Penn on Sunday.
Now in its third iteration, this year's ACC/SEC Challenge opened with the SEC taking a commanding lead between the two conferences in Wednesday's action.
In the day's tightest tilt, Oklahoma guard Aaliyah Chavez — the No. 1 recruit of the 2025/26 freshman class — scored a blistering 33 points to help her No. 9 Sooners to a 103-98 overtime win over NC State.
Elsewhere, No. 19 Tennessee survived an upset bid from unranked Stanford 65-62 to keep the SEC all but perfect on the day, as Syracuse tallied the only ACC win out of the seven Challenge games thus far — a 66-60 overtime victory over also-unranked Auburn.
However, the annual event heats up on Thursday, when the Challenge's three Top-25 matchups take the court.
In addition to the No. 2 Longhorns hosting the No. 11 Tar Heels, Thursday's docket features No. 3 South Carolina visiting No. 22 Louisville and No. 13 Ole Miss taking on No. 18 Notre Dame.
How to watch the Top-25 tilts in the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge
Thursday's first ranked matchups begin at 7 PM ET, with UNC vs. Texas on ESPN2 while South Carolina faces Louisville on ESPN.
Notre Dame will then close out the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge against Ole Miss at 9 PM ET, airing live on ESPN2.