Another unbeaten NCAA basketball team fell over the weekend, as No. 2 Texas suffered their first loss of the 2025/26 season at the hands of No. 12 LSU on Sunday.
Junior guard Mikaylah Williams led LSU with 20 points, with five Tigers registering double-digit points en route to the team's first win over an AP Top-2 opponent since 2008.
"They played much harder than we did, and they were way tougher than we were," Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said after the 70-65 defeat. "By far our worst game of the year, and we'll give them credit for that."
Just three Division I teams remain undefeated in the 2025/26 campaign — No. 1 UConn, No. 7 Vanderbilt, and No. 17 Texas Tech — with high-profile upsets continuing to shake up college basketball's top ranks.
Sunday also saw unranked West Virginia hand No. 11 Iowa State their third straight loss in an 83-70 upset, while No. 19 Ohio State took down No. 8 Maryland 89-76 and unranked Minnesota shocked No. 21 USC 63-62.
"I think we have a lot of potential to be really good, but not if we don't figure some things out," said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, after the Trojans went 0-2 against unranked programs over the last week — leaving the team still hunting their first win in 2026.
How to watch Texas women's basketball this week
The No. 2 Longhorns don't have much time to regroup from their season's first loss, as Texas prepares to visit fellow SEC titan No. 3 South Carolina on Thursday.
The clash will tip off live at 7 PM ET on ESPN2.
This weekend's SEC slate brings the heat, as the stacked NCAA basketball conference gears up for more than one high-profile ranked matchup on Sunday.
Undefeated No. 2 Texas will visit Baton Rouge to take on No. 12 LSU, with the Tigers looking to add to their 80-59 Thursday win over unranked Georgia as they continue battling back from a dismal 0-2 start in 2025/26 conference play.
"We think we're just going to go in there and out-jump, out-leap somebody," said LSU boss Kim Mulkey following last Sunday's loss to No. 7 Vanderbilt. "You're not going to do that in this league."
"This year, the [SEC] is every bit as good as last year — when you really think about it, it's probably way better," Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer told the Austin American-Statesman on Thursday. "The big thing right now is we've got to get better."
Texas's clash with LSU opens a tough stretch for the Longhorns, as they face AP Poll headliners No. 3 South Carolina, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 6 Kentucky, and No. 7 Vanderbilt in the coming weeks.
Sunday's other SEC blockbuster between the Sooners and the Wildcats is all about redemption, as Oklahoma aims to bounce back from their 74-69 upset loss to No. 18 Ole Miss on Thursday while Kentucky looks to put their 64-51 Thursday loss to unranked Alabama in the rearview mirror.
How to watch ranked SEC basketball on Sunday
No. 2 Texas will tip off Sunday's ranked SEC slate against No. 12 LSU at 3 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.
Then at 4 PM ET, No. 5 Oklahoma will visit No. 6 Kentucky, with live coverage on the SEC Network.
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.
Monday's AP Top 25 women's college basketball poll has a new No. 2, as Texas jumped two spots up the ladder after taking down then-No. 2 South Carolina and then-No. 3 UCLA at last week's Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.
With the Longhorns knocking off two Top 3 programs in the shortest time frame in 25 years, the 32-member media panel rewarded Texas with 10 first-place votes on Monday.
Despite their losses, the No. 3 Gamecocks and No. 4 Bruins fell just one spot each, with UCLA bouncing back against then-No. 14 Tennessee on Sunday — a 99-77 victory that sent the Vols tumbling five spots to No. 19 in the week's biggest rankings drop.
Meanwhile, Nos. 5 through 10 held steady this week, as No. 5 LSU, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Maryland, No. 8 TCU, No. 9 Oklahoma, and No. 10 Iowa State all managed to avoid upsets.
The Big Ten and SEC are now neck-and-neck atop NCAA basketball, with both conferences featuring eight Top 25 teams after a narrow win over No. 25 West Virginia last Wednesday saw No. 23 Ohio State enter the AP Poll for the first time this season.
How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this week
The ranked action will continue with a trio of Top 25 matchups on the second day of the annual ACC/SEC Challenge on Thursday.
First at 7 PM ET, No. 11 UNC will visit No. 2 Texas on ESPN2 while No. 3 South Carolina faces No. 22 Louisville on ESPN.
No. 18 Notre Dame will close out the night against No. 13 Ole Miss at 9 PM ET, airing live on ESPN2.
2025/26 AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll: Week 5
1. UConn (7-0, Big East)
2. Texas (8-0, SEC)
3. South Carolina (7-1, SEC)
4. UCLA (8-1, Big Ten)
5. LSU (8-0, SEC)
6. Michigan (6-1, Big Ten)
7. Maryland (9-0, Big Ten)
8. TCU (8-0, Big 12)
9. Oklahoma (7-1, SEC)
10. Iowa State (9-0, Big 12)
11. UNC (8-1, ACC)
12. Iowa (8-0, Big Ten)
13. Ole Miss (7-0, SEC)
14. Baylor (7-1, Big 12)
15. Vanderbilt (8-0, SEC)
16. USC (5-2, Big Ten)
17. Kentucky (8-1, SEC)
18. Notre Dame (5-1, ACC)
19. Tennessee (5-2, SEC)
20. Michigan State (8-0, Big Ten)
21. Washington (8-0, Big Ten)
22. Louisville (7-2, ACC)
23. Ohio State (6-1, Big Ten)
24. Oklahoma State (8-1, Big 12)
25. West Virginia (6-2, Big 12)
No. 4 Texas blew past two top-ranked opponents last week, setting the tone for the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season with back-to-back wins over No. 3 UCLA and No. 2 South Carolina to earn the Players Era Championship trophy on Thanksgiving Day.
Fifth-year senior Rori Harmon was named tournament MVP, putting up a game-leading 26 points and breaking the Longhorns' career assists record in Wednesday's 76-65 defeat of UCLA before hitting the game-winner to lift Texas over the Gamecocks 66-64 in Thursday's title game.
"I just read the vibe and flow of the game," Harmon said afterward. "[Texas head coach Vic Schaefer] called the play at the end of the game, and I've been in this moment before, so it felt good coming out of my hands."
Texas's win added fuel to the burgeoning SEC rivalry, with the teams squaring off five times in the last year — and South Carolina riding a narrow 3-2 advantage.
"I'm not upset at all," Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said postgame. "This is going to help us because there are a lot of things to unpack in it."
"If you can give [Texas] a run for their money in that way, I mean, you're on to something," she continued. "I like our resiliency. We've just got to clean up some things at the end of the game."
How to watch Texas, South Carolina this week
Both Texas and South Carolina have another ranked matchup on this week's NCAA docket, with the No. 4 Longhorns taking on the No. 12 UNC Tar Heels while the No. 2 Gamecocks face the No. 23 Louisville Cardinals.
Both games tip off at 7 PM ET on Thursday, with Texas vs. UNC airing live on ESPN2 while South Carolina vs. Louisville airs on ESPN.
The early 2025/26 NCAA basketball season will heat up over the long holiday weekend, with No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 UCLA, and Duke tipping off the high-stakes action in the 2025 Players Era Championship in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
The non-conference mini tournament will see the Longhorns take on the Bruins in the season's first Top-5 matchup, with the Gamecocks playing the Blue Devils in Wednesday's second semifinal.
The four teams will then rotate opponents on Thursday evening, when Wednesday's two winners battle for the championship prior to a second tilt to determine the third-place team — a switch that guarantees a Top-5 matchup for the Gamecocks before the week is over.
While there were hopes that preseason-No. 7 Duke would also be in the Top 10 this week, upset losses to No. 15 Baylor, No. 21 West Virginia, and unranked South Florida have seen the Blue Devils fall out of the AP Top 25 entirely.
"We just need to be more consistent," said Duke head coach Kara Lawson. "It's supposed to be hard, and our schedule is unrelenting…. You have to handle it, and you have to take your licks, and you have to keep fighting."
How to watch the 2025 Players Era Championship this week
The four NCAA titans will take the 2025 Players Era Championship court on Wednesday, with No. 3 Texas facing No. 4 UCLA at 2 PM ET before Duke takes on No. 2 South Carolina at 4:30 PM ET.
Thursday's title game will tip off at 8 PM ET, followed by the third-place matchup at 10:30 PM ET.
All tilts will air live on truTV and HBO Max.
Fresh off the program's record-extending 12th national championship, the UConn Huskies will tip off the 2025/26 NCAA season as the top-ranked team on the preseason AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll.
The elite start marks the Huskies' first No. 1 preseason ranking since 2017, as returning starters like sophomore forward Sarah Strong and grad student guard Azzi Fudd prepare to defend their NCAA title.
"Hopefully, it's a little bit of a confidence builder and not, 'Oh my god!'" UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said of his team's poll results. "I'm happy for them…. You tend to finish the year where you're predicted, so I like being in this position."
All of last season's Final Four teams will begin their 2025/26 campaigns on a high note, with national runners-up South Carolina ranking second while UCLA snagged third and Texas fourth.
Not every ranked team remained as unchanged, however, as No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 18 USC saw expectations dip in the face of significant player turnover.
USC will be without superstar guard JuJu Watkins for the entirety of the upcoming season, as the 20-year-old Trojan continues to rehab an ACL tear suffered during 2025's March Madness.
As for Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish lost standouts Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld to the WNBA, with the team planning to re-center their approach around guard Hannah Hidalgo after celebrated point guard Olivia Miles transferred to No. 17 TCU.
The 2025/26 NCAA basketball season tips off on Monday, November 3rd.
The 2025/26 NCAA basketball preseason AP Top 25 poll
1. UConn (Big East)
2. South Carolina (SEC)
3. UCLA (Big Ten)
4. Texas (SEC)
5. LSU (SEC)
6. Oklahoma (SEC)
7. Duke (ACC)
8. Tennessee (SEC)
9. NC State (ACC)
10. Maryland (Big Ten)
11. UNC (ACC)
12. Ole Miss (SEC)
13. Michigan (Big Ten)
14. Iowa State (Big 12)
15. Notre Dame (ACC)
16. Baylor (Big 12)
17. TCU (Big 12)
18. USC (Big Ten)
19. Vanderbilt (SEC)
20. Louisville (ACC)
21. Iowa (Big Ten)
22. Oklahoma State (Big 12)
23. Michigan State (Big Ten)
T24. Kentucky (SEC)
T24. Richmond (Atlantic 10)
The No. 2-seed UConn Huskies are atop college basketball once again, winning a record-extending 12th NCAA championship in a 82-59 blowout victory over No. 1-seed South Carolina on Sunday.
The title ends a nine-year drought for the dynasty program — the longest stretch without hoisting the trophy since the Huskies' first-ever national championship in 1995.
Trio of Huskies fuel UConn's championship grab
After dominating overall No. 1-seed UCLA 85-51 on Final Four Friday, UConn earned a season finale face-off against the defending champion Gamecocks, who punched their spot in Sunday's championship showdown by taking down No. 1-seed Texas 74-57 — South Carolina's third win over their SEC rival this season.
The big day, however, belonged to the Huskies, as UConn’s "Big Three" of star senior Paige Bueckers, standout guard Azzi Fudd, and freshman phenom Sarah Strong posted a combined 65 points to outscore South Carolina.
Fudd and Strong led the game's stat sheet by scoring 24 points each, helping Fudd snag the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honor — and earning Strong a new NCAA record.
After finishing March Madness with 114 total points across UConn's six-game run, the newly crowned 2024/25 Freshman of the Year broke the NCAA tournament's freshman scoring record, as Strong surpassed 2011 WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings, who posted 111 points in Tennessee's 1998 championship run.
As for graduating superstar Bueckers, her 17 points made her the Huskies' all-time NCAA tournament scoring leader, while Sunday's title cements her legacy, capping her college career by adding her name to the litany of UConn greats in the Storrs rafters.
"It's been a story of resilience, of gratitude, of overcoming adversity and just responding to life's challenges," said Bueckers after her last game as a Husky.
"This is one of the most emotional Final Fours and emotional national championships I've been a part of since that very first one," echoed head coach Geno Auriemma.
All in all, UConn overcame years of close calls, injury woes, and buzzer-beating heartbreak to restore their March Madness dynasty. With Fudd returning next season alongside Strong, the Huskies' future looks brighter than ever.
Final Four teams eye 2026 return
On the other side of the championship coin, the Gamecocks never quite hit their stride on Sunday, falling one game short of a back-to-back title after snagging a spot in their third championship game in four years.
"We lost to a very, very good basketball team," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said after the defeat. "They beat our ass, but they didn't make us like it. There's a difference."
Though Sunday’s loss stings, South Carolina's youthful core means the Gamecocks — like the young squads from Final Four teams UCLA and Texas — will be back, packing both March Madness experience and a hefty dose of vengeance next year.
"I hope they're crying," Staley said of her returning players. "I hope they're boo-hoo-ing because from crying they have emotion about losing, makes you work hard in the offseason."
It's a sentiment echoed by the 2024/25 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, UCLA star Lauren Betts.
"We have the same team coming next year," Betts said of the Bruins' underclass core after Friday's Final Four loss. "I hope this fuels us, and I hope that we come out angry after this."
After faltering in their own Final Four matchup on Friday, Texas head coach Vic Schaefer offered a similar silver lining.
"It won't be easier tonight or tomorrow, but it will be easier knowing them three are around," Schaefer said of Longhorn underclassmen Madison Booker, Bree Hall, and Jordan Lee. "They are competitors. And again, they’re kids that invest in their craft."
The Final Four squads unable to seal the deal this season will rue an opportunity lost, but with another year of development, expect the same names to dominate the news cycle next March.
When Texas takes on South Carolina this Friday, they’ll be playing for more than a shot at the NCAA tournament championship title.
That's because this year's Final Four is a rematch, marking the fourth meeting between the Longhorns and the reigning national champion Gamecocks this season. Now, Texas is looking for a little revenge against their top-ranked SEC rivals.
Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer knows South Carolina well. It’s a competitive relationship that dates back to his time coaching Mississippi State, where he led the Bulldogs to the 2017 title game. And the story is strikingly similar.
“I think in '17, we played them three times also, before we played them in the Final Four,” Schaefer said after Monday’s Elite Eight win over TCU. “I think that was our fourth time when we played them in the national championship game.”
Staley got the best of Schaefer back then, with South Carolina defeating the Longhorns 67-55 on the way to their first-ever national championship. On Friday, Texas will attempt to flip the script against the 2024 champs, in hopes of securing the team’s first NCAA title in over 30 years.
“That's the thing about Dawn's teams, is that you know you're going to get the same from them that you try to impart on others, too,” Schaefer continued. “They're going to be tough.”
While this Texas squad has showcased their own toughness all season long, South Carolina has once again proven to be a formidable foe. The Gamecocks downed the Longhorns 67-50 in their first clash back in January. Subsequently, the loss served as a valuable lesson, lighting a fire under Texas that they’ve carried with them ever since.
“If you’re going to be a top team you have to beat a top team,” star sophomore Madison Booker told Just Women’s Sports ahead of the 2025 SEC tournament. “Reality hits you right there.”
“After that [game], we kind of figured we weren’t preparing right,” she continued. “We weren’t preparing like we want to win championships. We weren’t preparing like we want to beat top teams, or be a top team. So we had to change.”
That late January defeat launched Texas into a 16-game winning streak. They went on to finish out the regular season without dropping a single additional game.
Moving to the SEC puts Texas in a whole new league
Joining the SEC in 2024 after 28 years in the Big 12, the Longhorns have adapted smoothly. They’ve shown that they know what it takes to become a true title contender, building on two straight appearances in the Elite Eight to punch their ticket to the program’s first Final Four in two decades.
The conference move didn’t hurt, said Schaefer. The coach credited what he calls “a different league" for challenging his players to grow this season.
“I say it all the time, we jumped out of the frying pan and into the grease,” he said of the leap to the SEC. “It’s a different style, it’s certainly more physical. It’s a league that challenges you every night. You win on the road in this league, it’s like a win and a half.”
“This whole conference [season], I feel like people have been throwing some different stuff at me,” Booker emphasized on JWS podcast Sports are Fun! with Kelley O’Hara. “Box-and-one, face guarding, double- or triple-team. I think I’ve seen it all.”
Despite the competition, the Longhorns played to a 17-0 home record this year. Additionally, they gave up just one non-conference game to Notre Dame last December. Booker saw another excellent season, leading Texas in scoring on her way to winning SEC Player of the Year. And senior Rori Harmon’s return from injury gave Texas yet another boost, with the trusted point guard guiding Texas’s offense through difficult defensive sets with steady composure.
In early February, Texas settled the regular-season score with South Carolina, defeating the Gamecocks 66-62. And the win was bigger than the rivalry. It shot the Longhorns to the top of the AP Poll rankings. That boost saw Texas enter the SEC tournament as the country's No. 1 team.
And after ousting Ole Miss and LSU in the conference tournament’s first two rounds, there was only one team left to beat.
Texas basketball's bumpy road to the NCAA tournament
Texas reveled in wins as they came, whether it was going undefeated at home, winning a regular-season conference title, or progressing through the SEC tournament. But after each game, the same common refrain would emanate from the huddle: “What did Kobe say? JOB’S NOT FINISHED.”
“I think everyone understands what’s at stake here,” said Harmon ahead of Texas’s SEC conference final against South Carolina. “There’s definitely a chip on our shoulder. We need to get stuff done.”
Playing on their biggest stage yet, however, the Longhorns once again couldn’t hold off South Carolina. Eventually, they fell to the Gamecocks 64-45 in March's SEC championship. Rings aside, South Carolina had become Texas’s Achilles heel, with the SEC’s gold standard responsible for two-thirds of their losses going into March Madness.
Despite their late stumble, Texas still entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed. The Longhorns then became more interested in defining their season from that point on, rather than wallowing in opportunities lost.
“You’re talking about a six-game winning streak. To win a national championship, you gotta win six in a row,” Schaefer said, sizing up the road ahead.
Taking March Madness by storm
So far, Texas has held up their side of the bargain. They’ve battled through four NCAA tournament rounds, downing March Madness debutant William & Mary, No. 8 seed Illinois, and tricky Tennessee side. Finally, they toppled a determined TCU team to set up a fourth date with their SEC rival.
And they know full well that they’ll have to tackle this next game as if it was their last.
“It probably means a little bit more [this year], there’s seniors on the team, including me,” Harmon noted. “But this is the team that can do it.”
After turning a solid regular season into a breakout year, everyone in the Texas locker room is firmly on the same page. Intensity and poise got them to the Final Four. Now they’ll have to trust that process to get over the same hurdle that has haunted them throughout the season.
“There is so much on the line, but you've gotta just go play,” Schaefer said on Saturday. “That game is very difficult, and you gotta have kids that can just kinda block out all the distractions, and everything around 'em, and just go play the game.”
The message in the huddle remains the same, because despite all their accomplishments, the job is far from finished. And no one’s lost sight of the bigger picture.
“We're here for a reason,” Harmon said earlier this week. “We worked hard for a reason. Everything happens for a reason. And we put our faith into that.”