The SEC lorded over Monday's AP Top 25 Poll update with a record-breaking 10 programs representing the NCAA basketball powerhouse after another intense week of conference play.
No. 10 Oklahoma made the biggest leap, jumping six spots after ending a four-game ranked losing streak by upsetting No. 3 South Carolina 94-82 in overtime on Thursday.
On the other hand, No. 18 Kentucky saw the largest drop, sliding seven places after dropping games to No. 15 Tennessee and No. 23 Georgia.
Georgia's Saturday win over the Wildcats sent them flying into the Top 25, bringing the slate of SEC ranked teams to 10 — the highest single-week tally in the 50-year history of the AP Poll.
The Big Ten did see some positive movement as well, with No. 2 UCLA and No. 8 Iowa both making strides up the Top 10 as the only programs still unbeaten in conference play.
Now the only undefeated Division I team still standing, UConn held tight to their unanimous No. 1 ranking after downing three opponents — including rivals Notre Dame — by an average margin of 39.7 points.
How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this week
Ranked action returns on Wednesday, when an injury-struck No. 16 Maryland hosts No. 25 Washington at 7 PM ET, airing live on B1G+.
2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 12
1. UConn (21-0, Big East)
2. UCLA (19-1, Big Ten)
3. South Carolina (20-2, SEC)
4. Texas (19-2, SEC)
5. Vanderbilt (20-1, SEC)
6. LSU (19-2, SEC)
7. Louisville (19-3, ACC)
8. Iowa (18-2, Big Ten)
9. Michigan (17-3, Big Ten)
10. Oklahoma (16-4, SEC)
11. Ohio State (18-3, Big Ten)
12. TCU (19-2, Big 12)
13. Michigan State (18-2, Big Ten)
14. Baylor (18-3, Big 12)
15. Tennessee (14-3, SEC)
16. Maryland (17-4, Big Ten)
17. Ole Miss (17-4, SEC)
18. Kentucky (17-5, SEC)
19. Princeton (17-1, Ivy)
20. Duke (14-6, ACC)
21. Texas Tech (20-2, Big 12)
22. West Virginia (17-4, Big 12)
23. Georgia (18-3, SEC)
24. Alabama (18-3, SEC)
25. Washington (16-4, Big Ten)
NCAA upsets rocked the AP Poll again this week, with significant Top 10 movement as women's basketball underdogs muscle their way up the 2025/26 table.
LSU's Sunday victory over once-unbeaten Texas saw the Longhorns fall two spots to No. 4, while the Tigers returned to the Top 10 to claim No. 6 in a six-spot jump.
No. 7 Kentucky fell one spot after a loss to No. 21 Alabama and a Top-10 win over then-No. 5 Oklahoma, with the Sooners exiting the single-digits in an eight-spot plummet to No. 13 after two losses of their own.
Meanwhile, No. 1 UConn earned unanimous first-place votes after Texas's defeat, with the Huskies joined in the Top 5 by the also-undefeated Vanderbilt Commodores.
Three teams left the AP Poll entirely, as Washington, USC, and North Carolina continue to struggle — with the Trojans snapping a 51-week ranked streak as they strive to find their footing without injured star JuJu Watkins.
No. 19 Iowa State also saw a precipitous eight-rank drop, losing three games in a row as injured starter Addy Brown watched from the bench.
On the flip side, Alabama, No. 23 Notre Dame, and No. 25 Illinois broke back into the Top 25 with Monday's rankings drop.
How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this week
Though ranked matchups will resume on Thursday, Tuesday night puts one of the three remaining undefeated Division I seasons to the test when No. 17 Texas Tech takes the court against unranked Houston.
The clash tips off live at 7 PM ET on ESPN+.
2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 10
1. UConn (17-0, Big East)
2. South Carolina (17-1, SEC)
3. UCLA (15-1, Big Ten)
4. Texas (18-1, SEC)
5. Vanderbilt (17-0, SEC)
6. LSU (16-2, SEC)
7. Kentucky (16-2, SEC)
8. Michigan (14-2, Big Ten)
9. Louisville (16-3, ACC)
10. TCU (16-1, Big 12)
11. Iowa (14-2, Big Ten)
12. Maryland (16-2, Big Ten)
13. Oklahoma (14-3, SEC)
14. Ohio State (15-2, Big Ten)
15. Michigan State (16-1, Big Ten)
16. Ole Miss (16-3, SEC)
17. Texas Tech (18-0, Big 12)
18. Baylor (15-3, Big 12)
19. Iowa State (14-3, Big 12)
20. Tennessee (12-3, SEC)
21. Alabama (17-1, SEC)
22. Princeton (14-1, Ivy)
23. Notre Dame (12-4, ACC)
24. Nebraska (14-3, Big Ten)
25. Illinois (14-3, Big Ten)
The No. 16 USC Trojans are gearing up for another top-ranked test, hosting the reigning national champion No. 1 UConn Huskies in the weekend's flashiest NCAA women's basketball matchup on Saturday.
Coming off their second ranked win of the season, USC topped No. 20 Washington 59-50 last Sunday, with 22 points and 12 rebounds from freshman Jazzy Davidson helping pull the Trojans to a 7-2 record.
"I saw a resolve in our team," said head coach Lindsay Gottlieb afterwards. "I knew we could get the next stop, I knew we could get the next play."
USC will face a particularly familiar foe against the Huskies — this time without sidelined star junior JuJu Watkins — after UConn knocked the Trojans out of the NCAA tournament two years in a row.
Notably, sophomore guard Kayleigh Heckel departed USC over the summer for the Huskies, with the former Trojan averaging 7.7 points per game entering Saturday's clash with her old team.
"I just try to take one game at a time, but I'm excited to go back," Heckel said ahead of her first trip back to LA since transferring. "I had a great freshman year there, and I learned a lot, and it was a great experience, a lot of fond memories. So I'm looking forward to it."
How to watch No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 USC on Saturday
The Trojans will host the Huskies with tip-off set for 5:30 PM ET on Saturday.
Live coverage of the clash will air on FOX.
The SEC displayed its basketball dominance on Thursday's courts, as the conference won all four of the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge Day 2 matchups to feature at least one Top-25 team.
No. 2 Texas handled No. 11 North Carolina 79-64 while No. 3 South Carolina and No. 13 Ole Miss survived nail-biters against No. 22 Louisville and No. 18 Notre Dame, respectively.
"I thought [our players] got out and made big plays for themselves in the fourth and building the five-point lead," said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. "It was a turning point for us, whether we were going to succumb to losing the game or fight to get back in it."
No one had a better night than No. 5 LSU, however, as the Tigers faced their season's first Power Four opponent to a 93-77 result over unranked Duke, erasing a 14-point deficit behind six double-digit LSU scorers — led by 18 points from star guard Flau'jae Johnson.
"We scored 93 tonight, and look how poor we played in the first quarter. We were behind. Scoring the ball is not going to be a problem," said Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey. "Our problem is we have to just continue to get better on the defensive end and take care of the ball."
Across the 16 total 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge games, the SEC took 13 victories, with only unranked Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and SMU earning ACC wins — over Auburn, Florida, and Arkansas, respectively — this week.
How to watch Top-25 NCAA basketball this weekend
This weekend's NCAA docket sees the nonconference schedule cool down, with No. 16 USC hosting No. 21 Washington in the only ranked battle.
The Trojans and Huskies will tip off in LA at 8 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on the Big Ten Network.
March Madness opens its doors on Wednesday night, as the 2024/25 NCAA tournament’s First Four round takes the court with eight teams pursuing the final four tickets to the Big Dance.
Two of the play-in games will pit the last four teams to receive at-large bids against each other, sending Princeton, Iowa State, Washington, and Columbia into battle to snag one of the tournament's final two No. 11 bids.
The other two games are comprised of the lowest ranked conference tournament champions, meaning SWAC champ Southern, Big West winner UC San Diego, CAA victors William & Mary, and Big South title-holders High Point will all compete to enter this weekend's first round as No. 16 seeds.
First Four ups the ante with compelling NCAA storylines
Thanks to growing parity across the NCAA, this year’s First Four brings a new level of heat, with 2024 breakout stars, conference titans, and tournament newcomers raising the stakes right from the jump.
As two of 2025’s six March Madness debutants, both UC San Diego and William & Mary are hoping for a bit of beginner's luck as they take the NCAA tournament court for the very first time.
Meanwhile, the Ivy League will take aim at securing three spots in the 64-team bracket, with both Princeton and Columbia hoping to join conference tournament champion No. 10 seed Harvard in the first round's field.
Standing in Princeton's way is underdog Iowa State, who nearly scored what would have been one of the 2024 tournament's biggest upsets.
Fueled by now-sophomore sharpshooter Audi Crooks — who currently ranks 12th in the nation in field goal percentage — the Cyclones pushed then-No. 2 seed Stanford to the brink, forcing overtime before the Cardinal claimed the 87-81 second-round victory.
"It’s definitely possible," Crooks said this week, commenting on the likelihood of replicating Iowa State's 2024 run. "I think for me it just amplified me personally, and also us as a team. Any success that I have is the team’s success, not necessarily about individual things."
How to watch Women's March Madness First Four games
Stepping into Wednesday's spotlight are Princeton and Iowa State, who will take the court at 7 PM ET before UC San Diego takes on Southern at 9 PM ET.
Then on Thursday, Washington will face Columbia at 7 PM ET, with William & Mary's match against High Point wrapping up the First Four round at 9 PM ET.
Both Wednesday matchups will air on ESPNU, with ESPN2 carrying live coverage of the Thursday clashes.