The conference made a mark on December 2 last year and this week alone has three teams in the top 10.
UConn is still No. 1, receiving 23 first-place votes from the national media panel. Texas received another nine votes and finished second.
There was no change in the top 10 this week. South Carolina and UCLA finished third and fourth, followed by LSU and Michigan. Maryland was ranked seventh after defeating Minnesota in double overtime on Sunday.
TCU, Oklahoma and Iowa State rounded out the first 10. The Cyclones play in-state rival No. 11 Iowa on Wednesday.
Other Big Ten teams in the survey include No. 16 USC, No. 20 Washington, No. 21 Ohio State and No. 25 Michigan State. The Cornhuskers are ranked for the second consecutive season after starting 9–0.
“I have been honored to be a part of this league for the past 13 seasons, and in my 14th year at the helm, I have watched the league continue to get better,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “And then when you have that type of improvement, and then add four West Coast teams that are tremendous, I think it’s added another top four teams to an already great league.”
Tennessee’s landmark ranking
The 18th-ranked Lady Vols appear in the poll for the 800th time in the ranking’s 50-year history. Tennessee remained in the top 25 for 565 consecutive weeks, a record later broken by UConn.
conference dominance
The Big Ten took the top spot with nine teams, while the Southeastern Conference was next with eight teams. There are four in the Big 12 and three in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Big East has one.
Struggling ACC
The ACC had a tough week, going 3-13 against the SEC in the conference challenge. The ACC began this season after 453 consecutive weeks of having at least one top-10 team at the end of each poll.
games of the week
No. 1 UConn at No. 16 USC, Saturday. The Huskies head across the country for one of the few ranked games left on their schedule. The two teams have met several times over the past few seasons, including in the NCAA Tournament regional finals in 2024 and 2025. UConn won both of those matchups, while the Trojans were victorious at Connecticut during a regular season game.
No. 2 Texas vs. No. 13 Baylor, Sunday. The two former Big 12 rivals will tip-off at the Sprouts Farmers Market ESPNW Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas. The game will be played at the site of one of two regional areas for the NCAA Tournament.
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