Another Week, Another Change at the Top: Texas Longhorns Take No. 1 Spot in Women’s College Basketball
Feb 24, 2025, 12:40 PM ET
For the second consecutive week, the No. 1 team in women’s college basketball has been dethroned. Just two weeks ago, UCLA suffered its first loss of the season to their fierce rivals, USC. Fast forward to this past Sunday, and Notre Dame, who had taken over the top spot from the Bruins, fell in a heart-stopping double-overtime game against NC State. This loss snapped the Irish’s impressive 19-game winning streak.
Now, it’s Texas’ turn to bask in the glory of being the No. 1 team. The Longhorns are the fourth team to hold this prestigious position this season, joining the ranks of Notre Dame, UCLA, and South Carolina. This season’s musical chairs at the top matches the record for the most different No. 1s in a single season since the women’s AP poll began in 1976-77. This phenomenon has occurred five times before: 1987-88, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2019-20, and 2020-21.
So, what does this mean for the AP Top 25? Let’s dive into the new rankings and see how the teams are stacking up.
- New this week: Florida State, Louisville
- Out: Georgia Tech, Illinois
Stats courtesy of ESPN Research and The Associated Press.
1. Texas Longhorns
Previous ranking: 2
2024-25 record: 26-2
Stat to know: Texas is No. 1 for the first time since Feb. 16, 2004, marking the second of back-to-back weeks at No. 1. Before that, the Longhorns hadn’t been No. 1 in more than 16 years (Dec. 28, 1987).
What’s next: Monday at Georgia, 7 p.m., SECN
2. UCLA Bruins
Previous ranking: 3
2024-25 record: 26-1
Stat to know: Two of the Bruins’ three wins since their first loss have been nail-biters, including a 67-65 victory at Iowa. Before that, UCLA had a streak of 22 wins by at least 10 points.
What’s next: Wednesday at Wisconsin, 8 p.m., Peacock
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Previous ranking: 1
2024-25 record: 24-3
Stat to know: The 104 points allowed by Notre Dame in their loss to NC State were the most allowed by an AP No. 1 team over the last 25 seasons.
What’s next: Thursday vs. No. 24 Florida State, 8 p.m., ACCN
4. USC Trojans
Previous ranking: 4
2024-25 record: 25-2
Stat to know: USC secured its eighth win over a ranked opponent by defeating Illinois (then No. 25) on Sunday.
What’s next: Saturday at No. 2 UCLA, 9 p.m., Fox
5. UConn Huskies
Previous ranking: 5
2024-25 record: 26-3
Stat to know: Paige Bueckers had a standout performance with 23 points and 10 assists in Saturday’s win at Butler, marking her third career game with at least 20 points and 10 assists, the most by a UConn player in the last 25 seasons.
What’s next: Thursday vs. No. 22 Creighton, 7 p.m., CBSSN
6. South Carolina Gamecocks
Previous ranking: 6
2024-25 record: 25-3
Stat to know: South Carolina dominated the paint, outscoring Vanderbilt 48-16 in Sunday’s win. The Gamecocks entered the day fourth in Division I with 41.5 paint points per game.
What’s next: Thursday at Ole Miss, 9 p.m.
7. LSU Tigers
Previous ranking: 7
2024-25 record: 27-2
Stat to know: LSU staged a remarkable comeback from a 16-point deficit to beat Kentucky on Sunday. It was the Tigers’ largest comeback win under Kim Mulkey and their third comeback of 15 or more points this season, tied for the most in Division I.
What’s next: Thursday at No. 20 Alabama, 9 p.m.
8. North Carolina Tar Heels
Previous ranking: 9
2024-25 record: 25-4
Stat to know: North Carolina remains unbeaten on the road this season, boasting a 9-0 record in true road games after their win at Louisville.
What’s next: Thursday at No. 16 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
9. NC State Wolfpack
Previous ranking: 13
2024-25 record: 22-5
Stat to know: Sunday’s victory over Notre Dame marked NC State’s fifth all-time win against an AP No. 1 team, with three of those wins coming in the last five seasons, the most in Division I.
What’s next: Thursday vs. Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACCX
10. TCU Horned Frogs
Previous ranking: 10
2024-25 record: 26-3
Stat to know: TCU set school records in overall wins (26), home wins (18), and Big 12 wins (12) with their 71-50 victory over West Virginia, marking their largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent since 2007.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
11. Tennessee Lady Vols
Previous ranking: 15
2024-25 record: 21-6
Stat to know: Tennessee outscored Florida 37-20 in the third quarter after trailing at halftime, marking the most points in a quarter by an SEC team in conference play this season.
What’s next: Thursday vs. No. 15 Kentucky, 7 p.m., SECN
12. Ohio State Buckeyes
Previous ranking: 8
2024-25 record: 23-4
Stat to know: Ohio State’s 52-point rout of Purdue was their largest margin of victory against a Big Ten opponent since 2015.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. No. 23 Michigan State, 7 p.m., B1G+
13. Oklahoma Sooners
Previous ranking: 16
2024-25 record: 21-6
Stat to know: Raegan Beers became the first Sooner to score 30 points in back-to-back games since 2007, achieving this feat in Sunday’s win over Arkansas.
What’s next: Thursday at Florida, 7 p.m., SECN+
14. Kansas State Wildcats
Previous ranking: 12
2024-25 record: 25-4
Stat to know: Serena Sundell set a K-State record with 15 assists against Kansas, becoming the third player in program history to reach 200 assists in a season.
What’s next: Monday vs. No. 17 Baylor, 7 p.m., ESPN2
15. Kentucky Wildcats
Previous ranking: 14
2024-25 record: 21-5
Stat to know: Kentucky was outscored 23-6 in the third quarter of their loss to LSU, squandering a 16-point lead.
What’s next: Thursday vs. No. 11 Tennessee, 7 p.m., SECN
16. Duke Blue Devils
Previous ranking: 11
2024-25 record: 21-7
Stat to know: Duke held Syracuse to 49 points in Sunday’s win, marking their eighth game in ACC play holding an opponent under 50 points.
What’s next: Thursday vs. No. 8 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN
17. Baylor Bears
Previous ranking: 19
2024-25 record: 24-5
Stat to know: Baylor has won eight consecutive games after losing back-to-back games to top-10 teams UCLA and TCU.
What’s next: Monday at No. 14 Kansas State, 7 p.m., ESPN2
18. West Virginia Mountaineers
Previous ranking: 17
2024-25 record: 21-6
Stat to know: West Virginia shot a season-low 31% in their 71-50 defeat at TCU, marking their biggest loss of the season.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Utah, 7 p.m., ESPN+
19. Maryland Terrapins
Previous ranking: 21
2024-25 record: 21-6
Stat to know: Maryland’s 85-79 win at Northwestern saw them outshot from the field but they made up for it with nine 3-pointers compared to Northwestern’s one.
What’s next: Thursday at Indiana, 7 p.m., Peacock
20. Alabama Crimson Tide
Previous ranking: 18
2024-25 record: 22-6
Stat to know: Aaliyah Nye set a program record with six 3-pointers in Sunday’s win over Auburn, bringing her career total to 278.
What’s next: Thursday vs. No. 7 LSU, 9 p.m.
21. Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Previous ranking: 24
2024-25 record: 22-5
Stat to know: Oklahoma State shot 53% from the field in the first half of their win over Colorado.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
22. Creighton Bluejays
Previous ranking: 23
2024-25 record: 23-4
Stat to know: Creighton has won seven in a row since losing to UConn on Jan. 25, with a rematch set for Thursday.
What’s next: Thursday at No. 5 UConn, 7 p.m., CBSSN
23. Michigan State Spartans
Previous ranking: 22
2024-25 record: 20-7
Stat to know: Michigan State bounced back from an 0-2 Western swing to beat Indiana on Sunday.
What’s next: Wednesday at No. 12 Ohio State, 7 p.m., B1G+
24. Florida State Seminoles
Previous ranking: NR
2024-25 record: 22-6
Stat to know: Sydney Bowles scored 32 points in Sunday’s win at Georgia Tech, becoming the fourth Florida State player to have a 30-point game this season.
What’s next: Thursday at No. 3 Notre Dame, 8 p.m., ACCN
25. Louisville Cardinals
Previous ranking: NR
2024-25 record: 19-8
Stat to know: Louisville handed Duke its first home loss of the season and is 7-1 in their last eight games against Duke.
What’s next: Thursday vs. Clemson, 6 p.m., ACCN
Originally Written by: ESPN
