It’s beginning to feel a lot like March.
Three of the top five teams in the Associated Press Top 25 lost last week, clearing the table for a restructuring. Former No. 1 UCLA’s undefeated season ended at the hands of rival USC, while former No. 4 South Carolina and No. 5 LSU lost back-to-back on Sunday.
Two additional top-10 teams took losses (Kentucky, NC State), while a third needed overtime (Ohio State) and a fourth (USC) came back late to avoid it. The ties, lead changes and upsets are aplenty one month out from Selection Sunday. As if that wasn't enough to build the mood, the women's selection committee released its first top 16 reveal.
There are two weeks before conference tournaments are set and the real fun begins.
Who should be the No. 1 team?
Texas, winners of three consecutive top-10 matchups, played its way into the No. 1 conversation. The SEC leaders won in different ways to build on their 11-2 record in Quad 1 games. It’s better than South Carolina (10-3).
The Longhorns (26-2, 12-1) upset then-No. 2 South Carolina, led by Madison Booker's improved play. Their defense stifled Kentucky to a season-low 49 points, 30 below its average. And the group climbed back from a double-digit deficit for a cohesive team win over LSU. They looked like the best team in the country last week, if only because Notre Dame hasn't seen a top-10 team in 2025.
The case for the Fighting Irish (22-2, 13-0) includes its signature wins over USC, UConn … and, yes, Texas. That overtime victory was back in the first days of December, though Notre Dame is a better team since then with the return of forwards Maddy Westbeld and Liza Karlen. Texas, too, is vastly improved as Madison Booker and Rori Harmon logged time together.
UCLA and its understandable slip to rival USC are still in the mix. A close call against Michigan State on Sunday night (Pac-12 after dark is still alive!) can be excused away since Lauren Betts is day-to-day with a toe injury. Even South Carolina and UConn could make claims if based on full résumé more than recency. UConn's case is stronger with its win over the Gamecocks, who have lost two of the last three and would be a shocking selection.
If anyone was ready to put USC at No. 1, it was canceled out by a close call against Washington on Sunday. The Trojans rallied from 12 points back for a 69-64 win.
Notre Dame saves ACC’s best for last
It’s been some weeks since Notre Dame faced a tough test (no disrespect to poll bubble dweller California). In a three-game span consisting of wins over Stanford, Cal and Pitt, Notre Dame won by an average 39 points per game. It was three of their best defensive performances, an expected showing when two of the three are below .400 in ACC action.
The Fighting Irish (13-0 ACC) built a significant lead in the ACC regular season race, but without facing the conference’s best. The upcoming week will showcase their mettle with games at third-place Duke (11-2, two games back) on Monday (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) and at home versus second-place NC State (12-2, 1.5 GB) on Sunday (12 p.m. ET, ESPN). With Miami squeezed in between, they’ll play three games in seven days.
To close out the season, they’ll host sixth-place Florida State (10-4, 3.5 GB) and fifth-place Louisville (11-3, 2.5 GB). It is the toughest stretch of their ACC schedule. The only top-six team they played so far was a 76-66 win at North Carolina in the first days of January.
The high-scoring backcourt duo of Hannah Hidalgo (25.2 ppg) and Olivia Miles (17 ppg) has only become stronger for Notre Dame. Each is at least 40% from 3 (Westbeld is also above the threshold on 11-for-25 shooting), a shooting clip that will be tested by Duke’s perimeter defense at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils held 12 of their ACC opponents below their respective scoring averages, turning them over at record rates (23.4 turnovers per game).
Utah’s healthy backcourt builds toward tournament
Utah’s healthy backcourt continues to power the under-the-radar Utes, ranked 17th in Her Hoop Stats ratings and 20th in NET as of Sunday. They have two 50-40-90 shooters in guards Gianna Kneepkens and Kennady McQueen. The rest of the country has two combined (a minimum 20 minutes per game and 20 games).
Kneepkens, who missed most of last season with broken bones in her right foot, is averaging a career-best 19.3 points as a senior. She’s shooting 52.2%/47.2%/91.8%. McQueen, a fifth-year senior, is averaging a career-best 11.2 points with a 51.3%/44.4%/93.3% line. She is 14-of-15 from the free throw line, the second season she’s rarely drawn shooting fouls.
They combined for 44 points and 10 of Utah’s 18 3s in a 98-62 win over Arizona State on Saturday. The Utes are on a seven-game win streak and still in a Big 12 regular season title race that is the closest contest of any power conference.
Kansas State, TCU and Baylor are all 12-2. Utah is one game behind at 11-3, taking losses to each of the teams above them. The losses to Baylor and TCU were single digits. And all of them were without McQueen, who missed time with a high-ankle sprain. Those matchups will look different come Big 12 tournament time, giving the Utes a chance at a title run.
Utah, which switched coaches a week into the season when Lynne Roberts took the WNBA’s Sparks head coaching job, experienced a brief early January stay in the AP poll.
Games of the week
Duke (20-5, 11-2 ACC) at Notre Dame (22-2, 13-0 ACC), Monday at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN) — Duke hasn’t won a share of the ACC regular season title since 2013.
Kansas State (24-3, 12-2 Big 12) at West Virginia (20-5, 10-4 Big 12), Monday at 2 p.m. ET (FOX) — West Virginia’s pressure defense could cause problems in the Big 12 race. The Mountaineers visit TCU on Sunday (12 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
LSU (25-2, 10-2 SEC) at Kentucky (20-4, 9-3 SEC), Sunday at 4 p.m. ET (ESPN) — Kentucky leads the SEC in blocked shots (6.96 bpg) and could improve its tournament seeding with a signature win.
Official AP rankings
1. Notre Dame2. Texas3. UCLA4. USC5. UConn6. South Carolina7. LSU8. Ohio State9. North Carolina10. TCU11. Duke12. Kansas State13. NC State14. Kentucky15. Tennessee16. Oklahoma17. West Virginia18. Alabama19. Baylor20. Georgia Tech21. Maryland22. Michigan State23. Creighton24. Oklahoma State25. Illinois
Yahoo Sports AP ballot
1. Texas2. Notre Dame3. UCLA4. UConn5. USC6. South Carolina7. LSU8. TCU9. Ohio State10. North Carolina11. NC State12. Kentucky13. Kansas State14. Duke15. Tennessee16. Oklahoma17. West Virginia18. Baylor19. Alabama20. Michigan State21. Georgia Tech22. Maryland23. Creighton24. Oklahoma State25. Utah
