UCLA claimed its first first-place vote of the season after a pair of ranked wins, but the UConn women’s basketball team remained comfortably No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll after Week 2.
The Huskies earned 28 of a possible 32 votes to hold their top spot following a pair of dominant victories. They routed Loyola Chicago 85-31 on Wednesday then dismantled Ohio State 100-68 on Sunday. UConn is currently the only team in the top five that has played — and beaten — three power conference opponents through the first two weeks of the season, though the No. 3 Bruins and No. 2 South Carolina both picked up top-15 victories last week.
UCLA beat No. 8 Oklahoma 73-59 last Monday, then took down No. 14 North Carolina 78-60 on Thursday to earn a vote in the top position. The Gamecocks received the other three first-place votes after a 69-52 win against No. 11 USC on the road Saturday.
Texas and LSU rounded out the top 5 for a third straight poll, but two new teams joined the top 10. TCU jumped seven spots to No. 10 after beating No. 16 NC State by double digits on Sunday, and Michigan climbed eight places to No. 6 thanks to a 39-point rout of No. 24 Notre Dame on Saturday. The Wolverines will be UConn’s first top 10 opponent of the season when the teams meet Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.
West Virginia made its first appearance in the poll this season at No. 23 after pulling off a spectacular upset of Duke last Friday. The Mountaineers’ entire bench was ejected during a scuffle at the end of the second quarter, and the team held on to beat the Blue Devils 57-49 with just five players for the entire second half. Duke, which was the No. 7 team in the country preseason, dropped out of the poll amid a 2-2 start.
AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll: Week 2
UConn
South Carolina
UCLA
Texas
LSU
Michigan
Baylor
Oklahoma
Maryland
TCU
USC
Iowa State
Ole Miss
North Carolina
Tennessee
NC State
Vanderbilt
Oklahoma State
Iowa
Kentucky
Louisville
Michigan State
West Virginia
Notre Dame
Washington
How UConn reporter Emily Adams voted in Week 2 AP poll
UConn
South Carolina
UCLA
Texas
LSU
TCU
Michigan
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
Baylor
Maryland
USC
NC State
Iowa State
North Carolina
West Virginia
Michigan State
Notre Dame
Tennessee
Oklahoma State
Louisville
Iowa
Duke
Kentucky
Washington
