Regular followers of women’s college basketball undoubtedly had two questions in light of the week’s results. The first, of course, concerns who would be the new No. 1 team in the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll after UCLA’s first loss of the season.
The answer, perhaps not all that surprisingly, is Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish had to stave off a Monday night challenge from visiting Duke, but they prevailed and move up from the No. 2 spot claiming 23 of 31 first-place votes. It’s the first No. 1 ranking for the Irish since Jan. 22, 2019. Texas, picked first on five ballots, moves up a notch into the No. 2 position, the highest ranking for the Longhorns since the 2003-04 season.
UCLA drops to No. 3, though the Bruins did retain three first-place nods despite the loss to Southern California. Speaking of the Trojans, they climb to No. 4 after handing their cross-town rivals their first loss.
This brings us to the second question – how far would South Carolina tumble after the rare occurrence of being on the short end of a blowout. Connecticut, which administered said rout to the Gamecocks, moves up to No. 5 as South Carolina slips to sixth. It marks the first non-top five ranking for the Gamecocks since March 2, 2021. LSU, Ohio State, TCU and North Carolina round out the top 10.