The South Carolina Gamecocks finished the regular season undefeated for the second consecutive year. They are entering March holding on strong to their No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll.
The Pac-12 is entering March with six teams ranked, more than any other conference: No. 2 Stanford, No. 5 USC, No. 7 UCLA, No. 13 Oregon State, No. 18 Colorado and No. 22 Utah.
Stanford earned its improved ranking this week after beating Oregon State and Oregon. Ohio State previously held the No. 2 spot, but the Buckeyes dropped to No. 4 after falling to Iowa on Sunday. The Buckeyes were persistent, but they weren't able to hold off the Hawkeyes while Caitlin Clark went for the Division I all-time scoring record.
The AP poll welcomed Fairfield for the first time in program history. The Stags are on a 24-game winning streak and hold a 26-1 overall record. Fairfield and South Carolina are the only Division I teams with less than two losses.
"It's a huge moment. This place is special," Fairfield coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis told the AP. "One of the major reasons I came here is that it was a program on the brink of being on the national stage. We'll for sure celebrate it. We talk a lot about a team enjoying the moment and being in the moment. This is a big moment."
AP Women's Basketball Top 25
The top 25 teams in the Associated Press' women's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina | 25-0 | 875 | 1 |
| 2 | Stanford | 26-4 | 822 | 4 |
| 3 | Iowa | 26-4 | 786 | 6 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 25-4 | 761 | 2 |
| 5 | USC | 23-5 | 699 | 7 |
| 6 | Texas | 27-4 | 687 | 3 |
| 7 | UCLA | 24-5 | 673 | 8 |
| 8 | LSU | 26-4 | 638 | 9 |
| 9 | UConn | 26-5 | 566 | 10 |
| 10 | NC State | 25-5 | 526 | 12 |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 23-6 | 513 | 5 |
| 12 | Indiana | 24-4 | 499 | 14 |
| 13 | Oregon State | 23-6 | 472 | 11 |
| 14 | Notre Dame | 23-6 | 470 | 17 |
| 15 | Gonzaga | 29-2 | 399 | 16 |
| 16 | Kansas State | 24-6 | 288 | 15 |
| 17 | Baylor | 23-6 | 273 | 21 |
| 18 | Colorado | 21-8 | 259 | 13 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 21-8 | 239 | 20 |
| 20 | Syracuse | 23-6 | 210 | 19 |
| 21 | Creighton | 24-4 | 199 | 23 |
| 22 | Utah | 21-9 | 172 | 18 |
| 23 | UNLV | 26-2 | 113 | 24 |
| 24 | Louisville | 23-8 | 108 | 22 |
| 25 | Fairfield | 26-1 | 60 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Princeton 24, Michigan State 12, West Virginia 9, Ole Miss 9, Duke 3, Columbia 3, North Carolina 3, Richmond 1, Kansas 1, Toledo 1, Jackson State 1, Iowa State 1
