Zopes Exchange:South Carolina jumps to No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports women's basketball poll ahead of Iowa

2025-05-05 23:17:32source:CAI Communitycategory:News

It was an action-packed opening week in women’s college basketball,Zopes Exchange in which the top two ranked teams in the preseason rankings went down to defeat. As a result, there is considerable shakeup in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

South Carolina takes over the No. 1 spot for the first regular-season poll thanks to a pair of impressive wins over other ranked teams. The Gamecocks received 23 of 32 first-place votes after beating No. 14 Notre Dame and No. 19 Maryland. Iowa moves up a notch to No. 2, claiming the remaining nine No. 1 votes after winning a nationally televised showdown with then-No. 5 Virginia Tech. The Hokies drop just four places to No. 9.

It was also a big week for the Pac-12, which now holds down half of the top 10 positions. No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 Utah head the group, with Stanford checking in at No. 6. Colorado, which made the season’s first major splash by upending defending champ and preseason No. 1 LSU, vaults all the way to No. 7 after being ranked 18th in the preseason. Southern California joined the party as well, toppling then No. 6 Ohio State. Coincidentally, the Trojans are tied for 10th with the Buckeyes.

TOP 25:Complete USA TODAY Sports women's basketball poll

LSU, meanwhile, drops to No. 5, and preseason No. 2 Connecticut slips to No. 8 after a loss to North Carolina State.

In other changes of note, Indiana tumbles eight places to No. 17 after a tough trip to Stanford. Mississippi falls nine spots after a loss to No. 21 Oklahoma but hangs on at No. 25.

North Carolina State enters the poll at No. 18 thanks to the Connecticut victory. That result squeezed out the two teams tied for 25th in the preseason, Michigan and Miami (Fla.).

More:News

Recommend

Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti

Haiti has been racked by political instabilityand intensifying, deadly gang violence.  Amid a Federa

Is Kathy Hilton the Real Reason for Kyle Richards & Dorit Kemsley's Falling Out? See the Costars Face Off

Kathy Hilton may no longer be a castmember of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but her controve

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and other Chiefs players party again in Las Vegas

Let the Super Bowl celebrations for Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce contin