UConn still No. 1 as UCLA grabs first-place votes

Field Level Media|published: Mon 9th March, 12:42 2026

NCAA Womens Basketball: Big Ten Conference Tournament Championship-Iowa vs UCLA

Mar 8, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) celebrates after a play against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

No. 1 UConn lost its status as the consensus top team in women's college basketball Monday as No. 2 UCLA picked up three first-place votes in The Associated Press Top 25 rankings.

The undefeated Huskies (33-0) received the other 28 votes following an eight-week reign as the unanimous No. 1. They face Villanova in the Big East tournament final on Monday night in Uncasville, Conn.

The Bruins (31-1) stormed to the Big Ten tournament title last week, demolishing then-No. 9 Iowa 96-45 in Sunday's final in Indianapolis.

Texas (31-3) moved up a spot to No. 3, switching places with No. 4 South Carolina (31-3) after beating the Gamecocks 78-61 to win the SEC tournament on Sunday in Greenville, S.C.

No. 5 LSU (27-5) also moved up one place, with Vanderbilt (27-4), Iowa (26-6), ACC champion Duke (24-8), Michigan (25-6) and Oklahoma (24-7) rounding out the top 10.

Notre Dame (22-10) re-entered the Top 25 at No. 22 after reaching the ACC semifinals. Fairfield (27-4) dropped out after ranking 25th last week.

The rest of the AP Top 25:

11. Ohio State (26-7)

12. West Virginia (27-6)

13. Louisville (27-7)

14. TCU (29-5)

15. North Carolina (26-7)

16. Kentucky (23-10)

17. Maryland (23-8)

18. Minnesota (22-8)

19. Ole Miss (23-11)

20. Michigan State (22-8)