As March Madness draws closer, with less than a month to spare, the prospect of breaking into the AP top 25 beckons, and many women’s teams are lining up to grab that opportunity with open arms. Top college programs like UConn, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and UCLA are all looking solid, so which teams are making it to the top in week 15? Well, let’s find out.
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25. Washington Huskies (18-6)
The Washington Huskies will find themselves retaining their position in the top 25 of the AP college basketball rankings courtesy of their victory over the Oregon Ducks in their last game (51-43). The Huskies, after their back-to-back losses against Illinois (75-66) and Ohio State (70-60), have now found themselves in a good spot.
24. Ole Miss (20-6)
The Wildcats may have gotten the better of Ole Miss, but the Rebels have maintained consistency, and their 20-6 record certainly shows that. Cotie McMahon has been one of the main players for the Rebels this year with her 19.8 ppg, and whenever she has delivered, Ole Miss has made profits from the action.
The Rebels also won against Arkansas this week in a game where McMahon (21 pts, 5 assists) and Latasha Lattimore ( 12 rebounds) dominated for them.
23. Alabama Crimson Tide (20-6)
Kristi Curry’s Crimson Tide will be another team holding back their place in the AP 25 list. Despite two losses against Texas A&M (72-69) and Oklahoma (79-71), they are not supposed to change the ranking system.
22. North Carolina Tar Heels (21-6)
North Carolina had built up quite some momentum, winning 8 in a row till Duke showed up to spoil that run. Well, Carolina didn’t surrender without a fight, and in the end, it was a difference of 4 points that did the trick for Duke. Although the win streak leading into the Duke game boosted UNC’s standing in the ACC, the loss highlighted the challenge of competing with top-10 programs like Duke and Louisville.
21. Minnesota Golden Gophers (20-6)
Minnesota seems well on course to break into the AP top 25, and what an entry it should be, straight from the 26th slot, a straight jump into the 21st place. Accumulating wins one after the others the team is relentless in its pursuit of glory.
However, many feel that Minnesota is greatly overlooked, as even a victory over no 10 Iowa didn’t vault them into the AP Top 25 earlier this week. But now it feels like times might change for the better for the Gophers, and Dawn Plitzuweit will lead the team into better days.
20. Tennessee Lady Volunteers (16-7)
Kim Caldwell has been having a rough time for the last couple of weeks. Losses against Mississippi State, UConn, South Carolina, and Texas have added to their woes, making them lose their spot in the rankings.
While the win against Missouri did provide much-needed respite, the recent close margin defeat against Texas (65-63) must have stung. Now the team also has to contend with the absence of one of their top star,s Mia Pauld,o who is out with an injury.
19. USC Trojans (16-9)
The Trojans are another team that is not being talked about enough. After a slide in the middle where they lost track, the team has now regained composure. Missing one of their biggest talents in JuJu Watkins, the team is not showing signs of weakness and, thanks to Jazzy Davidson’s heroics, is winning one game after the other. Their last two coming against Illinois and Indiana are enough to place them among the very best on the AP list
18. West Virginia Mountaineers (21-6)
The West Virginia Mountaineers are another team that is doing things right in the NCAA tournament this season. Sure, TCU caused them problems,s but what can you do? They are top ranked team in the Big 12. But their wins against Baylor, Colorado, and Arizona have been commendable. Gia Cooke (14.3 ppg) and Kierra Wheeler (13.3 ppg) have been their best assets this season.
17. Kentucky Wildcats (20-7)
The Kentucky Wildcats have found some balance after going down against Vanderbilt and the Texas Longhorns. The Wildcats might not have been able to earn their redemption against the Longhorns, but they got back on winning terms with another Texas team ( A&M) after a rough last few weeks, as they coasted to a 75-55 victory. Ole Miss then followed suit and suffered the same fate as Clara Strack scored 28 points against them.
16. Oklahoma Sooners (19-6)
The Sooners were already making news because of the courageous display of their freshman Aaliyah Chavez, but now the team is building up as a unit. Victories over Florida and Alabama just show that the team is settling down and finding its hunger back. The Sooners would next take on Georgia, and that would be another classic as the Bulldogs also share the same win-loss statistic.
15. Baylor Bears (22-5)
The Baylor Bears straightened their act after that slight mishap against TCU. The game against UCF served as the perfect platform where the team was able to redeem itself. The Baylor Bears are known for their grittiness in college basketball and overpowered UCF (99-63) thanks to the efforts of Taliah Scott (26 pts) and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (8 rebounds). The Bears look comfortable to hold on to their 15th position next week, and if they keep this performance going, breaking into the top 10 wouldn’t be much of a stretch.
14. TCU Horned Frogs (23-4)
If you haven’t visited a TCU game yet and seen Olivia Miles play in person, you have missed big-time. Miles has been the “it” factor for the Horned Flags this entire season after transferring from Notre Dame, and she always finds a way to deliver.
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Averaging 20.2 ppg and 6.8 rebounds, the bespectacled brilliance of Miles recently shot her season best 40 points against Baylor a few days back, helping the side win 83-67. The Horned Frogs then again added a win against West Virginia that would take the college basketball regional conference record to 11-3.
13. Michigan State Spartans (20-6)
After crashing out in the regionals of the NCAA championship last year, the Michigan State Spartans would want to take things further this time around. Although after a great start to the season, the Spartans have slowed down considerably. What started as a 16-1 journey slowly turned into a 20-6 affair, with the majority of the losses coming in the latter half. Two of the losses came against state rivals Michigan Wolverines.
12. Maryland Terrapins (21-6)
Maryland Terrapins is another underrated contender for the NCAA championship in college basketball and has been great in the tournament so far. Except for the mid-season slump against UCLA, Iowa, Washington, and Oregon, the team has not faced much adversity. Now, could the 2006 champions recreate the same magic under Brenda Frese this year as well? It wouldn’t be feasible to bet against them.
11. Duke Blue Devils (19-6)
Kara Lawson’s Duke could very well find its place in the top 10 as the team has put on quite a run. With a start that made many question Kara Lawson’s tactics, as they simply struggled against the other team, nobody expected a turnaround quite like this. Their last two games saw the Blue Devils put up victories against SMU (95-36) and North Carolina (72-68), and with the devastating run they are on, it feels like it will be hard for any team to stop their 16-game win streak.
10. LSU Tigers (22-4)
Kim Mulkey’s Tigers are the perennial contenders, and whenever the team is on court, you know fireworks are up for grabs. The Tigers don’t just beat their opponents, but demolish them, beating them by huge margins. However, this time around, the shoe was on the other foot as they lost against the Longhorns and, quite recently, against South Carolina. The 79-72 loss against Dawn Staley’s team did hurt, but Mulkey attributed it to the free-throw inefficiency.
“That’s where the game was lost. Make your free throws. You win.”, said Mulkey on the team’s nine missed free throws against South Carolina.
9. Iowa Hawkeye (20-5)
The Hawkeyes look good right now, and after a hat-trick of losses, have come back to win back-to-back games against Washington and Nebraska. The Hawkeyes’ performances deserve credit and are enough to propel them higher up in the rankings in college basketball. Ava Heiden has simply been a star for Jan Jensen’s team, and she can very well help this team to an NCAA championship, something that even Caitlin Clark failed to do.
8. Ohio State Buckeyes (22-4)
A stinging one-point loss against Maryland (76-75) was on the cards for the Buckeyes as they went through that heartbreaking loss. Either way, one loss wouldn’t mean anything as the team looks good, especially having someone like Jaloni Cambridge, who has been their star. The Buckeyes are a good team and are here to stay, and slug it out with the best of the best.
7. Louisville Cardinals (24-4)
The Cardinals are another solid team out of the ACC that is very much on course to move up in rankings. College basketball is unpredictable, but even then, Louisville has managed to maintain its consistency, and that speaks volumes about the Cardinals. With wins over Wake Forest and Florida State, the Cardinals look more than ready to state their claim to the title.
6. Vanderbilt Commodores (24-3)
Mikayla Blakes is putting Vanderbilt on the map like no one else. The Commodores wins she is the top scorer; the Commodores lose, she is the top scorer. Blakes is omnipresent everywhere, and that is one thing that you can’t take away from her. Despite the last stumble against the Bulldogs, the team looks ready for the NCAA playoffs and more than ready to win the championship.
5. Michigan Wolverines (22-4)
Michigan Wolverines must have relished the last win over arch-rivals Michigan State in the last game (86-65). Syla Swords came in clutch, adding 24 pts in the game, which tipped the game heavily in their favor. The Wolverines are currently in 6th place in the AP list with 614 points, and that has every possibility of changing next week.
4. Texas Longhorns (24-3)
A loss against Vanderbilt, followed by a win against Tennessee, the Longhorns had quite a week. But overall, the team has looked exceptional in how they have handled themselves. Just three losses, that too against some sharks of the NCAA, doesn’t take away anything from Vic Schaeffer’s team. The Longhorns have their next college basketball game scheduled against Arkansas, and that is something they will look to dominate as well.
3. South Carolina Gamecocks (25-2)
Dawan Staley’s Gamecocks are looking invincible at this point, and recently, after their victory over Kim Mulkey’s LSU, it certainly feels that they are at least going to the finals. Though the team is struggling with injury issues, Staley is working fine with her girls and picking up wins over tough teams like Vanderbilt, Louisville, and the Texas Longhorns.
2. UCLA Bruins (25-1)
Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, and the team have no shortage of stars, and that is what is helping the Bruins to reach immeasurable heights. Just one loss in the entire season, so fat, and that too against Vic Schaeffer’s Longhorns, tells you how ready this team is. Cori Close is managing a championship material side, and the team is ready to take it all the way.
1. UConn Huskies (27-0)
The inevitable number one when we count down the top 25 teams of college basketball. UConn’s position cannot be argued by any means. They are still undefeated, still unchallenged, and still looking better with every game they play, and so there is nobody on the scene right now who can challenge them. Geno Auriemma is hunting with the Huskies, and as such, everyone should be wary, as Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are coming for the flash