Scripts are flipping fast on women’s college basketball rankings. Just last week, Notre Dame looked every bit the no.1 seed team that had defeated the current top 3— Texas, USC, and UConn. Stars like Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles had ensured of that. “You put all her talent together, it’s a really difficult matchup for anybody,” shared Geno Auriemma of the sophomore guard. But one rough week, and the Fighting Irish find themselves off the top 5. Yet, the team in focus is one that has had fate on its side.
Notre Dame entered the week positioned no.3 on the AP Polls and on a 19-game win streak. But a trip to Reynolds Coliseum saw coach Niele Ivey’s team crumble. No.13 ranked NC State initially handed the Fighting Irish a 104-95 loss in double overtime, and Florida State made things worse, limiting Miles to 3-of-7 from the field and Hidalgo to 4-of-18. Sonia Citron’s 21-point went in vain as the Seminoles refused to let go off the lead for 3 quarters.
An 86-81 loss would drop the Fighting Irish to no.6 on the AP Polls, their lowest since week 6. Though they bounced back with a solid win against Louisville, the damage had been done. ”We had a rough week,” coach Ivey would admit.
A stinging fall for a team that held on to the top spot just two weeks ago. But the talk of the town was Dawn Staley’s team that had positives piling up for the week and longer.
POLL ALERT: Texas, USC, UConn top women’s AP Top 25 as UCLA, Notre Dame slip; Trojans have best poll ranking in 39 years.
Full poll: https://t.co/ZpzgqczOov pic.twitter.com/295SkHKNzW
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) March 3, 2025
South Carolina moved up to the No. 5 spot, earning a significant boost despite some recent struggles of their own. This comes after the team took two top-10 losses in an eight-day stretch before recovering to win four straight games to close out the regular season. Moreover, fate proved to be on Staley’s side when SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey flipped the coin to determine the no.1 seed for the tournament, and it landed in favor of the Gamecocks.
It has been a good stretch for Staley and it didn’t go unnoticed by fans when they didn’t make higher still in the rankings.
Fans rally behind South Carolina as AP Poll uplifts them: good or bad?
While Notre Dame went unnoticed, the Gamecocks were advocated for a higher rank by fans. “Y’all have all these teams before South Carolina—it’s crazy. Who else wants to create a poll so we can move on from this one? It’s crazy,” added a user on X.
With an exceptional depth and consistent production, Staley’s Gamecocks have earned the conversations around them. South Carolina’s bench alone averages around 51.6 points per game, the highest in the nation. This helps them outscore opponents’ benches by nearly nine points.
“This poll is so crazy. The hate for South Carolina is real. All good though. They’re about to win the SEC tournament,” added another user.
“Y’all did South Carolina dirty as hell!!! NC State?!” added another user. As of now, the team is riding a winning streak of four games. But still, they got No. 5 in the AP Polls, and that’s something that had fans firing back.
“AP polls proving they are not fit for purpose. You hacks don’t deserve access to enclosed, limited spaces in the White House and its analogues,” added a user. But the Gamecocks weren’t the only team in focus. The now-No. 1 Texas got the deserved praise as well—but not in the way everyone would have wanted.
While Texas got 25 first-place ballots to secure its rank, fans felt they didn’t deserve the No. 1 spot. “No way Texas should be Number 1.” Well, the AP Polls had a justification too. They placed Texas at No. 1 after the Longhorns beat Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi State last week.
“The women’s poll has been wonky all year,” added another user. But come an end to regular season, it would all boil down to the ACC Tournament and the Selection Sunday.
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