Michigan vaulted to No. 2 in the Associated Press women's college basketball Top 25 poll released Monday, marking the highest regular-season ranking in program history after a 77-66 upset of then-No. 2 UConn. The Wolverines, who began the season at No. 5 — their highest preseason ranking ever — improved to 2-0 and received 777 points in the poll.
UConn Falls to No. 4 but Rebounds
The Huskies suffered their first regular-season loss since February 6, 2025, but bounced back on Sunday with a 91-79 victory over No. 10 Iowa. Freshman Sarah Strong, the 2026 National Player of the Year, scored a career-high 39 points in the win. UConn dropped to No. 4 with 733 points.
South Carolina Remains No. 1
Defending champion South Carolina retained the top spot with all 32 first-place votes and 823 points after a 2-0 start that included a 101-93 win over Maryland in Paris and an 84-39 victory over North Carolina in Charlotte.
USC's JuJu Watkins Returns Strong
USC stayed at No. 3 with 734 points and one first-place vote. Star forward JuJu Watkins, the 2025 National Player of the Year, returned from ACL surgery and averaged 26.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 46.3% shooting in 26 minutes per game through two games.
Other Notable Moves
Oklahoma rose seven spots to No. 14 after a 2-0 start, while Maryland climbed one place to No. 19 despite its loss to South Carolina. North Carolina fell 11 spots to No. 23 after an 0-2 start. Duke, Texas, Louisville, Vanderbilt and LSU round out the top nine, with UCLA and Iowa tied at No. 10.
