This article was written by Doug Feinberg, a writer for the Associated Press in the field of basketball.

NEW YORK

The Associated Press women’s basketball poll for Monday saw Southern California move up to No. 7 after winning six consecutive games. South Carolina maintained their position as the undisputed No. 1 team.

Over the weekend, USC achieved victories over both Oregon and then-No. 11 Oregon State. As a result, they are now tied for second place in the Pac-12 Conference, trailing Stanford by two games. This upcoming weekend, they will be hosting Colorado and Utah.

The top six teams ahead of USC remained constant, with South Carolina maintaining its lead since the start of the regular season. The Gamecocks received all 35 votes from a panel of national media. South Carolina faced challenges in their last game, but managed to come back and defeat Tennessee and Georgia. Coach Dawn Staley’s team was behind at halftime in their home game against Georgia on Sunday, but ultimately won by 14 points.

For two consecutive polls, Ohio State maintained its spot as the second-ranked team, with South Carolina just ahead. This is the first time in seven weeks that this has happened. Behind them were No. 3 Stanford, Iowa, Texas, and North Carolina State.

After defeating Duke and Louisville, Virginia Tech moved up four places to eighth in the rankings. With nine consecutive wins, the Hokies currently hold the top spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference, one game ahead of Syracuse.

Despite losing to USC, Oregon State climbed to ninth place in the rankings due to their victory over former ninth-ranked team, UCLA.

The ranking of Kansas State decreased by three spots to No. 10, while Colorado and UCLA also experienced a three-place drop.

Caitlin Clark, who has now surpassed the NCAA career scoring record, will be leading Iowa as they face off against Indiana in a crucial Big Ten Conference game. Currently tied for second place, Iowa is one game behind Ohio State. In their previous meeting at home, the Hawkeyes defeated the Hoosiers by 27 points. However, the upcoming rematch on Thursday is expected to be a closer and more competitive game.

The Pac-12 Conference had a thrilling weekend, as Oregon State won against UCLA with a buzzer-beater shot and Utah defeated Colorado in the final seconds. The conference remains at the top in the rankings, with five teams in the top 12 and six teams ranked in the overall Top 25.

The ACC and Big 12 have five teams each, followed by the Big East and SEC with two teams each. The Ivy and West Coast have one team each.

On Thursday, the NCAA announced the top 16 teams at that time. The 1 seeds were South Carolina, Ohio State, Stanford, and Colorado. However, Colorado ended up losing after the reveal. The next update will be on February 29th.

Princeton, ranked 25th, has achieved a 15-game winning streak and currently holds a one-game lead over Columbia in the Ivy League rankings. Previously, the Tigers had emerged victorious in their initial encounter last month, and both teams are set to face each other in New York this Saturday to determine the top spot in the conference. Last year, they jointly secured the regular-season championship, marking Columbia’s first in their program’s history.

___

-alerts

Receive notifications and stay updated on the AP Top 25 basketball rankings during the season by signing up here. Stay informed about AP women’s college basketball through these links: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball-alerts.

Source: wralsportsfan.com