South Carolina has retained its position as the number one team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for women's college basketball following a dominant performance on Sunday night. The Gamecocks defeated North Carolina by a margin of 45 points, winning 84 to 39. This victory stands as South Carolina's largest against an AP Top 25 opponent in its history. The team is currently undefeated with a 2-0 record and will look to extend that streak on Thursday when they host Clemson at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Just below the top spot, UConn has recovered from an early season loss to Michigan with a strong showing against ranked Iowa. Although the Huskies dropped to a 2-1 record, they remain in the top four of the rankings. A notable performance came from Sarah Strong, who became the first UConn player since the 1999-2000 season to record at least 35 points and 10 rebounds against an AP top-10 opponent. UConn is scheduled to play at Ohio State on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on FS1.
The rest of the top 10 teams managed to hold their ground during a relatively quiet opening week for the season. USC, currently ranked third, saw JuJu Watkins make history by becoming the first Big Ten player in the past 25 years to achieve a 30-point, 15-rebound, five-assist, and five-steal game. The Trojans will face Charleston on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. on BTN.
Other notable results in the top 10 include Duke maintaining an 8-0 record against current Horizon League opponents and Louisville recording consecutive wins by at least 50 points for the first time since December 2013. Vanderbilt also made history with an 117-point differential through two games, its largest in such a span since January 1993.
LSU continues its impressive run with a 2-0 record, highlighted by a 109-point win over Texas Southern which is the largest victory in Division I history against a Division I opponent. The Tigers will host McNeese on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on SECN+.
Nebraska is a newcomer to this week's poll, entering the rankings after a 98-35 victory over Western Illinois. That win was the seventh-largest victory margin in the school's history. The Cornhuskers are now 2-0 and will play North Carolina A&T on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
Several other programs have posted strong records this week. Kentucky's Ajsa Sivka became the first player in her first collegiate season this century to score 30-plus points against an AP-ranked team. Notre Dame recorded its second-largest victory in program history with an 83-point win over Stonehill.
Oklahoma has extended its winning streak against unranked opponents to 33 games, while TCU's Lara Somfai continues to lead the Horned Frogs in both points and rebounds per game. Washington's Sayvia Sellers is also performing well, leading her team in scoring and assists.
In the lower half of the top 25, Maryland is 11-0 all time against George Mason, while Ole Miss came back from a first-quarter deficit to beat North Alabama 72-51. Illinois limited Southern to just one field goal in the first and third quarters of its 99-28 win.
North Carolina, which fell to 0-2 for the first time since the 2015-16 season, will face NC Central on Wednesday. West Virginia led for the entirety of its 81-63 win over Georgia Tech and will host Northwestern on Friday. The poll reflects a mix of dominant performances and early season adjustments across the nation's top programs.
