UConn’s record 16-year run in the top 10 is over.
The Huskies fell four spots to No. 11 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll Monday after losing to Louisville a day earlier. UConn had been ranked among the first 10 teams in the poll for 313 straight weeks dating back to March 7, 2005, when the team was also 11th. That’s 101 more weeks than the next-longest streak ever, held by Tennessee.
No. 10 Baylor now has the longest active streak, with 136 consecutive top-10 appearances.
South Carolina remained the unanimous top choice, receiving all 29 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Gamecocks will face No. 2 Stanford on Tuesday in the second 1-vs-2 showdown this season. The Cardinal moved up one spot after winning at Tennessee on Saturday. It’s the 600th appearance in the AP Top 25 for Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, who is 18 behind all-time leader Pat Summitt.
Louisville, Arizona and North Carolina State follow Stanford to round out the top five. The Wolfpack fell three places after losing in overtime to Georgia.
Maryland moved up three spots to sixth. The Terrapins were followed by Tennessee, Indiana and Michigan. The Wolverines knocked off Baylor in overtime on Sunday and now are in the top 10 for the first time ever.
The victory over then-No. 5 Baylor was Michigan’s first against a top-five team in 34 tries.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet we beat a top-five team,” Wolverines coach Kim Barnes Arico said after the overtime victory at the Women’s Hall of Fame Showcase. “It’s a great signature win.”
STILL STREAKING
UConn has been ranked for 533 consecutive weeks — the second-longest run in poll history, behind Tennessee’s record 565. The Huskies also haven’t lost consecutive games since 1993. They don’t play again until Dec. 29 against Marquette. The Huskies already have three losses this season — the first time they’ve had that many before the New Year since 2004.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Stanford at South Carolina, Tuesday. The Cardinal already have faced five ranked teams this season and are involved in their first 1-vs-2 matchup since 2012. The Gamecocks also have been tested this season, beating five Top 25 teams.
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ women’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 19, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:
Record Pts Prv
1. South Carolina (29) 11-0 725 1
2. Stanford 8-2 678 3
3. Louisville 10-1 643 6
4. Arizona 10-0 642 4
5. NC State 11-2 616 2
6. Maryland 9-3 517 9
7. Tennessee 9-1 504 7
8. Indiana 9-2 500 10
9. Michigan 11-1 498 13
10. Baylor 9-2 487 5
11. UConn 6-3 457 7
12. Texas 8-1 435 11
13. Georgia 10-1 381 17
13. Iowa St. 11-1 381 12
15. Iowa 6-2 273 14
16. Duke 9-1 270 15
17. Georgia Tech 9-2 225 18
18. South Florida 8-3 219 16
19. BYU 9-1 152 20
20. Notre Dame 10-2 137 21
21. LSU 9-1 130 22
22. Kentucky 7-3 127 19
23. Texas A&M 9-2 82 23
24. Ohio St. 8-2 68 24
25. North Carolina 10-0 66 25
Others receiving votes: Colorado 52, Oklahoma 45, DePaul 43, Florida Gulf Coast 42, Nebraska 30.
