AP Top 25 poll: UCLA gets big test vs. Ohio State; Iowa and Caitlin Clark continue to climb
It’s the calm before the storm of the conference season, when basketball teams are on break for academic finals and those that are playing are putting up blowout scores against lesser opponents.
The Associated Press Top 25 poll remained unchanged in the top 10 for Week 6 for the first time this season. Only a few teams in the rankings lost last week, and those were against similarly ranked squads. The biggest movement might be Connecticut, which won back-to-back games against ranked opponents as it figures out its lineup without Azzi Fudd. Marquette and Creighton played one of the more competitive top-25 contests of the week, showing how good the Big East schedule could be among the three.
I am an AP voter this season and will share my ballot weekly, with team results and reasonings for movement in my rankings. (The full AP poll results are below.)
1. South Carolina (10-0)
The Gamecocks defense kept Presbyterian to a season-low 29 points, the second-fewest South Carolina has given up this season. The Blue Hose were 10-of-64 from the floor and had a .17 assist-to-turnover ratio, both season lows.
South Carolina was one point shy of a sixth game scoring at least 100 points. It has two more nonconference games against Bowling Green and East Carolina before the end of the calendar year and the start of SEC play.
2. UCLA (9-0)
The Bruins were off last week, but they take center stage Monday, when they play at Ohio State. It is the third ranked squad UCLA has faced this season and the last time the teams will meet in the nonconference for the foreseeable future, as UCLA is joining the Big Ten beginning in August.
3. Iowa (11-1)
Caitlin Clark moved into ninth on the all-time scoring list (3,079 points) with a 38-point outing against Cleveland State (9-2) on Saturday. She scored a career-high nine triples on 16 attempts and was 61.9% overall from the field in a 104-75 win.
It was Clark’s homecoming in Des Moines, but her teammates up and down the roster stepped up. Kate Martin scored 15 and was successful in getting to the free-throw line (9-of-9). Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke had her second double-double of her career (17 points, 13 rebounds in 17 minutes).
4. Texas (11-0)
The Longhorns led by as many as 23 points and relied on their bench to defeat Arizona 88-75 early in the week. Five players reached double digits, led by a near triple-double from guard Rori Harmon (19 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds).
Texas swaps with NC State in my ballot because each have played UConn and South Florida. The Longhorns defense was impressive in those games and can make up for the lulls the offense experiences.
5. NC State (11-0)
A shorthanded Wolfpack team defeated South Florida 66-54 on the road while Saniya Rivers remains out with a back injury. Senior center River Baldwin had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Aziaha James is averaging 16.3 points per game in her first season as a regular starter. Rivers could return Wednesday when the Wolfpack travel to Old Dominion.
6. USC (8-0)
USC was also off last week. The Trojans will host Cal State Fullerton and travel to Long Beach State, both teams that rank in the NET 100s, before the biggest test of their season to date. USC opens Pac-12 play at UCLA on Dec. 30.
7. Stanford (9-1)
The Cardinal took care of Portland 81-51 at home on Friday. Cameron Brink stayed out of foul trouble and finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. However, dynamic frontcourt mate Kiki Iriafen did not. Iriafen had 13 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes with three fouls.
Head coach Tara VanDerveer said it best: “We’re really a whole different team when both Cam and Kiki are in foul trouble.”
8. LSU (11-1)
By the time Kim Mulkey was ejected in the fourth quarter for arguing a charge call on Aneesah Morrow that she didn’t agree with, the Tigers had turned another slow offensive start into a runaway win over Northwestern State. They finished the 81-36 victory behind double-doubles from Morrow (16 points, 14 rebounds in 29 minutes) and Angel Reese (25 points, 14 rebounds in 27 minutes).
LSU notched a 133-44 win over McNeese State earlier in the week. It set records against Division I’s worst-ranked team in NET ranking.
9. Utah (9-2)
Utah hit 16 3s in a 96-60 win against Southern Utah on Saturday. It was the first time since guard Gianna Kneepkens’ injury that the Utes were in double digits (they average 13 a game) and a solid sign that Utah will be able to continue competing at a high level without Kneepkens. The Utes popped up a spot in my rankings for that reason.
Alissa Pili scored 20 in 20 minutes and was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. She added five rebounds, two assists and one block and had zero fouls.
10. Baylor (9-0)
Baylor moved up a spot after giving Miami its first loss of the season 75-57 in another defensive showcase. The Bears forced 15 turnovers and led nearly the entire way. It was the second time the Bears scored fewer than 80 points, but five players reached double digits, they assisted on 18-of-28 baskets, and they knocked down 10-of-20 3-point attempts.
The Bears are 9-0 for the first time in Nicki Collen’s tenure and undefeated thus far for the first time since 2015-16. Their Dec. 30 game at Texas could be a Big 12 opener between two undefeated squads ranked in the top 10.
11. Colorado (9-1)
Colorado was off last week. The Buffaloes will host Northern Colorado on Thursday before preparing for a crucial Pac-12 opener against Utah.
12. Notre Dame (8-1)
Notre Dame unveiled its statue of legendary head coach Muffet McGraw and won at home against Purdue 76-39 in a showcase of the legacy she left in South Bend. The Fighting Irish are still dealing with injuries to their star-studded backcourt, though freshman Hannah Hidalgo continues to lead them seamlessly. She had 23 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and seven steals.
13. UConn (7-3)
UConn has now strung together two good games after running away from then-No. 18 Louisville 86-62 on Saturday. Running a small lineup with Paige Bueckers turning into a defensive menace (she has nine blocks in the past two games) is working for the Huskies, so they move up a couple of spots in these rankings. But the team has been so up and down, even with Fudd healthy, that two games can’t create confidence in them.
14. Virginia Tech (8-2)
Virginia Tech needs more outings from Matilda Ekh like the one she had in an 84-59 win over Rutgers on Sunday. The transfer from Michigan State scored a season-high 25 points with six assists and five rebounds. She hit a career-high seven 3s on 13 attempts.
It was only the second time this season that neither Elizabeth Kitley nor Georgia Amoore led the Hokies in scoring. The other was Cayla King, who scored 21 in a blowout against Long Island University. The support is needed for the Hokies to succeed long-term, and more showings like it will result in a move up my rankings.
15. Ohio State (9-1)
No one played more than 21 minutes in the Buckeyes’ 73-49 win over Grand Valley State at home on Friday. It’s a tune-up for Monday against UCLA.
16. Kansas State (10-1)
Ayoka Lee scored a season-high 36 points, shooting 15-of-17, to lead Kansas State to a 79-53 win over North Florida. She played 23 minutes. No other Wildcat scored more than six, though the minutes were spread deep into the bench.
The Wildcats are in a tough stretch, with three games in five days. They host Oral Roberts on Monday and Southern on Wednesday.
17. Indiana (8-1)
The Hoosiers were off last week and host Evansville on Monday.
18. Marquette (11-0)
The Golden Eagles move up slightly for keeping their composure and hitting big shots in the final minutes for a 76-70 win over then-No. 20 Creighton. They followed it with a 99-91 win over Appalachian State. It was their highest scoring game of the season, and they shot better than 50% for the eighth time.
Defense was a concern. App State averages 69.5 ppg, and Marquette allowed it to score 20 over the average. Its past two games have included the team's fewest steals forced and fewest opponent turnovers of the season.
19. Louisville (10-2)
The Cardinals drop for the loss to UConn in which the offense went cold for spurts and couldn’t keep up with the Huskies in a 19-9 third quarter. It was the lowest-scoring game for Louisville this season, and the defense struggled.
It was the first of a tough three-game stretch for the Cardinals. They host undefeated Washington on Wednesday and open the ACC schedule at Miami.
20. Creighton (8-2)
Creighton falls a few for its loss at Marquette. The two are very evenly matched, and it came down to hitting shots in the final minutes, during which Creighton went cold. The Bluejays bounced back with an 89-78 win at Drake.
21. Gonzaga (11-2)
Eliza Hollingsworth (17 points, 12 rebounds), Yvonne Ejim (16 points) and Brynna Maxwell (15 points) led Gonzaga in an easy 83-58 win over South Dakota State. The team shot 67%, including 55% from 3. Hollingsworth had an efficient day from the field, and Ejim scored early on her first five shots.
22. Florida State (8-3)
Ta’Niya Latson scored 22 points to lead Florida State to a 76-56 win over Drexel. The Seminoles were outrebounded but more efficient offensively and turned it over a season-low seven times with six blocks. They fell slightly below their scoring average (83.2).
23. West Virginia (9-0)
West Virginia moves up into Miami’s spot after the Hurricanes lost 84-54 to a Seton Hall team that could cause problems in the Big East. The Mountaineers were off this week but host Wright State and Niagara before the holiday break. A home game against Texas on Jan. 6 is one to keep an eye toward.
24. Washington (11-0)
The Huskies added a win against Saint Mary’s 64-32 last week and will have another chance to move up with a game at Louisville. Junior forward Dalayah Daniels led all Husky scorers for a fourth time this season and is averaging 12.1 points on a career-best 56.3% clip with 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 assists per game.
25. North Carolina (7-4)
North Carolina slides back into the revolving door spot of the poll after a 60-point decimation of Western Carolina last week. The 12-point loss to UConn looks a little better after the Huskies handled Louisville. Syracuse was, once again, a close cut in the top 25, but the Orange were off this week.
Out: Miami (8-1)
Also considered: Syracuse (8-1), TCU (11-0)
AP Top 25 poll (as of Dec. 18)
1. South Carolina (10-0)
2. UCLA (9-0)
3. NC State (11-0)
4. Iowa (11-1)
5. Texas (11-0)
6. USC (8-0)
7. LSU (11-1)
8. Colorado (9-1)
9. Stanford (9-1)
10. Baylor (9-0)
11. Utah (9-2)
12. Kansas State (10-1)
13. Ohio State (9-1)
14. Notre Dame (8-1)
15. Virginia Tech (8-2)
16. Indiana (8-1)
17. UConn (7-3)
18. Marquette (11-0)
19. Louisville (10-2)
20. Gonzaga (11-2)
21t. Florida State (8-3)
21t. Creighton (8-2)
23. Washington (11-0)
24. North Carolina (7-4)
25. TCU (11-0)
