Notre Dame moves up to No. 1 in AP poll for 1st time since 2019 after UCLA suffers 1st loss

Notre Dame is the new No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll, ascending to the top spot Monday for the first time since 2019.

The Fighting Irish replaced UCLA, which lost its first game of the season last week, falling to rival USC, 71-60. Notre Dame was last No. 1 on Jan. 21, 2019.

“It’s definitely an honor to be the nation’s top team, but we are just focused on getting better every day,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said.

The Irish, who received 16 first-place votes from a 30-member national media panel, faced No. 11 Duke on Monday night.

Texas moved up to second for its best ranking since 2017. The Longhorns, who garnered eight first-place ballots, became the first team to beat three straight top 10 teams since 2004-05, according to ESPN, topping South Carolina, Kentucky and LSU.

The Bruins had been No. 1 for 12 straight weeks after beating South Carolina in late November. UCLA fell to third and received the other six first-place votes.

USC moved up to fourth and UConn was fifth after routing then-No. 4 South Carolina 87-58 on Sunday. The Gamecocks, who saw their 71-game home winning streak end, fell to sixth. LSU and Ohio State were next.

North Carolina climbed up three spots to ninth for its highest ranking in three seasons after beating N.C. State 66-65 on Sunday. TCU was 10th.

Ins and outs

Illinois re-entered the poll this week at No. 25 after beating Penn State and Nebraska. The Illini spent the first few weeks of the season ranked. Florida State fell out after losing to Louisville and edging Miami.

Falling Wildcats

It was a rough week for Kentucky. One week after earning its best ranking in a decade, Kentucky fell six spots to 14th. The Wildcats lost games to Ole Miss and Texas before beating Georgia.

Conference breakdown

The Southeastern Conference still reigns with seven ranked teams. The Big Ten has six while the ACC and Big 12 each have five. The Big East has two.

NCAA reveal

With a month left to the start of the NCAA Tournament, the selection committee revealed the top 16 teams to that point Sunday. UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Notre Dame were the one seeds. The reveal came before South Carolina’s loss.

Games of the week

No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 13 North Carolina State, Sunday. The Irish currently have a two-game lead in the ACC race over the Wolfpack. Five teams are within two games of second place.

No. 17 West Virginia at No. 10 TCU, Sunday. Two of the top teams in the Big 12 square off as the Horned Frogs hope to remain at top of the conference standings.