Notre Dame jumps to 3rd in AP Top 25 women's poll after win over UConn; UCLA, South Carolina 1-2

 

[December 17, 2024]  By DOUG FEINBERG

Notre Dame jumped to No. 3 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Monday after beating rival UConn last week.

The Irish climbed five spots after the 79-68 victory over the Huskies, who fell two places to fourth. Notre Dame's victory over UConn gave the Irish three wins over top five teams this season. They also beat USC and Texas.

“This is a major win for us,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “Obviously, it’s just one win, but I’m really grateful for this group and really proud of our effort and the way that we showed up today with such toughness and discipline.”

UCLA remained the No. 1 team, receiving 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. South Carolina was second and received a first-place vote, as did Notre Dame.

LSU was fifth with Texas, USC and Maryland following the Tigers. Duke and Oklahoma rounded out the top 10.

Unbeaten Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech continues to move up the rankings at it remains unbeaten. The Yellow Jackets climbed eight spots to 17th after an 82-76 victory at then-No. 14 North Carolina on Sunday. It was their first win at the Tar Heels since 2012. Georgia Tech at 11-0 is off to the best start in school history.

Rising Bears
Cal entered the poll for the first time since 2019, coming in at No. 24. The Bears are 12-1 with the lone loss coming against No. 15 Michigan State. Cal beat rival Stanford by 20 points last Friday, snapping a 12-game losing streak in the series. The 20-point win was the third largest in the series history and the most since a win during the 1981-82 season.

Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) drives to the basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against UConn, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Caterina)

Moving out
Iowa State fell out of the rankings after losing to rival Iowa last week. Things don't get easier for the Cyclones (9-3) with a trip to Connecticut to face the Huskies in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase on Tuesday night.

Conference breakdown
The Big Ten has eight teams in the poll again this week. The Southeastern Conference has seven and the ACC six. The Big 12 has three and the Big East one.

Game of the week
No. 7 USC at No. 4 UConn, Saturday. Two of the top stars in college basketball will square off when JuJu Watkins and the Trojans head east to face Paige Bueckers and the Huskies. Watkins is third in the country in scoring at 24.6 points a game.

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