Geno Auriemma’s 655th AP Top 25
appearance moves him past Tara VanDerveer
[February 24, 2026]
By DOUG FEINBERG
Geno Auriemma broke a tie with Tara VanDerveer for most appearances
by a coach in The Associated Press women's basketball Top 25 on
Monday when UConn was again a unanimous No. 1.
Auriemma has the Huskies ranked for the 655th time. UConn was atop
all 31 ballots from the national media panel. The Huskies (29-0) are
the last unbeaten team in Division I basketball and have won 45
consecutive games dating to last season.
The top five teams remained unchanged in the rankings this week with
UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Vanderbilt following the Huskies.
The rest of the top 10 changed as Michigan, Louisville, Duke and
Ohio State all lost games last week.
LSU moved up one spot to sixth with Oklahoma jumping up four places
to seventh. Michigan dropped two spots to eighth and Iowa was ninth.
The Hawkeyes moved up four places after beating the Wolverines on
Sunday. Louisville was 10th.
Duke, which ended its 17-game winning streak Sunday in a loss to
Clemson, dropped to 12th, and Ohio State was 13th.
Falling Lady Vols
Tennessee dropped out of the poll for the first time this season
after losing last week to Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. The Lady
Vols have dropped seven of nine games for the first time in school
history. Tennessee had been ranked for the past 31 polls.
“We’ve had an incredibly tough stretch,” coach Kim Caldwell said
after Sunday's loss to Oklahoma. “You just (have to) be honest with
your team, and they can handle it or they cannot. And sometimes the
honesty is not good and sometimes the honesty is good.”
The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Lady Vols with regular
season games left against LSU and Vanderbilt.
[to top of second column] |
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, right, reaches for UConn forward Ice
Brady, center, as she is honored in a Senior Day ceremony after an
NCAA college basketball game against Providence, Sunday, Feb. 22,
2026, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Welcome back
Princeton re-entered the poll this week at No. 25. The Tigers (21-3)
fell out last week after losing to Columbia on Feb. 13. The Lions
have beaten the Tigers twice this season, and Princeton's other loss
came to No. 14 Maryland.
Conference supremacy
The SEC remained the top conference with nine teams in the poll. The
Big Ten is next with seven. The Big 12 has four teams, the Atlantic
Coast Conference has three and the Ivy League and Big East each have
one.
Games of the week
No. 8 Michigan at No. 13 Ohio State, Wednesday. The two rivals meet
with Big Ten Conference seeding on the line. The Wolverines lost
their last game, falling at then-No. 13 Iowa on Sunday. The Buckeyes
have dropped two of their last three games.
No. 12 Duke at No. 21 North Carolina, Sunday. The Blue Devils beat
the Tar Heels in the first meeting earlier this month and will look
to wrap up the ACC regular season crown with another victory.
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