Another wild week in college play shakes up this week’s top 25.
South Carolina and Stanford seem to have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, as both teams are dialed in and playing like they’re ready to pack for the Final Four tomorrow. They stay steady at one and two, respectively. Louisville jumps to third, despite struggling at times to play consistently for 40 minutes. Michigan has looked impressive since their loss earlier in the season to Louisville, and this week they topped both Indiana and Iowa to jump to No. 4. Arizona got a revenge victory over Oregon before defeating Oregon State, and the Wildcats round out the top five.
At times NC State looks like a Final Four team, but other nights they look like a team trending backwards. Their comeback fell short Monday night, as they fell to Notre Dame, and they sit at No. 6. Iowa State dealt with some COVID-19 protocol issues a couple of weeks ago and dropped back-to-back games upon their return, but they look to be back on track, and jump to seven. Indiana falls two spots to eight this week. The Hoosiers have plenty of experience to make a Final Four run, but will need to sharpen some things up before postseason plays if they want to make a deep run. UConn looked better Sunday afternoon versus Tennessee, as freshman Azzi Fudd stepped up big; the Huskies come in at nine. Georgia Tech got a big win at Duke and will be plenty rested as the take on NC State in Raleigh tonight. It won’t get any easier for the Yellow Jackets, though, as they also have to travel to Virginia Tech this week. Georgia Tech makes their first entrance into the top 10 this week.
LSU had the week off and rise to 11, but they are in for a busy week with matchups at Ole Miss and Texas A&M, as well as hosting Georgia. And speaking of the Bulldogs, they come in at 12. Another SEC team sits at 13, in Tennessee. The Lady Vols fell to both Florida and UConn last week, and it wasn’t close. Tennessee’s offense looks stagnant, and their inability to take care of the basketball has hurt them, as they’ve dropped three of their last four games. The talent is there, but they’ll need to get back on track quickly. Oklahoma got a big win over Baylor and managed to escape a matchup versus West Virginia to rise to 15. Despite the loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday, Baylor rebounded with back-to-back wins over Texas on Friday and Sunday, and they round out the top 15.
Maryland comes in at 16 this week, followed by Texas at 17. Notre Dame’s win over NC State caught everyone’s attention, but a loss to Florida State yesterday slowed their momentum, and they take spot 18. Oregon stays steady at 19, despite a loss to Arizona. North Carolina enters the poll for the first time this year, as they round out the top 20. The Tar Heels’ weak non-conference schedule didn’t give them many opportunities to work their way into the top 25 previously, but after stringing together some wide-margin victories and competing with the Wolfpack at home, they seem ready to take flight.
BYU suffered a tough loss last week to Portland, and falls to 21. Ohio State enters the poll at 22, as they took down Iowa in a barnburner. Florida Gulf Coast remains steady at 23, and hope to have injured leading scorer Kiersten Bell back soon. The Florida Gators enter the poll for the first time this season, as coach Kelly Rae Finley led the team to wins over Tennessee and Georgia last week. They have won seven of their last eight games. Iowa suffered two losses last week, but remain in the poll at 25.
Top 25
- South Carolina
- Stanford
- Louisville
- Michigan
- Arizona
- NC State
- Indiana
- Iowa State
- UConn
- Georgia Tech
- LSU
- Georgia
- Tennessee
- Oklahoma
- Baylor
- Maryland
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Oregon
- North Carolina
- BYU
- Ohio State
- Florida Gulf Coast
- Florida
- Iowa
RV: Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, Kansas State, DePaul, Duke, Oregon State, South Florida, Arkansas