South Carolina Dominates AP Poll Amid Stable Top 8; Maryland, Stanford on the Rise

South Carolina is the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll after defeating then-No. 9 North Carolina State, 71-57. The Gamecocks’ strong start makes them early favorites to defend their national title.

The top eight spots in the poll remained the same with UConn, USC, Texas, and UCLA rounding out the leading five teams after impressive season debuts. Kansas State made a notable move, climbing three spots to enter the top 10 at No. 10 following an 82-56 victory over Belmont.

Maryland surged seven places to No. 11 after a hard-fought 85-80 win over then-No. 16 Duke, marking the Terrapins’ first regular-season encounter with the Blue Devils since leaving the ACC. The rivalry rekindled, Maryland’s win adds momentum to their season as they edged closer to the top 10.

Stanford and Oregon made their season debuts in the poll at Nos. 24 and 25, respectively. Stanford, under new head coach Kate Paye, opened the season with three commanding wins by an average of 41 points. Oregon joined the rankings with a narrow two-point victory over then-No. 12 Baylor, pushing the Bears down to No. 17.

Illinois made its debut in the poll at No. 23 after an early-season victory over Marquette. Meanwhile, Creighton, Indiana, and Florida State exited the rankings after suffering early losses.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma is one win away from tying Tara VanDerveer’s all-time record of 1,216 victories, with the Huskies set to face No. 15 North Carolina on Friday.

With the top eight teams steady, the poll highlights both the stability at the top and the rising contenders just outside.
Creighton, Indiana, and Florida State exited the rankings after suffering early losses.

AP Top 25 – Week 2

Rank	Team	Record	Trend
1	South Carolina	2-0	–
2	UConn	2-0	–
3	USC	2-0	–
4	Texas	1-0	–
5	UCLA	2-0	–
6	Notre Dame	2-0	–
7	LSU	2-0	–
8	Iowa State	3-0	–
9	Oklahoma	2-0	+1
10	Kansas State	2-0	+3
11	Maryland	3-0	+7
12	Ohio State	1-0	+2
13	NC State	1-1	-4
14	North Carolina	2-0	+1
15	West Virginia	2-0	+1
16	Duke	2-1	-5
17	Baylor	1-1	-5
18	Louisville	1-1	-1
19	Ole Miss	1-1	+1
20	Kentucky	2-0	+2
21	Nebraska	2-0	+2
22	Alabama	3-0	+2
23	Illinois	2-0
24	Stanford	3-0
25	Oregon	3-0

Others receiving votes: Iowa, TCU, Florida State, Michigan, Utah, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Fairfield, South Dakota State, Mississippi State, Arizona, Creighton, Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, Harvard, Indiana Miami.

Dropped from rankings: Florida State 19, Creighton 21, Indiana 25.