Louisville rises to 6th in AP women's Top 25, its best ranking in four years, UConn-UCLA 1-2

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Louisville head coach Jeff Walz puts the ball back into play during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Miami, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

UConn guard Azzi Fudd, center, and UConn forward Serah Williams, right, celebrate after a basket by UConn guard Kayleigh Heckel, left, in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) — Louisville head coach Jeff Walz puts the ball back into play during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Miami, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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9:00 AM on Monday, February 2

By DOUG FEINBERG

Louisville moved up to sixth for its best ranking in four years in The Associated Press women's Top 25 basketball poll released Monday.

UConn remained the unanimous No. 1 from the 31-member national media panel. The Huskies are the lone undefeated team in women’s college basketball and kept that streak going Sunday with a 96-66 rout of then-No. 15 Tennessee. UConn has won 39 consecutive games dating to last season. UCLA, South Carolina and Texas remained behind the Huskies in an unchanged top four.

The Bruins had an impressive win over then-No. 8 Iowa on Sunday. The Hawkeyes dropped to 10th. The Longhorns topped then-No. 10 Oklahoma on Sunday as well. The Sooners fell to 11th.

The rest of the top 10 shuffled. LSU moved back up to fifth, and Louisville climbed to its highest ranking since 2022 after wins at Stanford and Cal. Vanderbilt dropped two spots to seventh after a loss to Ole Miss. Michigan and Ohio State were next. It's the Buckeyes first appearance in the top 10 in a year.

Falling Tigers

Princeton fell four spots to No. 23 after seeing its 15-game winning streak end Friday in a loss to rival Columbia. The Tigers rebounded with a victory over Cornell the next day. Princeton was having its best year since going undefeated during the regular season in 2014-15.

Conference supremacy

One week after having a record 10 teams in the poll, the SEC dropped to nine with Georgia falling out of the rankings. The Big Ten is next with seven. The Big 12 has four teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference has three, and the Big East and Ivy League each have one.

Games of the week

No. 17 Duke at No. 6 Louisville, Thursday. First place in the ACC will be on the line. The Blue Devils have a 13-game winning streak and the Cardinals have won 14 straight.

No. 2 UCLA at No. 8 Michigan, Sunday. The top two teams in the Big Ten will face off when the Bruins visit the Wolverines. UCLA hasn't lost a conference game this season, while Michigan has just one loss.

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