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The last time we examined the AP Top 25 poll, we suggested women’s college basketball was experiencing the calm before the coming storm of conference play.
That assessment proved more true than could have been imagined, as a week that began with 11 undefeated teams ended with four: No 1. UConn, No. 2 Texas, No. 7 Vandy and No. 17 Texas Tech.
After all the chaos, here’s what the top 25 looks like, with first-place votes denoted in parentheses and movement from last week’s poll tracked in brackets:
Here are three big thoughts about the crazy week that was, and if more upheaval is on the horizon:
Upsets abound in the crucible of conference play
It’s wasn’t just losses for previously-undefeated teams that made the past week particularly wild.
Several higher-ranked teams also dropped games to lower-ranked, or unranked, opponents, serving as evidence that conference play is just different, with increased levels of preparation and pressure testing teams in ways that non-conference contests just do not.
The formerly-undefeated and ranked teams that suffered losses were No. 8 Maryland, No. 11 Iowa State, No. 12 LSU (twice), No. 13 TCU and No. 25 Nebraska (twice).
While undefeated entering their matchup last Monday against now-No. 21 USC, the Huskers were ranked below the Trojans. They then were unable to trip up higher-ranked and No. 14 Iowa on Wednesday before finally returning to the win column on Sunday against Purdue.
All of the unranked and once-undefeateds also lost in Alabama, Georgia and Arizona State. After losses to South Carolina and Ole Miss, respectively, Alabama and Georgia rebounded, with the Tide taking care of Arkansas and Georgia coming back from 19 points to get the win over Texas A&M in overtime. Arizona State’s loss came at BYU, meaning both they and TCU succumbed to the second half of their two-game road trip to the state of Utah, highlighting the difficulty of that trip for Big 12 teams.
The other ranked teams to be upset reside in the ACC with now-unranked-but-votes-receiving Notre Dame losing to Georgia Tech in overtime on Thursday before dropping another game at Duke on Sunday. Having only stumbled against ranked teams prior to Sunday, No. 22 North Carolina lost to Stanford, with the Cardinal, the recipients of 25 votes, salvaging their cross-country trip to North Carolina after losing to NC State on Thursday.
The Lawson-Mulkey non-conference conundrum
Early conference action has done nothing to dispute that the ACC is the weakest Power Four conference. Duke, the biggest early-season disappointment, has now won six-straight games, is 4-0 in conference play and could end up being the best team in the conference after all.
But Duke, certainly, was punished in the poll for their brutal non-conference schedule, even if the Blue Devils navigated it less successfully than anticipated. This week, they began their slow climb back towards the top 25, collecting three total votes.
Head coach Kara Lawson’s decision to give her team tough tests contrasts with that of Kim Mulkey and LSU. After the Tigers’ loss to Vandy, Mulkey, when asked about her team’s notorious soft non-conference schedule quipped, ““If we hadn’t played that schedule, we might would be sitting here with a lot of losses.”
And in all the madness of March, it’s unlikely we’ll get a definitive answer about how much the quality of a team’s non-conference slate really matters. LSU, at least, can claim a win over Duke, adding an extra twist to this juxtaposition.
For now, Duke aims to remain undefeated in the ACC, with a cross-country trek to northern California for dates with Cal and Stanford next on their schedule, while LSU will look for their first SEC win in Athens against Georgia.
What teams are now on upset-watch?
Are more upsets on the menu in the second week of 2026?
Of the still-undefeateds, No. 1 UConn should continue to cruise through the Big East. No. 2 Texas, after not inspiring much confidence in wins over Missouri and No. 18 Ole Miss, meets an easier SEC foe in Auburn before traveling to Baton Rouge on Sunday for a high-stakes showdown with LSU. No. 7 Vanderbilt has an ostensibly friendly week, with a home game against Missouri and a trip to Texas A&M.
No. 17 Texas Tech must tackle two road games, with stops in West Virginia and Cincinnati. To survive unscathed, the Red Raiders might need to unleash their newest addition: 7-foot-1 Stephanie Okechuckwu. Once she takes the court, it is believed she will become the tallest women to ever play women’s college basketball. The program is still awaiting a decision about her eligibility from the NCAA.
No. 5 Oklahoma, the beneficiary of much of the chaos that occurred above them in the poll, will have to confirm their elevated standing. The Sooners meet Ole Miss at home before heading to Lexington to face off against No. 6 Kentucky.
No. 16 Baylor, the team that possibly has experienced the most up-and-down movement in the rankings over the course of the season, rising as high as No. 7 and sinking as low as No. 22, will hope to maintain their positive momentum and avoid getting tripped up by two lowlier Big 12 opponents in Colorado and Kansas.
