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Since the calendar turned to 2026, women’s college basketball fans have been treated to more frequent upsets.
But the unexpected results have not done much to alter season-long expectations. No. 1 UConn, the nation’s last standing undefeated team, remains elite, and so does the SEC, with a record 10 teams grabbing a spot in the latest AP Top 25 poll.
Here’s a look at where all 10 SEC squads settled, as well as where representatives from the Big East, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and Ivy League slotted in. First-place votes are denoted in parentheses, movement from last week’s poll is tracked in brackets and teams entering (or re-entering) the poll are identified with an asterisk:
And here are three observations about the excellence of the SEC, the excellence of UConn and the potential excellence of UCLA:
A record 10 ranked teams for the SEC
By following up their upset of No. 17 Ole Miss with one over now-No. 18 Kentucky, Georgia jumped into the top 25 at No. 23, giving the SEC it’s record 10 teams. No. 24 Alabama just hung onto their standing, while a three-game slide was not enough to eject aforementioned Kentucky from the rankings.
With the power that the Power Four conferences now assert over college sports, including women’s basketball, it’s not that surprising to see the 16-team SEC claim 10 of the top 25’s rankings. The overall weakness of one of the Power Fours in the ACC also opened the way for more SEC teams to take a spot in the top 25.
That’s not to say, however, that the SEC is undeserving of their record. With SEC teams, once again, claiming half of the top 10—No. 3 South Carolina, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Vanderbilt, No. 6 LSU and No. 10 Oklahoma—the conference has contender credibility, in addition to depth.
Even with the postponement of Monday night’s game between No. 15 Tennessee and No. 17 Ole Miss, SEC teams will play four double-ranked games in the week ahead. Georgia and Alabama meet on Thursday in Athens, before the Tide faces an even tougher test at LSU on Sunday. Vandy’s return to the win column will have to come at Ole Miss on Thursday. On Sunday, former Big 12 combatants Texas and Oklahoma renew the Red River rivalry in Austin.
UConn’s undefeated resume keeps getting better
As they beat up on Big East opponents, casually accumulating 40-point wins, it’s easy to think that UConn lacks the quality wins requisite of their No. 1 ranking. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Huskies have the best win resume in the nation, and it continues to look better by the day.
UConn has wins over Louisville, Ohio State, Michigan and Iowa. Those teams are ranked No. 7, No. 11, No. 9 and No. 8. And with exception of the nail-bitter against the Wolverines, all those Ws were by at least 13 points.
On Sunday, the Huskies can add another ranked win to their sterling resume. They welcome Tennessee to Storrs, with the Lady Vols, back in the top 15 and winners of seven straight, serving as the Huskies last ranked opponent until the NCAA Tournament.
Is UCLA unquestionably the Big Ten’s best?
No. 2 UCLA is the best team in the Big Ten. But, how much better are they than the rest?
Conference games that originally profiled as measuring-stick matchups for the Bruins, the first all-LA game against now-unranked USC and last week’s home game against very-injured now-No. 16 Maryland, proved less revealing. Their late December win at Ohio State, however, has become more impressive due to the Buckeyes’ subsequent performances.
Sunday’s visit from No. 8 Iowa, a program, as our Zachary Draves just wrote, is off to their best start in 30 years, is the Bruins’ biggest Big Ten barometer yet. And if UCLA comes away with another comfortable win, maybe, instead of pointing out potential flaws with the opponent, it will be past time to accept that the Bruins are just that much better.
