NCAAW: Debating the latest top 25 poll, including the rise of the Iowas

A near fall-from-ahead loss to No. 6 Michigan did nothing to dent UConn’s No. 1 status in Week 4 of the AP Top 25 poll. In fact, the Huskies collected two more first-place votes, further cementing their standing atop women’s college basketball.

Ahead of a buffet of Feast Week matchups, including multiple contests between top-five teams, here’s how the top 25 unfolded, with first-place votes denoted in parentheses and movement from last week’s poll tracked in brackets:

And here are three points of interest from the poll, including additional agita about the ACC:

The top-five undefeated teams, all of which began the season in their current positions, have not threatened to cede their spots.

So, do No. 1 UConn, No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Texas and No. 5 LSU compose a clear Tier 1, with the remainder of the top 10 falling into Tier 2? (And maybe UConn is in a Tier 0 of their own?)

Or, did No. 6 Michigan’s battle with UConn do enough to vault them into the first tier? What about the two undefeateds from the Big 12 in No. 8 TCU and No. 10 Iowa State?

For now, the top-five still seems to be a cut above. However, the meeting between UCLA and Texas in the Players Era Championship on Wednesday afternoon could see the Bruins or Longhorns fall from the top tier. One of those teams also will play South Carolina in their second game at the first-time event in Las Vegas, setting up another head-to-head Tier 1 test.

Both have been powered by efficient post players. And both are quickly rising up the rankings.

Iowa State enters the top 10 at No. 10, moving up two spots after two more dominant wins over Drake and Mercyhurst. Junior center Audi Crooks is up to almost 26 points per game on better than 75 percent shooting from the field. And she’s averaging less than 25 minutes per game.

Crooks and the Cyclones shouldn’t be tested until they host their in-state rival—and the No. 11 team in the country—on Dec. 10.

The Hawkeyes after facing—and passing—much tougher challenges than the Cyclones jumped eight spots, the week’s biggest leap, to lurk just outside of the top 10 and behind their rival. In an upset of No. 7 Baylor and a hard-fought victory over Miami, sophomore forward Ava Heiden was excellent for Iowa, posting an 18-point and 11-rebound double-double followed by a 20-point effort on almost 82 percent shooting.

The up and (mostly) down ACC

The ACC continues to be less than impressive.

Notre Dame, at least, restored voters’ faith with their comeback win over then-No. 11 USC, with the Irish now sitting just behind the Trojans at No. 19. Despite a soft schedule, North Carolina also inspired enough confidence from voters to inch up to No. 12.

Yet, after falling out of the top 25 last week, Duke did not threaten to re-enter the rankings due to dropping another game. After their loss to South Florida, the Blue Devils did not earn a single top-25 vote. NC State fell the to the fringes of the top 25, sliding from No. 16 to No. 25 after a home loss to Rhode Island. The Wolfpack’s nine-spot drop was the week’s biggest. Louisville’s loss to Kentucky in the battle of the Bluegrass State sent them down two spots to No. 23.