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Women’s college basketball rankings, Week 8: North Carolina, Arkansas plummet, Michigan rising

By Bailey Caldwell

WICHITA, KANSAS - MARCH 26: Laila Phelia #5 of the Michigan Wolverines against the South Dakota Coyotes in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Intrust Bank Arena on March 26, 2022 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KANSAS - MARCH 26: Laila Phelia #5 of the Michigan Wolverines against the South Dakota Coyotes in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Intrust Bank Arena on March 26, 2022 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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This week’s women’s college basketball rankings featured plenty of movement. Two teams dropped seven spots in the AP poll, while one team climbed five.

South Carolina remained unanimous number one for the 27th straight week, which is the fifth-longest streak in the history of the poll. The Gamecocks surpassed Texas’ 26-week stretch to take sole possession of the fifth spot.

The top five remained unchanged for the fourth consecutive week, with Stanford, Ohio State, Indiana, and Notre Dame occupying spots No. 2 through No. 5.

The back half of the top 10 doesn’t feature any new teams, but each team moved up one spot. LSU moved up to nine, their highest ranking of the season. The Tigers enter conference play undefeated for the first time in 20 years.

UNC dropped seven spots to No. 13 after losing to Michigan at the Jumpman Invitational. The win lifted the Wolverines five spots to No. 14. Michigan’s climb moved Iowa State, Maryland, and Oregon down one spot apiece.

Gonzaga and Oklahoma each moved up three spots to No. 19 and 20, respectively. Gonzaga closed out non-conference play with two wins, moving to 12-2 on the year. The Sooners picked up a strong win over Florida at the Jumpman Invitational.

Arkansas dropped seven spots to 24 after losing both of their games this week. The Razorbacks lost to Oregon and South Florida at the San Diego Invitational after starting the season undefeated. They tip off conference play Thursday against LSU.

Women’s college basketball rankings: The full AP Top 25 for Week 8

  1. South Carolina (12-0) (PREV:1)
  2. Stanford (13-1) (PREV: 2)
  3. Ohio State (13-0) (PREV: 3)
  4. Indiana (12-0) (PREV: 4)
  5. Notre Dame (10-1) (PREV: 5)
  6. North Carolina State (11-1) (PREV: 7)
  7. Virginia Tech (11-1) (PREV: 8)
  8. UConn (9-2) (PREV: 9)
  9. LSU (12-0) (PREV: 10)
  10. UCLA (12-1) (PREV: 11)
  11. Utah (12-0) (PREV: 12)
  12. Iowa (10-3) (PREV: 13)
  13. North Carolina (9-2) (PREV: 6)
  14. Michigan (11-1) (PREV: 19)
  15. Iowa State (8-2) (PREV: 14)
  16. Maryland (10-3) (PREV: 15)
  17. Oregon (10-2) (PREV: 16)
  18. Arizona (10-1) (PREV: 18)
  19. Gonzaga (12-2) (PREV: 22)
  20. Oklahoma (10-1) (PREV: 23)
  21. Creighton (8-3) (PREV: 21)
  22. Kansas (10-1) (PREV: 20)
  23. Baylor (9-3) (PREV: 24)
  24. Arkansas (13-2) (PREV: 17)
  25. St. John’s (12-0) (PREV: 25)

Other teams receiving votes

Louisville 19, Duke 18, Villanova 13, Nebraska 10, South Florida 7, Columbia 6, Middle Tennessee 6, Texas 5, Marquette 4, Alabama 4

Notable women’s college basketball matchups this week

#8 UConn @ #21 Creighton, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 8:30 p.m. EST – SNY

UConn travels west to Creighton in a battle of ranked Big East opponents. Aaliyah Edwards has strung together a handful of strong performances in recent games and will be a handful for the Bluejays. Morgan Maly and Lauren Jensen will lead a Creighton team looking for the upset.

Duke @ #6 NC State, Thursday, Dec. 29, 8 p.m. EST – ESPN/ACCN

Duke takes a short trip for their first big ACC test. Kara Lawson’s team will have a chance to prove that they’re conference contenders against the reigning ACC champs. The Blue Devils have won six straight, and NC State comes in on a seven-game winning streak.

#9 LSU @ #24 Arkansas, Thursday, Dec. 29, 7 p.m. EST – ESPN2

Arkansas has a chance to return to their winning ways against LSU as both teams open conference play. Angel Reese looks to lead LSU through the conference after being named SEC Player of the Week last week for the third time this season. Arkansas guard Samara Spencer will aim to get her team back on track after two consecutive losses last week.

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