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Women’s college basketball rankings, week 17: South Carolina finishes undefeated

By Bailey Caldwell

Feb 26, 2023; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley and forward Aliyah Boston (4) pose with the 2023 SEC Regular Season Championship trophy following their win over the Georgia Lady Bulldogs at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2023; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley and forward Aliyah Boston (4) pose with the 2023 SEC Regular Season Championship trophy following their win over the Georgia Lady Bulldogs at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports /
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Conference tournaments tip off this week, signaling the end of the regular season. Where do the women’s college basketball rankings stand going into the postseason?

South Carolina finished the season where they started it: unanimous number one. The Gamecocks capped off their undefeated season against Georgia this week. It is the first undefeated season in program history.

Behind them, Indiana held firm at number two, despite a loss to Iowa on a Caitlin Clark buzzer beater.

Utah climbed five spots to number three after a big win over Stanford. It is the highest the Utes have ever been ranked. They also secured a share of the PAC-12 championship for the first time in program history, sharing it with Stanford. The Cardinal dropped to number six following the loss.

After dismantling Iowa, Maryland climbed to number five in the rankings, the highest the Terrapins have been all season.

UConn fell five spots to number nine after a loss to St John’s. Notre Dame remained at number 10. The Irish secured their first conference championship under third-year coach Niele Ivey.

Villanova climbed to a season-high 11. The Wildcats secured the two seed in the Big East tournament. Texas climbed a week-high seven spots to 12 after defeating Oklahoma. The Longhorns held the Sooners to a season-low 45 points in the win. The loss dropped Oklahoma to 16.

Gonzaga secured the West Coast Conference title and moved up to 15 in the rankings. Michigan dropped five spots to 17 after a loss to Wisconsin. North Carolina’s win over Duke moved them up to 18. UCLA and Colorado round out the top 20.

Arizona dropped a week-high seven spots to 21 after losses to Oregon and Oregon State. UNLV, Iowa State, Middle Tennessee, and South Florida round out the top 25.

Women’s college basketball rankings

  1. South Carolina
  2. Indiana
  3. Utah
  4. LSU
  5. Maryland
  6. Stanford
  7. Iowa
  8. Virginia Tech
  9. UConn
  10. Notre Dame
  11. Villanova
  12. Texas
  13. Duke
  14. Ohio State
  15. Gonzaga
  16. Oklahoma
  17. Michigan
  18. North Carolina
  19. UCLA
  20. Colorado
  21. Arizona
  22. UNLV
  23. Iowa State
  24. Middle Tennesee
  25. South Florida

Others receiving votes

Creighton 34, Tennessee 31, Florida State 24, Oklahoma State 18, Florida Gulf Coast 13, Ole Miss 13, USC 10, South Dakota State 10, Louisville 8, Toledo 8, Illinois 5, North Carolina State 3

Notable games this week

As previously mentioned, conference tournaments kick off this week, and every game is notable. Check out Justin Carter’s viewing guide to this week’s madness here.