AP Top 25 women's basketball poll: South Carolina opens 2024 in familiar spot atop the rankings

The last day of 2023 looked just as the first did with South Carolina atop the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Gamecocks' starting lineup looks different than this time last year, but Dawn Staley’s squad is still primed for a run to the NCAA championship game with one of the most complete rosters in the country. They’ll only get better as the SEC season tips off this week.

South Carolina, UCLA and Iowa remain top three in my poll as the calendar changes. UCLA keeps padding its résumé, ready to take over the top spot at any flicker of weakness from South Carolina. Iowa is there simply because the Hawkeyes have Caitlin Clark, who is chasing the all-time scoring record, and others don’t.

Below them is more shake-up than possibly the last month combined. There were four matchups of ranked opponents and two ranked teams lost to unranked opponents in conference play. As such, Notre Dame and Ohio State fell down the rankings while Syracuse, the last team in last week, moved up a few spots and Michigan entered the poll bubble.

I am an AP voter this season and will share my ballot weekly, with team results and reasonings for movement in my rankings. (The full AP poll results are below.)

1. South Carolina (12-0, 0-0 SEC)

The Gamecocks retained their top ranking with a 73-36 win over East Carolina ahead of their SEC opener this week. Staley wanted to see her team take care of the ball, and the Gamecocks did with 11 turnovers against a team that forces on average 28.2 a game. They play Florida (9-3) on Thursday.

2. UCLA (12-0, 1-0 Pac-12)

UCLA is doing everything right to move into the top spot, but it’s tough to find any fault in the Gamecocks’ record so far to pull them down. The Bruins added to their résumé with a 71-64 win over then-No. 6 USC to open Pac-12 play. Both squads entered the contest undefeated.

Londynn Jones was the key Bruins guard of the game with 21 points that tied a season high. The sophomore shot 8-of-12, her most efficient game of the season, and went 5-of-8 from 3.

3. Iowa (13-1, 2-0 Big Ten)

Clark continued to feast on the Minnesota Gophers with her fifth 30-point game against them in six contests. She had 35 points and 10 assists and set two more career marks: the Big Ten’s all-time assist leader and first Division I player (men’s or women’s) with at least 3,000 points, 900 assists and 800 rebounds. She also moved into fifth on the all-time D-I women’s scoring list (3,149 points).

Forward Hannah Stuelke (19 points) and guard Kate Martin (13 points, 5-of-7) are on hot streaks.

4. NC State (13-0, 1-0 ACC)

Saniya Rivers returned to score 10 points with 16 rebounds and eight assists in a 72-61 win against Virginia. NC State pulled away in the third quarter and kept up its stifling defense, keeping Virginia to 27.3 field-goal percentage each half.

5. Stanford (12-1, 1-0 Pac-12)

Stanford closed its noncon schedule with a 98-38 crushing of Morgan State (4-10). It opened up fourth-quarter minutes for younger players that could be useful in the Pac-12 schedule.

6. Baylor (12-0, 1-0 Big 12)

A six-point win over a Texas team newly adjusting without Rori Harmon isn’t as nice as one with the star point guard in the lineup, but it’s impressive nonetheless for the Bears. And moves them up the rankings.

Baylor allowed a season-high points (79) and committed a season-high 22 turnovers, but had its cleanest shooting game of the year (56.7 FG%).

7. Texas (13-1, 0-1 Big 12)

The loss of Harmon, one of if not the best two-way guards in the country, is devastating for Texas. She was a solid first in assists-to-turnover ratio (6.64) and second in assists (7.8). The Longhorns also lost a key asset of depth with the injury, and their season won’t look nearly the same. They remain without forward Taylor Jones, who missed her third game.

Freshman Madison Booker will step into the role, and did so to a tune of 25 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in a 85-79 loss to then-No. 10 Baylor to open Big 12 play. Texas fought hard and leveled up well with Baylor, preventing any deep drops in the poll.

8. USC (10-1, 0-1 Pac-12)

The Trojans lost to No. 2 UCLA despite 27 points and 11 rebounds from JuJu Watkins. But it was the least efficient outing of her career as she was 7-of-24 (29.2%). She came into the game shooting 49.4% overall. Senior guard McKenzie Forbes added 23 points.

The team struggled offensively to start each half, but was still in it with a team that looks poised for a Final Four berth.

9. Colorado (11-1, 1-0 Pac-12)

The Buffaloes turned 20 Utah turnovers into 23 points and were led by guard Jaylyn Sherrod’s career-high 34 points. She had 13 in the fourth quarter. Center Aaronette Vonleh scored 18 and the team relied heavily on 21 bench points while three starters had quiet days.

Both Colorado and Utah have significant wins, and the head-to-head flips them in my rankings.

10. LSU (13-1, 0-0 SEC)

LSU completed its final warmup to SEC play in a 110-68 win over Jacksonville (4-9). It was the fourth-most points LSU gave up so far. The Tigers scored 40 points off free throws (on 52 attempts) and the Dolphins were 22-of-32 from the line.

Point guard Hailey Van Lith made her return after a month away with a nagging foot injury. They host Missouri (9-4) on Thursday (9 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

11. Utah (10-3, 0-1 Pac-12)

Utah went cold and missed nine of its final 10 shots, allowing then-No. 8 Colorado to finish out a 23-4 run in the final eight minutes for a 76-65 win to open Pac-12 play.

Alissa Pili led with 27 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. She had three of her six turnovers within a three-minute stretch in the fourth during which the Buffaloes took the lead. And she left the game holding her knee after a fall, but returned with six minutes to play. Utah’s biggest concern remains production from its starting guards.

12. UConn (10-3, 2-0 Big East)

UConn left no doubts on the last day of 2023 that the Big East still belongs to the Huskies, at least for the time being. They defeated then-No. 18 Marquette in dominating fashion 95-64 with four starters in double digits. They won nearly every statistical category, from field-goal percentage (52.1% to 34.4%) to rebounding (47-32) and steals (8-3).

A win over a ranked opponent — and the way in which they did it — moves UConn up slightly again from their No. 13 spot here last week. UConn travels to play a ranked Creighton squad on Wednesday.

13. Virginia Tech (10-2, 1-0 ACC)

The Hokies sped away from Pittsburgh from the opening tip to win their ACC opener 91-41. Georgia Amoore scored 10 of her 20 points in the first quarter to lead all scorers and she was one of six double-digit scorers for Virginia Tech.

A win against Pitt (6-8, 0-1) isn’t a great litmus test and Virginia Tech was jostled around due to the team results around them in the rankings, namely Notre Dame’s loss.

14. Kansas State (13-1, 1-0 Big 12)

The Wildcats defense kept Cincinnati to three points in the second quarter and seven in the third in a 66-41 win to start Big 12 play. They did it without much production from Ayoka Lee, a good sign they don’t need to rely on any one player. Gabby Gregory scored 17 and freshman guard Zyanna Walker had 11 off the bench.

15. Notre Dame (9-2, 0-1 ACC)

Freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo scored a career-high 32 points shooting 14-of-29, but the team committed 24 turnovers and defensively couldn’t stop Syracuse fifth-year senior Dyaisha Fair late in a tie game. The 86-81 loss to Syracuse was their first since the season opener against South Carolina, and showed the Fighting Irish might need to tread water in the ACC until Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles return.

16. Indiana (11-1, 2-0 Big Ten)

Mackenzie Holmes kept Indiana from falling to Illinois (6-6, 0-2) with 13 of her 30 points in the fourth quarter. It was season-high for the fifth-year starting forward. It was the poise late that helped the Hoosiers in a one-point game with less than a minute on the clock.

Indiana has succeeded of late relying on the hot hand. Holmes was the third consecutive 30-point scorer, marking the first time in program history it’s happened. Yarden Garzon (30 points) and Sara Scalia (32 points) began the streak.

17. Louisville (12-2, 1-0 ACC)

Louisville opened ACC action with a win against Miami (10-2, 0-1), a team that always gives them a close game. Junior transfer Jayda Curry scored 19 off the bench, bettering her season average of 7.4 ppg. The bench collectively scored 35 points, and Merissah Russell scored 11 of her 12 in the pivotal fourth quarter in which she hit all three of her buckets.

18. Creighton (10-2, 1-1 Big East)

Guards Lauren Jensen (20 points) and Molly Mogensen (10 points) paced the Bluejays in a 67-56 win against St. John’s. They combined for six of the team’s 10 3s, and Kennedy Townsend was 3-of-4 from 3 off the bench. They moved back above Marquette despite losing the head-to-head.

19. Ohio State (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten)

When Ohio State can’t keep good opponents from hitting from deep, and failed to hit its own 3s, it has often led to problems. The Buckeyes fell to Michigan 69-60 in a season-low offensive output. Their five 3 tied a season low, their 20.8% efficiency from 3 was near a season low and the seven 3s by Michigan was one of the highest given up by the Buckeyes.

The Wolverines’ guard-heavy starting lineup scored all but five of their points. Buckeyes sophomore Cotie McMahon has to find a way to insert herself into these big-time games. She averaged six points in the losses to USC, UCLA and Michigan.

20. Gonzaga (13-2, 0-0 WCC)

Gonzaga was off last week and will begin WCC play on Thursday at Portland (8-6).

21. West Virginia (12-0, 1-0 Big 12)

West Virginia outscored Kansas 47-29 combined in the second and fourth quarters to win 85-60. The Mountaineers had 10 steals, slightly below their national-best 14.9 per game (17.7% steal rate is first). They’ll play Cincinnati and Texas this week. The latter will be the test of their early success.

22. Syracuse (11-1, 1-0 ACC)

Syracuse moved into the last spot in my poll last week because of its best win in comparison to TCU and Washington based on Her Hoop Stats ratings. Their new best win is a resounding 86-81 victory over then-No. 13 Notre Dame that bumps them up over ACC opponents in these rankings.

The defense created problems for the Fighting Irish, who were outrebounded 45-33, and Fair (27 points, six steals, three assists) was left open late. Freshman forward Alyssa Latham scored 21 points, nearly double her 11.6 ppg average.

23. Marquette (12-1, 1-1 Big East)

The Golden Eagles scored a season low and allowed a season high in the loss to then-No. 15 UConn. They shot 34.3% from the floor, 14% worse than their season average, and 28.6% from 3. They entered the game ranked fourth in 3-point percentage (40.2%), averaging about six a game. The margin of loss to UConn drops them nearly out of the rankings. I want to see more before they’re completely out.

24. Florida State (11-3, 2-0 ACC)

Sophomore guard Ta’Niya Latson scored half of her 30 points in the fourth quarter to lift Florida State to another victory late 73-61 over Wake Forest (4-9, 0-1 ACC). It was a six-point game heading into the final frame. Florida State is averaging 23.2 fourth-quarter points in its past nine games, per the Associated Press.

I dropped Florida State a little despite the win and we’ll have a more clear look at them when the Seminoles play at NC State on Thursday.

25. North Carolina (9-4, 1-0 ACC)

Clemson (8-6, 1-1) is going to be a tricky out in the ACC and showed it against North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 82-76. The Tigers were within three for much of the fourth quarter until Deja Kelly hit a jumper at 4:46 to make it five and assisted Lexi Donarski on a 3 to push it to eight. Donarski had six of the team’s season-high 11 3s.

North Carolina will host Syracuse on Thursday.

AP Top 25 poll (as of Jan. 1)

1. South Carolina (12-0)
2. UCLA (12-0)
3. NC State (13-0)
4. Iowa (13-1)
5. Colorado (11-1)
6. Baylor (12-0)
7. LSU (13-1)
8. Stanford (12-1)
9. USC (10-1)
10. Texas (13-1)
11. Kansas State (13-1)
12. UConn (10-3)
13. Virginia Tech (10-2)
14. Indiana (11-1)
15. Utah (10-3)
16. Notre Dame (9-2)
17. Louisville (12-2)
18. Gonzaga (13-2)
19. Marquette (12-1)
20. Ohio State (10-3)
21. Creighton (10-2)
22. Florida State (11-3)
23. TCU (14-0)
24. West Virginia (12-0)
25. Syracuse (11-1)