UConn made the AP top 10 women’s basketball debut for the first time in 16 years
UConn’s 16-year record streak ended in an AP poll of the Top 10 College Women’s Basketball Association.
Husky dropped four places to No. 11 on Monday after losing to Louisville the day before. UConn has been ranked in the top 10 teams in the survey for 313 consecutive weeks since March 7, 2005, when the team was also 11th. That’s over 101 weeks into the second best streak in Tennessee history.
10 Baylor now has the longest active streak, with 136 consecutive top ten appearances.
South Carolina remained at No. 1 unanimously, with 29 first-place votes from a panel of national journalists. 2 Gamecocks will face Stanford on Tuesday in the second 1-on-2 meeting of the season. The Cardinal moved up one place after winning in Tennessee on Saturday. It’s the 600th appearance in the AP Top 25 poll for Stanford head coach Tara Vandeviere, who ranks 18th behind leader Pat Summit.
Louisville, Arizona, Columbia, NC follow Stanford to complete the top five. Wolfbeck dropped three places after losing in overtime to Georgia.
Maryland climbed three places to sixth. The Terrapinne Mountains were followed by the states of Tennessee, Indiana, and Michigan. The Wolverines fell to Baylor in overtime on Sunday and are now in the top 10 for the first time.
Victory over the previous no. 5 Baylor was the first Michigan team to top five in 34 attempts.
“We haven’t quite come to terms with the fact that we beat a top-five team,” Wolverines coach Kim Barnes Ariko said after his overtime win at the Women’s Hall of Fame. “It’s a great victory.”
Still listed
UConn has been ranked for 533 consecutive weeks – the second longest streak in polls history, behind Tennessee’s mark of 565. In addition, both Huskies have not lost consecutive games since 1993. They did not play again until December 29th against Marquette. Huskys have already had three losses this season – the first time they have lost so many before the new year since 2004.
Game of the week
Stanford visits South Carolina, Tuesday. The Cardinals have already faced five ranked teams this season and are participating in their first 1-on-2 encounter since 2012. The Gamecocks have also been tested this season, beating five of the top 25 teams.