See where Iowa women’s basketball is ranked in the Week 5 Associated Press top 25

Moving on up.

One week after cracking the Associated Press top 25 at No. 22, Iowa women’s basketball comes in at No. 17 in this week’s rankings. The Hawkeyes (8-0) put together another perfect week with wins over Rhode Island and BYU at the Cancun Challenge in Cancun, Mexico.

Defense has been the name of the game in Jan Jensen’s first month as head coach. Iowa has already held foes under 60 points five times, three of which came against power-conference opponents. The Hawkeyes’ schedule, though, is about to intensify.

Two of Iowa’s next three games are against ranked teams — Saturday vs. Tennessee in Brooklyn, then home versus No. 20 Iowa State on Dec. 11 — before starting Big Ten play at No. 24 Michigan State on Dec. 15.

Latest Associated Press women’s basketball top 25

1. UCLA (8-0) (25)
2. UConn (6-0) (7)
3. South Carolina (7-1)
4. Texas (7-0)
5. LSU (9-0)
6. USC (6-1)
7. Maryland (8-0)
8. Duke (8-1)
9. TCU (8-0)
10. Notre Dame (5-2)
11. Oklahoma (6-1)
12. Ohio State (7-0)
13. Kansas State (7-1)
14. Kentucky (7-0)
15. West Virginia (8-1)
16. North Carolina (7-1)
17. Iowa (8-0)
18. Ole Miss (5-2)
19. Alabama (8-0)
20. Iowa State (6-2)
21. Illinois (6-1)
22. Louisville (5-2)
23. Michigan (7-1)
24. Michigan State (8-0)
25. Nebraska (6-1)

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.