AP women’s college basketball poll: South Carolina remains unanimous No. 1, Oregon Ducks ranked 18th

South Carolina completed 2022 the way it began the yr: No. 1 in The Related Press High 25 ladies’s basketball ballot.

Whereas the top-ranked Gamecocks cruised to a win of their lone sport final week, then-No. 4 Indiana, No. 6 N.C. State and No. 7 Virginia Tech all misplaced as they scrambled to switch injured gamers.

There have been 22 losses by groups within the AP high 10 this season earlier than Jan. 1. That was tied for probably the most previously 23 years earlier than January, matching the 2014-15 season, in accordance with ESPN. Seven of these losses got here to unranked groups, tied with 1999-2000 and 2004-05 for probably the most ever.

The New 12 months didn’t begin off any higher for high groups as then-No. 10 UCLA misplaced to Oregon State.

“Probably the most difficult week placing collectively my ballot in my 12 years as a voter,” ESPN analyst Deb Antonelli stated after all of the ranked-team losses final week. “I’m information, accidents, NET and my skilled eye as a basketball analyst, and it’s troublesome. We needed parity and we acquired it! It’s a terrific measurement of progress in sport.”

Stanford, Ohio State, Notre Dame and UConn spherical out the highest 5 groups within the ballot launched Monday. With the Hoosiers’ defeat, that left solely 5 unbeaten groups, together with the top-ranked Gamecocks, who had been as soon as once more a unanimous alternative at No. 1.

No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Utah and Twenty fourth-ranked St. John’s are the opposite undefeated groups heading into 2023. Utah is making its first look within the high 10.

Indiana dropped to sixth with Virginia Tech and North Carolina State ending off the highest 10.

Duke was one of many the groups to knock off a top-10 squad final week, beating the Wolfpack. The Blue Devils entered the ballot at No. 19. They’re off to a 13-1 begin with the lone loss coming in opposition to UConn. Kara Lawson’s staff is 3-0 in convention play for the primary time since 2013-14 and is off to its greatest in six years.

Arkansas fell out of the ballot.

RISING UTES

Utah prolonged its season-opening successful streak to 14 video games, the second longest in class historical past and solely two victories wanting the staff that went 16-0 to start the 1997-98 season.

FALLING TAR HEELS

North Carolina has misplaced three straight video games and fallen to No. 22 within the ballot after dropping contests to Florida State and Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels, who had been sixth within the High 25 two weeks in the past, will attempt finish the slide in opposition to Miami on Thursday.

AP TOP 25

1. South Carolina (28)

2. Stanford

3. Ohio St.

4. Notre Dame

5. UConn

6. Indiana

7. LSU

8. Utah

9. Virginia Tech

10. NC State

11. Iowa St.

12. UCLA

13. Maryland

14. Michigan

15. Arizona

16. Iowa

17. Oklahoma

18. Oregon

19. Duke

20. Gonzaga

21. Kansas

22. North Carolina

23. Baylor

24. St. John’s

25. Creighton

Others receiving votes: Illinois 32, Florida St. 29, Arkansas 24, Villanova 20, Center Tennessee 12, Texas 9, South Florida 7, Columbia 7, Tennessee 2, Nebraska 1.

— Doug Feinberg, Related Press Basketball Author