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No. 2 UCLA ends UConn run as unanimous No. 1 in women’s AP Top 25, Texas moves up to No. 3

UCLA guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, left, guard Gianna Kneepkens, center, and guard Christina Karamouzi celebrate on the bench in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the Big Ten Conference tournament, Sunday, March 8, 2026 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) UCLA guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, left, guard Gianna Kneepkens, center, and guard Christina Karamouzi celebrate on the bench in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the Big Ten Conference tournament, Sunday, March 8, 2026 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

By DOUG FEINBERG / AP Basketball Writer March 9, 2026 2 min read

No. 2 UCLA picked up first-place votes from top-ranked UConn in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday and Texas jumped South Carolina to move up to No. 3 after winning their head-to-head showdown in the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game.

The Bruins picked up three first-place votes after their 51-point win over then-No. 9 Iowa in the Big Ten title game Sunday. UConn had been a unanimous No. 1 from the national media panel for the past eight weeks. The undefeated Huskies received the other 28 first-place votes.

UConn and UCLA are expected to be the top two teams when the women’s NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed Sunday night. While the Bruins are done until then, the Huskies faced Villanova for the Big East tournament title Monday night.

LSU moved up to No. 5, swapping spots with Vanderbilt. Despite its loss to UCLA, Iowa moved up to seventh. Duke jumped five places to eighth after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship, beating then-No. 12 Louisville in overtime.

Michigan was ninth and Oklahoma 10th.