UConn women’s basketball stays No. 1 in AP poll with matchup next vs No. 6 Michigan

UCLA claimed its first first-place vote of the season after a pair of ranked wins, but the UConn women’s basketball team remained comfortably No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll after Week 2.

The Huskies earned 28 of a possible 32 votes to hold their top spot following a pair of dominant victories. They routed Loyola Chicago 85-31 on Wednesday then dismantled Ohio State 100-68 on Sunday. UConn is currently the only team in the top five that has played — and beaten — three power conference opponents through the first two weeks of the season, though the No. 3 Bruins and No. 2 South Carolina both picked up top-15 victories last week.

UCLA beat No. 8 Oklahoma 73-59 last Monday, then took down No. 14 North Carolina 78-60 on Thursday to earn a vote in the top position. The Gamecocks received the other three first-place votes after a 69-52 win against No. 11 USC on the road Saturday.

Texas and LSU rounded out the top 5 for a third straight poll, but two new teams joined the top 10. TCU jumped seven spots to No. 10 after beating No. 16 NC State by double digits on Sunday, and Michigan climbed eight places to No. 6 thanks to a 39-point rout of No. 24 Notre Dame on Saturday. The Wolverines will be UConn’s first top 10 opponent of the season when the teams meet Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.

West Virginia made its first appearance in the poll this season at No. 23 after pulling off a spectacular upset of Duke last Friday. The Mountaineers’ entire bench was ejected during a scuffle at the end of the second quarter, and the team held on to beat the Blue Devils 57-49 with just five players for the entire second half. Duke, which was the No. 7 team in the country preseason, dropped out of the poll amid a 2-2 start.

AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll: Week 2

1. UConn
2. South Carolina
3. UCLA
4. Texas
5. LSU
6. Michigan
7. Baylor
8. Oklahoma
9. Maryland
10. TCU
11. USC
12. Iowa State
13. Ole Miss
14. North Carolina
15. Tennessee
16. NC State
17. Vanderbilt
18. Oklahoma State
19. Iowa
20. Kentucky
21. Louisville
22. Michigan State
23. West Virginia
24. Notre Dame
25. Washington

How UConn reporter Emily Adams voted in Week 2 AP poll

1. UConn
2. South Carolina
3. UCLA
4. Texas
5. LSU
6. TCU
7. Michigan
8. Oklahoma
9. Ole Miss
10. Baylor
11. Maryland
12. USC
13. NC State
14. Iowa State
15. North Carolina
16. West Virginia
17. Michigan State
18. Notre Dame
19. Tennessee
20. Oklahoma State
21. Louisville
22. Iowa
23. Duke
24. Kentucky
25. Washington