UCLA finishes No. 1 in the AP women's Top 25 after winning first NCAA title
AP News • • sports
Key Points:
- UCLA finished the season ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 after winning its first NCAA championship by defeating South Carolina, becoming the first time in school history to end as the top choice.
- South Carolina was ranked second, followed by Final Four participants UConn and Texas in third and fourth place respectively, with UConn losing its unbeaten record after a loss to South Carolina.
- Notre Dame made the biggest jump in the poll, climbing 13 spots to ninth after reaching the regional final, while Virginia earned its first ranking since 2011 after reaching the Sweet 16 but fired head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton over the weekend.
- UCLA, Maryland, and Baylor are the only three teams that appeared in both the first women’s basketball poll 50 years ago and the final Top 25 this season, with Maryland ranked 20th and Baylor 23rd.
- The SEC and Big Ten conferences each had eight teams in the final Top 25, followed by the ACC with five teams, the Big 12 with three, and the Big East with one.
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