STI/Hoopfeed Poll: South Carolina rises to No. 1 after other top teams topple; Arizona State swoops in at No. 18
UConn, Oregon, Oregon State fall after upsets
After a week of major upsets among the top five teams, South Carolina ascended to the top of the Sport Tours International/Hoopfeed Top 25 Poll for the first time this season. While the Gamecocks earned two wins last week, taking down Arkansas and Vanderbilt, they benefitted from the misfortunes of last week’s top three teams: UConn, Oregon and Oregon State.
No. 4 UConn dropped from No. 1 after a home loss against Baylor Thursday evening. The defeat ended the Huskies’ impressive run of 98 consecutive home victories. With the win, Baylor moved up four spots to No. 2
Arizona State stunned Oregon Friday night with a 72-66 win over the Ducks. Two days later, Oregon State fell to ASU giving the Sun Devils a complete sweep of the Pac-12’s Oregon schools. ASU senior forward Ja’Tavia Tapley received the Pac-12 Player of the Week honor after the weekend as she led her team in points (15.0), rebounds (6.0 rpg) and field goal percentage (48.0) last week.
With the epic wins, Arizona State re-entered the poll for the first time since Nov. 19, swooping in at No. 18
Stanford advanced two places to No. 3. The Cardinal had a good week, winning both games of the Battle of the Bay series against East Bay rival California. The game featured Stanford’s head coach Tara VanDerveer facing a branch of her coaching tree, former Cardinal player and first-year Golden Bears head coach Charmin Smith.
Iowa entered the rankings for the first time this season, coming in at No. 22, after topping two ranked teams last week. The Hawkeyes took down Maryland on Thursday before beating Indiana in overtime on Sunday to cap a four-game Big Ten-win streak. Indiana dropped four places to No. 16 and Maryland fell three spots to No. 21.
Other teams that received votes: Princeton, Northwestern, Michigan, Rutgers, Florida Gulf Coast, and Stony Brook.
Teams that dropped out: Princeton, Michigan.
| Rank | School | Record | Last | Change |
| 1 | South Carolina | 16-1 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | Baylor | 13-1 | 6 | 4 |
| 3 | Stanford | 15-1 | 5 | 2 |
| 4 | UConn | 13-1 | 1 | -3 |
| 5 | Louisville | 16-1 | 7 | 2 |
| 6 | UCLA | 16-0 | 9 | 3 |
| 7 | Oregon | 13-2 | 2 | -5 |
| 8 | Oregon State | 15-1 | 3 | -5 |
| 9 | NC State | 15-1 | 8 | -1 |
| 10 | Mississippi State | 15-2 | 13 | 3 |
| 11 | Kentucky | 14-2 | 15 | 4 |
| 12 | Texas A&M | 14-2 | 10 | -2 |
| 13 | Florida State | 15-2 | 11 | -2 |
| 14 | DePaul | 15-2 | 14 | 0 |
| 15 | Gonzaga | 16-1 | 16 | 1 |
| 16 | Indiana | 14-3 | 12 | -4 |
| 17 | West Virginia | 13-1 | 19 | 2 |
| 18 | Arizona State | 13-4 | NR | N/A |
| 19 | Missouri State | 14-2 | 20 | 1 |
| 20 | Arizona | 13-3 | 17 | -3 |
| 21 | Maryland | 12-4 | 18 | -3 |
| 22 | Iowa | 13-3 | NR | N/A |
| 23 | Tennessee | 13-3 | 23 | 0 |
| 24 | Arkansas | 14-3 | 21 | -3 |
| 25 | South Dakota | 15-2 | 22 | -3 |
The STI/Hoopfeed Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of media members and other women’s basketball professionals.
This week’s AP Poll || USA Today Coaches Poll
Voting Panel
- Mel Greenberg
- Joan Bonvicini
- Prentice Beverly
- Brenda VanLengen
- Charles Hallman
- Rhiannon Potkey
- Kristopher Gardner
- Jacob Mox (for Her Hoop Stats)
- Cindy Brunson
- Kevin Danna
- Ben Parker
- Viet Nguyen
- Michael Roberson
- Lisa Bodine
- LaChina Robinson
- Cheryl Coward
