CBKB: Unbeaten UConn women still No. 1, Tennessee falls again
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer
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Tennessee keeps tumbling in the AP women's college basketball poll, while unbeaten Connecticut keeps racking up victories.
UConn made it 13 consecutive weeks as the unanimous No. 1 team following a rout of Providence and Sunday's 10-point victory over Notre Dame. The 76-66 win over the Irish was the smallest margin of victory for the Huskies (27-0) this season.
Tennessee dropped five spots to No. 18 for its lowest Top 25 ranking since Feb. 24, 1985. The Lady Vols lost to Duke and Kentucky before beating Mississippi State on Sunday to avoid their first three-game losing streak since 1986.
Oklahoma was a unanimous No. 2 for the third straight week. Stanford and California each moved up a spot to third and fourth, while Maryland improved four places to No. 5 after beating then-No. 7 Duke 77-59 on Sunday for their seventh straight win.
"I just love how this team is playing. We are just clicking," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said.
Baylor dropped to sixth after losing to Oklahoma. A week after reaching its highest ranking in 16 years, Auburn fell four spots to No. 7. The Tigers lost to Vanderbilt early in the week before holding off Georgia on Sunday. The victory helped Auburn clinch at least a share of the SEC title for the first time in 20 years.
Louisville, North Carolina, and Duke rounded out the first 10.
Florida State remained 11th while Texas A&M moved up two places to 12th. Xavier climbed four places to 13th and Ohio State made the biggest leap — six spots to 14th.
Pittsburgh moved up four spots to No. 15 for its highest ranking of the season.
Texas fell four spots after losing to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. The Longhorns were followed by Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Kansas State.
With a tough road game at LSU and a home against Vanderbilt coming up this week, Tennessee could fall even farther. Earlier this season, the Lady Vols saw their record run of top 10 appearances end at 211.
South Dakota State, Virginia, Notre Dame, Arizona State, and Iowa State rounded out the Top 25.