For the first time, the AP Women’s Basketball Top 25 does not have a Texas team

For the first time in the 47-year history of the Associated Press women’s basketball poll, no Texas team made the Top 25.

The Texas longhorn dropped out of Monday’s poll, ending an 835-week streak with at least one team from the Lone Star Bang in the standings. The words Wayland Baptistry, Stephen F. Austin and baylor appeared in the first poll in 1976 with Texas’ 25th place last week, there’s always been at least one Texas team in the poll so far.

“Texas is an oil state and certainly rich in women’s basketball,” said Mel Greenberg, who started the poll during the 1976-77 season while working for the Philadelphia Inquirer. “When I started, the state had some of the best teams with Wayland and Stephen F. Austin. Then there was Jody. [Conradt] in Texas and finally Kim [Mulkey] at Baylor continues the tradition.”

Middle Tennessee entered the rankings for the first time in 9 years at 23rd. Lady Raiders (16-2) has won 14 consecutive games, including a victory over the previous one. Louisvilleit was the fourth-longest winning streak in the country after the last three unbeaten teams.

That group came out on top at number 1 South Carolina (20-0), the team has 26 straight wins since winning the NCAA championship last season. The game cock, once again a unanimous choice from a 28-member national media panel, has ranked highest in the poll for 31 consecutive weeks — the fourth longest record ever. . Only UConn (51 and 34 weeks) and Louisiana Technology (36) had a longer time holding the No. 1 position.

Ohio State (19-0) remained 2nd behind the Gamecocks for a week including matches with the number 11 Iowa and sixth India.

Stanford confused with LSU for 3rd place after beating then- number 8 Wyoming and the number 25 Colorado, fell one place after the loss. LSU (19-0) is fourth and UConn is fifth.

Notre Dame, UCLAUtah followed the Hoosiers in sixth place. maryland and Iowa ranked 10th.

The Blue Raiders made it into the AP Top 25 for the first time since the final rankings in 2014 when coach Rick Insell’s team finished 22nd.

“We have a special team,” Insell said. “This year, we were able to beat [Louisville]It’s a big win that shows we have a pretty good basketball team.”

Insell credits his team’s reach to the WNIT semi-finals last year as a springboard to this season’s success.

“It’s great to be able to get your team in there,” he said. “I’m lucky I have a young team, let’s give them that kind of game. You’ll have good crowds and that’s the atmosphere you can build. That’s what we did with that. That’s why we’re where we are.”

State of Florida entered the poll in 24th place, the first rank since 2021. Oregon fall out.

LONE STAR STRATEGY

Baylor and Texas have carried state flags for the past two decades in the Women’s Top 25; at least one team has been ranked weekly since December 4, 2000. Teams from the state have won six NCAA titles (Baylor has three; Texas Technology, Texas A&M and Texas has one each). At one point in the past 47 years, at least one of these teams has ranked up to the current poll: Baylor, Houston lamar, RiceStephen F. Austin, TCUTexas, Texas A&M, Texas Technology, UTEP and Wayland Baptist.

CLEAR

By overtaking Texas, Connecticut now has the longest run for a state thanks to the Huskies, who have appeared in 557 consecutive polls. California has the longest run for a state with more than one different team ranked: 412 consecutive weeks, with Stanford, california and UCLA have both spent time in the Top 25 during that period since the 2001 pre-season poll.