Michigan's women's basketball team rose to No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday, marking the highest regular-season ranking in program history. The Wolverines (2-0) climbed three spots after a 77-66 upset of then-No. 2 UConn on Sunday.
UConn (2-1) fell to No. 4 but rebounded with a 91-79 win over No. 10 Iowa behind a career-high 39 points from Sarah Strong, the 2026 National Player of the Year. The Huskies' loss snapped a regular-season winning streak dating back to February 6, 2025.
South Carolina (2-0) retained the top spot with all 32 first-place votes after victories over Maryland in Paris and North Carolina in Charlotte. USC (2-0) held at No. 3 and received the remaining first-place vote as JuJu Watkins, the 2025 National Player of the Year, averaged 26.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in her return from ACL surgery.
Notable movers included Oklahoma, which jumped seven places to No. 14 after beating North Carolina, and Maryland, which rose one spot to No. 19 despite losing to South Carolina. North Carolina dropped 11 spots to No. 23 after an 0-2 start.
The full top 25: 1. South Carolina (2-0), 2. Michigan (2-0), 3. USC (2-0), 4. UConn (2-1), 5. Duke (2-0), 6. Texas (2-0), 7. Louisville (3-0), 8. Vanderbilt (2-0), 9. LSU (2-0), 10. UCLA (2-0) and Iowa (2-1) tied.
