Gamecocks on top! South Carolina rises to No. 1 for first time since 2015
In 2019, South Carolina women’s basketball was No. 1 in the recruiting rankings. As of Monday, the Gamecocks are No. 1 on the court.
In the latest version of the Associated Press Top 25, South Carolina jumped from No. 4 to the top spot, thanks to two more SEC wins and an assist from Arizona State.
USC’s rise caps off a chaotic week across the nation — 10 teams in last week’s AP poll lost, including:
▪ No. 1 UConn lost to Baylor, who now sits at No. 2; and
▪ No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Oregon State both lost to Arizona State, which vaulted to No. 18 after previously being unranked.
Coach Dawn Staley’s team, meanwhile, picked up its fifth ranked win of the season by topping No. 21 Arkansas on Thursday, then went on the road and routed Vanderbilt on Sunday to move to 16-1 on the season, 4-0 in the SEC. South Carolina is also 9-1 against Quadrant 1 opponents — teams currently in the top 50 of the RPI.
“Our ‘Woman Up’ theme this season is about approaching each practice and game with a focused, disciplined and trusting mindset,” coach Dawn Staley said in a statement. “Our players have embraced this process, and their commitment to hard work has earned them the No. 1 ranking in the country.”
It’s been nearly five years since South Carolina topped the AP poll — the Gamecocks’ last appearance in the No. 1 position was on Feb. 9, 2015. The poll concludes before the NCAA tournament, and heading into their championship run in 2017, the Gamecocks were at No. 3.
Carolina is the fourth different team this season to hold the top spot in the poll, the highest total since 2004-05.
Led by freshman forward Aliyah Boston, the Gamecocks have four players currently averaging in double figures for points per game, and five others above 4.5 points per contest. Boston and senior point guard Tyasha Harris were named to the 25-player Wooden Award watch list for best player in the nation.
The Gamecocks also were named the No. 1 overall seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology ratings from Charlie Creme on Monday.
SOUTH CAROLINA’S RESUME
Record: 16-1, 4-0 SEC
Key wins: Neutral vs. Baylor, Home vs. South Dakota, Kentucky and Arkansas, Away vs. Maryland
Key losses: Neutral vs. Indiana
RPI: 2
SOS: 9
AP TOP 25 POLL
1. South Carolina (20 first-place votes)
2. Baylor (6)
3. Stanford (1)
4. UConn
5. Louisville (2)
6. Oregon
7. UCLA
8. Oregon State
9. N.C. State
10. Mississippi State
11. Kentucky
12. Texas A&M
13. Florida State
14. DePaul
15. Indiana
16. Gonzaga
17. West Virginia
18. Arizona State
19. Missouri State
20. Maryland
21. Arizona
22. Iowa
23. Arkansas
24. Tennessee
25. South Dakota
GREG HADLEY’S AP BALLOT
1. South Carolina
2. Baylor
3. Louisville
4. UConn
5. Stanford
6. UCLA
7. Oregon
8. Oregon State
9. Kentucky
10. DePaul
11. Mississippi State
12. Texas A&M
13. Indiana
14. Florida State
15. N.C. State
16. Gonzaga
17. West Virginia
18. Missouri State
19. Arizona State
20. Iowa
21. Northwestern
22. Arkansas
23. South Dakota
24. Maryland
25. Princeton
This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 1:09 PM.
