Gamecocks climb in AP Top 25 rankings after SEC WBB title win over Texas

South Carolina climbed to No. 2 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25.

The Gamecocks’ rise comes after they beat then-No. 1 Texas in the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship 64-45 on Sunday. The win gave South Carolina its third-straight SEC title and ninth in program history.

Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks were ranked No. 5 last week. Texas slipped to No. 5 with the loss.

UCLA is the new No. 1 in this week’s poll after defeating Southern Cal in the Big 10 Tournament championship game on Sunday. South Carolina received nine first place votes.

With Selection Sunday just a few days away, it appears South Carolina is primed to be on the 1-seed line and even has an argument to be the No. 1 overall seed.

The Gamecocks were the highest-ranked No. 2 seed (and No. 5 overall) in the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s final Top 16 bracket reveal on Feb. 27. Since those rankings, three teams that were No. 1 seeds — Southern California, Texas and Notre Dame — all lost at least one game and all failed to win their respective conference tournaments.

ESPN’s Charlie Creme currently has South Carolina as the No. 1 overall seed in his latest bracketology. The Gamecocks would be in Birmingham Region 1.

This week’s AP Top 25

1. UCLA (16 first place votes)
2. South Carolina (9)
3. UConn (7)
4. Southern Cal
5. Texas
6. TCU
7. Duke
8. Notre Dame
9. NC State
10. LSU
11. Oklahoma
12. North Carolina
13. Kentucky
14. Baylor
15. Ohio State
16. West Virginia
17. Oklahoma State
18. Maryland
19. Kansas State
20. Tennessee
21. Alabama
22. Creighton
23. Florida State
24. South Dakota State
25. Ole Miss

How to watch NCAA women’s Selection Sunday

What: 2025 NCAA women’s basketball bracket reveal

When: 8 p.m. Sunday, March 16

TV: ESPN

Stream: via ESPN.com or the ESPN app

This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 12:04 PM.

Michael Sauls

The State

Michael Sauls is The State’s South Carolina women’s basketball reporter. He previously worked at The Virginian-Pilot covering Norfolk State and Hampton University sports. A Columbia native, he is an alum of the University of South Carolina.