Shocking Surges and Stunning Setbacks: The Latest Buzz in Women's College Basketball Rankings!

A duo of recognizable contenders have reentered the top 10 of the AP Top 25 Poll following another captivating week in women's college basketball. LSU's Kim Mulkey and UConn's Geno Auriemma guided their teams to significant advancements, landing at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively. 

These ascents were largely propelled by setbacks faced by NC State and Kansas State.

LSU's season encountered a major hurdle in late January when the defending national champions suffered two consecutive losses, prompting Mulkey to publicly critique her team's defensive efforts. 

However, the Tigers swiftly recovered, clinching victories in their last six games. They also avenged their earlier loss to Auburn on January 14th, with Angel Reese leading the charge with an impressive 25-point, 20-rebound performance.

UConn, however, faced a setback earlier this month when they failed to defeat the top-ranked South Carolina, continuing a troubling trend for the Huskies, who are now 0-4 against top-15 teams. 

Auriemma's squad endured double-digit defeats in all four of these matchups, highlighting the need for them to elevate their game to meet elite standards ahead of the crucial March period. 

Despite these challenges, the Huskies have been dominant in their other matchups, as seen in their recent 73-53 victory over then-No. 

21 Creighton, where Paige Bueckers scored 30 points while missing just one of her nine shots from inside the arc.

Another standout from the recent rankings is UCLA, who surged from 12th to No. 

8 after a convincing 30-point victory over then-No. 8 Utah. This propelled them just below their crosstown rivals, USC. 

Conversely, Iowa's fortunes took a turn for the worse after a demoralizing 86-69 defeat to Indiana.

Here's a glimpse at the latest top 25 teams in The Associated Press' women's college basketball poll, featuring first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday, total points based on a 25-point scale for a first-place vote down to one point for a 25th-place vote, and their previous week's ranking:

Rank   Team             Record   Points    Prev.

1      South Carolina   27-0     875 (35)  1

2      Ohio State       24-3     837       2

3      Texas            26-3     796       5

4      Stanford         24-4     734       3

5      Virginia Tech    23-4     721       8

6      Iowa             24-4     697       4

7      USC              21-5     643       7

8      UCLA             21-5     607       12

9      LSU              24-4     592       13

10     UConn            24-5     502       15

11     Oregon State     22-5     488       9

12     NC State         23-5     486       6

13     Colorado         20-6     455       11

14     Indiana          22-4     453       14

15     Kansas State     23-5     422       10

16     Gonzaga          28-2     367       16

17     Notre Dame       21-6     340       19

18     Utah             20-8     274       18

19     Syracuse         23-5     215       17

20     Oklahoma         20-7     199       23

21     Baylor           21-6     172       24

22     Louisville       22-7     136       20

23     Creighton        22-4     125       21

24     UNLV             24-2     61        NR

25     West Virginia    22-5     61        22