NEW YORK — UConn is back in a familiar place — No. 1 in the women’s basketball poll.
The Huskies moved up one place to the top spot after beating former No. 1 Notre Dame on Sunday by 18 points. UConn was the unanimous choice from the 31-member national media panel Monday.
Geno Auriemma didn’t want to make too much of his team’s ascension to the top spot after the 89-71 win over the Irish.
“We got a lot of tests coming up, at Louisville is no trip to the beach, neither is at Baylor,” he said. “Pass one test doesn’t mean you’re going to pass them all. Fail one test doesn’t mean you’re going to fail them all. Poll comes out and we’re No. 1 that doesn’t change what we do at practice.”
Auriemma did think that it was something his players could be proud of because they beat the former No. 1 team instead of just being handed a ranking.
“I think it makes our players feel that we’re No. 1 and because we did earn it,” he said.
The Irish fell to second and were followed by Oregon, Baylor and Louisville.
Mississippi State and Maryland stayed at No. 6 and 7 as Oregon State, Tennessee and North Carolina State rounded out the top 10 teams in the poll after Stanford and Texas both lost Sunday.
The Wolfpack matched their highest ranking since 2014.
Missouri and Gonzaga entered the Top 25 at No. 23 and 24 while Texas A&M and Iowa State dropped out.
The Zags moved into the poll for the first time since 2016 after beating Stanford on Sunday. The Zags held a 17-point lead heading into the fourth quarter before the Cardinal pulled to within three.
“If we play the right way, we can compete with anyone,” said Jill Townsend, who had 15 points in the 79-73 victory. “It’s a huge win.”
The Cardinal fell to 11th.
1 VS. 2: UConn has been involved in the last eight games involving the top two teams in the poll. The Huskies are 8-0, beating the Irish four times during that stretch.
BRAGGING RIGHT
While Iowa State fell out of the poll Monday after entering last week, the Cyclones can most likely get back in with a victory over No. 16 Iowa on Wednesday. Of course Drake is also in the mix as far as who is the best team in the state. The Bulldogs moved up to No. 21 in the poll this week.
GAME OF THE WEEK
The best game this week could be No. 9 Tennessee visiting 12th-ranked Texas on Sunday. The Longhorns were blown out by No. 6 Mississippi State this past week, falling two spots in the poll.
