Women's Fastbreak On SI

South Carolina, UConn Keep Top Spots in Latest NCAAW NET Rankings Despite Losses

The two top teams in the NCAA Women's Basketball NET Rankings have held steady, despite both teams having lost this week.
Grant Young|
Jan 19, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline as they take on the Seton Hall Pirates at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Jan 19, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline as they take on the Seton Hall Pirates at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

One of the more surprising results of the current NCAA women's basketball season arrived on February 9, when the defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks were beaten by the Texas Longhorns by a score of 66-62.

It should not be surprising that a top-five team in the country won at home against another elite team. However, given that South Carolina didn't lose a single game last season and their only defeat before Sunday's game was against the AP No. 1 ranked UCLA, it's always somewhat shocking to see Dawn Staley's squad come up short.

And the Gamecocks weren't the only top team to experience defeat this week, as Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies team was beaten at Tennessee on February 6 by a score of 80-76.

The latest edition of the NCAA NET Rankings was released on February 10. While AP rankings are the number that shows up next to a team's name when being broadcast on television, the NET Rankings are more important because they're what's used to determine seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA March Madness X account dropped the new NET Rankings with a post that wrote, "🚨 NET RANKINGS UPDATE 🚨

1. South Carolina
2. UConn
3. Texas
4. Notre Dame
5. UCLA
6. USC
7. Duke
8. Kansas State
9. LSU
10. TCU'.

Clearly defeats on the road against ranked teams don't do too much damage within the NET Rankings, as both South Carolina and UConn have sustained their ranking despite the losses.

These two powerhouse programs square off on February 16. It will be fascinating to see whether the outcome of that game affects their respective spots in the next Net Rankings.

Recommended Reading:

Published | Modified
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

Share on XFollow GrvntYoung
Home/News