South Carolina is the team to beat again, and the SEC has seven teams in the AP Top 25. Here are the latest SEC women’s basketball rankings, what last week’s games mean for the next poll and the games to circle.
The SEC women’s basketball logo above the AP Top 25 poll
The SEC in the AP poll
The Associated Press preseason poll, released Oct. 20, has South Carolina at No. 1 with 23 of 31 first-place votes. UConn is second. Here are the seven SEC teams:
South Carolina (No. 1): The Gamecocks are the preseason favorite for the fifth time in program history.
Texas (No. 6): The Longhorns return Madison Booker, a three-time first-team All-American.
Vanderbilt (No. 8): Mikayla Blakes is a preseason All-American.
LSU (No. 9): The Tigers are the top-ranked SEC team behind the top three.
Kentucky (No. 14): Clara Strack anchors a strong front line.
Ole Miss (No. 19)
Oklahoma (No. 21)
The USA Today Sports Coaches Poll has the same top spot, with South Carolina at No. 1 and Texas at No. 6, though LSU is eighth there. The Big Ten leads all leagues with nine ranked teams, the most ever for one conference.
What last week means for Monday’s poll
The next AP poll is out Monday. Here is our view, not an official projection.
South Carolina should stay No. 1. The Gamecocks beat a ranked team and led by 28 at halftime.
Oklahoma is the best candidate to move up. The Sooners beat No. 12 North Carolina by 12 in Paris, which is a bigger statement than most opening-week results.
Texas, Vanderbilt and LSU should hold. Each won easily, and none lost.
Alabama and Texas A&M are worth watching. Neither is ranked. Alabama is 3-0 under first-year coach Pauline Love, and Texas A&M is 2-0 behind Kailyn Gilbert.
The games to circle
Sunday, Nov. 8: South Carolina vs. North Carolina (Charlotte). The Gamecocks will face the team Oklahoma just beat.
Thursday, Nov. 12: South Carolina at Clemson, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN2). The Palmetto Series game is also the first big test of Clemson’s new roster.
Sunday, Nov. 15: South Carolina vs. USC (Greenville, S.C.). Two of the most talented teams in the country meet in a game that could set the tone for NCAA seeding.
Tuesday, Nov. 24: South Carolina vs. UConn, 8 p.m. ET (FS1). The game at Mohegan Sun Arena between the top two teams is the one everyone is waiting for.
Thursday, Dec. 3: SEC/ACC Challenge. South Carolina plays at Duke, and Clemson plays at Kentucky.
Sunday, Dec. 20: LSU vs. UConn (ABC). The espnW Invitational game in Nashville is a rare nonconference test for LSU.
Thursday, Dec. 31: SEC play begins.
The bottom line
The top of the SEC looks as strong as ever, and the next two weeks will show how deep it is. South Carolina’s schedule is the most demanding, with seven ranked teams before the SEC schedule begins. We cover last week’s results in our SEC women’s basketball recap.
Related: AP preseason poll story | ESPN: 15 best nonconference games | Live women’s rankings
