Why the Texas Longhorns' rise to No. 1 has made women's basketball history
Yesterday at 02:17 PM
The Texas Longhorns are the new No. 1 team in the latest women’s basketball AP Poll, and the team made some history with its rise.
Texas is now the fourth team to assume the No. 1 position, tying the single-season record for most teams to be ranked first in the history of the women’s poll, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. The last time it happened was in the COVID-affected 2020-21 season. The Longhorns are in the top spot for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
Texas ascended to the top of the polls after an idle week and with a win against then-No. 5 LSU last weekend. Three Longhorns scored in double-figures in that game, including 12 points and eight rebounds from Taylor Jones, who did her damage in 20 minutes of action. Madison Booker, who scored 16 and was a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line, struggled from the field (3-17) but also had 10 rebounds and three assists.
The Longhorns have three regular season games remaining and will be heavily favored in all of them, starting on Monday night at Georgia. As ballyhooed as SEC basketball has been on the men’s side, the women’s league is just as stacked, meaning Texas will surely face some resistance in conference tournament play. South Carolina, LSU, Tennessee and Kentucky are all ranked in the top 15.
Texas’ AP Poll feat is a good sign for women’s basketball
The Longhorns unseated previous No. 1 Notre Dame, which lost a thriller at NC State on Sunday. The Fighting Irish were only ranked first for a week, taking the mantle from UCLA after the Bruins lost at USC. South Carolina is the fourth team to enjoy the No. 1 ranking this season, holding the title for the first three weeks of the year.
While four teams being ranked No. 1 may not sound like a lot, it is significant. Women’s college basketball is still catching up to the men’s game in terms of parity, but this is yet another sign of a better distribution of talent throughout the landscape.
“I’m so happy for my kids, they’ve earned where they are today,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer told the AP. “There’s so much parity in the game right now.”
With just a couple weeks left in the regular season, it’s not likely there will be a fifth new team to take the No. 1 ranking. Even if Texas gets upset, UCLA and Notre Dame are ranked directly behind the Longhorns. USC (No. 4) and UConn (No. 5) are the highest-ranked teams who have still not been at the top.
The post Why the Texas Longhorns’ rise to No. 1 has made women’s basketball history appeared first on ClutchPoints.
