:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62945452/usa_today_11643029.0.jpg)
The Baylor Bears are the new No. 1 team in women’s basketball for the first time in almost six years, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs rose to No. 15 on the back of two strong showings last week in the most recent AP Poll.
Women’s AP Poll - Week 13
| rank | team | points | previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| rank | team | points | previous |
| 1 | Baylor (24) | 695 | 2 |
| 2 | Connecticut (2) | 670 | 3 |
| 3 | Louisville (2) | 630 | 4 |
| 4 | Oregon | 606 | 5 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 604 | 1 |
| 6 | Mississippi State | 565 | 7 |
| 7 | North Carolina State | 541 | 8 |
| 8 | Stanford | 488 | 6 |
| 9 | Oregon State | 460 | 9 |
| 10 | Marquette | 452 | 10 |
| 11 | Maryland | 427 | 11 |
| 12 | Texas | 374 | 12 |
| 13 | Iowa | 338 | 17 |
| 14 | Utah | 282 | 21 |
| 15 | Gonzaga | 269 | 18 |
| 16 | South Carolina | 265 | 19 |
| 17 | Rutgers | 256 | 14 |
| 18 | Syracuse | 253 | 13 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 222 | 15 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 142 | 21 |
| 21 | Arizona State | 127 | 16 |
| 22 | Michigan State | 109 | 23 |
| 23 | Iowa State | 106 | 20 |
| 24 | Florida State | 73 | 22 |
| 25 | BYU | 47 | NR |
The Zags rose three spots after two decisive victories last week against San Francisco and Santa Clara. It was bound to be an exciting week in the top 25 after the previously top-ranked Notre Dame squad inexplicably dropped to a very middle of the road North Carolina Tar Heels team, 78-73, on Sunday.
Elsewhere around the poll, Gonzaga fans will take note of the BYU Cougars, who entered the poll at No. 25. Gonzaga owns just two losses on the season—one to Notre Dame and one to BYU. The grudge match is coming up on Feb. 16, and we could likely see two top 25 teams duking it out in Spokane. It is the first time BYU has been ranked since Feb. 2012.