AP Top 25 Week 18: UCLA with 3 #1 votes

[oldude]

To a neutral observer from say Seattle, plenty has happened over last 6 weeks.

UCLA won both the Big10 regular season title and tournament title in convincing fashion, and added about 8 more quad 1 wins. (Duke similar for ACC, which is why they most likely grab the last #2 seed)

I feel pretty good that UConn will remain #1 overall seed, but do understand why there is at least some merit to a discussion.

What I would suggest is that both UConn & UCLA both won the games they were supposed to win, and they both won their respective conference regular season titles and conference tournament titles in convincing fashion.

Next, you will tell me how much better the BIG is then the BE. While I’ll grant that the BIG is better, I will also make 2 points.

Just like UCLA, UConn beat all the top teams in the BIG convincingly, with the exception of the 3 pt nail biter vs MI. Oddly enough, UCLA had their own 3 pt nail biter vs MI.

Secondly, of the P4 conferences, the BIG was the least competitive at the top. In fact it was very similar to the BE.

My final point is that if any team deserved to jump UConn, it would be TX who, playing in a much tougher conference, beat SC twice and also beat UCLA.

 

[VaConnFan11]

It doesn't matter!

 

[meyers7]

In the eyes of the NET and the NCAA it's neutral.

I think cabbie was just talking about reality.

 

[Woof]

UConn beat Iowa soundly by 26 early in the season. How about tOSU? UConn beat them by 32. UCLA just beat them by 10.

We are going in circles. UCLA beat Iowa by 51. 51>>26. The claim that UCLA is not close to UConn is just rediculous. That was the original point and it still stands.

 

[Phil]

Vic is an excellent defensive coach, but the Mississippi State scheme that broke our 111-game winning streak was reportedly devised by Assistant Coach Carly Thibault, with the likely help of Mike Thibault. She is now the Head Coach at a very fine Fairfield team.

That's fascinating information I had not heard before.

 

[GoUconn7961]

I would rather UCLA be the number one overall just to stop their fans from crying all over social media. They seem to need this badly. Geno has already said he’d be happy for them. They also did have a better schedule. But it’s not UConn’s fault the women don’t get the same level of competition in the BE as the men.

 

[cancontent]

That's fascinating information I had not heard before.

I'm surprised Thibault-DuDonis' connection to Mississippi State while Coach Schaefer was there isn't referenced more often.

 

[oldude]

We are going in circles. UCLA beat Iowa by 51. 51>>26. The claim that UCLA is not close to UConn is just rediculous. That was the original point and it still stands.

I believe it was you who started throwing out anecdotal evidence, i.e. Iowa, ignoring tOSU, USC and MI, among others. I never suggested that UCLA isn’t close to UConn. What I and others objected to was the suggestion that somehow UCLA, by virtue of beating the teams they were supposed to beat was all of a sudden better than UConn, who also beat the teams they were supposed to beat.

My objection centered on 3 AP voters who have voted UConn #1 for 6 weeks, suddenly and arbitrarily voting for UCLA without any substantive justification.

 

[hussybulldog]

Exactly. Nothing has changed over the past 6 weeks between UConn and UCLA, a period during which the Huskies got all 31 votes. So why all of a sudden do 3 clowns decide to vote for UCLA?

Same reason as Iowa went up two spots after having lost to UCLA BIGLY

 

[HuskyNan]

polls are a beauty contest, nothing more. They mean nothing and will disappear into the ether, forgotten, as soon as next week. Hardly worth getting annoyed over

 

[Woof]

I believe it was you who started throwing out anecdotal evidence, i.e. Iowa, ignoring tOSU, USC and MI, among others. I never suggested that UCLA isn’t close to UConn. What I and others objected to was the suggestion that somehow UCLA, by virtue of beating the teams they were supposed to beat was all of a sudden better than UConn, who also beat the teams they were supposed to beat.

My objection centered on 3 AP voters who have voted UConn #1 for 6 weeks, suddenly and arbitrarily voting for UCLA without any substantive justification.

Good lord with the stawmen. I never said that YOU said UCLA isn't close to UConn. Tonyc said it and I disagreed. You are the one that jumped in to, apparently, agree with Tonyc. Also, I never said UCLA is better. I just said they are close.

 

[Woof]

polls are a beauty contest, nothing more. They mean nothing and will disappear into the ether, forgotten, as soon as next week. Hardly worth getting annoyed over

I wish that were true but I have seen the committee be more in line with the poll than their own NET ranking more often than not. It could be coincidence, I suppose.

 

[Woof]

Saying UCLA is no where close to UConn is just crazy. I hope we blow them out, if we face them, but there is zero data to back up a statement like that. They are only 5.5 points behind us in Massey. That is well within reach and especially if the game is not called in our favor. We were 13 points ahead of ND heading into the NCAA tournament in 2018.

On Omni, they are only 3 points behind us and that doesn't include their blowout of Iowa. They are also at the 90th percentile of their rating range for the season, which means they are playing near their peak, while we are at the 29th percentile.

We have a better, overall, record this year but UCLA has definitely caught up and is most definitely "close".

@oldude
This was my first post in this thread. It is neither anecdotal nor does it claim UCLA is better. It is exactly the opposite. You are the one who later brought up anecdotal evidence of common opponents, although it lacked specifics and appeared to imply that UConn did better against all common opponents.

 

[oldude]

Same reason as Iowa went up two spots after having lost to UCLA BIGLY

Not exactly. Iowa jumped MI, a team they beat and OK, a team that lost badly in their conference semifinals.

 

[oldude]

@oldude
This was my first post in this thread. It is neither anecdotal nor does it claim UCLA is better. It is exactly the opposite. You are the one who later brought up anecdotal evidence of common opponents, although it lacked specifics and appeared to imply that UConn did better against all common opponents.

OK, let’s let this rest for now. Hopefully, we’ll get to see UConn & UCLA in the national championship game and we can fully assess whether or not UCLA is “close” to UConn, assuming that the Bruins can get by likely dates with LSU & TX.

 

[Gael]

Rk	School	Conf		AP Rank	W	L	Pts	Opp	MOV		SOS		OSRS	DSRS	SRS	ORtg	DRtg	NRtg ▼
1	Connecticut	Big East		1	33	0	88.7	50.4	38.36		13.22		29.39	22.19	51.59	128.47	59.44	69.03
2	UCLA	Big Ten		2	31	1	85.1	57.0	28.13		20.77		27.59	21.31	48.89	132.41	65.21	67.20
3	South Carolina	SEC		3	31	3	86.3	57.9	28.35		19.23		28.44	19.15	47.58	126.96	64.84	62.12
4	Texas	SEC		4	31	3	85.0	56.6	28.32		18.18		26.19	20.32	46.50	125.14	64.21	60.93
5	Louisiana State	SEC		6	27	5	94.5	60.8	33.63		13.16		33.91	12.87	46.78	125.63	68.18	57.45
6	Michigan	Big Ten		8	25	6	83.6	63.0	20.68		18.76		24.56	14.88	39.44	118.15	67.15	51.00
7	Duke	ACC		13	24	8	74.1	58.9	15.22		18.77		16.44	17.56	33.99	112.52	67.59	44.93
8	Vanderbilt	SEC		5	27	4	84.7	65.5	19.16		15.12		25.31	8.97	34.28	123.20	78.30	44.90
9	Minnesota	Big Ten		19	22	8	74.9	57.9	17.00		15.23		14.88	17.34	32.23	116.03	71.48	44.54
10	Louisville	ACC		12	27	7	79.9	60.8	19.18		14.28		20.37	13.08	33.45	119.06	74.80	44.26
11	Iowa	Big Ten		9	26	6	76.8	65.2	11.63		21.01		18.83	13.81	32.64	115.20	71.92	43.28
12	Maryland	Big Ten		14	23	8	82.3	63.2	19.03		13.24		22.28	9.99	32.27	116.65	73.65	43.00
13	Oklahoma	SEC		7	24	7	86.7	68.1	18.61		15.91		27.02	7.51	34.53	114.10	71.42	42.68
14	TCU	Big 12		10	29	5	77.6	56.3	21.26		10.80		15.93	16.13	32.06	114.58	71.95	42.63
15	Michigan State	Big Ten		18	22	8	83.0	65.9	17.13		14.97		22.53	9.57	32.10	119.58	77.13	42.45
16	Kentucky	SEC		17	23	10	75.6	60.2	15.39		16.03		15.84	15.58	31.42	116.09	73.64	42.45
17	West Virginia	Big 12		15	27	6	76.3	58.1	18.18		13.71		16.74	15.16	31.89	113.78	71.78	42.00
18	Ohio State	Big Ten		11	26	7	81.7	66.2	15.52		16.97		22.90	9.59	32.48	115.48	73.94	41.55
19	North Carolina	ACC		16	26	7	75.4	59.0	16.45		12.56		15.01	14.01	29.02	111.55	73.18	38.38
20	Southern California	Big Ten			17	13	69.9	62.9	7.07		20.97		12.40	15.64	28.03	108.29	70.76	37.53
21	Mississippi	SEC		24	23	11	75.4	62.0	13.44		14.89		15.64	12.70	28.34	112.37	75.66	36.72
22	Nebraska	Big Ten			18	12	79.3	67.7	11.63		15.67		19.03	8.28	27.30	117.04	80.35	36.69
23	Tennessee	SEC			16	13	77.0	69.4	7.55		20.41		19.89	8.08	27.97	112.29	76.13	36.16
24	Notre Dame	ACC			22	10	77.9	64.9	13.00		14.72		18.17	9.55	27.72	113.00	77.18	35.82
25	Washington	Big Ten			21	10	71.7	62.2	9.48		16.55		12.79	13.25	26.04	112.50	76.74	35.75
26	Oregon	Big Ten			22	12	74.7	64.5	10.21		16.27		15.48	11.00	26.48	109.73	74.55	35.17
27	NC State	ACC			20	10	77.2	66.5	10.73		15.63		17.97	8.39	26.36	112.49	77.96	34.53
28	Alabama	SEC			23	10	70.1	61.5	8.58		16.86		11.50	13.93	25.43	110.11	75.66	34.46
29	Illinois	Big Ten			21	11	77.5	66.1	11.38		14.01		16.18	9.21	25.39	113.59	79.89	33.71
30	Oklahoma State	Big 12			23	9	81.5	63.4	18.06		9.20		18.26	7.33	25.59	116.18	82.89	33.29
31	Iowa State	Big 12			22	9	82.3	67.2	15.16		9.55		21.16	3.55	24.71	117.62	84.62	33.00
32	Baylor	Big 12		20	24	8	71.4	60.0	11.47		12.67		11.99	12.16	24.14	105.47	73.03	32.44
33	Texas Tech	Big 12		21	25	7	72.0	58.1	13.91		10.57		10.78	13.71	24.48	106.92	74.55	32.37
34	Georgia	SEC		22	22	9	73.6	61.5	12.10		11.77		12.57	11.30	23.87	109.64	78.08	3

UConn and UCLA are ranked significantly above S.Car. and Texas in SRCBB adjusted net rating.

 

[fomalhaut]

I'd be interested in knowing which coach changed their vote in the Tuesday coaches' poll. Probably not Shea Ralph.

 

[BRS24]

I'd be interested in knowing which coach changed their vote in the Tuesday coaches' poll. Probably not Shea Ralph.

Post in thread 'AP Top 25 Week 18: UCLA with 3 #1 votes'

Mar 9, 2026

What a slap in the face for a team so dominate that clears its bench in the 4th quarter. UCLA had a good game in the finals of the BIG10 tourney. UConn does that all the time. I would like to know who gave UCLA first place votes. UCLA is a good team but no where close to UConn. UConn runs on defense with 2 AAs fighting for NPOY. I would think defense gets teams to the Finals and right now Texas and UConn have the best defensesive teams in the top 10

I'm feeling kinda petty today, so here you go:

Percy Allen, The Seattle Times
Sam McKewan, Omaha World-Herald/HuskerExtra
Alex...

• BRS24

• 
• 

 

[DRBackup]

As I said, we don't have a flaw like we did in 2017. Vic doesn't have something to take advantage of this time. On the other hand, SC has a better overall resume, had been playing really well up until that loss and, most importantly, the refs favor them...A LOT. SC is #2 in the country in free throw differential. And that is adjusted for 3PT attempt differential. UConn is #100!!!!! Texas is #106. I guess the refs hate him as much as they hate Geno. On a related note, LSU is #5. I do NOT want to see them in our bracket!!!

I guess I am still scarred by that semifinal game against ND in 2018. Other teams of interest: WVU is #3, Maryland is #10. I don't think those teams are close enough to us to be a threat if we are healthy (damn stomach bug is still going around!)

BTW, the data is interesting. Yes, a team that shoots a lot of threes takes less FTs but the correlation is WAY weaker than I expected. Also, as I had long suspected, the more aggressive team is favored by the refs. One would think they would foul more but, actually, they get called for fewer fouls. The more TOs you generate, the fewer fouls you are called for and the correlation is far stronger than with three point attempts.

I honestly think there is a lot to be said for the pressure the media put on UConn back in 2017 and 2018 with the whole unbeaten streak and the unbeatable best team that is bad for the game narrative. Our opponents played out of their minds and UConn played what appeared to be "tight". Maybe that idiotic storyline comes back around next year, but right now, there is none of that, and UConn is having fun and playing loose. I will be absolutely stunned if they don't hang #13

 

[DRBackup]

Really not a fan of publicizing their names. Yes they are there and can be looked up by anyone, but it doesn't need to be easily redistributed, making it easier for fans -of any program- to harass or threaten them. JMHO.

I guess I'll just bite my tongue on the kind of feedback sports "jOuRNaLisTs" should be getting.

 

[DRBackup]

Its about matchups. Against UCLA Jana played 23 minutes, Ice played 14 key minutes when Jana had to sit with foul trouble. they both did an incredible job of making betts life difficult and earn her points, so by the 4th quarter Betts was gassed.

I'd argue the Serah / Jana combo is better than Jana / Ice.

 

[DRBackup]

Exactly. Nothing has changed over the past 6 weeks between UConn and UCLA, a period during which the Huskies got all 31 votes. So why all of a sudden do 3 clowns decide to vote for UCLA?

I think you've answered your own question...

 

[DRBackup]

We are going in circles. UCLA beat Iowa by 51. 51>>26. The claim that UCLA is not close to UConn is just rediculous. That was the original point and it still stands.

Here's the thing. First of all no serious person thinks " 51>>26 " is a thing. Granted, sports writers are by definition, not serious people.

Second, this juggernaut of a team proceeded to beat Ohio St by just 10 one day before. A team UConn beat by 30 if we're comparing margin of victory.

Lastly, the UCLA - Iowa game was a 35 point margin with 5 minutes to go. I don't know what kind of shenanigans went on in the last 5 minutes of absolute garbage time, but the one thing it should not do is influence how anyone views UCLA compared to UConn. Geno could let Azzi and Sarah play 35 minutes per game and win every game by 50+, I suppose, but he's not going to.

 

[BRS24]

Lastly, the UCLA - Iowa game was a 35 point margin with 5 minutes to go. I don't know what kind of shenanigans went on in the last 5 minutes of absolute garbage time, but the one thing it should not do is influence how anyone views UCLA compared to UConn. Geno could let Azzi and Sarah play 35 minutes per game and win every game by 50+, I suppose, but he's not going to.

Here's the thing IMO - as UConn fans, we are used to seeing our starters on the bench for some/all the 4Q when the game is no longer in doubt. That being said, not sure there were shenanigans. however three starters were still in the game at the beginning of 4Q, with score at 67-36. And then, UCLA outscored Iowa 29-9 in Q4. Kneepkens scored 5 pts, Rice scored 6 pts, and Jaquez 2, for 13 total, and the bench scored 16. Iowa only scored 7 pts off baskets and 2 from FTs.

 

[Husky fanatic]

I am confused by your comment. A negative number implies the market believes UConn has a greater chance of winning the championship.

If you are a gambler and UCLA wins, you will get a higher payout.

As stated “A better value “

 

[Cuango]

Saying UCLA is no where close to UConn is just crazy. I hope we blow them out, if we face them, but there is zero data to back up a statement like that. They are only 5.5 points behind us in Massey. That is well within reach and especially if the game is not called in our favor. We were 13 points ahead of ND heading into the NCAA tournament in 2018.

On Omni, they are only 3 points behind us and that doesn't include their blowout of Iowa. They are also at the 90th percentile of their rating range for the season, which means they are playing near their peak, while we are at the 29th percentile.

We have a better, overall, record this year but UCLA has definitely caught up and is most definitely "close".

No question UCLA has an outstanding resume! The Committee could bump them up to the top seed and really, there’s not a whole lot to be said against it if they did. I don't really think they will but I won’t be outraged if they do.

They are imo, our biggest threat (along with Texas) going into this tournament. One offensively, and one defensively! However, though I like our starting five against anyone in this tourney (including UCLA) I feel that our bench is almost as big of an advantage as our starting five! I do not see any teams with a bench that matches ours. I said this somewhere else but I think Geno has really outdone himself this season with how he has prepared our bench!

 

[cancontent]

Here's the thing IMO - as UConn fans, we are used to seeing our starters on the bench for some/all the 4Q when the game is no longer in doubt. That being said, not sure there were shenanigans. however three starters were still in the game at the beginning of 4Q, with score at 67-36. And then, UCLA outscored Iowa 29-9 in Q4. Kneepkens scored 5 pts, Rice scored 6 pts, and Jaquez 2, for 13 total, and the bench scored 16. Iowa only scored 7 pts off baskets and 2 from FTs.

View attachment 118044

The context that's missing here are Iowa's substitutions in the fourth quarter, if you ask me. Stuelke was subbed out at the 8:52 mark, Heiden at the 6:18 mark and Feuerbach at the 3:50 mark and none of them returned for the balance of the game.

As to whether it could be considered shenanigans, I doubt it. With the game out of reach, taking Stuelke out makes sense considering how banged up she is. Iowa could have been taking a precautionary approach with Heiden as well.

 

[JellyBean]

Let people pick UCLA or anyone else as #1. We’ll see who’s hanging a banner at the end of the season.

Well said.

 

[YKCornelius]

Regarding the somewhat goofy AP poll this week, there are a few not-so-obvious, eyebrow-raising nuances to ponder:

1. California's Alex Simon, one of the three pollsters who elevated UCLA over UConn this week, has been casting votes for Fairfield since Week 11 (19 Jan). From Week 11 through Week 15, Simon was the sole pollster responsible for Fairfield being in the group of "Others Receiving Votes. In the last three weeks, he has been joined by other pollsters - culminating in a total of 15 pollsters this past week casting votes for Fairfield. 13 of those pollsters place Fairfield in the bottom three of votes, while Michael Sauls (South Carolina beat writer) places the Stags at #21. What is remarkable (?) is the fact that Alex Simon elevated Fairfield from #16 last week to #15 in his vote this week. In effect, "Simon says" (I've been dying to use that phrase!) Fairfield should be afforded the opportunity to host the first two games of the NCAA tournament.

2. Seattle's Percy Allen, the second west coast pollster to vote UCLA #1 this week, apparently sees something in TCU that the rest of the pollsters (and much of the WCBB community?) do not. Otherwise, how does Percy explain elevating the Horned Frogs from a somewhat overinflated #7 last week to #5 this week, and despite losing to WVU in the Big 12 tournament? Yep, you read that right: Percy Allen thinks the TCU Horned Frogs are the fifth best team in the country! FWIW, the rest of the pollsters place TCU from 9th to 17th, save the aforementioned Alex Simon who thinks the Horned Frogs are #7.

3. Someone at the San Francisco Chronicle should have the local police department conduct a wellness check on Marisa Ingemi. For the third straight week, Marisa's Top 25 are unchanged from top to bottom - exactly the same. Although there is nothing particularly egregious in her voting, but I would bet West Virginia Mountaineer fans, whose team currently is ranked #12 with 451 points - a singe point behind #11 Ohio State 's 452 - would like Marisa step forward and move up WVU over Baylor, MSU, TCU, Louisville and Oklahoma (all currently in front of WVU according to Marisa but behind the Mountaineers in Week 18 final aggregate), thereby leap-frogging the Buckeyes.

Final thought: any West Coast WCBB fans who harbor the notion of an "east coast bias" by the media, should probably take steps to address the "west coast goofiness" resident in the voting of three of the four west coast AP pollsters.

Go Huskies!

 

[BRS24]

Regarding the somewhat goofy AP poll this week, there are a few not-so-obvious, eyebrow-raising nuances to ponder:

1. California's Alex Simon, one of the three pollsters who elevated UCLA over UConn this week, has been casting votes for Fairfield since Week 11 (19 Jan). From Week 11 through Week 15, Simon was the sole pollster responsible for Fairfield being in the group of "Others Receiving Votes. In the last three weeks, he has been joined by other pollsters - culminating in a total of 15 pollsters this past week casting votes for Fairfield. 13 of those pollsters place Fairfield in the bottom three of votes, while Michael Sauls (South Carolina beat writer) places the Stags at #21. What is remarkable (?) is the fact that Alex Simon elevated Fairfield from #16 last week to #15 in his vote this week. In effect, "Simon says" (I've been dying to use that phrase!) Fairfield should be afforded the opportunity to host the first two games of the NCAA tournament.

2. Seattle's Percy Allen, the second west coast pollster to vote UCLA #1 this week, apparently sees something in TCU that the rest of the pollsters (and much of the WCBB community?) do not. Otherwise, how does Percy explain elevating the Horned Frogs from a somewhat overinflated #7 last week to #5 this week, and despite losing to WVU in the Big 12 tournament? Yep, you read that right: Percy Allen thinks the TCU Horned Frogs are the fifth best team in the country! FWIW, the rest of the pollsters place TCU from 9th to 17th, save the aforementioned Alex Simon who thinks the Horned Frogs are #7.

3. Someone at the San Francisco Chronicle should have the local police department conduct a wellness check on Marisa Ingemi. For the third straight week, Marisa's Top 25 are unchanged from top to bottom - exactly the same. Although there is nothing particularly egregious in her voting, but I would bet West Virginia Mountaineer fans, whose team currently is ranked #12 with 451 points - a singe point behind #11 Ohio State 's 452 - would like Marisa step forward and move up WVU over Baylor, MSU, TCU, Louisville and Oklahoma (all currently in front of WVU according to Marisa but behind the Mountaineers in Week 18 final aggregate), thereby leap-frogging the Buckeyes.

Final thought: any West Coast WCBB fans who harbor the notion of an "east coast bias" by the media, should probably take steps to address the "west coast goofiness" resident in the voting of three of the four west coast AP pollsters.

Go Huskies!

Oooh, someone else decided to wade thru all the poll data. Nice!