It was probably expected that South Carolina was not going to be ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll this week, but the Gamecocks probably didn't feel that they would drop as much as they did. The Gamecocks dropped to No. 4 in the rankings after their first loss, and UCLA vaulted from No. 5 to No. 1 after their win over South Carolina.
There's a BRAND NEW No. 1 in the women's college basketball AP poll 👏
— ESPN (@espn) November 25, 2024
For the first time in program history, UCLA is on TOP of the rankings‼️
1. UCLA
2. UConn
3. Notre Dame
4. South Carolina
5. Texas
6. USC
7. LSU
8. Oklahoma
9. Kansas State
10. Maryland
The Gamecocks lost 62-77 to UCLA yesterday in a game where it just seemed like nothing was going right for South Carolina. This was the first loss for South Carolina since the Final Four in 2023, their first road loss since December 21, and the biggest loss the Gamecocks had suffered since the 2019 Sweet 16.
The Gamecocks dropped below obviously UCLA, then No. 2 UConn stayed at No. 2 while Notre Dame jumped ahead of South Carolina to take the No. 3 spot. For the first time this season, South Carolina did not receive a single first-place vote after they had been sweeping the first-place votes in every ranking up to this point.
South Carolina does have a great opportunity to get a big win in their next game as they prepare to take on now No. 15 Iowa State, who also fell in the rankings this week after a loss to Northern Iowa and then a close call against Drake.
A Top 25 win after a rough Top 5 loss probably won't get the Gamecocks back to that No. 1 ranking, but they can at least continue to build their resume on moving up the rankings because now every win counts. Right now south Carolina just needs to focus on the next game and focusing on the next team ahead of them and not worry about the rankings.