NCAA champion UCLA tops final women's AP poll
Why it matters: UCLA's historic win marks a new era in women's college basketball, shifting the top spot after UConn's dominant run.
- UCLA finished as the unanimous No. 1 in the final AP poll, marking their first time at the top and their first NCAA championship after routing South Carolina.
- UConn dropped from its season-long No. 1 ranking to third after an unbeaten streak was broken by South Carolina, while South Carolina finished second.
- Notre Dame made the biggest leap, climbing 13 spots to ninth after reaching the regional final with an upset of Vanderbilt.
- Virginia earned its first ranking since 2011 at No. 19, becoming the first First Four team to reach the regional semifinals, yet still fired coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.
- The SEC and Big Ten demonstrated conference supremacy, each placing eight teams in the final Top 25, followed by the ACC with five.
UCLA made history by securing its first-ever No. 1 ranking in the final Associated Press women's basketball Top 25, unanimously chosen after defeating South Carolina for the NCAA championship. This victory ended UConn's season-long unbeaten streak and top ranking, while also highlighting significant achievements from teams like Notre Dame, which climbed 13 spots, and Virginia, which returned to the rankings after 13 years despite a coaching change.
