NEW YORK — Southern Cal, which has won six straight games, climbed three spots to No. 7 in the Associated Press women’s basketball poll Monday, and South Carolina remained a unanimous No. 1.
USC swept Oregon and then-No. 11 Oregon State over the weekend. The Trojans moved into a tie for second place in the Pac-12 Conference, two games behind Stanford. They host Colorado and Utah this weekend.
The six teams in front of USC didn’t change, with South Carolina leading the way, as it has since the regular season began. The Gamecocks received all 35 votes from a national media panel. South Carolina was tested in both its games last week, rallying to beat Tennessee and Georgia. Coach Dawn Staley’s team trailed at halftime at home against Georgia on Sunday before winning by 14 points.
Ohio State was right behind South Carolina, marking the first time in seven weeks that a No. 2 team held its place for two consecutive polls. No. 3 Stanford, Iowa, Texas and N.C. State followed the Buckeyes.
Virginia Tech climbed four spots to eighth after beating Duke and Louisville. The Hokies have won nine in a row and sit in first place in the ACC, a game in front of Syracuse.
Oregon State moved up to ninth despite the loss to USC after beating then-No. 9 UCLA.
Kansas State fell three places to No. 10, while Colorado and UCLA also dropped three places.
