After suffering an upset loss on the road to the unranked Iowa Hawkeyes, the USC Trojans women’s basketball team is now ranked No. 7, down from No. 4.
The biggest movers of the poll were USC and Michigan State. The Spartans moved down four spots to No. 20. Other teams like No. 14 North Carolina State, No. 17 Georgia Tech, No. 18 West Virginia, and No. 22 Florida State all moved up three spots in the latest rankings, released on Monday.
The loss to Iowa was USC’s second loss of the season, keeping them near the top of the rankings. It was a rowdy environment in Iowa as the Hawkeyes were also celebrating the jersey retirement of Iowa legend and women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark.
“I’m really impressed with the atmosphere here, the love for women’s basketball, the appreciation for what Caitlin’s done, and coach [Lisa] Bluder,” said USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb after the loss to Iowa.
Clark was in attendance among the sold-out crowd that saw Iowa beat USC and star guard JuJu Watkins. Despite the loss, USC remains one of the top teams in the country and is expected to receive a high seed in the NCAA Tournament in March.
MORE: Top-25 Basketball Poll Shakeup After Ranked Matchups: USC Trojans, South Carolina
MORE: Best Big Ten Receivers Ranked: Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, USC’s Makai Lemon
MORE: USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley Among Highest Coaching Buyouts With Georgia’s Kirby Smart
The current top four teams in the AP Top-25 Poll consist of No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 4 Texas.
The Longhorns, No. 5 LSU, and No. 6 UConn all moved up a spot, ahead of USC after the upset loss to Iowa.
Behind the Trojans is No. 8 Ohio State, and USC will have a chance to prove themselves against the Buckeyes on Saturday, Feb. 8. Before facing Ohio State at home, USC has a road game against the Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
Before losing to the Hawkeyes, the Trojans had only lost to Notre Dame and had one the most impressive resumes in the country. USC has yet to play their cross town rival, the UCLA Bruins, giving the Trojans two chances to knock off the highest-ranked team in the country.
First, USC will host UCLA in the Galen Center on Feb. 13 before the Trojans go on the road and play the Bruins in the regular season finale.
Here is the full AP-Top 25 Women’s Basketball Poll:
1 UCLA
2 South Carolina
3 Notre Dame
4 Texas
5 UConn
6 LSU
7 USC
8 Ohio State
9 TCU
10 Duke
11 Kentucky
12 Kansas State
13 North Carolina
14 North Carolina State
15 Oklahoma
16 Maryland
17 Georgia Tech
18 West Virginia
19 Tennessee
20 Michigan State
21 California
22 Florida State
23 Alabama
24 Vanderbilt
25 Oklahoma State
MORE: USC Trojans Visit, Push For 5-Star Recruits Brandon Arrington, Elbert Hill Commitment
MORE: Las Vegas Raiders’ Pete Carroll To Teach Class For USC Trojans While Coaching in NFL
MORE: USC Trojans To Land Elite Linebacker AJ Tuitele Over Texas Longhorns?
MORE: Colorado Buffaloes’ Deion Sanders NCAA Violation: USC Trojans Decommit Julian Lewis
In a shocking turn of events, the USC Trojans were handed a stunning defeat by the Iowa Hawkeyes in a nail-biting game. The Trojans, who were favored to win, were unable to overcome the determined Hawkeyes, who played with tenacity and skill.
The Trojans’ offense struggled to find their rhythm against the Hawkeyes’ strong defense, and their usually reliable defense faltered in the face of Iowa’s relentless attack. Despite a valiant effort, the Trojans were unable to mount a comeback and fell to the Hawkeyes in a heartbreaking loss.
This upset serves as a reminder that in college football, anything can happen on any given day. The Trojans will need to regroup and refocus in order to bounce back from this defeat and continue their pursuit of a successful season. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes have proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with, and will surely be a team to watch as the season progresses.
Tags:
- USC Trojans
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- college football
- upset
- NCAA
- rankings
- sports news
- game recap
- USC vs Iowa
- college sports
#USC #Trojans #Fall #Iowa #Hawkeyes #Upset
You must be logged in to post a comment.