Stanford and Iowa jumped up behind top-ranked South Carolina in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll as the top 10 got a shuffle on the eve of conference tournaments, and Fairfield cracked the rankings for the first time in school history.
Stanford moved back up to No. 2 after a weekend sweep of Oregon State and Oregon. Iowa knocked off then-No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday behind Caitlin Clark, who became the NCAA Division I scoring leader during the game. The Big Ten champion Buckeyes fell to fourth.
While Iowa has been in the Top 25 all season, Fairfield made its first appearance, coming in at No. 25. The Stags (26-1) have won 24 straight games and are the only team in the country besides undefeated South Carolina with one or fewer losses.
“Its a huge moment. This place is special,” Fairfield coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. “One of the major reasons I came here is that it was a program on the brink of being on the national stage. We’ll for sure celebrate it. We talk a lot about a team enjoying the moment and being in the moment. This is a big moment.”
The Gamecocks are in a familiar spot atop the poll after finishing their regular season undefeated for the second consecutive year. Dawn Staley’s squad is the top seed in the SEC Tournament this…
