In a recent poll conducted by the Associated Press, Tara VanDerveer’s Stanford Cardinal moved up to No. 3 after securing back-to-back victories against Arizona and Arizona State. Stanford (24-3, 12-2 Pac-12) put on an impressive display on Thursday night, dismantling the then-No. 17 ranked Arizona Wildcats 84-60 before following up with another impressive 96-64 victory over Arizona State on Sunday afternoon.
Stanford’s fantastic road performances have propelled them from their previous position at No. 6 in the national poll to No. 3. The Cardinal has now won ten of their last eleven games and sit atop the Pac-12 alongside the Utah Utes.
The South Carolina Gamecocks continue to hold the No. 1 spot, marking the 34th consecutive week they have done so. The team recently defeated the LSU Tigers 88-64 in an exciting matchup between two unbeaten teams. Indiana and Utah followed behind the Gamecocks, earning the No. 2 and No. 4 spots, respectively.
The latest poll also recognized Stanford’s freshman center Lauren Betts, who was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after posting an impressive 25 points on 12-for-15 shooting from the floor in the team’s recent road sweep.
In other basketball news, the WCC Freshman of the Week has been awarded to Tess Heal for the fourth week in a row, bringing her total to ten this season. The Santa Clara guard recently scored a personal-high 29 points in a loss at Pacific and 20 points in another loss at St. Mary’s.
Meanwhile, the St. Mary’s Gaels (22-5, 11-1 WCC) have dropped two spots to No. 17 in the AP poll after losing in overtime to Loyola Marymount, snapping their 12-game win streak. Despite the loss, senior guard Logan Johnson led the team to victory against Portland with a combined 65 points in both games.
Stanford will look to continue their winning streak when they host No. 25 USC on Friday, February 18th. The Cardinal will face off against Utah (22-2, 12-2) on February 25th in what is expected to be a fiercely competitive game.
The latest poll has caused a significant shakeup in the top 25 rankings, with Alabama rising to the No. 1 spot for the first time in 20 years. This move was due in part to Purdue’s loss to Northwestern last week, which created a domino effect at the top of the AP Top 25.
