As the season vaults past the Christmas holiday, Iowa remains inside the updated USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
Iowa (10-2, 0-1 Big Ten) stands pat as the nation’s No. 22 squad. The Hawkeyes staved off a charge from Northern Iowa in their lone contest of last week, topping the Panthers, 92-86.
Senior guard Lucy Olsen scored 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting to guide the Hawkeyes past UNI. Senior center Addison O’Grady added 18 points, while junior forward Hannah Stuelke and junior guard Taylor McCabe each chipped in with 15 points.
Iowa returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 29 with a home date against Purdue (7-5, 0-1 Big Ten) as league play arrives in earnest.
The Big Ten still boasts the nation’s top-ranked team in UCLA. In addition to Iowa, five other Big Ten teams find themselves within the top 25 of the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
USC is ranked No. 5, Maryland is No. 8, Ohio State is No. 9, Michigan State is No. 19 and Michigan is No. 25.
Illinois and Nebraska are each in the receiving votes category.
Here’s a look at the full USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 12-0 | 771 (30) |
| 2 | South Carolina | 11-1 | 742 (1) |
| 3 | LSU | 14-0 | 686 |
| 4 | Notre Dame | 10-2 | 679 |
| 5 | USC | 11-1 | 646 |
| 6 | Texas | 12-1 | 630 |
| 7 | UConn | 10-2 | 562 |
| 8 | Maryland | 11-0 | 542 |
| 9 | Ohio State | 12-0 | 529 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 11-1 | 497 |
| 11 | Kansas State | 13-1 | 460 |
| 12 | TCU | 12-1 | 433 |
| 13 | Tennessee | 11-0 | 367 |
| 14 | Duke | 10-3 | 349 |
| 15 | Kentucky | 10-1 | 315 |
| 16 | Georgia Tech | 13-0 | 303 |
| 17 | North Carolina | 12-2 | 274 |
| 18 | West Virginia | 10-2 | 245 |
| 19 | Michigan State | 11-1 | 200 |
| 20 | North Carolina State | 9-3 | 191 |
| 21 | Alabama | 12-1 | 149 |
| 22 | Iowa | 10-2 | 123 |
| 23 | Baylor | 11-2 | 113 |
| 24 | California | 13-1 | 83 |
| 25 | Michigan | 10-2 | 48 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 23 Iowa State;
Others Receiving Votes
Ole Miss 26; Utah 19; Mississippi State 19; Vanderbilt 17; Illinois 15; Florida State 14; Nebraska 12; Iowa State 6; George Mason 1;
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