A road loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in overtime isn’t the worst loss for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Buckeyes are now ranked No. 12 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 women’s college basketball poll, seeing a six-spot jump following their win.
Alternatively, the Hawkeyes saw a three-spot slide to No. 5 in the newest poll after they fell to 18-2 overall with a 7-1 mark in Big Ten play, which is still in first place.
Iowa’s 100-92 loss to the Buckeyes came after giving up a 12-point lead late. The Hawkeyes’ late-game woes gave Ohio State momentum and led to their flurry of overtime points that did Iowa in.
Ahead of Iowa currently are No. 1 South Carolina (17-0), No. 2 UCLA (15-1), No. 3 Colorado (16-2), and No. 4 Kansas State (18-1). Iowa has split the season series 1-1 with Kansas State.
The Hawkeyes see a week off as they do not get back on the court until Saturday, Jan. 27, when they host the Nebraska Cornhuskers at home inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The mini-break and time off come at a good time for the Hawkeyes as they were in a bit of a gauntlet of Big Ten play and appeared to be running on fumes toward the end of the game against Ohio State.
Iowa does get a chance for revenge against the Buckeyes in the season finale. The Hawkeyes will host Ohio State on Sunday, March 3 to wrap up the regular season.
Here’s a look at this week’s full AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | South Carolina | 17-0 | 875 (35) | — |
| 2 | UCLA | 15-1 | 833 | +3 |
| 3 | Colorado | 16-2 | 763 | — |
| 4 | Kansas State | 18-1 | 753 | +3 |
| 5 | Iowa | 18-2 | 729 | -3 |
| 6 | Stanford | 17-2 | 695 | +2 |
| 7 | North Carolina State | 16-2 | 646 | -3 |
| 8 | UConn | 16-3 | 635 | +1 |
| 9 | LSU | 18-2 | 575 | +1 |
| 10 | Texas | 18-2 | 553 | +1 |
| 11 | USC | 13-3 | 515 | -5 |
| 12 | Ohio State | 15-3 | 493 | +6 |
| 13 | Baylor | 15-2 | 480 | -1 |
| 14 | Indiana | 16-2 | 396 | +2 |
| 15 | Notre Dame | 14-3 | 331 | +4 |
| 16 | Utah | 13-5 | 328 | +4 |
| 17 | Gonzaga | 18-2 | 320 | — |
| 18 | Louisville | 16-3 | 315 | -5 |
| 19 | Virginia Tech | 14-4 | 272 | -5 |
| 20 | North Carolina | 14-5 | 243 | +3 |
| 21 | Creighton | 14-3 | 169 | — |
| 22 | Syracuse | 16-2 | 131 | — |
| 23 | Florida State | 14-6 | 104 | -8 |
| 24 | West Virginia | 16-2 | 78 | — |
| 25 | Oregon State | 15-3 | 43 | — |
Others receiving votes: Marquette, 37; Princeton, 21; Iowa State, 14; UNLV, 12; Fairfield, 8; Washington State, 3; Miami, 2; Green Bay, 1; Richmond, 1; Virginia, 1.
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