Just like in the AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll, the Iowa Hawkeyes are knocking on the door of No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll.
After a 3-0 start that features a signature win over then-No. 5 Virginia Tech, Iowa is up to No. 2 nationally in the newest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Though the Hawkeyes garnered nine first-place votes, Iowa just missed out on top billing. Instead, the South Carolina Gamecocks leapfrogged Iowa to No. 1 after beating then-No. 10 Notre Dame, 100-71, and Big Ten foe and then-No. 11 Maryland, 114-76.
Senior center Kamilla Cardoso scored 20 points to lead the way for South Carolina against the Irish and then senior guard Te-Hina Paopao delivered a team-high 14 points against the Terps.
The biggest upward movers in this week’s USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll were Stanford, Colorado, USC, Florida State, and North Carolina State.
Colorado and North Carolina State scored the biggest upsets of the young season. The Buffs knocked off defending national champion and then-No. 1 LSU, 92-78, and the Wolfpack defeated then-No. 2 UConn, 92-81.
As a result, Colorado jumped up 11 spots to No. 7 nationally and NC State saw a meteoric rise of 23 slots to No. 18 in the country.
Stanford routed reigning Big Ten regular season champion and then-No. 9 Indiana, 96-64, and the Cardinal made a seven-spot move to No. 6. USC opened with an impressive win over another Big Ten contender in then-No. 6 Ohio State. Florida State knocked off then-No. 12 Tennessee in Tallahassee, Fla., 92-91.
Indiana, Maryland and Tennessee all slid eight spots, but it was Ole Miss that suffered the steepest drop. The Rebels plummeted nine spots down to No. 25 after an 80-70 loss to now No. 21 Oklahoma.
Here’s a look at the full updated USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | South Carolina | 2-0 | 788 (23) | +3 |
| 2 | Iowa | 3-0 | 773 (9) | +1 |
| 3 | UCLA | 3-0 | 668 | +5 |
| 4 | Utah | 2-0 | 655 | +3 |
| 5 | LSU | 2-1 | 643 | -4 |
| 6 | Stanford | 2-0 | 610 | +7 |
| 7 | Colorado | 3-0 | 592 | +11 |
| 8 | UConn | 1-1 | 590 | -6 |
| 9 | Virginia Tech | 1-1 | 542 | -4 |
| 10 | USC | 3-0 | 432 | +11 |
| 10 | Ohio State | 1-1 | 432 | -4 |
| 12 | Texas | 2-0 | 401 | +2 |
| 13 | Florida State | 2-0 | 361 | +9 |
| 14 | Notre Dame | 1-1 | 353 | -4 |
| 15 | Louisville | 2-0 | 331 | — |
| 16 | North Carolina | 2-0 | 277 | +1 |
| 17 | Indiana | 1-1 | 273 | -8 |
| 18 | North Carolina State | 2-0 | 269 | +23 |
| 19 | Maryland | 1-1 | 243 | -8 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 2-1 | 242 | -8 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | 3-0 | 184 | +2 |
| 22 | Duke | 2-0 | 160 | -3 |
| 23 | Baylor | 1-0 | 145 | -3 |
| 24 | Creighton | 2-0 | 124 | -1 |
| 25 | Ole Miss | 1-1 | 82 | -9 |
Schools Dropped Out:
No. 25 Miami (Fla.); No. 25 Michigan
Others receiving votes: Washington State, 50; Mississippi State, 35; Michigan, 35; Miami (Fla.), 32; Marquette, 28; Princeton, 16; Arizona, 13; South Florida, 8; UNLV, 5; Kansas State, 4; Gonzaga, 4
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