For the first time in half a century, Texas and Baylor were not scheduled to play each other this season. Their longtime series, which began in the Southwest Conference in 1975 and moved to the Big 12 in 1996, was disrupted by the Longhorns' move to the SEC.
The Longhorns and Bears faced off at least once a year from 1975 to 2024. The only way that will happen this season is if they meet in the NCAA tournament. But both are thriving: The Longhorns have won 11 in a row; the Bears nine straight. Victories this past Monday put Texas and Baylor a step closer to winning conference regular-season titles.
Texas is the new No. 1 in our ESPN Power Rankings, while Baylor makes its first appearance this season, at No. 15. The Longhorns jumped to the top spot in the Associated Press poll, too, for the first time since February 2004. They elevated after Notre Dame lost at NC State in double overtime Sunday.
The Longhorns moved to 13-1 in the SEC -- tied for first place with South Carolina -- after Monday's 57-26 win over woeful Georgia. All that stands between the Longhorns and at least a share of the SEC title are unranked teams Mississippi State and Florida.
Meanwhile in the Big 12, Baylor won 79-62 at Kansas State on Monday and is 15-2 in conference play. TCU is 14-2 with a game Wednesday against last-place Houston. It looks as if Baylor and TCU will play for the regular-season title Sunday when they meet in Waco, Texas. TCU won the first meeting with Baylor this season 80-75 on Jan. 26.
The Texas-Baylor series was lopsided at times in favor of both programs. Texas leads 60-50 and had the best of the series until coach Kim Mulkey established herself at Baylor. The Bears dominated the conference, including Texas, in 2011-22, winning 12 Big 12 regular-season titles and nine league tournament championships. All but one of those titles came under Mulkey, who left after the 2020-21 season for LSU.
Vic Schaefer, who took over at Texas in 2020, has never shied away from saying his goal is getting Texas another NCAA title. The Longhorns' lone national championship came in 1986, and now Texas looks every bit like a No. 1 seed.
Nicki Collen is now in her fourth year coaching Baylor. The Bears have been under the radar all season, but at the time it matters most, they are playing their best.
1. Texas Longhorns (27-2)
Previous ranking: 2
Texas blew the doors off Georgia on Monday in its only game of the past week. The Longhorns were expected to win big, but holding the Bulldogs to 26 points was a sign of how hard they played. Texas has size at every position and looks very confident. Schaefer's familiarity with the SEC from his days at Mississippi State has helped Texas' transition to the conference, especially the Longhorns' ability to defend at such a high level.
Next seven days: @ Mississippi State (Feb. 27), vs. Florida (March 2)
2. USC Trojans (25-2)
Previous ranking: 3
JuJu Watkins had a combined 50 points and Rayah Marshall 25 rebounds in victories against then-No. 22 Michigan State and then-No. 25 Illinois last week. Now, USC has this week to prepare for UCLA, which it beat 71-60 in the first meeting on Feb. 13.
Next seven days: @ UCLA (March 1)
3. UCLA Bruins (26-1)
Previous ranking: 4
UCLA beat Illinois 70-55, but then nearly ran into the same fate as USC did on a trip to Iowa. The Trojans fell in Iowa City on Feb. 2, but the Bruins pulled out a 67-65 win there Sunday. Lauren Betts had a combined 44 points, 19 rebounds and 9 blocks in the two victories. UCLA hosts Saturday's second meeting with USC, but the Bruins must play at Wisconsin first.
Next seven days: @ Wisconsin (Feb. 26), vs. USC (March 1)
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (24-3)
Previous ranking: 1
Notre Dame's stay at No. 1 was brief, as Sunday's loss at NC State ended the Irish's 19-game winning streak. But there's usually something good teams can get out of regular-season losses, and for the Irish, this was a reminder that there are a few teams -- the Wolfpack are one -- that can hold their own on the perimeter against them. Notre Dame needs to bounce back quickly, because it finishes the regular season against two ranked teams.
Next seven days: vs. Florida State (Feb. 27), vs. Louisville (March 2)
5. UConn Huskies (26-3)
Previous ranking: 5
Riding high off the win at South Carolina on Feb. 16, the Huskies returned to laying waste to the Big East with blowouts at Seton Hall and Butler. Paige Bueckers had a combined 46 points and 15 assists in the two victories. Caroline Ducharme, who has dealt with concussion issues, returned to play for two minutes vs. Butler, her first game action since November 2023. We'll see if she gets increasingly more court time the rest of the season.
Next seven days: vs. Creighton (Feb. 27), vs. Marquette (March 2)
6. South Carolina Gamecocks (25-3)
Previous ranking: 6
The Gamecocks didn't need to get their confidence back after their Feb. 16 loss to UConn so much as get some frustration out about how poorly they played in that game. They did that, beating Arkansas by 40 points and Vanderbilt by 28. They defended well and won the rebounding battle decisively in both games. A strong finish in their next two games will give the Gamecocks at least a share of the SEC title with Texas.
Next seven days: @ Ole Miss (Feb. 27), vs. Kentucky (March 2)
7. LSU Tigers (25-2)
Previous ranking: 7
The Tigers should feel pretty good about where they stand going into the final week of the regular season. Their only losses are to two projected No. 1 seeds: South Carolina and Texas. Last week, LSU got an expected victory at Georgia and then held off a strong challenge at Kentucky. The Tigers' big three of Flau'Jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow will be their keys the rest of the way.
Next seven days: @ Alabama (Feb. 27), vs. Ole Miss (March 2)
8. North Carolina Tar Heels (25-4)
Previous ranking: 9
North Carolina won by 10 at Syracuse, but the biggest triumph of last week came at Louisville. The Tar Heels trailed the Cardinals for much of the game, then played their best in the fourth quarter for a 79-75 win. They did that without starter Alyssa Ustby (knee), who is still sidelined, and freshman Lanie Grant had a season-high 19 points. North Carolina won its first game this season against Duke in overtime on Jan. 9; the rematch is Thursday.
Next seven days: @ Duke (Feb. 27), vs. Virginia (March 2)
9. NC State Wolfpack (22-5)
Previous ranking: 10
NC State's guard play was great against Notre Dame, with sophomore Zoe Brooks' 33 points leading the way. Not to be overlooked, though, was its win at Georgia Tech last week, in which Brooks had 17 points. The Wolfpack's only loss in the past 12 games was by one point at North Carolina on Feb. 16. NC State looks ready for the postseason.
Next seven days: vs. Wake Forest (Feb. 27), @ SMU (March 2)
10. TCU Horned Frogs (26-3)
Previous ranking: 12
TCU beat Arizona State, which was expected, and then got an impressive and decisive 71-50 victory over West Virginia. Hailey Van Lith led the way against the Mountaineers with 26 points and six assists. It looks as if Sunday's regular-season finale at Baylor will decide the Big 12 regular-season champion.
Next seven days: vs. Houston (Feb. 26), @ Baylor (March 2)
11. Oklahoma Sooners (21-6)
Previous ranking: 15
Oklahoma looked like the "fun" version of itself in high-scoring wins against Vanderbilt and Arkansas last week. And center Raegan Beers looked like the best version of herself, with 30 points in both games on a combined 23-of-27 shooting from the field. She also added 21 rebounds. The Sooners are in a fifth-place tie in the SEC, but a fourth-place finish -- and an accompanying double bye in the SEC tournament -- is still in play for them.
Next seven days: @ Florida (Feb. 27), vs. Alabama (March 2)
12. Ohio State Buckeyes (23-4)
Previous ranking: 8
The Buckeyes have some concerns. In their past three games, they were forced into overtime twice -- but won -- and then scored only 61 points in a loss against Indiana. That's three consecutive games struggling against unranked foes. Perhaps Ohio State got some mojo back after beating Big Ten cellar-dweller Purdue by 52 points Sunday. The Buckeyes will need it as they conclude the regular season against two ranked teams.
Next seven days: vs. Michigan State (Feb. 26), @ Maryland (March 2)
13. Kentucky Wildcats (21-5)
Previous ranking: 11
The Wildcats knew they had a gauntlet to run in the final weeks of the regular season because of how the SEC schedule is set up for them. Last week, they won at Missouri and then lost at home by seven points to LSU. At 10-4, Kentucky is still in fourth place in the SEC. But the Wildcats might need to beat two teams ranked ahead of them in the AP poll this week to hang onto that spot.
Next seven days: vs. Tennessee (Feb. 27), @ South Carolina (March 2)
14. Tennessee Lady Volunteers (21-6)
Previous ranking: 16
The Lady Vols have won six of their past seven games and have a chance to finish 10-6 in SEC play. That was Tennessee's conference record last season under Kellie Harper, who was 13-3 and 11-5 in the SEC the two years before that. Kim Caldwell has had a very good debut season -- including the big nonconference win over UConn -- but the Lady Vols are still in the same position in the SEC as they were in five seasons under Harper -- which isn't bad, considering the strength of the league.
Next seven days: @ Kentucky (Feb. 27), vs. Georgia (March 2)
15. Baylor Bears (25-5)
Previous ranking: NR
The Bears have six players averaging double figures in points, led by guard/forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (14.3 PPG). Aaronette Vonleh, a transfer center from Colorado, has been a big lift this season, averaging 13.7 points. Baylor leads the Big 12 in rebounding (42.1), which could be a key factor in trying to secure the Big 12 title when it meets TCU.
Next seven days: vs. TCU (March 2)
16. Duke Blue Devils (21-7)
Previous ranking: 13
Duke held onto a spot in the Power Rankings despite a loss to Louisville last Thursday. The Blue Devils bounced back with a 31-point win against Syracuse. Now 12-4 in the ACC, Duke is tied for fourth place with Louisville and Florida State, and it ends the regular season in Tallahassee against the Seminoles after facing archrival North Carolina.
Next seven days: vs. North Carolina (Feb. 27), @ Florida State (March 2)
Fell out: Kansas State Wildcats