BOULDER – Week 13 of the Associated Press Women’s Basketball poll was released Monday morning. The Colorado Buffaloes were placed at No. 6 in the country, a three-position drop from their spot at No. 3 for two consecutive weeks.
The lower position comes after the Buffs’ loss to No. 25 Oregon State on Friday – a 22-point upset that jeopardized Colorado’s spot in the national top five. The team was able to salvage their Oregon road trip Sunday, however, handling the Oregon Ducks and holding them to just 48 points.
The Beavers (6-3) would go on to beat unranked Utah to close out the week, putting them just one loss away from second in the Pac-12 where the 7-2 Buffaloes currently sit. Oregon State’s impressive defense – holding the Buffaloes to under seventy points – has boosted them seven spots into the No. 18 spot, where they’ll likely prove a challenge to the conference come tournament season.
Five schools currently sit above Colorado in this week’s poll with the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks (19-0) sitting comfortably as the top team in the nation. The Gamecocks have solidified their spot at No. 1 by beating No. 10 LSU in a close 76-70 contest; Both teams are currently the sole ranked schools in the Southeastern Conference.
Kansas State (20-1) continued to dominate the Big 12 conference, notching a close win over No. 12 Baylor over the week, putting them at No. 2 in the country. Taking the No. 3 spot from the Buffs was the Iowa Hawkeyes led by Caitlin Clark, who is now just five away from scoring her 3,392nd point to become the third-highest point scorer in college women’s basketball history.
Stanford’s (19-2) dominance in the Pac-12 placed them at the No. 4 spot, whose only in-conference loss came to the Buffaloes. Lastly, North Carolina State (18-2) jumped to No. 5 after keeping a clean sheet through the week, their rank largely thanks to their upsets against Colorado and Virginia Tech.
With none of the previously ranked Pac-12 teams falling out of the rankings, there are still six ranked schools in the conference, tying the Atlantic Coast Conference for teams ranked in the top 25.
Colorado will take on their Washington road trip over the week to complete their away trip in the Pacific Northwest, facing Washington State and Washington on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Wherever the Buffaloes stand for the next AP poll, they’ll get their chance to move even higher by hosting both Oregon schools the following week, including a rematch against now No. 18 ranked Oregon State.
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