Putting the final bow on its first championship season in program history, UCLA will have the added honor of a first-place finish in the final USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll. The Bruins were No. 2 heading into the NCAA tournament, but their run to the title didn’t surprise everybody as they did have a No. 1 vote from one coach on the panel going in.
Runner-up South Carolina will conclude the campaign at No. 2, thanks in large part to its conquest of previously undefeated Connecticut in the Final Four. The Huskies slip from the top spot they held all season to No. 3 in the final rankings. Texas, the other semifinalist, lands at No. 4 as expected.
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TOP 25: Complete final USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball poll
Duke heads the list of regional finalists to grab the last spot in the top five. Michigan checks in at No. 6, with SEC squads claiming three more spots in the top 10 courtesy of No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Vanderbilt and No. 10 Oklahoma. TCU, the top finisher from the Big 12, wraps up the season at No. 9.
In addition to its five representatives in the top 10, the SEC finishes the year with two more ranked teams with Kentucky at No. 17 and Mississippi finishing at No. 22. In addition to claiming the title, the Big Ten has seven teams in the final Top 25 to match the SEC. The ACC lands five in the poll, with the Big 12 landing four.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Women’s college basketball rankings: UCLA leads final Top 25 of season
