UConn’s Winning Streak Comes to an End as Michigan Climbs in Women’s Basketball Rankings

The Michigan Wolverines ladies’s basketball group began their 2026-27 season on a tone no one anticipated. In their season opener, Barnes Arico’s group beat Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies in a historical win. Days later on, another history followed them when the Associated Press launched its Top 25 ladies’s basketball survey on Monday

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Michigan was ranked No. 5 in the preseason ranking, however after beating UConn in the season opener and Wright State in the 2nd video game, they went up to 2nd location in AP’s most current survey. This is the Wolverines’ greatest ranking ever, beating their previous greatest when they were ranked 4th on Feb. 7, 2022.

Under Arico, Michigan has actually revealed a routine of beating top-ranked groups in the last couple of years. According to ESPN, in the last 5 years, the Wolverines have actually beaten top-five groups on 3 various celebrations, UConn being their highest-ranked victim. She has actually stayed modest.

“To be in position today to beat Connecticut and be the No. 2 ranked group in the nation, it’s simply a credit to our gamers and credit to our personnel,” Barnes Arico stated following Michigan’s 77-66 win over Auriemma’s UConn. “To have a chance to be in the leading 5 and beat the very best program of perpetuity today was truly unique.”

In 2022, Michigan surprised 5th-ranked Indiana, and in the previous year, they topped another 5th-ranked group, Baylor. Arico has actually shown to be Auriemma’s upsetter. In her group’s season-opener, her group snapped UConn’s 39-game winning streak. 14 years earlier, she was head coach of St. John’s, which snapped UConn’s 99-game winning streak in 2012. The 109-52 win over Wright State marked the 6th time the Wolverines had actually scored a minimum of 100 points versus a challenger considering that the start of last season. It is the greatest amongst Big Ten groups.

While UConn and Michigan control the discussion in the current ranking, Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks have actually preserved their leading area. En path to their 2-0 record, they have actually beaten Maryland and North Carolina. South Carolina’s 45-point win versus the Tar Heels is the biggest win margin tape-recorded by the Gamecocks versus a Top 25 challenger. Of a 33-member nationwide media panel, the Gamecocks got 32 first-place tallies.

The USC Trojans were ranked 3rd in preseason rankings, and they have actually preserved their position, supported by JuJu Watkins’ return. The Trojans have perhaps the very best depth of any group this season, therefore far, they appear like the group to beat, specifically after Watkins’ newest video game.

In an 118-40 win over Utah State, Watkins taped 32 points, 16 rebounds, 6 helps and 5 takes. She ended up being the very first gamer in a quarter century to tape a video game with a minimum of 30 points, 15 rebounds and 5 takes. She had actually missed out on the whole of last season with an ACL injury. USC’s season-opener versus UNLV marked the very first time Watkins played regular-season basketball because her frightening injury in March 2025. She scored 21 points in the Trojans’ season opener.

The Huskies moving to No. 4 is definitely not completion of their story, however their loss to Michigan was outlining their chemistry. After the video game, Auriemma didn’t keep back his words, ripping his gamers for not reacting to Michigan’s difficulty.

“It’s not about the loss. It’s simply frustrating to see how a few of our gamers responded when it was time to step up and make plays,” Auriemma stated in his postgame interview. “In the very first quarter, we had 21 points, so did that zone trouble us? No. In the 3rd quarter, we had 24 points. Did the zone trouble us? No, so now how do you discuss the 2nd quarter and the 4th quarter?”

The Huskies reacted in the next video game. They removed Iowa 91-79 to enhance their record to 2-1 behind historical efficiency from Sarah Strong. She completed the video game with 39 points, 10 rebounds, 3 helps and 2 blocks.

Strong shot 15-of-26 from the field and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. She is the very first gamer in Huskies history considering that 1999-2000 to score a minimum of 35 points and 10 rebounds versus a top-10 AP-ranked challenger.

Duke, Texas, Louisville, Vanderbilt and LSU took 5th, 6th, seventh, 8th and ninth locations, respectively. Protecting champs UCLA and Iowa Hawkeyes were connected for 10th location.