Oregon falls out of top 10 in women’s AP Top 25 for first time since 2017; Stanford still No. 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Oregon’s run in the top 10 of The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll is over after 64 consecutive appearances.
The Ducks fell to No. 11 in the AP Top 25 released a day after the team’s 27-game winning streak ended with a two-point loss to then-No. 11 UCLA.
Oregon entered the Top 25 at No. 11 in the 2017-18 preseason poll and moved up a spot in the first regular-season poll that year. The Ducks hadn’t fallen below 10th until Monday, climbing as high No. 1 for a few weeks last year.
It was the fourth longest active streak behind UConn, Baylor and Louisville. The Huskies have been in the top 10 of every poll since March 7, 2005. The Lady Bears have done it since Dec. 8, 2014, and Louisville started its run in the preseason poll of 2017-18.
It doesn’t get much easier for Oregon, with a trip to No. 1 Stanford on Friday. The Cardinal remained the top choice in the poll this week after sweeping a road trip in Arizona, with victories over the Wildcats and Sun Devils. The Cardinal were followed by Louisville, UConn, North Carolina State and South Carolina in the poll. The Huskies and Wolfpack were tied for third.
Stanford, which received 27 of 30 first-place votes from a national media panel, has not played a home game since its season opener on Nov. 25, playing — and winning — two games apiece in Las Vegas; Berkeley, California; Los Angeles and Arizona.
“This is our life right now, and we are trying to make the absolute best of it,” said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, whose team was heading to California on Sunday night.
Stanford has been forced out of its home because of Santa Clara County’s ban on contact sports to address the rise of COVID-19 cases.
“This is the hardest time in our lives for all of us. We’re so fortunate. We have our health. Have a job. I’m not going to act like things are so tough,” VanDerveer said. “Really proud of our team, how mature they’ve been and how focused they have been. This is what it is right now. If you want to play, you have to do it.”
