The AP womens basketball poll is a bit of a weekly ritual for anyone who cares about the sport. Every Monday, usually right around lunchtime, the list drops. People lose their minds. Fans of South Carolina complain they aren't getting enough respect, even when they’re unanimous at number one. Supporters of mid-majors like Gonzaga or Princeton scan the "others receiving votes" section like they’re looking for a lost relative.
But look, there’s a lot of misunderstanding about what this list actually represents. It isn't a computer model. It’s not the NET rankings. It’s a collective brain dump from about 30 or so journalists who spend their entire lives watching hoops. If you've ever wondered why a team that just lost by 20 points only dropped two spots, or why a team on a ten-game winning streak is still stuck at #18, it comes down to the humans behind the ballots.
The People Behind the AP Womens Basketball Poll
The poll is managed by the Associated Press, but the "AP" doesn't actually pick the teams. They assemble a panel of broadcasters and sports writers from across the country. These aren't just random people. We’re talking about folks like Alexa Philippou or Mechelle Voepel, people who are in the gyms and on the sidelines.
Every voter submits their own Top 25. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, second place is 24, and so on down to one point for 25th. You add them all up, and that’s how you get the national ranking. It sounds simple. It’s actually chaos.
Think about the travel schedule. A voter in Connecticut might be at a Big East game on a Sunday night, while a voter in California is watching the Big 12. They’re trying to compare a team that played a "cupcake" schedule and went 12-0 against a team that played three Top-10 opponents and went 9-3. Who is better? Honestly, it’s a vibe check as much as it is a statistical analysis.
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Why the Top 5 Rarely Changes (Until It Does)
In the current era, the top of the AP womens basketball poll has been dominated by a few Goliaths. Dawn Staley has built a literal empire at South Carolina. For a long time, the poll felt like "South Carolina and everyone else." When you have a team that hasn't lost a regular-season game in what feels like an eternity, the poll becomes static.
But then a weekend like the "MLK Day Massacre" happens—where three or four top-ten teams fall in 48 hours—and the Monday poll becomes a bloodbath. Voters hate moving a team down if they didn't "earn" it by losing, but they also feel pressure to reward teams that are surging. This creates a "sticky" effect. A team like UConn or LSU might stay in the Top 10 based on name recognition and "talent" even when their actual on-court performance is a bit shaky.
The Mid-Major Struggle
The hardest part of the AP womens basketball poll is the bottom five. This is where teams from the West Coast Conference or the Mountain West battle for recognition. It’s a tough gig. If a team from a "Power 4" conference has five losses but a "strength of schedule" that ranks in the top ten, voters usually keep them ranked. Meanwhile, a team like Florida Gulf Coast might have 25 wins and only two losses, but because they aren't playing Top-25 teams every week, voters are scared to commit.
It’s about trust. Do you trust the team that wins ugly against elite talent, or the team that dominates mediocre talent? Usually, the AP poll leans toward the former. The NET rankings, which are what the NCAA tournament selection committee uses, often disagree with the AP poll. That’s where the real drama starts in March.
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How to Read Between the Lines
If you want to actually understand the AP womens basketball poll, don't just look at the number next to the team name. Look at the total points. If the gap between #4 and #5 is 100 points, it means the voters are in total agreement about who the elite tier is. If the gap is only 5 points, it means the panel is split.
The "Others Receiving Votes" Section
This is basically the waiting room. If your team is here, they’re one good win away from being ranked. It’s also where you see the regional bias of voters. A writer in the South might throw a 25th-place vote to an SEC team they’ve seen twice, while a writer in the Midwest ignores them entirely.
The Poll vs. The Tournament
Does the poll actually matter? In terms of winning a championship, no. The NCAA doesn't care what the AP writers think when they seed the tournament. They use the NET. However, the poll is huge for recruiting and TV ratings. Being "No. 1 in the AP Poll" carries a weight that a "No. 1 NET ranking" just doesn't.
Players care. Coaches definitely care, even if they tell the media they don't look at it. It’s the narrative driver of the season. It’s what gets a game moved from a streaming service to ESPN.
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Actionable Steps for Following the Rankings
If you're looking to use the AP womens basketball poll to better understand the season or even for sports betting and bracketology, here is how you should actually digest the data:
- Compare the AP to the NET: Every Monday when the poll drops, go to the NCAA website and look at the NET rankings. If a team is #10 in the AP but #25 in the NET, they are likely overvalued and due for a "correction" (i.e., they're going to lose soon).
- Track "Voter Movement": Follow a few specific voters on social media. Many of them publish their individual ballots before the aggregate poll comes out. This gives you a "why" behind the ranking.
- Ignore the Early Season: Don't take the Preseason AP womens basketball poll seriously. It’s almost entirely based on last year’s results and recruiting rankings. The poll doesn't start reflecting reality until mid-December when "buy games" end and real matchups begin.
- Watch the "Votes Received" Count: If a team has been in the "Others Receiving Votes" category for three weeks straight and their point total is slowly climbing, they are about to break into the Top 25. That’s usually the time to buy stock in them.
The poll is a snapshot of a moment. It’s a conversation. It’s biased, human, and occasionally frustrating, but that’s exactly why we keep checking it every Monday morning.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Knowledge
To get the most out of this season's rankings, you should immediately check the "Conference Standings" alongside the AP poll. Often, a team will be ranked high in the AP but sit third or fourth in their own conference, which is a massive red flag. Also, keep an eye on the "Weekly Awards" issued by the AP; often the "Player of the Week" belongs to a team that is about to make a significant jump in the next poll. Use the poll as a guide, but always look at the box scores to see who is actually passing the eye test.