Connecticut remained atop The Associated Press women’s basketball poll for another week and achieved another Top 25 milestone.
The Huskies moved into second place all-time for appearances in the top-10 breaking a tie with Louisiana Tech. UConn has done it 374 weeks now, trailing only Tennessee’s 580.
Connecticut has won 32 straight games dating to last season’s NCAA tournament run which is the fifth-longest winning streak in school history. UConn has two games this week against Central Florida and Houston. The game against the Cougars will be the 1,000th of coach Geno Auriemma’s career.
Here are five things to know about this week’s poll:
LACK OF DEPTH CHART: UConn is down to eight healthy players after junior Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was diagnosed with mononucleosis and will be sidelined for three to six weeks.
The junior is averaging 12 points and almost five rebounds for UConn. She already missed eight games earlier this season with a nerve contusion on her right elbow.
“At least with my arm, I could run, I could be on the bike, I could do some activity,” Mosqueda-Lewis said after practice Friday. “With this, I can’t do anything at all.”
Don’t expect the rest of the country to feel sorry for the Huskies.
KEEP ROLLING: Notre Dame just keeps winning. The Irish (24-0) are off to the best start in school history after beating Boston College last week. They surpassed the 2000-01 team that won its first 23 games en route to the national championship.
“It definitely feels good,” Notre Dame senior guard Kayla McBride said. “It’s an accomplishment. It’s great to come out here for these coaches that put so much time in for us.”
But how does this team rank against the 2001 national champions?
“Time will tell,” Irish coach Muffet McGraw said.
Notre Dame has a busy week ahead with three games — Monday against Georgia Tech, Thursday at Wake Forest and Sunday against No. 7 Duke.
CLIMBING CARDINALS: Jeff Walz has No. 3 Louisville at its best ranking ever. The Cardinals have only lost twice this season — Kentucky and Connecticut. They host Houston on Wednesday and Rutgers on Sunday.
MATURING TAR HEELS: North Carolina moved up six spots in the poll this week to No. 11 after convincing wins over instate rivals Duke and N.C. State on the road. The Tar Heels were led by superb first-year player Diamond DeShields, who followed up a 30-point effort against the Blue Devils with a freshman school-record 38 against the Wolfpack.
“It used to be hard for me and I’ve learned to embrace it,” DeShields said of playing on the road. “And that’s what’s happening in these tough environments. … I want to make believers out of everybody.”
RANKED RUTGERS: The Scarlet Knights came back into the poll this week at No. 25. Rutgers was ranked for one week in January before falling out. It’s the 350th week that the school has been ranked in the history of the poll and 409th appearance in the Top 25 for C. Vivian Stringer.
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