Bruins Ascend as Fighting Irish Storm the Poll
← D1Ball News
Women's Basketball · Rankings

Bruins Ascend as Fighting Irish Storm the Poll

UCLA claims the summit while Notre Dame's 13-spot surge headlines a chaotic reshuffling of the Top 25.

D1Ball StaffWednesday, July 22, 2026

['The Bruins (37-1) rose from No. 2 to claim the No. 1 spot, supplanting the Huskies (38-1), who dropped to No. 3 despite carrying just one loss all season — a reminder that in this poll, how you finish matters more than what you accumulated.', "The Fighting Irish (25-11) authored the poll's most jaw-dropping climb, surging 13 spots from No. 22 to No. 9, while the Horned Frogs (32-6) catapulted eight spots from No. 14 to No. 6, announcing themselves as a legitimate contender with a record that demands respect. The Blue Devils (27-9) also made a bold statement, jumping from No. 8 to No. 5.", 'Not everyone survived the shake-up. The Hawkeyes (27-7) tumbled nine spots from No. 7 to No. 16, the steepest fall in the poll, while the Commodores (29-5) slid four spots to No. 10 despite a gaudy record. Three teams — the Cavaliers, Crimson Tide, and Huskies (22-11) — crashed the party from outside the rankings, proof that the door to the Top 25 never truly closes.']

Data via ESPN · Summarized by D1Ball's editorial engine from official statistics.

More from the newsroom