Colorado continues slide in AP Top 25 Women’s Basketball poll

The Buffaloes check in at No. 18 this week before Pac-12 tournament

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Following a rough finish to the regular season, the Colorado Buffaloes (21-8, 11-7 Pac-12) continued their slide in the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll, falling five spots to No. 18 in Monday’s release. It’s the lowest ranking for the Buffaloes since opening the season at No. 20 in the nation. 

POLL ALERT: Stanford up to No. 2, Iowa to No. 3 behind top-ranked South Carolina as top 10 gets shuffled in women's AP Top 25; Fairfield cracks poll for first time.

Full poll: https://t.co/ZpzgqczgyX pic.twitter.com/2zSwbSDEVC

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) March 4, 2024

Unbeaten South Carolina remained No. 1 overall, followed by Stanford, Iowa, Ohio State and USC in the top five. Texas, UCLA, LSU, UCONN, and North Carolina State round out the top 10. The Pac-12 had three teams inside the top 10 and six ranked in the top 25, the most of any conference. 

JR Payne’s squad has lost five of their last six games, including a 72-63 defeat at home to an unranked Washington State team to close out the regular season. Out of the Buffaloes eight losses this season, seven have been to ranked teams.

The Buffaloes enter this week’s Pac-12 Tournament as the five seed. They’ll open with 12-seed Oregon on Wednesday afternoon, with the winner facing fourth-seeded Oregon State on Thursday. ESPN’s Charlie Creme had Colorado as a four-seed in his latest bracketology released Monday. A strong showing against a loaded Pac-12 field this week should increase the Buffaloes chances of earning a better seed come selection Sunday.