UCLA Women's Basketball: Bruins Rise Back to Top of AP Rankings After Win Against Colorado

The Bruins return to No. 2 in the rankings after win over Colorado.

UCLA women's basketball has returned to their No. 2 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll after their latest win over No. 3 Colorado. Charmisa Osborne was crucial in the much-needed 76-68 victory, leading her team with over 20 points for the second straight game. 

The Bruins return to No. 2 in today’s AP Top 25 Women’s Basketball Poll! 📈#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/33tRl9dCb8

— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 22, 2024

This win not only propelled UCLA back to No. 2 but gave UCLA a crucial win over one of their top Pac-12 rivals while preventing a two-game skid.

The Bruins ranked No. 2 in the poll from Week 3 through Week 10 before their recent loss to USC gave them their first defeat of the season and dropped them to No. 5 in the Week 11 poll.

The Bruins also moved up in the poll after Colorado, Iowa, and North Carolina State got their second loss of the season during the week. Iowa lost to Ohio State, North Carolina State fell to Duke, and Colorado of course lost a 76-68 battle to the Bruins. With all three of those teams ranking in spots 2-5 on the Week 11 poll, their losses gave the Bruins the chance to jump back into the No. 2 spot.

UCLA is one of the few one-loss teams remaining, holding a 15-1 record. No. 4 Kansas State also has just one loss and is No. 4. Of course, the No. 1 spot in the rankings goes to the lone unbeaten team in 17-0 South Carolina, who once again are the NCAA favorites.

To maintain their current slot in the rankings, the Bruins will have to keep winning as much as possible. This begins with Monday's matchup against No. 16 Utah. Though the Bruins should be able to beat 13-5 Utah, they will still pose a challenging conference matchup for UCLA. This is the final game of UCLA's three-game road stretch before they host Washington and Washington State in back-to-back games.