What does Wisconsin have to do to get votes in women’s rankings?

Despite 10 wins, the Wisconsin women are not receiving a single vote in AP Poll Top 25

Wisconsin and Serah Williams just continue to pile up wins, sitting at 10-2 ahead of return to Big Ten play. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Winners of five in a row, the Wisconsin women are riding high as they return to Big Ten Conference play to close out 2024.

But despite a 10-2 mark, the Badgers (10-2, 1-0) are not receiving even a single vote in the latest AP Poll Top 25.

Wisconsin’s two losses have come to solid teams in South Dakota State and San Diego State, with one being on the road and the other a neutral court loss. South Dakota State is 10-3 overall while San Diego State sports a mark of 11-2. 

The Big Ten has the No. 2 conference NET behind only the SEC, with six teams in the Top 25 led by top-ranked UCLA and No. 8 Maryland. Ohio State is 10th, Michigan State is 19th, Michigan is 23rd and defending national runner-up Iowa is 24th. Nebraska and Illinois are both receiving votes, as the Cornhuskers just fell from the rankings. 

At the moment, critics of Wisconsin could point to a No. 83 net rankings as the reason for keeping them out of the Top 25. But that will definitely change once conference play gets going.

Three of the next four league games will see the Badgers hit the road, taking on Indiana, Oregon and Washington away from Madison around a home date with Minnesota. From there, they play Maryland, Ohio State and Nebraska within a 10-day span before a rematch at Minnesota. 

Games with Michigan, USC, Michigan State, UCLA and Iowa are among the stretch run on the schedule, including back-to-back games with the Bruins and Hawkeyes. 

UCLA received 30 of the 32 first-place votes this week to remain atop the rankings. South Carolina, Notre Dame, USC and Texas round out the Top 5. 

Here is the latest women’s college basketball AP Poll Top 25 for Week 8:

College Basketball AP Poll Top 25

(Dec. 23, 2024)

1. UCLA (30)

2. South Carolina (1)

3. Notre Dame (1)

4. USC

5. Texas

6. LSU

7. Connecticut

8. Maryland

9. Oklahoma

10. Ohio State

11. TCU

12. Kansas State

13. Georgia Tech

14. Duke

15. Tennessee

16. Kentucky

17. North Carolina

18. West Virginia

19. Michigan State

20. Alabama

21. California

22. NC State

23. Michigan

24. Iowa

25. Mississippi 

Others receiving votes: Nebraska 26; Vanderbilt 19; Utah 18; Illinois 8; Oklahoma State 7; Harvard 3; Baylor 1; Florida State 1.

Dropped from rankings: Nebraska 23.