Five takeaways from AP Top 25 women's basketball poll

In this week's Associated Press Top 25 women's college basketball poll released on Monday, two power conferences continue to flex their muscle going into the holiday week. Here are five takeaways from the poll.

Big Ten, SEC lead the way with eight teams apiece

The UConn Huskies (12-0) remain atop the rankings after winning each of their first 12 games for the first time since the 2019-20 season, but there is a logjam of Big Ten and SEC programs behind them.

No. 2 Texas (14-0), No. 3 South Carolina (12-1), No. 4 UCLA (11-1), No. 5 LSU (13-0), No. 6 Michigan (10-1), No. 7 Maryland (13-0) and No. 8 Oklahoma (11-1) make up seven of the top-10 spots and are part of the 16 spots occupied by teams from those two conferences. The results should start to take care of themselves with league play right around the corner, but it is clear right now which conferences are ruling the poll.

TCU moves up after historic performance

The Horned Frogs (13-0), up one spot to No. 8, have now won a Division-I-best 34 consecutive games at home, including a historic outing against Arkansas-Pine Bluff when Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez became the second pair of teammates to post a triple-double in the same game in D-I history.

With a comfortable 77-55 win over Kansas State on Saturday, TCU is off to a great start in Big 12 play. It has only faced one ranked opponent all season - a 69-59 win over then-No. 10 N.C. State on Nov. 16 - but it will be difficult to slow down if it gets that kind of balanced production the rest of the way.

Louisville, Notre Dame on the rise

The Cardinals (12-3) move up three spots to No. 13 after an 89-65 rout over then-No. 17 Tennessee, snapping a four-game losing streak against SEC teams. Louisville is the highest-ranked team with three losses, but with all three defeats coming against ranked opponents and the ability to hold Tennessee to just 34 percent shooting, the Cardinals may be peaking at the right time going into ACC play.

The Fighting Irish (9-2) have also experienced some early-season hiccups, but find themselves up two spots to No. 18 after junior guard Hannah Hidalgo's second career triple-double in a 110-38 win over Bellarmine on Sunday. Hidalgo had 30 points, 13 steals and 10 assists, contributing to 28 team steals in the blowout.

Baylor, Tennessee experience biggest drops

Following a 61-60 loss to Texas Tech on Sunday, the Bears (11-3) fall seven spots to No. 22. In each of those three losses, Baylor has been held to 60 points or less and shot 39 percent or worse in all three setbacks. If the Bears are going to stay in the rankings, that must improve as conference play gets started.

The Lady Vols (7-3) are in a similar situation after dropping six spots following their loss to Louisville, which marked their eighth straight loss to ranked ACC teams. For this Tennessee team to take that next step, it needs to improve against stiffer competition, having lost each of its three games to ranked opponents.

Texas Tech joins the rankings

For the first time since 2012, the 21st-ranked Red Raiders (14-0) enter the poll following the win over Baylor, the program's first over a ranked opponent this season and first against the Bears since 2011. Both teams were sloppy, but Texas Tech's 21 forced turnovers were key to pulling the upset.