Five takeaways from AP Top 25 women's basketball poll

One powerhouse program continues to gain some ground on the No. 1 ranking in this week's Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll, released on Monday, while another team suffered its first loss of the season.

Here are five takeaways from the poll:

South Carolina continues to inch closer to No. 1 ranking

After picking up one first-place vote following a pair of ranked wins over then-No. 19 Alabama, 76-58, and previously No. 13 Oklahoma, 101-60, the second-ranked Gamecocks (18-1, 6-0 SEC) continue to add to an already impressive resume. 

The 41-point rout of Oklahoma gave South Carolina multiple 40-point wins over AP top 15 opponents this season, becoming the first program to do so since UConn in 2015-16.

South Carolina now owns seven wins over ranked opponents, including three straight. The Gamecocks are currently in the middle of a five-game stretch against ranked foes, with two more to come within the next week against No. 5 LSU on Thursday and No. 17 Tennessee next Monday.

In the two quality wins last week, South Carolina won the rebounding edge, 51-34, against the Crimson Tide and forced the Sooners into 22 turnovers. Those two areas are key as the Gamecocks continue the SEC gauntlet.

Only two unbeaten teams remain after Ohio State's shocking loss

With Ohio State's surprising 62-59 loss to Penn State (10-9, 1-7 Big Ten) on Sunday, that leaves UCLA and LSU as the only undefeated teams in Division I.

The Buckeyes (17-1, 6-1 Big Ten), down three spots to No. 12, were outrebounded 39-21 by the Nittany Lions. If not for 22 points off 21 Penn State turnovers, the game may not have been as close as it was. The loss was even more shocking, given Penn State had lost 26 straight to ranked teams.

Considering it made 10 threes in the game, Ohio State must attack the glass more consistently and turn the giveaways into more points going forward if it is going to take advantage of its shot-making and win these closer games.

West Virginia's defense continues to vault it up the rankings

The Mountaineers (15-3, 5-2 Big 12) move up four spots to No. 16 on the heels of another dominant defensive performance.

West Virginia forced 25 Iowa State turnovers in an 82-68 win on Sunday. That should come as no surprise considering it has forced at least 15 turnovers in every game this season. As a team, West Virginia has four players averaging at least two steals per game.

If the Mountaineers continue to force turnovers at that rate, their climb up the rankings may not stop at No. 16.

Tennessee drops two spots after rare loss to Vanderbilt

The Lady Vols (15-3, 3-3 SEC), down from No. 15 to No. 17 in the poll, lost to their in-state rival for only the 11th time in 90 games and for the first time since 2014 in Nashville.

To make matters worse, the tip-in at the buzzer from freshman guard Mikayla Blakes to win the game happened one day after the Tennessee men's team also lost on the Commodores' home court.

Aside from poor three-point shooting (23.1 percent), the Lady Vols dealt with significant foul trouble. Six players had three or more fouls, including all five starters. Following its third loss in the last five games, Tennessee must stay out of foul trouble heading into a pair of ranked matchups against Texas and South Carolina.

Michigan returns as the highest-ranked newcomer to the poll

Michigan (13-5, 4-3 Big Ten) inherits the No. 24 ranking on the heels of a three-game winning streak. The Wolverines' five defeats have all come at the hands of an AP top-10 opponent at the time. 

In three of those five losses, the margin of defeat was 10 points or fewer, which shows that Michigan can hang with the best teams in the country if it plays to its potential.

In its worst loss of the season, 78-58, to then-No. 4 USC on Dec. 29, Michigan committed 23 turnovers. If the Wolverines can limit those turnovers, their close losses may eventually turn into quality wins.