Five takeaways from AP Top 25 women's basketball poll

In this week's Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll, released on Monday, there is only one undefeated team remaining while another program is ranked for the first time in 11 years.

Here are five takeaways from the poll:

UCLA remains on top after historic performance

The UCLA Bruins (20-0, 8-0 Big Ten) are the only undefeated team remaining in Division I after a comfortable 82-67 win over then-No. 8 Maryland on Sunday.

In that game, junior center Lauren Betts had 33 points (14-of-15 FG). With that effort, she became the first UCLA player with at least 30 points while shooting 90% or better in the last 25 years. Betts is the first player at any school to accomplish that against an AP top-10 opponent in that span.

If Betts continues to have that kind of production, it is going to be difficult for any team to knock the Bruins off the top spot.

LSU drops after suffering first loss of season

The Tigers (21-1, 6-1 SEC), down two spots to No. 7, were bounced from the unbeatens following a 66-56 loss to No. 2 South Carolina on Friday.

After shooting just 23-of-77 (29.9%) in the loss, the Tigers were on the wrong side of history. This was the first time in 126 games under head coach Kim Mulkey that the program was held under 30%.

Although they bounced back with a 64-51 win over Texas A&M on Sunday, the Tigers only shot 31.9% in that game. If LSU is going to compete with South Carolina in the SEC and make a deep run in the NCAA tournament, it must improve its shot-making.

Ohio State, NC State make gains 

Following back-to-back wins that included a third win over a ranked opponent against then-No. 8 Maryland, the Buckeyes (19-1, 8-1 Big Ten) move up four spots to No. 8.

Ohio State has won 19 of its first 20 games for the second time in the last three seasons after not doing so since 2011-12. An area of concern for Ohio State is its rebounding. Despite the win over the Terrapins, the Buckeyes lost the battle on the boards, 48-34, which included 16 offensive rebounds by Maryland. That has to improve going forward for this team to remain in the top 10.

While some other teams deserved recognition for their rise up this week's rankings, the NC State Wolfpack (16-4, 8-1 ACC) get the nod after moving up three spots to No. 17.

NC State has won five straight and 12 of its last 13 after a 4-3 start. Three of those four losses have come against ranked opponents. In the 85-57 rout of Virginia Tech on Sunday, the Wolfpack shot 56.3% from the floor and were plus-11 (42-31) in rebounding. If senior guard Aziaha James (17.4 PPG) maintains her production on a team that features four players averaging double figures, NC State may be a legitimate contender in the ACC when all is said and done.

Turnover-prone Maryland plummets after three straight losses

After suffering three consecutive losses to ranked teams over the past week, Maryland (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten) falls six spots to No. 14. 

The Terrapins have averaged 20.7 turnovers per game during the losing streak. During that span, the team's second-leading scorer, senior guard Shyanne Sellers (14.2 PPG), has missed two games due to a right knee injury.

If Sellers can get healthy and Maryland can take better care of the ball, it would not be surprising to see the Terrapins go on a run considering they are not scheduled to face another ranked team until March 2.

Vanderbilt makes long-awaited return to poll

Following a 66-64 upset over then-No. 19 Alabama on Sunday — Vanderbilt's second win over a ranked opponent in eight days — the Commodores (17-4, 4-3 SEC), ranked 23rd, return to the poll for the first time in 11 years.

Freshman guard Mikayla Blakes posted 33 points in the win. With two players — sophomore forward Khamil Pierre and Blakes — averaging 20 or more points per game, Vanderbilt has the shooting to compete with the top teams in the country.