Penn State women’s basketball makes it into AP Top 25 poll for first time in 9 years

After starting its season 7-1, Penn State women’s basketball has been recognized as one of the best teams in the nation.

Following a week where it defeated Providence before its convincing win over Radford, the Lady Lions received the 25th spot in the latest AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll, which was released Monday.

Penn State received votes in the week prior after it nearly defeated now-No. 6 USC. This marks the first time since 2014 the Lady Lions have been ranked in the poll.

The squad was revamped from last season, where they finished 14-17. This season, coach Carolyn Kieger brought in five transfers who have all made an impact in the lineup — except for the injured Ashley Owusu.

Kieger’s bunch received 44 votes to find itself in the Top 25, beating out Miami’s 40 votes and falling well short of No. 24 North Carolina’s 79 votes.

With upcoming matchups on the road against West Virginia on Monday, which received one vote, and No. 12 Ohio State on Sunday, the Lady Lions have the chance to further improve their ranking as the 2023 part of the season comes to a close.

The full AP rankings are below.

AP TOP 25

1. South Carolina 875 voting points

2. UCLA 836

3. North Carolina State 769

4. Iowa 740

5. Texas 689

6. USC 682

7. LSU 670

8. Colorado 639

9. Stanford 584

10. Baylor 546

11. Utah 513

12. Ohio State 463

13. Kansas State 453

14. Notre Dame 439

15. Virginia Tech 409

16. Indiana 380

17. UConn 326

18. Louisville 288

19. Marquette 232

20. Florida State 203

21. Washington State 119

22. Creighton 112

23. Gonzaga 104

24. North Carolina 79

25. Penn State 44