“Disrespectful”, “Team to beat”: College hoops fans react as Dawn Staley’s South Carolina get dethroned in women’s top 10 AP poll

Image Credits: IMAGN (left), Getty (right)

Not only did the UCLA Bruins hand South Carolina their first loss since the 2023 Final Four, but they also dethroned the Gamecocks from the top of the Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll. This marks the first time the Bruins have claimed the top spot in the AP rankings, ending South Carolina’s 23-week run at No.1

The 77-62 victory on Sunday was also the Bruins’ first win over the No. 1-ranked team, breaking their 0-20 record against top-ranked opponents. As a result, Dan Staley’s Gamecocks have dropped to No. 4 with a 5-1 record.

“You can’t have that mentality”: Kim Mulkey dissects LSU star’s shortcomings in aftermath of unsatisfactory win

“It was devastating”: NBA legend Penny Hardaway reflects on wildfire tragedy after delivering major upset to Dan Hurley’s UConn

Master P picks ‘Big 4’ feat. Michael Jordan, LeBron James and more on Flau’jae Johnson’s pod

Fans on X reacted to South Carolina’s new spot on the poll:

“How is Texas staying behind South Carolina what a joke,” a fan said.

“Disrespectful,” another fan said.

“SC still winning the title,” one fan said.

More fans joined in to appreciate UCLA women’s basketball program’s feat:

“UCLA making history as the new No. 1 is huge! The competition at the top is going to be intense this season.,” a fan said.

“They deserve it and look like the team to beat this season.,” another fan said.

“UCLA league is getting better We’ve been seeing a lot of great players now ngl,” one fan said.

UCLA expected to win against the South Carolina Gamecocks

Despite Dawn Staley’s 43-game win streak, the Bruins entered Sunday’s contest with expectations of winning at Pauley Pavilion.

“There just was never a doubt,” coach Cori Close said after the game. “And we prepared like we expected to win.”

Close believes that UCLA won because of selflessness and its work ethic, citing that depth, talent and versatility were the secondary factors.

“Work ethic and selflessness,” Close said. “Everyone had a moment. We are really versatile and have a lot of weapons. But they wouldn’t do much, we wouldn’t have this, if we didn’t have selflessness and elite work ethic.”

South Carolina is coming off an undefeated championship season last year, lifting the program’s third title in seven years.

Bruins not only capitalized on the offensive end but put on a defensive clinic against the Gamecocks, holding them to less than 37% shooting. As a result, they led by 21 points at the break, handing Dawn Staley her biggest halftime deficit since December 2021.

The Bruins will now play UT Martin Skyhawks on Friday while Dawn Staley’s crew will Iowa State Cyclones on Thursday.

News

From Hope to Chaos: The Sens Fall Behind 0–2 Against the Canes as Brady Tkachuk Raises Serious Allegations, Calling for a Full Investigation Into the Game

The Ottawa Senators have found themselves in an early hole, trailing 0–2 in their playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes—and tensions are already running high. What was expected to be a tightly contested matchup has quickly turned into a frustrating…

The Trump administration will require all 50 states to explain their plans to revalidate some of their Medicaid providers in a national escalation of anti-fraud efforts that have so far largely focused on specific states.

The Trump administration will require all 50 states to explain their plans to revalidate some of their Medicaid providers in a national escalation of anti-fraud efforts that have so far largely focused on specific states. Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for…

Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl says quiet part out loud about triumphant injury return vs. Ducks

Leon Draisaitl to return from injury for Game 1 vs. Ducks as Oilers’ playoff run begins Draisaitl was hurt during a game on March 15 and missed the rest of the regular season Edmonton Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl (29) in…

Sebastian Aho (20) of the Carolina Hurricanes scores a goal on an assist from Jordan Staal #11 during the second period of Game Two of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against Linus Ullmark (35) of the Ottawa Senators at Lenovo Center on April 20, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. PHOTO BY JARED C. TILTON /GETTY IMAGES Jordan Martinook scored with 6:51 left in double-overtime to give secure a 3-2 victory for the Hurricanes to take a 2-0 series lead on the Senators with the series shifting back to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday. “He’s been playing unbelievable. He’s been making massive saves in big moments, and we can do a better job in front of him,” said centre Dylan Cozens, who scored in regulation along with Drake Batherson. Talk about drama. Jordan Martinook was stopped on a penalty shot he was rewarded with three minutes left in the first OT. This was one of the strangest sequences we’ve seen, which is what makes the playoffs great. Mark Jankowski fired it home with 2:42 left in overtime, but the officials went upstairs to look to see if the play was offside. It’s automatically reviewed, and it was ruled no goal which ruined the celebration in Raleigh. The league felt Jordan Staal wasn’t in control of the puck when he crossed the blueline. “That’s the toughest thing. You have it won, and then it gets turned over. I give the guys a ton of credit because our game didn’t change. We actually got better,” said Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour. A victory in Game 2 was paramount for the Senators. The franchise has never won a series falling behind 2-0, including last spring against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and that’s happened 10 times in the past. During their run to the playoffs, the Senators were effective because they limited the scoring chances and won battles for pucks. The way the Canes play has made it difficult for Ottawa to repeat that success. This series is a hard, physical battle. The Senators have to be willing pay the price to create chances. Ottawa did a much better job of that in the third period by pushing the pace. The third period was frantic with both teams not trying to allow this game to get to overtime, but the Senators were the better team. If not for Ullmark, this game wouldn’t be close. Tied 2-2 after 40 minutes, he was the only reason they were in it. The Senators were outshot 30-16, and he made several highlight reel stops in that stretch. The Senators just weren’t very good until they got back to their game in the third and used their speed to pressure the Hurricanes. Ullmark, who had 27 stops in Game 1, came into this game with a 0-3-0 career playoff record against the Hurricanes with a 3.49 goals-against average and .884 save percentage. He was the Senators’ best player in the first game, and by far the top performer in this one. Ullmark made some big saves when it was 2-0 that gave the club some momentum. “We talked about creating more chances, and I thought we took some chances that we don’t normally take,” said coach Travis Green. “Our forwards were diving the way they don’t usually dive down, and we gave up more chances than we normally do. “Linus kept us in there and made some big saves, especially in the second period. I really liked our game after that. I felt like they controlled the first half of the game, and I thought we controlled the last half.” Give the Senators credit because they battled back from a 2-0 deficit. Cozens tied it up 2-2 at 16:40 of the second by firing the puck through Andersen’s five-hole. He’d want that one back. It took nearly five periods for the Senators to solve Andersen. Working down low, Batherson attempted a pass that bounced back to him and then beat Andersen high at 10:47 of the second to get Ottawa on the board.It was only the seventh time in franchise history that the Senators have come back from a two-goal deficit to tie a game. That gave the Senators a much-needed boost of energy because they were feeling nothing but frustration, especially after Andersen shut them out with 22 stops in Game 1. A terrible turnover by Stutzle on a powerplay allowed the Hurricanes to pull out to a 2-0 lead at 7:50 of the second. He tried to do it all himself, which resulted in a turnover that set up a 2-on-1. Sebastian Aho took a pass from Jordan Staal and chipped it home for a shorthanded effort. The Senators were down 2-0 to the Leafs last spring. “We felt the same way last year, we were down 2-0, and we were excited going home,” said Batherson. “It’s nice to get a couple of days to get ready for Game 3 in front of our fans.” Senators shaking their heads Trailing 1-0 after the first, it was fair to wonder if the Senators were ever going to beat Andersen. Tkachuk had a glorious opportunity that bounced off the post, and then Fabian Zetterlund couldn’t put it home late. The shots were 14-9 for the Hurricanes; the Senators went 0-for-2 with the man advantage. The Canes opened the scoring at 6:31 on the powerplay. With Tkachuk in the box, Stankoven picked up his third point of this series by taking a pass from Taylor Hall and firing a blast by Ullmark. That was unfortunate because the Senators missed on two glorious chances to take the lead. First, Tim Stutzle missed a wide-open net, and then Shane Pinto had a sure goal pulled off the line.

Jordan Martinook scored with 6:51 left in double-overtime to give secure a 3-2 victory for the Hurricanes to take a 2-0 series lead on the Senators with the series shifting back to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday. “He’s been…

They Burned Her Books and Cast Her Out — She Built an Underground Bakery That Fed Three Villages

They Burned Her Books and Threw Her Out — She Built an Underground Bakery That Fed Three Villages The fire was still smoldering in the yard when 14-year-old Kora Whitfield was shoved through the front door of her aunt Lenor’s…

The Day the Dining Hall Fell Silent: A Sergeant’s Crimes, a Sister’s Mission, and the Moment Justice Walked In

The Day the Dining Hall Fell Silent: A Sergeant’s Crimes, a Sister’s Mission, and the Moment Justice Walked In The words didn’t just land—they detonated. “The sister of the first man he killed.” For a second, no one moved. The…

End of content

No more pages to load