Kentucky women’s basketball up to No. 12 in AP Top 25 after win over Belmont
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky rises to No. 12 after 77-69 win over Belmont; record now 11-1.
- Turnover, defensive rebounding and foul trouble expose consistency and depth risks.
- SEC slate looms; UK faces No. 5 LSU on Jan. 1, 2026 as key early test.
The Kentucky Wildcats are now the No. 12 team in the nation, improving three spots in the Week 7 edition of the Associated Press women’s college basketball top 25 poll.
UK (11-1) played just one game last week, beating Belmont 77-69 in Nashville.
Its season already includes six losses, and it finds itself dealing with consistency issues this season, but Belmont is far from a cupcake. Outside of a 10-point loss to McNeese in the Bahamas, the Bruins’ losses are contextual learning lessons which will (likely) better prepare them for a cruise through the Missouri Valley Conference.
Belmont has now lost at Oklahoma and at Tennessee as well as to Ohio State, Princeton and Kentucky — all of which are teams I’ve voted into my top 25 each week this season.
Kenny Brooks even joked in his postgame news conference that he would prefer not to play against Belmont head coach Bart Brooks, but that it was desperation in planning UK’s schedule so late in the game after his hiring in 2024 that led to a home-and-home with the Bruins.
And Belmont challenged Kentucky, pushing the Wildcats through a combination of defenses and taking advantage of their still-building communication. That said, there will be several games throughout the remainder of UK’s season that will be difficult to win if these issues show up: Committing 17 turnovers while only forcing 10; allowing 10 made 3-pointers; letting an opponent grab so many defensive rebounds and get settled in transition; significant contributors finding themselves in foul trouble.
But there was a lot of good, too. In one of her best performances of the season, senior forward Amelia Hassett led the charge for the Wildcats against the Bruins. Hassett recorded 19 points (including five 3-pointers), 10 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.
Hassett was joined in double-figure scoring by Clara Strack, who posted 18 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks. Graduate guard Jordan Obi added a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. Point guard Tonie Morgan recorded 18 points, four rebounds, nine assists, a steal and a block but turned the ball over six times.
Underclassmen Kaelyn Carroll (one point) and Lexi Blue (0 points) got in the game but each played single-digit minutes. Their continued development will be vital as the need for depth increases down the line.
While I will admit that I’m harping on the details, SEC play really is right around the corner; and UK’s first game of 2026 is a New Year’s Day road trip to No. 5 LSU (11-0).
Though wins over Belmont and Louisville are great for the résumé, plenty of questions remain for Kentucky, and neither this Friday’s contest against Wright State nor the Dec. 28 game against Hofstra will be an accurate litmus test for what’s ahead.
Including the Wildcats, the usual eight SEC teams remain ranked in this week’s poll. No. 2 Texas (12-0), No. 3 South Carolina (10-1) and No. 5 LSU did not move in the rankings.
No. 8 Oklahoma (11-1) improved one spot after its 92-70 Bedlam victory over then-No. 24 Oklahoma State Sunday. No. 13 Vanderbilt (9-0) improved one spot after an idle week. No. 14 Ole Miss jumped three spots after back-to-back double-digit wins over Wofford and South Carolina State. No. 17 Tennessee improved one spot after a 112-40 drumming of Winthrop.
For the second consecutive week, Alabama and Georgia each received Top 25 votes.
Following the Bedlam loss, Oklahoma State dropped out of this week’s rankings, and No. 25 Princeton (10-1) made its season poll debut.
No. 16 Louisville (10-3) improved a week-best six spots following its 76-66 overtime win over North Carolina (9-3), which fell six spots to No. 18 with the loss.
Caroline Makauskas’ Team of the Week
Connecticut
Another week of stiff competition for the nation’s top-two teams brought further conversation regarding which of them should be considered No. 1. And, while No. 2 Texas actually beat a Baylor team ranked higher than Southern California, UConn’s defeat of the Trojans proved a lot — in terms of the eye test and beyond — and convinced me that it still is the team to beat.
My biggest takeaway from the game? Blanca Quiñonez is pretty darn good at basketball.
In the Huskies’ 79-51 defeat of then-No. 16 Southern California, the freshman forward made a world of a difference off the bench. Against the Trojans, Quiñonez helped elevate her team on both ends of the floor. She contributed 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block in 21 minutes.
UConn also received double-figure scoring from Sarah Strong (14), Ashlynn Shade (15) and Azzi Fudd (17), the latter two of whom shot 100% from beyond the arc (3 of 3) as part of a 30-point third quarter to build upon an already-large halftime lead.
Another point of growth? Serah Williams. While the forward has taken a bit to find her moments on a loaded UConn roster, she was an important part of setting the tone in Saturday’s win.
Geno Auriemma has spoken about the value of efficient post play and noted following the victory that Williams’ offense and defense were much-appreciated, especially given Strong had a relative off day, totaling 14 points and seven rebounds.
Though Williams scored all of her six points in the first quarter, she added nine rebounds (eight of them defensive boards), two assists, a steal and two blocks. She recorded no turnovers and committed only one personal foul.
The Huskies will have another chance to prove their dominance against ranked program Saturday afternoon, as they take on No. 11 Iowa at Barclays Center for the Champions Classic. But first, a Big East contest against Marquette on Wednesday night.
The rest of Caroline Makauskas’ Top 25 ballot: No. 2 Texas, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 South Carolina, No. 5 LSU, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 8 Maryland, No. 9 Iowa State, No. 10 TCU, No. 11 Vanderbilt, No. 12 Southern California, No. 13 Iowa, No. 14 Baylor, No. 15 Kentucky, No. 16 Ohio State, No. 17 Notre Dame, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 19 Nebraska, No. 20 Princeton, No. 21 Louisville, No. 22 North Carolina, No. 23 Washington, No. 24 Ole Miss, No. 25 Texas Tech.
