Stanford up to No. 2; Arkansas slips to 15th

Buoyed by an impressive run to the Pac-12 Conference championship, Stanford jumped two spots to No. 2 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll on Monday.

The Cardinal won three games in the conference tournament by an average of 31 points, including a 20-point victory over then-No. 9 UCLA on Sunday for the title.

Coach Tara VanDerveer’s team received five of 29 firstplace votes from a national media panel. Stanford (25-2) trails only UConn in the AP Top 25. The Huskies got 22 first-place votes and play for the Big East Tournament title on Monday night against Marquette.

North Carolina State stayed at No. 3 after edging Louisville for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The Wolfpack received the other two first-place votes. Texas A&M and South Carolina rounded out the top five teams in the poll. The Gamecocks won the SEC championship on Sunday, beating Georgia.

Baylor was No. 6, with Louisville and Maryland tied for seventh. Indiana and UCLA finished off the top 10. The Lady Bears, Terrapins and Hoosiers all play in their conference tournaments this week.

The University of Arkansas slipped two spots from 13th to 15th after its loss to Mississippi in the SEC Tournament.

The final poll of the season will be released next Monday before the NCAA unveils the tournament bracket.

Florida Gulf Coast entered the Top 25 for the first time since 2015, coming in at No. 24, while DePaul fell out. The Eagles have won 22 consecutive games after losing in the Gulf Coast Showcase to Missouri State and Arkansas. They play in the Atlantic Sun Tournament later this week.