USC’S No. 3 ranking highest in 38 years

USC’S women’s basketball team rode a Pac-12 Tournament championship to its best ranking in 38 years.

The Trojans moved up to No. 3 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll Monday after topping Stanford to win the conference tournament for the first time since 2014, their only other time in the title game. It’s the highest ranking for USC since the final poll of the 1986 season, when the team was also third.

South Carolina remained a unanimous No. 1, receiving all 35 first-place votes from the AP national media panel. The Gamecocks head into the NCAA tournament undefeated for the second consecutive season after surviving the SEC tournament semifinals on a last-second 3-pointer by Kamilla Cardoso. The Gamecocks then beat LSU for the title in a game marred by late ejections.

Iowa moved back up to No. 2 after winning the Big Ten tournament, rallying to beat Nebraska in overtime behind Caitlin Clark. It was the third straigh conference tournament title for the Hawkeyes.

Stanford fell two spots to fourth and Texas was fifth. UCLA, Ohio State and LSU followed the Longhorns.

MAN ARRESTED FOLLOWING SOUTH CAROLINA-LSU GAME >> Trayron Milton, 24, the brother of LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson, was arrested and charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct by the Greenville Police Department for his role in a fight after his sister was shoved to the court by South Carolina forward Kamilla Cardoso during a Southeastern Conference Tournament game on Sunday. Milton jumped over the scorer’s table to reach the court. Police say Milton made his way to the court by pushing down an SEC employee and stepping on her shoulders to get past. Milton briefly made contact with Cardoso before he was led away by police. He was released from jail Monday on bonds of $1,087.50 for each charge.

HOUSTON REMAINS NO. 1 >> Houston received 52 of 62 first-place votes from a national media panel to remain atop The AP Top 25 poll. Defending national champion Uconn, the top seed in the Big East tourney, was second, and Purdue — the top seed in the Big Ten tourney — remained at No. 3 after getting four first-place votes.

The big movement came in the rest of the top 10, where North Carolina jumped three spots to No. 4 after beating then-no. 9 Duke and Kentucky vaulted six spots to No. 9 after its win over then-no. 4 Tennessee. Arizona, the top seed in the Pac-12 tourney, fell one spot to sixth. Nevada, at No. 23, is ranked for the first time since the final poll of the 2018-19 season.

CANDICE WARD — GETTY IMAGES Juju Watkins, who celebrated USC’S Pac-12 tournament win on Sunday, has helped lead the Trojans to the No. 3national ranking, their highest since 1986.