March Prep: Upsets and Dominance Define the Women's Top 25 Weekend

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As the calendar turns toward March, the intensity in women’s college basketball has reached a fever pitch. This past weekend saw the nation’s Top 25 teams jockeying for postseason position, with a shocking upset in the ACC and a statement win in the Big Ten highlighting the action.

Shock in Clemson: No. 9 Duke Stunned

Final. pic.twitter.com/LjybGwGR4V

— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) February 22, 2026

The most dramatic result of the weekend came from Littlejohn Coliseum, where the Clemson Tigers pulled off a massive 53–51 upset over No. 9 Duke.

The Hero: With just 3.1 seconds remaining, Kohn drilled a clutch three-pointer to seal the victory for the Tigers.
The Impact: For Duke, the loss is a significant blow to their hopes for a double-bye in the ACC Tournament, while Clemson secures a signature win for their tournament resume.

Iowa Dominates in Big Ten Showdown

In a clash of ranked Big Ten powers, No. 13 Iowa played spoiler to No. 6 Michigan, cruising to a 62–44 victory in Iowa City.

Defensive Lockout: The Hawkeyes’ defense was the story, holding the high-powered Michigan offense to a season-low 44 points and snapping the Wolverines’ momentum ahead of the conference tournament.
The Record Streak: Iowa State’s Audi Crooks (despite her team’s loss to TCU) extended her double-figure scoring streak to 94 games, the longest active streak in the country.

The Top 5 Stand Tall

While the middle of the Top 25 saw chaos, the heavyweights at the top of the poll remained largely unscathed:

No. 1 UConn continued their perfect season with a dominant 81–38 win over Providence, moving to 29–0.
No. 2 UCLA celebrated their first outright Big Ten title by rolling past Wisconsin 80–60, marking their 21st consecutive victory.
No. 3 South Carolina dismantled No. 17 Ole Miss 85–48, led by another clinical performance from their deep rotation.
No. 4 Texas made a statement in the SEC, crushing Mississippi State 92–42.
No. 5 Vanderbilt narrowly escaped an upset bid from No. 16 Kentucky, winning a thriller 81–79.

Pissott with the deflection and Blakes takes possession.

MEMORIAL ERUPTS pic.twitter.com/qg79QH2VrG

— Vanderbilt WBB (@VandyWBB) February 22, 2026

Weekend Top 25 Scoreboard Highlights

Winner	Loser	Score	Key Note
Clemson	No. 9 Duke	53–51	Game-winning 3pt with 3s left.
No. 13 Iowa	No. 6 Michigan	62–44	MICH held to 44 total points.
Virginia	No. 8 Louisville	74–72	Second top-10 upset of the weekend.
No. 12 TCU	Iowa State	80–73	TCU extends home win streak to 41.
No. 11 Oklahoma	No. 21 Tennessee	100–93	High-scoring shootout in the SEC.
No. 18 Mich St.	No. 23 Minnesota	75–61	Ends Minnesota’s 9-game win streak.

Looking Ahead: Final Regular Season Push

With the regular season concluding for most conferences this week, all eyes shift to Monday’s updated AP Poll.

Bubble Watch: Teams like Virginia and Alabama helped their cases tremendously this weekend with gritty performances against ranked foes.
Rankings Shakeup: Expect No. 13 Iowa to make a jump into the top 10, while Michigan and Duke will likely see a slide following their road stumbles.