South Carolina has so far cruised through the difficult part of its conference schedule and remained No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll Monday, picking up a first-place vote to gain a bit of ground on top-ranked UCLA.

The Gamecocks are in the midst of a five-game stretch against ranked opponents. So far, they've beaten Texas by 17, Alabama by 18 and Oklahoma by 41 on Sunday. They face No. 5 LSU on Thursday and No. 17 Tennessee on Jan. 27.

UCLA received 27 first-place ballots this week while No. 3 Notre Dame got the other two. USC remained No. 4.

After LSU were UConn, Texas and Maryland -- the Longhorns faced the Terrapins later Monday in the Coretta Scott King Classic -- and TCU and Kansas State moved up to ninth and 10th, respectively, after losses by Ohio State and Oklahoma. The Wildcats were awaiting word on star center Ayoka Lee, who was injured in Sunday's win over Arizona State.

Odds and ends

• Tennessee lost at Vanderbilt for the first time since 2014.

• Penn State topped Ohio State for its first win over a ranked team since February 2021.

• Michigan reentered the poll at No. 24.

Conference breakdown

The Southeastern Conference and Big Ten each have seven teams ranked this week, with the ACC right behind with six. With Utah and Oklahoma State dropping out, the Big 12 is down to four teams and the Big East one.

Ranked Bears

Baylor entered the poll for the first time since the third week of the season. The Bears have won five straight, including a victory over then-No. 23 Utah last week. Nicki Collen's squad has a difficult week coming up with a matchup against No. 1 UCLA later Monday in the Coretta Scott King Classic. The Bears then visit No. 9 TCU on Sunday.

Games of the week

No. 5 LSU at No. 2 South Carolina, Thursday. The undefeated Tigers will try to knock off the Gamecocks in a matchup of two of the best teams in the SEC.

No. 8 Maryland at No. 12 Ohio State, Thursday. The Buckeyes will look to bounce back from their first loss of the season when they host the Terrapins. Maryland also hosts No. 1 UCLA on Sunday.