How Lady Vols writer Cora Hall voted in the AP Top 25: Regular-season finale shakes up top 10

The regular season has come to a close, and it did not disappoint.

The week was capped off by an incredible buzzer-beater 3-pointer by Iowa's Caitlin Clark to beat No. 2 Indiana at home. The game lived up to the all the expectations, and it's just a taste of what we'll get in March.

Fourteen teams in the AP Top 25 lost last week, so expect a lot of movement. I'll start at the top, because that was the most difficult this week and probably requires the most thorough explanation – besides undefeated South Carolina remaining firmly at No. 1.

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My Top 10 explanation:

• Indiana is at No. 2. The Hoosiers still only have two losses, and they shouldn't be punished for losing on the road because of a miracle buzzer-beater by Clark, who's in the National Player of the Year conversation.

• Maryland moves up to No. 3. The Terps destroyed Iowa 96-68 on Tuesday and snagged a solid road win at Ohio State on Friday. The only games Maryland has lost in 2023 are to Indiana in January and Iowa at the beginning of February – and it avenged that loss in dominant fashion.

• Utah earns my No. 4 vote. The Utes made a statement with their win over Stanford to win a share of the Pac-12 title. Utah's only three losses are to ranked Pac-12 teams, and it split with the Cardinal and Arizona.

• Stanford drops to No. 5. The Cardinal needed that win against Utah – and while I saw reports of a late night due to travel, there are other reasons to drop Stanford. Like its unranked losses in Pac-12 play or the fact that it went to double overtime against Colorado last week and barely beat USC and UCLA.

• Iowa is at No. 6 despite the great win Sunday. But Maryland also happened last week, and it was the worst loss of the season for the Hawkeyes.

• Notre Dame moves up to No. 7. The Fighting Irish have had to overcome major injuries in ACC play – including Olivia Miles on Sunday. But Notre Dame came out on top of the ACC, which is no easy feat this season.

• Virginia Tech is at No. 8 after a solid win over North Carolina to sweep the Tar Heels this season. The Hokies have had their struggles, but they finished tied for second in the ACC and look like they put those struggles behind them.

• LSU stays at No. 9. The Tigers have not inspired confidence since their blowout loss at South Carolina. LSU notched a solid win over Mississippi State at home to close out the regular season, which keeps them in my top 10.

• UConn fell to No. 10 this week. The Huskies have also not inspired confidence with the way they struggled through Big East play after losing to South Carolina. UConn has lost two games since then and has barely won the rest.

Texas, Tennessee and Ole Miss all moved up this week. All three teams won solid conference games and pretty much everyone else in the rankings lost. Texas is at No. 18, Tennessee at No. 19 and Ole Miss is at No. 20.

The five teams below them all carry eight losses – or nine in North Carolina's case – and all five teams have lost to unranked opponents.

Cora Hall's AP Top 25 ballot for Week 16

1. South Carolina

2. Indiana

3. Maryland

4. Utah

5. Stanford

6. Iowa

7. Notre Dame

8. Virginia Tech

9. LSU

10. UConn

11. Ohio State

12. Michigan

13. Duke

14. Oklahoma

15. Villanova

16. Colorado

17. Gonzaga

18. Texas

19. Tennessee

20. Ole Miss

21. North Carolina

22. UCLA

23. Florida State

24. Illinois

25. Arizona

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How the top 10 got shaken up in Lady Vols writer Cora Hall's AP Top 25