Top 5 teams in AP Top 25 Women's Basketball Poll after Week 16 ft. Notre Dame as No. 1

For the first time in six years, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish top the AP women's basketball poll. Amid a week of massive poll movement, the Irish jumped to No. 1 as South Carolina fell out of the top five and prior No. 1 UCLA took a small tumble.

Here's a rundown of the current poll's top five women's hoops programs.

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Top 5 AP teams in Week 16 AP Top 25 poll

Texas guard Madison Booker has jumped her team to No. 2 in the AP poll. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

5. UConn

UConn jumped from No. 7 up to No. 5 after a perfect week that included defeating South Carolina 87-58 to end a 71-game winning streak at home for the Gamecocks.

The 24-3 Huskies are 14-0 in the Big East, boasting the only undefeated record in the conference.

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4. USC

In an epic week, the Trojans took down previously unbeaten and No. 1 UCLA, 71-60. JuJu Watkins scored 38 points in that game and she continues to be one of the best players in the nation, averaging 24.2 ppg.

The 23-2 Trojans are 13-1 in the Big Ten, losing in league play only to Iowa on the day the Hawkeyes retired Caitlin Clark's jersey. Their only other loss was to Notre Dame in November.

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3. UCLA

The Bruins were not only unbeaten but basically unchallenged heading into last week's USC showdown. Their closest game to date had been a seven-point win over Louisville to open the season.

But the 24-1 Bruins slid to third after a surprising defeat. Lauren Betts and the UCLA defense remains stout, holding opponents to 33.7% shooting on the season. The UCLA/USC rematch to end the regular season now looks like a must-see battle.

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2. Texas

Winners of 10 games in a row, the Longhorns climbed to second in this week's poll. Texas remains one of the nation's top offensive rebounding teams, grabbing 16.3 offensive boards per game.

Now 26-2, the Longhorns are 12-1 in SEC play. Their only two losses are to now No. 6 South Carolina and No. 1 Notre Dame. Sophomore forward Madison Booker (16.6 ppg) remains the standout star of the group.

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1. Notre Dame

The 23-2 Irish have won 18 games in a row and earned the climb to the top in the AP poll. They're 14-0 in the ACC and haven't lost a game since late November. A pair of back-to-back neutral court losses to TCU and Utah are the only blemishes on the Irish resume.

Sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo is second in the nation in scoring (25.2 ppg) and seems poised to battle JuJu Watkins for the top national player in her college class. Notre Dame has earned a spot on top of the AP poll.

What do you think of the top teams in the women's basketball AP poll? Share your take below in our comments section!