Just six unbeaten teams remained at the release of the first Associated Press Top 25 Poll of 2024, but it took just a few days to become five. 

Baylor opened 2024 in the same fashion it closed 2023, knocking a Big 12 Conference counterpart from the perch of the unbeaten. The Bears' 85-79 defeat of Texas on Dec. 30 ended the Longhorns' perfect start and sent UT from No. 5 in the AP Top 25 to No. 10. 

For an encore, Baylor tipped off the new year with a 71-50 rout of previously undefeated TCU. 

Highlights from our opener at Foster! 📺#SicEm | #GreaterThan pic.twitter.com/oXsRtQ6ena

— Baylor Women's Basketball (@BaylorWBB) January 4, 2024

The sixth-ranked Bears tipped off 2024 as one of three undefeated teams remaining in the Big 12. That trio is down to two, with the other facing a stiff test on Saturday. 

West Virginia, which debuted in the AP Poll on Christmas Day, hosts Texas in the Mountaineers' biggest game of the season to date. West Virginia won 11 of its 13 games by double-digits heading into its showdown with the Longhorns. 

Between Baylor, Texas, TCU and West Virginia, along with Kansas State, the Big 12 began the year with five teams in the Top 25 to match the Pac-12. Four of the Pac-12's ranked teams occupy the top 10 despite USC sliding from No. 6 after sustaining its first loss of the season against crosstown rival UCLA. 

The ACC features six with the arrival of Syracuse at No. 25, marking the first time the Orange have been ranked since 2021. 

Three Big Ten teams check in, led by No. 4 Iowa. It's a new year, but it isn't a new Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark: She's still making the same kind of jaw-dropping plays that have defined her as a must-see hooper for as long as she's been at Iowa. 

⬆️ Buzzer-beater in 2023 finale
⬇️ Buzzer-beater last night

Caitlin Clark is ridiculous. 😱 pic.twitter.com/wP24eUTs6V

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 3, 2024

The BIG EAST also rang in 2024 with a trio of ranked teams, with UConn, Marquette and Creighton holding steady. BIG EAST basketball has perhaps never been as collectively strong at the top as it is this season, which No. 19 Marquette discovered in its Jan. 3 matchup with St. John's. 

The 57-56 St. John's win marked the second time an unranked BIG EAST team knocked off a ranked opponent in recent weeks after Seton Hall's rout of UNLV last month. 

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Ten of the conference's teams have at least eight wins as of Jan. 4, including surprising Georgetown. The Hoyas are 12-2 with a chance to score a landmark win on Jan. 7 when they face UConn. 

Jan. 1 Women's AP Top 25

1. South Carolina

Record: 12-0

Previous: No. 1

2. UCLA 

Record: 12-0

Previous: No. 2

3. North Carolina State

Record: 13-0

Previous: No. 3

4. Iowa

Record: 13-1

Previous: No. 4

5. Colorado

Record: 11-1

Previous: No. 8

6. Baylor

Record: 12-0

Previous: No. 10

7. LSU

Record: 13-1

Previous: No. 7

8. Stanford 

Record: 12-1

Previous: No. 9

9. USC

Record: 10-1

Previous: No. 6

10. Texas

Record: 13-1

Previous: No. 5

11. Kansas State

Record: 13-1

Previous: No. 11

12. UConn

Record: 10-3

Previous: No. 15

13. Virginia Tech

Record: 10-2

Previous: No. 14

14. Indiana

Record: 11-1

Previous: No. 15

15. Utah

Record: 10-3

Previous: No. 12

16. Notre Dame

Record: 9-2

Previous: No. 13

17. Louisville

Record: 12-2

Previous: No. 19

18. Gonzaga

Record: 13-2

Previous: No. 20

19. Marquette 

Record: 11-2

Previous: No. 18

20. Ohio State

Record: 10-3

Previous: No. 17

21. Creighton 

Record: 10-2

Previous: No. 21

22. Florida State

Previous: No. 22

23. TCU

Record: 14-0

Previous: No. 23

25. Syracuse 

Record: 11-1

Previous: Not Ranked