Tennessee replaced Notre Dame atop The Associated Press women's basketball poll Monday, a familiar spot for the Lady Vols but one they haven't held since February 1999.
Tennessee (26-1) received 33 of 40 first-place votes and 992 points from the national media panel, moving up from No. 2 after Notre Dame lost for the first time, 54-53, at Rutgers on Saturday night. The Irish (23-1), who had been the last unbeaten team in Division I, slipped to second with four first-place votes and 950 points.
Connecticut (22-2), which beat Rutgers 70-45 three days before the Scarlet Knights pulled their upset, held at No. 3 with three first-place votes and 938 points.
Tennessee made it back to No. 1 with the help of a last-second shot. Michelle Snow took an inbounds pass with 1.1 seconds left and hit a 12-foot shot to give the Lady Vols a 75-73 victory over LSU in their only game last week.
Notre Dame spent four weeks at No. 1, moving to the top for the first time in school history after its Jan. 15 victory over Connecticut. The Huskies led the poll in the first 11 weeks of the season.
