Louisville women’s basketball takes over as AP poll No. 1

For the first time in program history, Jeff Walz’s Louisville Cardinals are the No. 1 team in America.

U of L sits at No. 1 in this week’s AP top 25 poll, receiving 20 of the possible 29 first-place votes. The Cards overtake previous No. 1 Stanford, which lost in overtime to Colorado on Sunday.

“It’s a great honor,” Walz said in a statement. “Obviously it doesn’t do you anything come March, but it’s something that we’re proud of, because we have sustained something here for 14 years. It’s been a lot of hard work and we’ve had a lot of great players and a great staff. And not only do we win some ballgames, but I think we win our community, we win in public. Our players are wonderful young women that represent our athletic department to the fullest.”

Louisville, which is still a perfect 12-0 after a Sunday win over Florida State, had been No. 2 in the AP poll for the last six weeks. The Cards will play as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time on Thursday night at 9 when they host Syracuse.

Here’s the full AP poll: