BERKELEY –The California women's basketball team is nationally ranked for the first time under head coach Charmin Smith, coming in at No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll released Monday. This is the first time the Golden Bears have been in the AP Top 25 poll since being ranked No. 24 on Jan. 7, 2019.
 
Cal is off to an 11-1 start, its best under Smith, and has already collected wins over five teams from last year's NCAA Tournament (then-No. 19 Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Gonzaga and Stanford). The win against Alabama – a 69-65 victory on Dec. 5 in a SEC/ACC Challenge contest – marked the highest ranked win for Cal since a 55-54 victory against then-No. 13 Arizona on March 1, 2020, and its first ranked win since the Bears beat then-No. 25 USC on Feb. 19, 2023.
 
Cal is currently on a five-game winning streak that includes an 83-63 win over Stanford last Friday, which snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Cardinal and marked the largest margin of victory for the Bears in the series since 1982.
 
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