South Carolina has so far cruised through the difficult part of its conference schedule and remained No. 2 in the Top 25, picking up a first-place vote to gain a bit of ground on top-ranked UCLA.

No. 2 South Carolina has picked up a first-place ballot in the women's AP Top 25 college basketball poll after cruising through the first three games of a five-game stretch against ranked teams.

Playing defending national champion South Carolina was already difficult enough. But how the Gamecocks have responded to their toughest loss of this season makes them even more formidable. We're not talking about their lone loss,