UCLA is officially the No. 1 team in the AP top 25 poll for the first time in program history, a rather unsurprising development considering they upset reigning national champion South Carolina on Sunday.

The Bruins smothered South Carolina defensively, holding the Gamecocks to their fewest points in a game since they scored 59 in the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA tournament (perhaps not coincidentally, also against UCLA). It was South Carolina’s largest margin of defeat since a 25-point loss to the Baylor Bears in the Sweet 16 of the 2019 tournament.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 24: Joyce Edwards #8 of the South Carolina Gamecocks takes a shot from under the basket in the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins at UCLA Pauley Pavilion on November 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)