Leading teams in the women’s AP Top 25 remain South Carolina, UCLA, and NC State.
Even though her team lost all five starters from the Final Four team the previous year, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has managed to keep her team from suffering upsets early in the season.
With all 36 first-place votes from a nationwide media panel, the Gamecocks continued to be the unanimous choice at No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll on Monday. After defeating four ranked opponents thus far, Staley believes the Gamecocks are just beginning to find their identity.
After her team defeated No. 11 Utah, Staley declared, “We are only going to get better.” That is the issue. This, in my opinion, is the worst that we will get. And it’s only December.
The Gamecocks were followed in the Top 25 by Texas, UCLA, North Carolina State, and Iowa. Stanford, USC, LSU, Colorado, Baylor, and Stanford completed the top 10. After a string of upsets, it was the first time this season that the top 10 teams remained unaltered in the poll.
The Gamecocks and Bruins participated in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase tripleheader on Sunday, which included six ranked teams, while many other teams have begun their exam break. Then-No. 20 Florida State, which dropped to 22nd in the poll, was defeated by UCLA. After the Gamecocks’ victory, No. 17 UConn defeated now-No. 25 North Carolina in the nightcap.
Kansas State is now ranked No. 12 in the poll, continuing its ascent. Since the team placed eighth in the final poll of the 2004 season, this is the Wildcats’ best ranking. In a Thanksgiving tournament, Kansas State only lost to Iowa, ten days after the Wildcats defeated the Hawkeyes. The next time Jeff Mittie’s team plays a ranked opponent is on January 13 at home against Texas.
Your team suffers greatly when key, influential starters are out of the lineup. We discussed how this is affecting every coach in the United States. Simply put, you hear more about it in Connecticut due to our profile. You don’t hear much about it at Carolina, but this is a problem that every coach in the nation faces. Although we don’t have an explanation, I wish coaches did. Furthermore, regrettably, the teams you anticipate following this week, next month, or in two months may not resemble them at all.
It is now a significant aspect of the game. — Geno Auriemma, the coach of UConn, whose team has suffered the season-ending injuries of three players, including standout guard Azzi Fudd (torn ACL).
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