South Carolina a unanimous No. 1 in ladies’s preseason AP ballot

Daybreak Staley and South Carolina picked up proper the place they left off: No. 1 in The Related Press High 25 ladies’s basketball ballot.

The defending nationwide champion Gamecocks had been the unanimous selection of the 30-member nationwide media panel within the preseason ballot launched Tuesday. It is the third consecutive season South Carolina is the preseason favourite.

“That is the place we wished to be and envisioned for our program,” Staley stated. “I obtained to present it to our gamers. We continuously get a number of the greatest gamers within the nation. They put us on this place as they work extraordinarily arduous. I do not know if they arrive in and say i need to be the No. 1 crew within the nation, however they do say they need to be nationwide champions. This can be a step to being a nationwide champion.”

Stanford, Texas, Iowa and Tennessee spherical out the highest 5 groups within the preseason ballot. It’s Iowa’s greatest rating since 1994 when the Hawkeyes had been additionally fourth in midseason.

“It makes no distinction in March what we’re ranked in October, however definitely I need my crew to believe and be pleased with what they’ve achieved. Iowa is on the map,” coach Lisa Bluder stated. “We’ll have a good time it after which forgot about it.”

South Carolina went wire-to-wire because the No. 1 crew final season and has been the highest crew for 20 straight weeks. Solely UConn (4 instances) and Baylor (as soon as) have had longer streaks at No. 1 for the reason that 1994-95 season when the High 25 grew to become a writers’ ballot.

The Huskies are ranked No. 6, the primary time since 2006 that they weren’t within the first 5 within the preseason ballot. Louisville, Iowa State, Notre Dame and N.C. State end off the highest 10.

HOLD THAT TIGER

Princeton has its first preseason rating, coming in at No. 24.

The Tigers had been ranked for the ultimate two weeks of final season and return 4 starters from the crew that pulled off one of many largest upsets in NCAA match, upending Kentucky within the first spherical earlier than falling to Indiana by some extent within the subsequent sport.

“It is nice for our program and for the Ivy League and placing some respect on what we have carried out up to now,” coach Carla Berube stated. “I believe it is super for our crew and for us to reside as much as the requirements we have set, we have got lofty objectives. To be ranked within the preseason means loads, however there’s a variety of work to be carried out.”

Berube has upped the Tigers schedule to problem them with video games at Texas and at UConn, her alma mater.

“We have realized that you probably have a troublesome nonconference schedule it could possibly get you prepared for the Ivy League and past that,” she stated.

CORNHUSKER RUN

There are excessive expectations within the state of Nebraska. No. 21 Creighton has its first preseason rating whereas No. 22 Nebraska was its first rating since 2015. It is the primary time within the historical past of the ballot that each groups have been ranked in the identical week.

“It is good to have Creighton and Nebraska in High 25. It is good for the state,” Creighton coach Jim Flanery stated.

The Bluejays are coming off a terrific season once they superior to the primary Elite Eight at school historical past by knocking off No. 2 seed Iowa at house within the second spherical and Iowa State within the regional semifinals. Expectations are excessive this yr.

“It says to our gamers that they put this system in a greater place than we have ever been in,” Flanery stated. “That is good for them. I believe they deserve it. They labored to get us up to now. I do not assume it adjustments their strategy.”

TIP-INS

No. 13 Virginia Tech has its greatest rating for the reason that closing ballot of 1999 when the college was additionally thirteenth. … No. 23 South Dakota State is ranked within the preseason for the primary time at school historical past.

CONFERENCE WATCH

The Large Ten is tops within the nation with six ranked groups. Becoming a member of No. 4 Iowa are No. 11 Indiana, No. 14 Ohio State, No. 17 Maryland, No. 22 Nebraska and No. 25 Michigan.

The ACC has 5 groups within the ballot, together with three within the prime 10. Becoming a member of Louisville, Notre Dame and N.C. State are No. 12 North Carolina and No. 13 Virginia Tech.

The Large 12 has 4 applications ranked, led by No. 3 Texas and No. 8 Iowa State. No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 18 Baylor are additionally ranked.

The SEC and Pac-12 every have three groups within the ballot. No. 16 LSU joins top-ranked South Carolina and No. 5 Tennessee for the SEC. No. 19 Arizona and No. 20 Oregon be part of No. 2 Stanford for the Pac-12.

No. 21 Creighton and UConn signify the Large East whereas No. 24 Princeton is the lone faculty from the Ivy League and No. 23 South Dakota State the one Summit League crew within the rankings.