Guru's Musings: AP Women's Poll Voting Suspense Dead Ahead For Picking No. 1

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

For the first time in a long while the voting panel is going to have to do some head scratching in determining the top team, actually the order of the top five squads, for the next Associated Press women's poll to be released Monday.

And considering that the coaches' poll had an extra day off its cycle there may even be two different teams heading the top 25 lists.

That's because the coaches who dropped UConn to fourth, yeah seems outlandish to your Guru, made Stanford first and are now dealing with a different configuration to determine their next poll.

Just a little over a week ago the vote for number one all season appeared headed for cruise control because of the perceived invincibility of Connecticut in another wire-to-wire run at the top.

But then in a first full week of action still not completed the Huskies got taken down in a shocker at Stanford in overtime before three days later the Cardinal at home became the overtime victims to a revitalized Texas squad.

So what happens?

Not helpful to the panel is the timing in which some premium teams start out dining on cupcakes while a few went for the meat and potatoes.

So there is no even evaluation set up in place for comparison.

The fact that the situation exists is a key reason why the Guru is not prepared to launch a Sweet 16 poll if he does but hasnt told you yet until early January the same way the special football committees operate.

There is going to be mixed philosophies which may help UConn stay number one which has happened before to teams at the top including the Huskies.

No team has ever jumped from No. 10 to first but Texas winning on the road is going to draw attention if the Longhorns prevail at UCLA.

Some will flat out stay with UConn looking at a narrow overtime loss on the road to a team that couldn't duplicate another premium trumph in its own building.

And then there is the step ladder approach which leaves South Carolina as the team in waiting if the No. 2 Gamecocks, who have never been No. 1, emerge unscathed.

If that happens, South Carolina will be on top for the first time ever but coach Dawn Staley has been there before as a player with the then-cruise control Virginia bunch in the early '90s who last held the position on March 15, 1992 in the final poll of the season.

If she gets there, Staley will join Kim Mulkey of Baylor who played at Louisiana Tech as the only two women to play with and coach No. 1 teams in AP women's poll history.

Stay tuned.







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