Guru’s AP WBB Poll Trivia: Connecticut Still Perfect This Decade Making Every Top 5 Appearance

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Here are some notes from the Guru’s Associated Press women’s poll database through week 2 of the 2017-18 season.

This is the 731st official week in the 42-season history of the rankings dating to November 1976 and this is week two.

Next week Tennessee will likely become the first team to reach 700 appearances with the late coaching legend Pat Summitt missing just 14 appearances and registering 618 through her retirement at the end of the 2012 season. 

Her successor, former Lady Vol star Holly Warlick now has 81 and missed 18, all in the previous two seasons.

Next week Texas will tie Georgia, unless the Lady Bulldogs get ranked, for second all time in appearances at 522.

Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw, inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September, has guided the Irish to 334 appearances, putting her just two short of retired Penn State coach Rene Portland for 10th.

Connecticut is the only team to pull a double perfection landing in the top 5 and hence top 10 of all 148 polling weeks in this decade.

Dawn Staley, whose South Carolina squad held off Maryland on the road Monday night, reached her 99th appearance with the Gamecocks and overall with the 26 achieved at Temple, has made 125 for 43rd on the active list.

Oklahoma Coach Sherri Coale tied retired Texas Tech coach Marsha Sharp for 20th at 264 appearances, both out of Big 12 country.

Connecticut has now been ranked No. 1 at 220 appearances, well ahead of Tennessee, which has 112, meaning the Huskies, based on a poll season average of 18 rankings, could take the next five years plus off and the Lady Vols would have to make 108 straight appearances at the top in that time.

West Virginia reached its 100th ranking.

Baylor has tied Old Dominion for ninth with 131 Top 5 appearances while Notre Dame ranks seventh with 146 penthouse appearances in the top 5. Maryland is 11th with 129 Top 5 rankings. 

And that’s it for now from poll database central.