The Guru’s AP Poll Report: Preseason Poll Points to Many Changes Behind South Carolina 84th No. 1 Ranking Which Makes Gamecocks Third All-Time

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

The AP women’s preseason poll, week No. 865 starting season history No. 49, came out Tuesday and it is a relatively new world from the way last season ended.

The Guru is here to provide the notes but first for those that missed it, here are the rankings, but go to the AP site for the full vote count.

1.        South Carolina (27)

2.        UConn (2)

3.        Southern Cal (1)

4.        Texas

5.        UCLA

6.        Notre Dame

7.        LSU

8.        Iowa State

9.        NC State

10.  Oklahoma

11.  Duke

12.  Baylor

13.  Kansas State

14.  Ohio State

15.  North Carolina

16.  West Virginia

17.  Louisville

18.  Maryland

19.  Florida State

20.  Ole Miss

21.  Creighton

22.  Kentucky

23.  Nebraska

24.  Alabama

25.  Indiana

Others: Iowa, TCU, Utah, Illinois, Stanford, Michigan State, Gonzaga, Vanderbilt, South Dakota State, Miami, Tennessee, Fairfield, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Princeton.

 

From 15 thru 25, only three teams, No. 16 West Virginia prev 24, No. 21 Creighton prev 23, and No. 25 Indiana prev , were ranked in the final poll of 2023-24, which in setting a precedent, came out the day after the NCAA tourney ended.

 

The eight replacements have a previous history, but some have returned with cobwebs, specifically Alabama, last ranked the entire 1998-99 season starting 11 and ending 24.

New Coach, No Poll: While a conference poll giant is gone in the PAC-12, though it may have some viability in its future form down the road, four poll heavyweights of recent and long time residency are also gone.

So are their coaches – Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, the recent coaches category leader in the poll besides the combined men’s/women’s D-1 win leader retired, the Cardinal were ranked ninth in the final poll.

Longtime Stanford associate head coach Kate Paye has succeeded VanDerveer.

Kenny Brooks moved from Virginia Tech, which finished 18th, to Kentucky, which is one of the replacements at 22, making him and Alabama’s Kristy Curry, new members of the trio club, expanding from 10 to 12 members with Brooks having James Madison in his profile, while Curry has Purdue and Texas Tech in her ranking history.

The new Hokies coach is Megan Duffy coming from Marquette.

Retired coach Jim Foster is the sole member of the foursome – Saint Joseph’s, Vanderbilt, Ohio State and Chattanooga.

Beside the end of the Caitlin Clark collegiate era at Iowa. Lisa Bluder retired to be succeeded by associate head coach Jan Jensen, but the Hawkeyes, NCAA runnerup, plunged from No. 2 to nowhere, perhaps the largest ‘tween season drop in history.

Tennessee, the longtime poll industry leader under the late legend Pat Summitt, now eclipsed by UConn, was not ranked most of the season after an early appearance and alum Kellie Harper was let go, replaced for the first time by a non-Lady Vol in Marshall’s Kim Caldwell.

Tennessee has missed just four preseason polls, the first ever, the polls of 2019-20 and 2020-21, and now.

The team is picked 7th in the SEC, lowest ever, but now in a 16-team league where the previous low was 6 in a 14-team league.

Not ranked at the end but holding a decent poll history, Miami’s Katie Meier retired and succeeded by Toledo’s Tricia Cullop, who was succeeded by Monmouth’s Ginny Boggess.

Revolving Door: The eight teams gone from the final poll are Stanford ranked ninth and was third on consecutive appearances current with 123 across four seasons; Oregon State which was 7th; Gonzaga which was 14th; Colorado which was 15th; Virginia Tech which was 18th; Syracuse which was 20th; Utah which was 22nd; and Iowa, which as mentioned, was 2nd.

The Hawkeyes were ranked 49 straight weeks, Virginia Tech 45.

Indiana barely hung on slipping from 12 to 25 as Teri Moren earned her 100th ranking.

By the Dawn’s Lasting Light: Picking up where South Carolina left off with a third national title, the preseason No. 1 ranking snaps a tie with Louisiana Tech in gaining the overall 84 behind UConn at 250 and Tennessee at 112.

As for Staley herself, she is now 25th on the overall poll appearance list with 259 rankings, including 26 at Temple, and fourth on the active list behind Geno Auriemma at UConn at 619, Kim Mulkey at LSU with 417 built on 361 at Baylor, and Brenda Frese at Maryland at 354 including eight at Minnesota.

Celebrate; This season UConn is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Geno Auriemma and associate head coach Chris Dailey in charge of the program with Game No. 4 hosting Fairleigh Dickinson in Storrs as the one Auriemma could pass VanDerveer in the win category.

The preseason poll with the Huskies second extends the record consecutive polling streak to 586 that began in the start of 1993-94.

This week with 619 Auriemma moves into second place ahead of Summitt, who only missed 14 in the then entire history when she retired battling Alzheimer’s disease in 2012.

VanDerveer leads at 654 including 27 at Ohio State but with 627 at Stanford, she can be passed by Auriemma as the same school for all rankings leader this season.

 

Stats trivia: Most rankings – Tennessee 777, Stanford 645, Texas 623, Connecticut 619, Maryland 523.

Most Top 5s: Connecticut 484; Tennessee 468; Stanford 306; Louisiana Tech 279; Texas 190.

Most Top 10s: Tennessee 627; Connecticut 562; Stanford 501; Louisiana Tech 373; Maryland 349.

Preseason: All-Tennessee 45; Texas 39; Maryland 37; Stanford 36; Connecticut 35

No. 1-Connecticut 12; Tennessee 12; South Carolina 4; Louisiana Tech 3; Baylor, Duke, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Stanford, Texas 2 each.

Top 5- Tennessee 37; Connecticut 27; Stanford 17; Louisiana Tech 15; Georgia, Texas 12 each.

Top 10 – Tennessee 38, Connecticut 32, Stanford 28, Georgia 21, Louisiana Tech 20.

ACC Mailbox: Coach Walz – Vice presidential candidate or Louisville coach; Wes Moore – Maryland governor or N.C. State coach.

And that’s the way it is – Nov. 4 opening day.