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Defending champion UConn have kicked off right where they concluded—holding the top squad in the nation, per the AP preseason women’s hoops rankings announced this Tuesday.

Vote Distribution and Leading Challengers

UConn received 27 first-place selections from the 31-member countrywide media panel. South Carolina, the previous season's runners-up to the Huskies, landed chosen second while secured the remaining 4 first-place votes. It's the 5th occasion in the last six years that coach Dawn Staley's Gamecocks have been ranked among the top five of the pre-season poll. The Bruins and Texas were third and fourth, and LSU completed the top five.

The Sooners were sixth, their top pre-season ranking after they were the fourth spot back in 2008. Duke, Tennessee, The Wolfpack, and Maryland rounded out the top 10.

UConn's Star Performers and Historic Pre-season Position

Led by standout second-year Strong and experienced senior Fudd, Geno Auriemma’s Huskies team is placed first in the pre-season for the 13th time since the mid-1990s and first in seven years.

We hope it’s something of a confidence builder and rather than, a major pressure,” Auriemma remarked. “I’m happy with the team. We talk often about how we’re not here on the court to demonstrate that we are reigning national champions or we are preseason No. 1 nationally, but we have to beat every opponent by a huge margin. Our aim isn't to fall into that mindset. It's common to finish the year at the position you’re predicted. Therefore I prefer occupying this spot.”

Title Track Record and Prospects

8 out of the twelve prior times the Huskies were selected first, they won the national championship. The coach believes the squad has strong chances this year.

It has got to arrive with strong guidance and it’s needs to be accompanied by a little bit of luck and players stepping up for big moments,” he said. The 4 occasions that we failed to succeed, we did not get lucky or else we could not stay healthy.”

Poll History and League Representation

First four squads were ranked in the same order as last season’s end-of-year rankings. It’s the first time in the 50-year existence of the women’s rankings where the top four teams in the last poll were the same in the preseason rankings the next year; last year marked only the second year when the Associated Press released a top 25 following the title match. Over four decades, the end-of-season ranking was released before the beginning of the national tournament.

The SEC boasts eight programs in the Top 25, including 5 in the top 10. The Big Ten is next having six schools on the poll. The Atlantic Coast Conference has five and Big 12 four. The Atlantic-10 and the Big East each have a single team.

Key Rising Teams

• The Wolverines have been placed No. 13 in the preseason poll, their top position during an inaugural poll after 2021 (No. 11). Michigan fielded three freshmen the previous season and finished 23 wins and 11 losses, securing a national tournament contest. Big things are expected for that trio of Swords, Mila Holloway, and Olivia Olson.
• 19th-ranked The Commodores, led by second-year Blakes, have been placed in the pre-season for the first time since over a decade ago. Blakes recorded one of the finest freshman campaigns in school history when she posted 23.3 points and put up more than fifty twice. Coach Shea Ralph’s, Vanderbilt was ranked the previous season after a long absence since 2014 when they appeared in the poll for two weeks.
• No. 24 Richmond earn the program's first placed ranking in school history. Expectations are elevated for the Spiders, which won their first NCAA Tournament game the previous year. They are the first team out of the A-10 to earn a ranked ranking in a decade (George Washington, 2015).

Richmond return senior standouts Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom from last season’s squad that went 28-7. Richmond additionally brought in transfer Tierra Simon from Saint Louis.

It speaks a lot regarding where our team stands right now,” Richmond head coach Aaron Roussell said. It wasn't ever considered an objective, we only aimed to keep establishing the team in the spotlight. Our conversations about that a lot.”