Notre Dame tops first-ever Hoopfeed NCAA Division I women’s basketball poll
Notre Dame (4-0) tops the first-ever Hoopfeed NCAA Division I women’s basketball poll. With the majority of first-place votes from a 12-member panel, the Irish lead the pack. Connecticut (3-0), South Carolina (3-0), Louisville (6-0) and Baylor (3-1) round out the top five. Connecticut also received four first-place votes.
Last week was a good one for Notre Dame as they won the preseason WNIT tournament on Sunday after topping this week’s No. 15 team, Washington (3-1), 71-60. The Irish play at Louisiana-Lafayette (1-0) Tuesday night as a homecoming game for junior forward Brianna Turner, native of nearby Pearland, Texas. The matchup marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Connecticut hosts Dayton (2-1) tonight at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 3 and regionally on SNY. The Huskies are 2-0 all-time vs. Dayton, including a 91-70 NCAA Albany Regional Final win over the Flyers on March 30, 2015.
South Carolina is coming off a 79-42 win over Maine (2-3) Monday night in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge. Five Gamecocks finished in double figures. Senior center Alaina Coates earned her third-straight double-double and was named the SEC Co-Player of the Week along with Mississippi State junior guard Morgan William. South Carolina faces Saint Peter’s (0-3) tonight at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network Plus.
The teams that round out the top ten are Baylor (3-1), Maryland (4-0), Mississippi State (4-0), Ohio State (3-1) and Florida State (3-1).
Syracuse and Washington are tied at No. 13. Kentucky and West Virginia are in a tie for No. 19.
A few teams stumbled hard this week including Syracuse (3-1). The Orange lost last night to Drexel (3-1). No. 15 Texas fell to current No. 7 Mississippi State on Sunday, 79-68. Last week, the Longhorns fell on the road to Stanford.
No. 18 Tennessee lost to Penn State (3-1) on Sunday, 70-56, in University Park. Teniya Page led the Nittany Lions with 29 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Page is this week’s Big Ten Player of the Week.
Kentucky experienced a shocking defeat in Boulder against a Colorado team under a new head coach, JR Payne. Four Buffs scored in double figures led by Alexis Robinson’s 19 in the win for the Pac-12 underdog.
Many teams are headed to tropical locales during the Thanksgiving school break for tournaments in Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Bahamas. Eighteen games are scheduled for the national holiday Stay tuned for next week’s Tuesday’s poll!
| Hoopfeed Rankings as of 11/22/16 | ||||
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | First-place Votes |
| 1 | Notre Dame | 4-0 | 294 | 8 |
| 2 | Connecticut | 3-0 | 291 | 4 |
| 3 | South Carolina | 3-0 | 276 | |
| 4 | Louisville | 6-0 | 257 | |
| 5 | Baylor | 3-1 | 253 | |
| 6 | Maryland | 4-0 | 242 | |
| 7 | Mississippi State | 4-0 | 231 | |
| 8 | Ohio State | 3-1 | 216 | |
| 9 | Florida State | 3-1 | 199 | |
| 10 | UCLA | 3-1 | 189 | |
| 11 | Stanford | 3-1 | 169 | |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 3-0 | 164 | |
| 13 | Syracuse | 3-1 | 133 | |
| 13 | Washington | 3-1 | 133 | |
| 15 | Texas | 1-2 | 129 | |
| 16 | Florida | 3-0 | 126 | |
| 17 | DePaul | 3-0 | 102 | |
| 18 | Tennessee | 3-1 | 83 | |
| 19 | Kentucky | 3-1 | 73 | |
| 19 | West Virginia | 3-0 | 73 | |
| 21 | Miami | 3-1 | 58 | |
| 22 | Oregon State | 3-0 | 56 | |
| 23 | Arizona State | 2-1 | 43 | |
| 24 | Gonzaga | 3-0 | 41 | |
| 25 | Michigan State | 4-0 | 15 | |
Other teams that received votes: Colorado, Texas A&M, South Dakota State, Michigan, Indiana, Green Bay, California, Penn State.
This week’s AP Poll || USA Today Coaches Poll
Voting panel
- Yvonne Sanchez
- Viet Nguyen
- Joan Bonvicini
- Lisa Bodine
- Kevin Danna
- Kristopher Gardner
- Brenda VanLengen
- Cindy Brunson
- Michael Roberson
- Mel Greenberg
- Bobbie Kelsey Grayson
- Cheryl Coward
- Ben Parker (did not vote this round)
