Top 10 shakeup in this week’s Hoopfeed Poll, North Carolina State enters at No. 22
Thursday: beat No. 2 Notre Dame!
Monday: won 70-61 at No. 6 Florida State!How was your week? Ours was full of #STATEments! pic.twitter.com/8RF1PZ9npM
— #3 NC State WBB ?? (@PackWomensBball) January 3, 2017
The first Hoopfeed Poll of 2017 includes a shakeup in the top ten. Undefeated Connecticut stayed on top with all first-place votes. However, Notre Dame, Florida State, Louisville and Washington experienced drops. Baylor and Mississippi State moved up in the poll to tie at second place. Maryland remained at No. 4 while South Carolina moved up a spot to No. 5.
Notre Dame suffered a four-place drop to land at No. 6. Previously unranked North Carolina State stunned the Fighting Irish 70-62 on Thursday. The Wolfpack entered the poll for the first time at No. 22 this week with not only a win against Notre Dame but an impressive 70-61 victory over Florida State Monday night.
In other Atlantic Coast Conference action that evening, Louisville fell on the road at Duke, 58-55. The Blue Devils moved up three places in the poll to land at No. 12 while the Cardinals fell two spots to No. 10.
Washington rallied on the road against Oregon State Sunday after trailing by 27 but could not overcome the Beavers who won 73-70. The Huskies dropped five places in the poll to end up at No. 14 while Oregon State advanced seven places landing at No. 15. The two Pac-12 powers will not face each other again during the regular season.
Stanford had a successful road trip to the Southwest, beating Arizona State and Arizona on the road over the weekend. The Cardinal advanced five spots in the poll to enter the top ten at No. 9. California did not fare as well in Arizona. After beating the Wildcats in Tucson on Thursday, the Golden Bears fell to Arizona State on Sunday in a hard-fought double overtime thriller, 72-62. Cal fell a place to No. 20 while Arizona State moved up three spots to No. 19.
Kansas State re-entered the poll at No. 25. The Wildcats handed the West Virginia Mountaineers their first loss of the season on New Year’s Day. The Mountaineers fell four places to No. 18.
Last week’s No. 24 DePaul and previous No. 20 Colorado both fell out the poll to start the new year. DePaul barely escaped Providence Tuesday night in Chicago. Colorado has lost three straight games including its first two conference contests. The Buffs had back luck on the road in California with losses at USC and UCLA to begin Pac-12 play.
Other teams that received votes: Tennessee, DePaul, Texas A&M, Colorado, Utah, Southern California, Boise State, Michigan State, Harvard, Oklahoma State, Syracuse.
Teams that dropped out: DePaul, Colorado
| Hoopfeed Poll for January 3, 2017 | |||
| Rank | School | Record | Previous |
| 1 | Connecticut | 13-0 | 1 |
| 2-tie | Baylor | 13-1 | 3 |
| 2-tie | Mississippi State | 15-0 | 5 |
| 4 | Maryland | 13-1 | 4 |
| 5 | South Carolina | 11-1 | 6 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | 12-2 | 2 |
| 7 | UCLA | 11-2 | 10 |
| 8 | Florida State | 13-1 | 7 |
| 9 | Stanford | 12-2 | 14 |
| 10 | Louisville | 13-2 | 8 |
| 11 | Ohio State | 12-4 | 13 |
| 12 | Duke | 12-1 | 15 |
| 13 | Miami | 11-2 | 11 |
| 14 | Washington | 14-2 | 9 |
| 15 | Oregon State | 13-1 | 22 |
| 16 | Virginia Tech | 13-0 | 16 |
| 17 | Texas | 8-4 | 17 |
| 18 | West Virginia | 13-1 | 12 |
| 19 | Arizona State | 10-3 | 21 |
| 20 | California | 13-1 | 19 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | 11-3 | 25 |
| 22 | North Carolina State | 12-3 | NR |
| 23 | South Florida | 11-1 | 23 |
| 24 | Kansas State | 11-3 | NR |
| 25 | Kentucky | 9-5 | 18 |
Voting Panel
- Yvonne Sanchez
- Viet Nguyen
- Joan Bonvicini
- Lisa Bodine
- Kevin Danna
- Kristopher Gardner
- Brenda VanLengen
- Cindy Brunson
- Michael Roberson (did not vote this week)
- Mel Greenberg
- Bobbie Kelsey Grayson
- Ben Parker
- Cheryl Coward
