Sport Tours International/Hoopfeed Poll for March 6, 2018: Conference tournament results cause shifts among elite teams
Oregon rises to No. 5, Iowa drops out
With about half of the conference tournaments completed, this week’s Sport Tours International/Hoopfeed poll has a few slight shifts in the rankings. While No. 1 Connecticut has not budged all season from its top position, the rest of the elite teams in the top 10 experienced some shuffling around.
No. 2 Baylor moved up a place after beating No. 8 Texas in the title game of the Big 12 tournament Monday night. No. 3 Louisville also moved up one post after topping No. 6 Notre Dame in the ACC tournament championship matchup last week.
Mississippi State fell two positions after losing to No. 7 South Carolina in the SEC tournament final over the weekend. No. 5 Oregon moved up to its highest place in the poll after delivering a defeat to No. 15 Stanford in the Pac-12 tournament title game Sunday night.
Oregon State had the biggest drop among top 20 teams. The Beavers did not survive the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament losing to Arizona State Friday night in Seattle.
Mercer entered the poll for the first time all season. The Bears won their first-ever SoCon tournament title on Sunday. The win capped a stellar regular season where Mercer went undefeated in conference play and finished 30-2 overall. This season marks the first-ever 30-win campaign for Mercer.
Iowa fell out of the poll. The Hawkeyes lost to Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament even with a tournament-record 48 points plus 15 rebounds from Iowa junior forward Megan Gustafson.
Other teams that received votes: Arizona State, Miami, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Buffalo, DePaul, California, Central Michigan, Gonzaga, Minnesota, Nebraska and Quinnipiac.
The STI/Hoopfeed Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of media members and other women’s basketball professionals. Total points are based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th.
Sport Tours International/Hoopfeed NCAA DI Top 25 Poll for March 6, 2018
| Rank | School | Last week | Change |
| 1 | Connecticut | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Baylor | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Louisville | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 2 | -2 |
| 5 | Oregon | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | 5 | -1 |
| 7 | South Carolina | 8 | 1 |
| 8 | Texas | 7 | -1 |
| 9 | UCLA | 9 | 0 |
| 10 | Ohio State | 13 | 3 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 11 | 0 |
| 12 | Florida State | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | Oregon State | 10 | -3 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 15 | 1 |
| 15 | Stanford | 16 | 1 |
| 16 | Missouri | 14 | -2 |
| 17 | Maryland | 19 | 2 |
| 18 | Georgia | 17 | -1 |
| 19 | South Florida | 20 | 1 |
| 20 | Duke | 18 | -2 |
| 21 | NC State | 23 | 2 |
| 22 | Belmont | 21 | -1 |
| 23 | Green Bay | 22 | -1 |
| 24 | LSU | 24 | 0 |
| 25 | Mercer | NR | N/A |
Voting Panel
- Amanda Butler
- Lisa Bodine
- Joan Bonvicini
- Cindy Brunson
- Cheryl Coward
- Kevin Danna
- Kris Gardiner
- Mel Greenberg
- Lee Michaelson
- Viet Nguyen
- Ben Parker
- Michael Roberson
- LaChina Robinson
- Yvonne Sanchez
- Brenda VanLengen
