Six pre-New Year upsets bring drastic movement in Sport Tours International/Hoopfeed NCAA DI Top 25 Poll

Six ranked teams fell right before the New Year

The Her Hoop Stats Breakdown || Voting panel

The first SportTours International/Hoopfeed Poll of 2019 comes after a pre-holiday weekend of some stunning upsets. While UConn finished the first half the season undefeated and reigning over the poll at No. 1, six ranked (or previously ranked) teams experienced losses over the past few days. Four of those teams fell on Sunday.

Michigan State moved up seven spots in the poll landing at No. 14 after taking down last week’s No. 16 Iowa. The Hawkeyes are at the No. 18 spot this week after the defeat.

Central Michigan took down last week’s No. 24 team Miami in Coral Gables. As a result, the Hurricanes fell completely out of the poll with not a single vote in their favor.

On their second trip to the West Coast this season, the unranked Harvard Crimson left the Bay Area victorious after defeating California in Berkeley. The Golden Bears had no answers for Harvard’s three-point prowess as the Ivy League school shot 54.2 percent from beyond the arc and beat their opponent 85-79. Cal fell six places in the poll to No. 19.

Arizona capped a 10-game winning streak by taking down in-state rival Arizona State, 51-39, with suffocating defense. In their Pac-12 opener, the Wildcats held the Sun Devils to a season low in points as ASU shot just 23 percent from the field. Former Washington player Aari McDonald led Arizona with a game-high 24 points plus six rebounds. Arizona State dropped to No. 23 from No. 17.

New Year’s Eve saw some surprising results with Maryland falling on their home court to Rutgers in a rebounding showdown. The Scarlet Knights were powerhouses on the boards, outrebounding Maryland 38-28, an impressive statistic given the fact that the Terrapins came into the game as second in the nation in rebounding margin (17.0) and fifth in rebounds per game (48.3).

Unranked Michigan closed out the year and opened their Big Ten campaign by handing Minnesota its first loss of the season, 76-60. The Gophers came into the game with 12 straight wins and ranked at No. 12. After falling to the Maize and Blue, Minnesota is No. 15 this week. Michigan received votes this week but not enough to break through to the top 25.

Iowa State re-entered the poll at No. 25. The Cyclones enter Big 12 play this week on a four-game winning streak.

Utah just missed making the top 25 cut. The undefeated Utes opened Pac-12 play on Sunday with a 76-61 win over Colorado for their 12^th victory of the season.

• Other teams that received votes: Utah, Drake, West Virginia, Michigan, Missouri, South Dakota, Arizona and Florida State.
• Dropped out: Miami.

Sport Tours International/Hoopfeed NCAA DI Top 25 Poll for Jan. 1, 2019

Rank	School	Record	Last	Change
1	UConn	11-0	1	0
2	Notre Dame	12-1	2	0
3	Louisville	12-0	3	0
4	Oregon	11-1	5	1
5	Maryland	12-1	4	-1
6	Stanford	10-1	6	0
7	Mississippi State	12-1	7	0
8	Baylor	9-1	8	0
9	NC State	13-0	9	0
10	Oregon State	10-2	11	1
11	Tennessee	11-1	10	-1
12	Syracuse	11-2	15	3
13	Texas	10-2	14	1
14	Michigan State	11-1	21	7
15	Minnesota	12-1	12	-3
16	Kentucky	13-1	18	2
17	Gonzaga	13-1	20	3
18	Iowa	9-3	16	-2
19	California	9-2	13	-6
20	Marquette	11-3	22	2
21	DePaul	10-4	19	-2
22	Texas A&M	11-2	23	1
23	Arizona State	9-3	17	-6
24	South Carolina	8-4	25	1
25	Iowa State	10-2	NR	N/A

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 25^th.

This week’s AP Poll || USA Today Coaches Poll

The Her Hoop Stats Statistical Breakdown

The Her Hoop Stats staff provides some interesting statistical insight on teams in the top 25 and programs received votes in the poll.
Glossary

• UConn  – Suffocating Defense
  • 0.80 opponent points per scoring attempt is 8th in the country.
  • 33.3% opponent field goal percentage is 16th in the country.
  • 30.3 net points per game is 3rd in the country.
• Louisville – Steady Offense
  • 50.3% field goal percentage is 7th in the country.
  • 1.19 points per scoring attempt is 5th in the country.
• Notre Dame – Efficient Scoring
  • 89.2 points per game is 3rd in the country.
  • 52.4% field goal percentage is 2nd in the country.
• Oregon – No Free Points
  • 1.92 assist to turnover ratio is 1st in the country.
  • 11.9% opponent free throw rate is 16th in the country.
• Stanford – Paint Presence
  • 35.7% opponent two-point shooting percentage is 15th in the country.
  • 13.4% block rate is 20th in the country.
  • 23.5% opponent offensive rebounding rate is 4th in the country.
• Mississippi State – Dominance
  • 40.2 average margin of victory is 1st in the country.
  • 51.2% offensive rebounding rate is 1st in the country.
  • 7.5 blocks per game is 1st in the country.
• Baylor – All Around Dominance
  • 53.4% field goal percentage is 1st in the country.
  • 77.5% defensive rebounding rate is 1st in the country.
  • 19.7% block rate is 1st in the country.
• Tennessee – Generating Extra Chances
  • 10.8 steals per game is 30th in the country.
  • 42.5% offensive rebounding rate is 11th in the country.
• NC State – Protect The Ball
  • Opponent steal rate and block rate are top 55 in the country.
  • 1.26 assist to turnover ratio is 19th in the country.
• Oregon State – Team Ball
  • 19.8 assists per game is 10th in the country.
  • 1.38 assist to turnover ratio is 9th in the country.
• Maryland – Share The Wealth
  • 18.6 assists per game is 15th in the country.
  • Four players in double-digit scoring.
  • Three players in top 12% for points per scoring attempt.
• Syracuse – Solid Play, Tough Opponents
  • 72.4 Her Hoop Stats Defensive Rating is 5th in the country.
  • 37.3 overall Her Hoop Stats Rating is 10th in the country.
  • Held Oregon to season low 75 points.
• Minnesota – Easy Does It
  • 72.0 possessions per 40 minutes is in bottom 60% of the country.
  • 53.3 opponent points per game is 14th in the country.
  • 18.9% points from three-point range is the 31st lowest in the country.
• Iowa – High Scoring, But Deliberate
  • 83.6 points per game is 11th in the country.
  • 72.5 possessions per 40 minutes is in the bottom two-thirds of the country.
  • 51.8% field goal percentage is 5th in the country.
  • 1.20 points per scoring attempt is 3rd in the country.
• Texas – Clean Defense
  • 38.2% opponent two-point field goal percentage is 33rd in the country.
  • 0.87 opponent points per scoring attempt is 42nd in the country.
• Marquette – Clean Offense
  • 15.1% turnover rate is 14th in the country.
  • 1.37 assist to turnover ratio is 10th in the country.
  • 6.7% opponent steal rate is 3rd in the country.
• Michigan State – Team Effort
  • Five players…
  • Averaging 9.2 or more points per game
  • Averaging 2.2 or more assists per game
  • Averaging 4.3 or more rebounds per game
• DePaul – Let It Fly
  • 44.1% of points are from three which is 6th most in the country.
  • 46.1% of shots are from three which is 4th in the country.
• Kentucky – Turnover Margin Is Key
  • 28.8% opponent turnover rate is 1st in the country.
  • 16.7% steal rate is 6th in the country.
  • 14.6% turnover rate is 11th in the country.
• Gonzaga – Win The Turnover Battle
  • 0.60 opponent assist to turnover ratio is 45th in the country.
  • 15.0% steal rate is 25th in the country.
• Drake – Everybody Eats
  • 21.5 assists per game is 4th in the country.
  • 76.1% assisted shot rate is 1st in the country.
  • Five players in top 15% in assists per game.
• California – Rebounding Power
  • 56.4% total rebounding rate is 23rd in the country.
  • 73.8% defensive rebounding rate is 20th in the country.
• Texas A&M – Disrupt
  • 10.5 opponent assisteds per game is 36th in the country.
  • 0.65 opponent assist to turnover rate is 81st in the country.
• South Dakota – Take What’s Given
  • Top 35 in…
  • Free throw percentage, 78.6%
  • Defensive rebounding rate, 76.1%
  • Three pointers attempted, 299.
• Iowa State – One-woman Wrecking Crew
  • Bridget Carleton is one of the nation’s top players…
    • 18.0 points per game is in the top 3% of the country.
    • 8.7 rebounds per game is in the top 3% of the country.
    • 4.0 assists per game is in the top 5% of the country.
    • 2.4 steals per game is in the top 3% of the country.
    • 1.7 blocks per game is in the top 3% of the country.

Voting Panel

• Mel Greenberg
• Joan Bonvicini
• Prentice Beverly
• Brenda VanLengen
• Charles Hallman
• Rhiannon Potkey
• Kristopher Gardner
• Jenn Hatfield (for Her Hoop Stats)
• Cindy Brunson
• Kevin Danna
• Jasmine Baker
• Ben Parker
• Viet Nguyen
• Michael Roberson
• Lisa Bodine
• LaChina Robinson
• Cheryl Coward