And some teams came tumbling down: Notre Dame and Texas fall out of STI/Hoopfeed Poll while Arizona makes a debut
Arizona enters the poll at No. 24
After an exciting week with upsets and close games, a few elite teams rolled down a steep incline in the second Sport Tours International/Hoopfeed Top 25 Poll of the season. Other teams barely survived tough competition to maintain their position in the rankings.
Last week began with No. 20 Tennessee taking down Notre Dame 74-63 on the road. The Fighting Irish suffered another home loss Thursday night to No. 15 Michigan State. As a result of the setbacks, Notre Dame fell out of the top 25.
No. 3 Stanford, No. 8 Oregon State, and No. 9 Maryland all survived tough contests over the week. In one of the most exciting games, Stanford held off a talented Gonzaga squad in a thrilling overtime contest Sunday evening. The Cardinal exacted revenge on the Zags who came into the game with victories over the previous two regular-season meetings between the squads.
Oregon State won the Preseason WNIT Tournament but only after outlasting Pacific, DePaul and Missouri State last week. DePaul’s defeat led to a drop of two spots for the Blue Demons, landing at No. 19.
Maryland had a close call at James Madison before taking down the Dukes 70-68. The Terrapins had an easier time Sunday at home, routing Delaware 99-55.
In addition to Notre Dame, two other teams took tumbles in the poll. Arizona State fell seven spots to No. 25 after suffering a defeat to unranked Minnesota on the road 80-66. Texas fell out of the top 25 as the Longhorns lost at home to previously unranked Arizona.
Junior guard Aari McDonald went on an efficient offensive spree against Texas scoring 44 points (14-18 from the field) to set an Arizona record for points in a game. She also hit all her 14 free throws attempts. Her efforts gained her Pac-12 and ESPNw Play of the Week honors. With the win over Texas and a 4-0 overall record, the Wildcats enter the poll this week at No. 24.
Other teams receiving votes: Gonzaga, Missouri State, South Dakota, Drake, Minnesota, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Texas, Rice.
| Rank | School | Record | Last | Change |
| 1 | Oregon | 3-0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Baylor | 3-0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Stanford | 4-0 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 3-0 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | South Carolina | 4-0 | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | Louisville | 3-0 | 8 | 2 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 3-0 | 5 | -2 |
| 8 | Oregon State | 4-0 | 7 | -1 |
| 9 | Maryland | 3-0 | 9 | 0 |
| 10 | Mississippi State | 4-0 | 10 | 0 |
| 11 | UCLA | 3-0 | 11 | 0 |
| 12 | Florida State | 4-0 | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 4-0 | 14 | 1 |
| 14 | NC State | 3-0 | 13 | -1 |
| 15 | Michigan State | 3-0 | 15 | 0 |
| 16 | Miami (FL) | 3-0 | 16 | 0 |
| 17 | Syracuse | 3-0 | 19 | 2 |
| 18 | Indiana | 3-0 | 22 | 4 |
| 19 | DePaul | 2-0 | 17 | -2 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 4-0 | 20 | 0 |
| 21 | Arkansas | 4-0 | 23 | 2 |
| 22 | South Florida | 4-0 | 25 | 3 |
| 23 | Michigan | 4-0 | 26 | 3 |
| 24 | Arizona | 4-0 | NR | N/A |
| 25 | Arizona State | 2-1 | 18 | -7 |
The STI/Hoopfeed Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of media members and other women’s basketball professionals.
This week’s AP Poll || USA Today Coaches Poll
Voting Panel
- Mel Greenberg
- Joan Bonvicini
- Prentice Beverly
- Brenda VanLengen
- Charles Hallman
- Rhiannon Potkey
- Kristopher Gardner
- Jacob Mox (for Her Hoop Stats)
- Cindy Brunson
- Kevin Danna
- Jasmine Baker
- Ben Parker
- Viet Nguyen
- Michael Roberson
- Lisa Bodine
- LaChina Robinson
- Cheryl Coward
