STI/Hoopfeed Poll: Top five shakeup as Stanford takes over top spot; LSU and South Dakota make debut
Stanford takes over the top spot, South Dakota enters
Last week’s Thanksgiving holiday tournaments provided a bounty of great games for fans of parity in women’s basketball. Top ten teams battled for dominance resulting in a new No. 1: Stanford (8-0). The undefeated Cardinal managed to win three games over the holiday without starting guard DiJonai Carrington who sat out due to a sore knee.
After surviving a close contest against unranked Cal Baptist, Stanford took down last week’s No. 20 Syracuse (4-3) and previous No. 9 Mississippi State (8-1). Starting point guard Kiana Williams went down in the third game with 3:24 left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury but her teammates pulled off the win without her. Mississippi State fell two spots to No. 11.
Ranked at No. 1 all season, Oregon (6-1) experienced a stunner when the Ducks fell 72-62 at the hands of Louisville (8-0) on Saturday in the U.S. Virgin Islands. With the loss, Oregon fell to No. 3 while the Cardinals advanced six places to No. 2 in the most dramatic rise in the poll.
Later that day, South Carolina (8-1) topped Baylor 74-59 in another Caribbean upset. South Carolina moved up a spot to No. 6 while Baylor (7-1) fell five places to No. 7.
No. 8 Florida State (7-0) also had a good week, taking down Texas A&M 80-58 during the Maggie Dixon Classic at TCU in Fort Worth. FSU gained five spots while the Aggies fell six spots to No. 13.
Arizona continued to rise with easy wins over UC Riverside and Monmouth. The Wildcats advanced four places to No. 18.
Arkansas re-entered the poll at No. 23 while LSU and South Dakota emerged aa newcomers in the rankings. LSU began a string of wins over three days by taking down Michigan State. With the victory over a ranked team, LSU entered the poll at No. 24 while Michigan State fell four places to No. 19.
South Dakota won both of its games at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas, first beating Ohio State before downing Northern Illinois. The Coyotes cracked the poll at No. 25. South Dakota senior guard Ciara Duffy earned the tournament’s MVP award.
Teams that dropped out: West Virginia, Syracuse, South Florida.
Other teams that received votes: FGCU, Michigan, Syracuse, West Virginia, Kansas, South Dakota State, Purdue, California, Arizona State, North Carolina, Rutgers.
| Rank | School | Record | Last | Change |
| 1 | Stanford | 8-0 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | Louisville | 8-0 | 8 | 6 |
| 3 | Oregon | 6-1 | 1 | -2 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 6-0 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Oregon State | 7-0 | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | South Carolina | 8-1 | 5 | -1 |
| 7 | Baylor | 7-1 | 2 | -5 |
| 8 | Florida State | 7-0 | 13 | 5 |
| 9 | Maryland | 7-1 | 10 | 1 |
| 10 | UCLA | 7-0 | 11 | 1 |
| 11 | Mississippi State | 8-1 | 9 | -2 |
| 12 | NC State | 8-0 | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | Texas A&M | 5-1 | 7 | -6 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 7-0 | 14 | 0 |
| 15 | Indiana | 6-1 | 17 | 2 |
| 16 | DePaul | 6-1 | 16 | 0 |
| 17 | Tennessee | 7-0 | 19 | 2 |
| 18 | Arizona | 7-0 | 22 | 4 |
| 19 | Michigan State | 6-1 | 15 | -4 |
| 20 | Gonzaga | 6-1 | 24 | 4 |
| 21 | Missouri State | 7-1 | 25 | 4 |
| 22 | Miami | 5-2 | 18 | -4 |
| 23 | Arkansas | 7-1 | NR | N/A |
| 24 | LSU | 8-1 | NR | N/A |
| 25 | South Dakota | 7-1 | 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.
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
