STI/Hoopfeed Poll for 2/4/20: After losing to Oregon, UConn drops out of top five; South Carolina maintains grip at No. 1
Oregon’s win over UConn leads to a shift among elite teams in the rankings
While no teams fell out of the Sport Tours International/Hoopfeed Top 25 Poll this week, there were some significant changes as upsets around the country led to shifts in the rankings. Even with the exciting games of last week, South Carolina managed to hold on to No. 1, remaining unbeaten in SEC play after victories over Ole Miss and this week’s No. 23 Tennessee.
At No. 2, Baylor didn’t budge as the Lady Bears continued to build on their Big 12-record winning streak, beating Iowa State and then Texas for conference win No. 49.
No. 3 Oregon caught the nation’s attention with a 74-56 win over UConn on the road in front of a national television audience. The Ducks handed the Huskies their worst loss at home since 2005. All five Oregon starters finished in double figures led by senior forward Ruthy Hebard who earned a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Her teammate, junior forward Satou Sabally, also had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. With the loss, UConn fell three places in the poll to No. 7.
The Louisville Cardinals and the Stanford Cardinal round out the top five. The Cardinals had a fun week that ended with an exhibition contest on Sunday against the U.S. Senior Women’s National Team. The contest featured the return of former Louisville star Angel McCoughtry, a member of the national team’s Olympic pool for the 2020 Tokyo Games. Before the weekend, Louisville beat Notre Dame on Thursday night.
Stanford had a stellar weekend, sweeping Washington and Washington State, on a road swing in the Pacific Northwest. The Cardinal remains without key players who are recovering from injuries: senior guard DiJonai Carrington, junior forward Maya Dodson, and freshman guard Haley Jones. There is no timetable on their return.
No. 10 UCLA dropped two places in the poll. The Bruins lost a road game to the Arizona Wildcats on Friday before recovering to beat Arizona State Sunday. The Wildcats keeping inching higher in the poll and landed at No. 12 this week after rising four places.
Arizona is on a five-game win streak that includes a sweep of the Pac-12’s Los Angeles schools over the weekend, a feat capped by a victory over USC on Sunday. Wildcats guard Aari McDonald is the current Pac-12 Player of the Week. She averaged an impressive 23.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game against UCLA and USC.
DePaul dropped three places to No. 14 after falling to Creighton on Friday. Florida State also saw a decline, sliding four spots to No. 17 due to a defeat at the hands of unranked Boston College on Thursday. Iowa slipped out of the top 20 to No. 21. Unranked Michigan beat the Hawkeyes on Sunday.
Other teams that received votes: Princeton, LSU, West Virginia, TCU, FGCU, and Stony Brook.
| Rank | School | Record | Last | Change |
| 1 | South Carolina | 21-1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Baylor | 19-1 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Oregon | 20-2 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Louisville | 21-1 | 5 | 1 |
| 5 | Stanford | 20-2 | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | NC State | 21-1 | 7 | 1 |
| 7 | UConn | 19-2 | 4 | -3 |
| 8 | Oregon State | 18-4 | 9 | 1 |
| 9 | Mississippi State | 20-3 | 10 | 1 |
| 10 | UCLA | 19-2 | 8 | -2 |
| 11 | Gonzaga | 22-1 | 12 | 1 |
| 12 | Arizona | 18-3 | 16 | 4 |
| 13 | Maryland | 18-4 | 17 | 4 |
| 14 | DePaul | 20-3 | 11 | -3 |
| 15 | Kentucky | 17-4 | 14 | -1 |
| 16 | Texas A&M | 18-4 | 15 | -1 |
| 17 | Florida State | 18-4 | 13 | -4 |
| 18 | Arizona State | 16-6 | 19 | 1 |
| 19 | Indiana | 18-5 | 20 | 1 |
| 20 | Northwestern | 19-3 | 22 | 2 |
| 21 | Iowa | 18-4 | 18 | -3 |
| 22 | South Dakota | 21-2 | 23 | 1 |
| 23 | Tennessee | 17-5 | 21 | -2 |
| 24 | Missouri State | 18-3 | 24 | 0 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 18-4 | 25 | 0 |
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
- Ben Parker
- Viet Nguyen
- Michael Roberson
- Lisa Bodine
- LaChina Robinson
- Cheryl Coward
