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UConn picked No. 1 in AP poll
In the days after the season-ending knee injury suffered by starting point guard Caroline Doty, UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma began to do the math.
When the final number was crunched, Auriemma figured out that the 2010-11 Huskies would be asked to replace 5,198 career points and 3,073 rebounds with the graduation of Tina Charles, Kalana Greene, Meghan Gardler, Kaili McLaren and Jacquie Fernandes coupled with the loss of Doty.
Auriemma was convinced that there was simply no way that the voters would pick his two-time defending national champions first in the Associated Press poll as they did seven times from 1995-2009.
Well, when the votes were tabulated, UConn received 39 of 40 first-place votes to be the preseason No. 1 team for the third straight year.
"It makes no sense but I guess that's what the perception is around the country, " Auriemma said. "Well, they have been No. 1 for so long that they have to be No. 1 again this year. You (subtract 5,000) points and (3,000) rebounds, hey no problem. We are good with that. It's better than them saying 'you know what, you lost an awful lot last year in Tina, Kalana and Caroline. You know what, we're going to pick you 15th.' Well, that would really (tick) me off. Now. it is like we lost all those guys and you are going to pick us No. 1. It kind of bothers me too but not as much. I guess it is a testament to where we are, what we've done."
UConn was also the preseason pick in 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008 and 2009. This is the 44th straight week the Huskies top the chart but the first time in 35 weeks that UConn isn't the unanimous pick.
Baylor, which will play UConn on Nov. 16 at the XL Center in Hartford, received the other first-place vote and was picked second. Stanford, Tennessee and Xavier round out the top five.
UConn will play five of the top 10 teams and 10 of the top 15 teams in the poll.
Here's a breakdown of when the Huskies play ranked teams this season:
2. Baylor (Nov. 16 at XL Center)
3. at Stanford (Dec. 30)
6. Duke (Jan. 31 at Gampel Pavilion)
7. Ohio State (Dec. 19 at Madison Square Garden)
10. Oklahoma (Feb. 14 at XL Center)
11. at West Virginia (Feb. 8)
12. Notre Dame (Jan. 8 at Notre Dame, Feb. 19 at Gampel Pavilion)
13. at Georgetown (Feb. 26)
14. at St. John's (Jan. 12 at Madison Square Garden)
15. at North Carolina (Jan. 17)
18. Florida State (Dec. 21 at XL Center)
When the final number was crunched, Auriemma figured out that the 2010-11 Huskies would be asked to replace 5,198 career points and 3,073 rebounds with the graduation of Tina Charles, Kalana Greene, Meghan Gardler, Kaili McLaren and Jacquie Fernandes coupled with the loss of Doty.
Auriemma was convinced that there was simply no way that the voters would pick his two-time defending national champions first in the Associated Press poll as they did seven times from 1995-2009.
Well, when the votes were tabulated, UConn received 39 of 40 first-place votes to be the preseason No. 1 team for the third straight year.
"It makes no sense but I guess that's what the perception is around the country, " Auriemma said. "Well, they have been No. 1 for so long that they have to be No. 1 again this year. You (subtract 5,000) points and (3,000) rebounds, hey no problem. We are good with that. It's better than them saying 'you know what, you lost an awful lot last year in Tina, Kalana and Caroline. You know what, we're going to pick you 15th.' Well, that would really (tick) me off. Now. it is like we lost all those guys and you are going to pick us No. 1. It kind of bothers me too but not as much. I guess it is a testament to where we are, what we've done."
UConn was also the preseason pick in 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008 and 2009. This is the 44th straight week the Huskies top the chart but the first time in 35 weeks that UConn isn't the unanimous pick.
Baylor, which will play UConn on Nov. 16 at the XL Center in Hartford, received the other first-place vote and was picked second. Stanford, Tennessee and Xavier round out the top five.
UConn will play five of the top 10 teams and 10 of the top 15 teams in the poll.
Here's a breakdown of when the Huskies play ranked teams this season:
2. Baylor (Nov. 16 at XL Center)
3. at Stanford (Dec. 30)
6. Duke (Jan. 31 at Gampel Pavilion)
7. Ohio State (Dec. 19 at Madison Square Garden)
10. Oklahoma (Feb. 14 at XL Center)
11. at West Virginia (Feb. 8)
12. Notre Dame (Jan. 8 at Notre Dame, Feb. 19 at Gampel Pavilion)
13. at Georgetown (Feb. 26)
14. at St. John's (Jan. 12 at Madison Square Garden)
15. at North Carolina (Jan. 17)
18. Florida State (Dec. 21 at XL Center)
posted by Jim Fuller at
12:35 PM
3 Comments:
Preseason Polls are useless. Look at how many different teams have been #1 in NCAA football.
In my humble opinion, this preseason poll was fixed to hype the matchup between UConn (#1) and Baylor (#2).
Realistically, it really should be #1 Baylor at #6 UConn.
Baylor, Stanford, Tennessee, Duke, and Xavier should all be ahead of UConn at this point in time.
UConn’s goal remains the same as it always has – Win the Last Six Games of the NCAA Basketball Season.
:)
Any news on Kiah Stokes or Elizabeth Williams?
No. 29 Isabelle Harrison committs to Tennessee, joining No. 3 Cierra Burdick and No. 4 Ariel Massengale.
No. 13 Temi Fagbenle committs to Harvard.
No. 35 Raven Ferguson committs to Ohio State.
No. 40 Aly Mallot committs to Dayton. Did UConn once recruit her?
Have not been following the Elizabeth Williams recruitment since I reported that UConn did not make her list of finalists. As I reported a couple days back, Kiah Stokes will likely make her decision by the end of next week.
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