The conference affiliation may have changed but the UConn women’s basketball team is still in its familiar perch - as the preseason favorite to win a conference title.
The Huskies, returning eight players from their national championship squad, were picked to win the American Athletic Conference by the other nine coaches and three UConn players were selected to the preseason all-AAC team.
Louisville, the team UConn beat in the 2013 national championship game, was picked to finish second and
received the first-place vote from UConn. South Florida, Rutgers and South Methodist rounded out the top
five.
UConn’s Breanna Stewart was selected as the preseason player of the year and she was joined on the
preseason All-AAC team by teammates Stefanie Dolson and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. Stewart, Dolson and Louisville’s Shoni Schimmel were the only unanimous all-conference selections. Bria Hartley was an honorable mention selection.
UConn returns seven of its top eight scorers from a team that went 35-4 and won the program’s eighth national title.
The Huskies will hold its annual “First Night” fan fest on Friday with the men’s and women’s teams splitting into two teams for a scrimmage. UConn opens the season on Nov. 9 against Hartford.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
1. UConn (9)
2. Louisville (1)
3. South Florida
4. Rutgers
5. Southern Methodist
6. Memphis
7. Cincinnati
8. Central Florida
9. Temple
10. Houston

ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Briahanna Jackson, Central Florida So. G
Dayeesha Hollins, Cincinnati Sr. G
Stefanie Dolson, UConn Sr. C
Sara Hammond, Louisville Jr. F
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, UConn Jr. F
Keena Mays, SMU Sr. G
Shoni Schimmel, Louisville Sr. G
Antoinita Slaughter, Louisville Sr. G
Breanna Stewart, UConn So. F
Inga Orekhova, South Florida Sr. G