S. Carolina No. 1 in women's preseason AP poll

Dawn Staley and South Carolina picked up close wherever they near off: No. 1 successful The Associated Press Top 25 women's hoops poll.

The defending nationalist champion Gamecocks were the unanimous prime of the 30-member nationalist media sheet successful the preseason canvass released Tuesday. It's the 3rd consecutive play South Carolina is the preseason favorite.

"This is wherever we wanted to beryllium and envisioned for our program," Staley said. "I got to springiness it to our players. We perpetually get immoderate of the champion players successful the country. They enactment america successful this presumption arsenic they enactment highly hard. I don't cognize if they travel successful and accidental one privation to beryllium the No. 1 squad successful the country, but they bash accidental they privation to beryllium nationalist champions. This is simply a measurement to being a nationalist champion."

Stanford, Texas, Iowa and Tennessee circular retired the apical 5 teams successful the preseason poll. It is Iowa's champion ranking since 1994 erstwhile the Hawkeyes were besides 4th successful midseason.

"It makes nary quality successful March what we're ranked successful October, but surely I privation my squad to person assurance and beryllium arrogant of what they've accomplished. Iowa is connected the map," manager Lisa Bluder said. "We'll observe it and past forgot astir it."

South Carolina went wire-to-wire arsenic the No. 1 squad past twelvemonth and person been the apical squad for 20 consecutive weeks. Only UConn (four times) and Baylor (once) person had longer streaks astatine No. 1 since the 1994-95 play erstwhile the Top 25 became a writers' poll.

The Huskies are ranked No. 6, the archetypal clip since 2006 that they weren't successful the archetypal 5 successful the preseason poll. Louisville, Iowa State, Notre Dame and N.C. State decorativeness disconnected the apical 10.

HOLD THAT TIGER

Princeton has its archetypal preseason ranking, coming successful astatine No. 24.

The Tigers were ranked for the last 2 weeks of past play and instrumentality 4 starters from the squad that pulled disconnected 1 of the biggest upsets successful NCAA Tournament, upending Kentucky successful the archetypal circular earlier falling to Indiana by a constituent successful the adjacent game.

"It's large for our programme and for the Ivy League and putting immoderate respect connected what we've done successful the past," manager Carla Berube said. "I deliberation it's tremendous for our squad and for america to unrecorded up to the standards we've set, we've got lofty goals. To beryllium ranked successful the preseason means a lot, but there's a batch of enactment to beryllium done."

Berube has upped the Tigers docket to situation them with games astatine Texas and astatine UConn, her alma mater.

"We've learned that if you person a pugnacious non-conference docket it tin get you acceptable for the Ivy League and beyond that," she said.

CORNHUSKER RUN

There are precocious expectations successful the authorities of Nebraska. No. 21 Creighton has its archetypal preseason ranking portion No. 22 Nebraska was its archetypal ranking since 2015. It's the archetypal clip successful the past of the canvass that some teams person been ranked successful the aforesaid week.

"It's bully to person Creighton and Nebraska successful Top 25. It's bully for the state," Creighton manager Jim Flanery said.

The Bluejays are coming disconnected a large play erstwhile they precocious to the archetypal Elite Eight successful schoolhouse past by knocking disconnected No. 2 effect Iowa astatine location successful the 2nd circular and Iowa State successful the determination semifinals. Expectations are precocious this year.

"It says to our players that they enactment the programme successful a amended presumption than we've ever been in," Flanery said. "That's bully for them. I deliberation they merit it. They worked to get america to this point. I don't deliberation it changes their approach."

TIP-INS

No. 13 Virginia Tech has its champion ranking since the last canvass of 1999 erstwhile the schoolhouse was besides 13th. ... No. 23 South Dakota State is ranked successful the preseason for the archetypal clip successful schoolhouse history.

CONFERENCE WATCH

The Big Ten is tops successful the federation with six ranked teams. Joining No. 4 Iowa are No. 11 Indiana, No. 14 Ohio State, No. 17 Maryland, No. 22 Nebraska and No. 25 Michigan.

The ACC has 5 teams successful the poll, including 3 successful the apical 10. Joining Louisville, Notre Dame and N.C. State are No. 12 North Carolina and No. 13 Virginia Tech.

The Big 12 has 4 programs ranked, led by No. 3 Texas and No. 8 Iowa State. No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 18 Baylor are besides ranked.

The SEC and Pac-12 each person 3 teams successful the poll. No. 16 LSU joins top-ranked South Carolina and No. 5 Tennessee for the SEC. No. 19 Arizona and No. 20 Oregon articulation No. 2 Stanford for the Pac-12.

No. 21 Creighton and UConn correspond the Big East portion No. 24 Princeton is the lone schoolhouse from the Ivy League and No. 23 South Dakota State the lone Summit League squad successful the rankings.