Athlon Sports Reveals Women's Basketball Preseason Top 25 Teams

[PAC-12HoopFan]

The annual Athlon Sports College Basketball preseason magazine for '18-'19 is out on the stands. Athlon's preseason Top 25 rankings list the following for women's basketball for Division 1 for the upcoming season:

1) Notre Dame
2) UConn
3) Baylor
4) Oregon
5) Tennessee
6) Louisville
7) Oregon State
8) Stanford
9) Georgia
10) Marquette
11) North Carolina State
12) Iowa
13) Texas
14) Mississippi State
15) Syracuse
16) South Carolina
17) Maryland
18) DePaul
19) Arizona State
20) Minnesota
21) Missouri
22) Miami (Florida)
23) California
24) Nebraska
25) Texas A&M

Let the second guessing begin!

 

[Alydar]

5) Tennessee
9) Georgia
14) Mississippi State
16) South Carolina
21) Missouri
25) Texas A&M

While I think Tenn will be fun to watch with all their athletic freshmen and sophomores, I have a hard time buying this SEC list.

 

[donalddoowop]

The annual Athlon Sports College Basketball preseason magazine for '18-'19 is out on the stands. Athlon's preseason Top 25 rankings list the following for women's basketball for Division 1 for the upcoming season:

1) Notre Dame
2) UConn
3) Baylor
4) Oregon
5) Tennessee
6) Louisville
7) Oregon State
8) Stanford
9) Georgia
10) Marquette
11) North Carolina State
12) Iowa
13) Texas
14) Mississippi State
15) Syracuse
16) South Carolina
17) Maryland
18) DePaul
19) Arizona State
20) Minnesota
21) Missouri
22) Miami (Florida)
23) California
24) Nebraska
25) Texas A&M

Let the second guessing begin!

That information was posted on here at least two weeks ago. Well at least the top five.

 

[LasVegasYank]

Miss State at 14? That'll be bulletin board material in the girls' locker room.

Tennessee at 5? Those writers just never give up, do they?

 

[HGN]

Hmmm.....After losing Stevens, Gabby , and Kia , Athlton gives the Huskies something to strive for.

 

[newsincerity]

Miss State at 14? That'll be bulletin board material in the girls' locker room.

Agreed. They'll need guards to step up but I really think Teaira McCowan has unlimited potential...think Liz Cambage.

 

[bballnut90]

The annual Athlon Sports College Basketball preseason magazine for '18-'19 is out on the stands. Athlon's preseason Top 25 rankings list the following for women's basketball for Division 1 for the upcoming season:

1) Notre Dame
2) UConn
3) Baylor
4) Oregon
5) Tennessee
6) Louisville
7) Oregon State
8) Stanford
9) Georgia
10) Marquette
11) North Carolina State
12) Iowa
13) Texas
14) Mississippi State
15) Syracuse
16) South Carolina
17) Maryland
18) DePaul
19) Arizona State
20) Minnesota
21) Missouri
22) Miami (Florida)
23) California
24) Nebraska
25) Texas A&M

Let the second guessing begin!

IIRC, their list is always pretty awful. Was this the publication that put Stanford as preseason #2 last year?

As others have noted, SEC is all over the place and just flat out wrong. Would be more accurate if Mississippi State and South Carolina swapped spots with Tennessee and Georgia.

 

[Geew1992]

Do they know who Tennessee’s coach is??

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Was this the publication that put Stanford as preseason #2 last year?

Wasn't Athlon. Pretty sure it was Doug Feinberg of the AP.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Tempus fugit . Seems like just yesterday we were carpe deiming on their last early prognosis. Sure went way out on a limb with 1 and 2.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Agreed. They'll need guards to step up but I really think Teaira McCowan has unlimited potential...think Liz Cambage.

If only that UConn transfer could play, huh.

 

[Kaizen]

No Ohio State, UCLA. USC, Kentucky ???

 

[CBus13]

No Ohio State, UCLA. USC, Kentucky ???

Ohio State will be lucky to be top 7 in the Big Ten. Don't expect to see them on any rankings. Unless of course you're making a joke and it's gone over my head.

 

[WestsideWaltz]

The addition of Kayla Overbeck, Mariya Moore and Cheyanne Wallace to Minyon Moore, Aliyah Mazyck might make USC a real tournament sleeper contender. Add in freshmen like highly ranked point Desiree Caldwell and two midranked players Jillian Archer and RS Shallexus Aaron and the biggest question is whether Trakh can get them to gel.

I agree people are underestimating UCLA because of the departures of Canada and Billings but I also think there are some lingering questions about Close's coaching. I think Drummer and the little used Aly Rosenblum need to step up big and Kennedy Burke has to have her biggest season. I do think that Onyenwere, Horvat, Corsaro and Japrece Dean, taking the place of Canada, makes for an outstanding team on paper. Close has to start again. Overall, I'd still put them ahead of Cal. Gottlieb is even more questionable than Close, IMO.

 

[SCspur]

The addition of Kayla Overbeck, Mariya Moore and Cheyanne Wallace to Minyon Moore, Aliyah Mazyck might make USC a real tournament sleeper contender. Add in freshmen like highly ranked point Desiree Caldwell and two midranked players Jillian Archer and RS Shallexus Aaron and the biggest question is whether Trakh can get them to gel.

I agree people are underestimating UCLA because of the departures of Canada and Billings but I also think there are some lingering questions about Close's coaching. I think Drummer and the little used Aly Rosenblum need to step up big and Kennedy Burke has to have her biggest season. I do think that Onyenwere, Horvat, Corsaro and Japrece Dean, taking the place of Canada, makes for an outstanding team on paper. Close has to start again. Overall, I'd still put them ahead of Cal. Gottlieb is even more questionable than Close, IMO.

Really? I think Cal has its most talented squad since it’s final four run with Brittany Boyd, Reshanda Gray, and Afre Jimmerigbe (spellcheck). Kianna Smith has a lot of upside after a promising freshman season, they now have Caldwell from Texas Texh who can really score the ball, not to mention Anigwe back for her Senior season and Forbes coming in as a McDAA. IMO anything less than top 4 finish in the PAC would be underwhelming.

 

[WestsideWaltz]

Really? I think Cal has its most talented squad since it’s final four run with Brittany Boyd, Reshanda Gray, and Afre Jimmerigbe (spellcheck). Kianna Smith has a lot of upside after a promising freshman season, they now have Caldwell from Texas Texh who can really score the ball, not to mention Anigwe back for her Senior season and Forbes coming in as a McDAA. IMO anything less than top 4 finish in the PAC would be underwhelming.

I think Cal still has no shooters and that includes Caldwell, whose percentages are not that great. Anigwe is a definite superstar talent but aside from Celeste West and the unused Chen Yue, they have little inside game either. Caldwell has already suggested a four guard, one post lineup but with Anigwe's propensity for foul trouble, that could easily be a five guard lineup.

 

[SCspur]

I think Cal still has no shooters and that includes Caldwell, whose percentages are not that great. Anigwe is a definite superstar talent but aside from Celeste West and the unused Chen Yue, they have little inside game either. Caldwell has already suggested a four guard, one post lineup but with Anigwe's propensity for foul trouble, that could easily be a five guard lineup.

Yeah that’s true I also forgot about Arizona St and Stanford. It seems it’ll be harder for them to reach a top 4 finish but I do still expect them to be better than they were last year.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Gottlieb is even more questionable than Close, IMO.

I'd put them at relatively equal. Gottlieb did somehow manage to get to a Final 4.

 

[willtalk]

While not a fan of Gottlieb, Close has done less with more for multiple years now. Gottlieb's teams have had variable excuses- injuries, transfers, short bench etc. Last season they lost Cayton who was their best parameter defender and a threat to drive to the basket. They really missed her. They always seem to end up losing key players through injury or some other unforseen reason before the season even starts.

 

[nwhoopfan]

their best parameter defender

I'm not a grammar Nazi but this is too good to pass up. Always nice to have someone who can defend a parameter.