Pre-Season AP Top 25

[MilfordHusky]

UConn has been in the pre-season top-10 for 30 years in a row, meanwhile Stanford and Tennessee are unranked.

 

[Vowelguy]

ND above UCLA 1000%. The voters are on something for that one. LSU needs to be a bit lower, maybe 10-11.

I have OU ahead of LSU in the SEC. The sooners bombed out in the tourney so everyone forgets they had a good year AND they added Bears.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I have OU ahead of LSU in the SEC. The sooners bombed out in the tourney so everyone forgets they had a good year AND they added Bears.

I believe in the right to arm Bears!!!

...and occasionally have a few Beers. Apparently, so do the Sooners...

 

[Bone Dog]

Sorry if my humor wasn’t obvious enough. Obviously I think SC should be #1 preseason. There isn’t a serious question about this. Though if Watkins can’t return, they’re not quite the powerhouse they would otherwise be.

And yes, I realize Walker wasn’t a starter. That was the point. If the critique of UConn is a lack of experience, we could imagine a scenario in which a similar question could be raised for SC. Neither one is really persuasive.

The interesting questions for me concern Texas ND NC St and UCLA. ND looks like the best in this group but they will be missing Westbeld initially and that’s a blow for them. NC St looks like the next best given their guard play last season. Texas has some interesting pieces, including a 6’9” post who has hardly played. But they lost Muhammad, and with her went a lot of the speed on that front line. And will Justice Carlton be able to contribute? And UCLA has added even more size and maybe a better PG, but there’s no guarantee she’ll fix that backcourt. Will they exit early again, or can Rice and Betts discover the leadership qualities they’ll need to win?

The only team in this bunch that seems to me a better candidate for #2 in the preseason is USC. But this assumes Kiki and TVO can find a way to contribute. If the blue there was an early game with UConn to give us some answers.

 

[southie]

ND above UCLA 1000%. The voters are on something for that one. LSU needs to be a bit lower, maybe 10-11.

What do you base that on? UCLA probably has the deepest frontcourt in the country. Seems like ND won't be 100% healthy to start the season.

2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster - UCLA

The official 2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster for the UCLA Bruins

uclabruins.com

 

[maple]

For now I agree with SCar at #1 and UConn at #2.

Not so sure about the rest. A lot of question marks for some of these teams IMHO.

 

[DallasDomer]

What do you base that on? UCLA probably has the deepest frontcourt in the country. Seems like ND won't be 100% healthy to start the season.

2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster - UCLA

The official 2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster for the UCLA Bruins

uclabruins.com

When is ND ever healthy at the beginning of the season?:-(

I think but not sure these came out before the Westbeld Bransford announcements. But it's too early to start declaring the lunatic voters as lunatics yet.

 

[Cuango]

I think voters nailed the top 10, though South Carolina deserves to be unanimous #1.

Iowa should be top 25, even without Clark. They still have Stuehlke, Affolter, and Ol n.

Well, I‘m not so sure about whether they should be ranked right now, but I do believe they will be ranked at some point this season. (Assuming of course, that the new coach, the longtime key assistant to Lisa Bluder doesn’t let the side down) If Lucy Olson can develop a good chemistry with Hannah Stuelke and the rest of the team, they should certainly be OK on the offensive side. I’m not sure who all is in their rookie class but one player in particular imo, (Ava Heiden) is going to be a star. Perhaps not right away, but I do think she will be a force in the post for them. Stuelke and Olson will be a force to be reckoned with, so if the rest of the team can help on the offensive side, they will be fine. The defensive side is where my concern would be. If they can just be decent defensively, they will be fine.

 

[Cuango]

They absolutely should have been unanimous #1, but it doesn't really matter.

Not sure why they should be unanimous! They did lose their big stud center and now are facing the possible loss of her heir apparent in Watkins as well. I just don’t see them as some unbeatable juggernaut, which is my criteria for a unanimous pick. Should they be #1? Sure, they are defending champions and even if they do lose Watkins (either temporarily or more) they still have a formidable roster!

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I hate to say it, but I think that UConn at #2 is a bit high. Except for Paige, KK, and Shade, there are a lot of unknown (coming back from injuries) and unproven (new players). I would put them on the top 5, but not #2. Not that the pre-season ranking matters much.

As far as ranking, at this point, early in the season, I would agree, but due to possible chemistry (lot of shooters who like the same spots on the floor) and not player(s) being unknown or unproven. Kaitlyn Chen is a proven problem. Strong may be new, and I rarely get excited about freshman, but I'm all in here with confidence. I'm watching two players this year to solidify a one or two ranking come March...Azzi Fudd and Jana El Alfy.

 

[yhun89]

What do you base that on? UCLA probably has the deepest frontcourt in the country. Seems like ND won't be 100% healthy to start the season.

2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster - UCLA

The official 2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster for the UCLA Bruins

uclabruins.com

Coaching. Close doesn’t seem to know X and O unlike Ivey.

Horrible misuse of Betts/guard play lost them the game vs LSU. Coaching mishap cost them the OSU game and the PAC 12 title. Close has had 2 years worth of a roster that under any other coach, like Dawn, Geno, Ivey, Vic, etc would’ve gotten to a Final four. She hasn’t even made an Elite 8.

 

[oldude]

Coaching. Close doesn’t seem to know X and O unlike Ivey.

Horrible misuse of Betts/guard play lost them the game vs LSU. Coaching mishap cost them the OSU game and the PAC 12 title. Close has had 2 years worth of a roster that under any other coach, like Dawn, Geno, Ivey, Vic, etc would’ve gotten to a Final four. She hasn’t even made an Elite 8.

Close has a great school to recruit to, UCLA has a storied history in WBB and there is tremendous HS talent on the West Coast. But yes, through the years, Close has come up short with really talented teams.

This year, UCLA is loaded. Can Close finally get the Bruins over the hump? We’ll see……

 

[southie]

Coaching. Close doesn’t seem to know X and O unlike Ivey.

Horrible misuse of Betts/guard play lost them the game vs LSU. Coaching mishap cost them the OSU game and the PAC 12 title. Close has had 2 years worth of a roster that under any other coach, like Dawn, Geno, Ivey, Vic, etc would’ve gotten to a Final four. She hasn’t even made an Elite 8.

I remember when Ivey squandered a late 10-point lead in a Sweet 16 game against NC State in 2022. Ivey has yet to prove herself on the big stage. Close at least has made a handful of Elite 8's.

Niele Ivey (ACC) (2020–present)​
2020–21	Niele Ivey	10–10	8–7	6th
2021–22	Niele Ivey	24–10	13–5	T-3rd	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2022–23	Niele Ivey	27–6	15–3	1st	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2023–24	Niele Ivey	28–7	13–5	T-2nd	NCAA Sweet Sixteen

 

[southie]

Close has a great school to recruit to, UCLA has a storied history in WBB and there is tremendous HS talent on the West Coast. But yes, through the years, Close has come up short with really talented teams.

This year, UCLA is loaded. Can Close finally get the Bruins over the hump? We’ll see……

Agree with your comments other than UCLA having a storied history in WBB; don't believe they've ever made the Final Four.

 

[yhun89]

I remember when Ivey squandered a late 10-point lead in a Sweet 16 game against NC State in 2022. Ivey has yet to prove herself on the big stage. Close at least has made a handful of Elite 8's.

Niele Ivey (ACC) (2020–present)​
2020–21	Niele Ivey	10–10	8–7	6th
2021–22	Niele Ivey	24–10	13–5	T-3rd	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2022–23	Niele Ivey	27–6	15–3	1st	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2023–24	Niele Ivey	28–7	13–5	T-2nd	NCAA Sweet Sixteen

Coaching wise though, she clearly outcoached us this season. Outcoached a literal 11 time champion coach.

No offense to Close, but her coaching is just subpar compared to other Top 10 schools. Her guards are out of sync with Betts, and never communicate the pass. And it never got better through the season either. She had 3 5 stars in her starting lineup, the #1 and 2 recruits from 2023 no less. And she still couldn’t make an Elite 8.