UConn women No. 1 in preseason basketball poll

By: JournalNow Staff | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 31, 2009

Connecticut picked up right where it left off last season -- as the unanimous No. 1 choice in The Associated Press' women's basketball poll.

The Huskies received all 40 first-place votes yesterday from a national media panel and secured the top preseason ranking for the seventh time in program history.

Connecticut was the unanimous choice atop the poll for the final 15 weeks of last season and capped a 39-0 season with its sixth national championship. Coach Geno Auriemma returns four starters, including Maya Moore, the player of the year.

"It's a great honor," Auriemma said of the No. 1 ranking. "They worked hard last season, and we got a bunch returning who earned it."

Stanford was No. 2 in the preseason poll, with Ohio State third, Notre Dame fourth and North Carolina fifth. The Big East and ACC each have five teams in the Top 25.

Duke started the second five, and Baylor, Tennessee, LSU and Michigan State completed the top 10.

UConn led the poll all last season and has been there for 25 straight weeks. It's the fourth-longest stretch of all time, and UConn could break the record this season -- Louisiana Tech was No. 1 for 36 straight weeks from 1980 to 1982.

Other ACC teams in the Top 25 are: No. 14 Virginia, No. 15 Florida State and No. 19 Georgia Tech.