ESPN released their much-too-early Top 25 Rankings (https://www.espn.com/womens-college-bask...25-2023-24):
They slotted UConn as the #1 team heading into next season, but what is much more interesting and unexpected is that they had Utah above newly crowned champs LSU and finalist Iowa and just behind the Huskies in the #2 spot. They defend this ranking pointing to the expectation that the Utes will be the only team in their rankings to return all of their starters.
LSU is #3 and Iowa is #4 and Indiana rounds out the top five. UCLA is next up at #6 (they tabbed the Bruins along with us and Utes at the top of the conference), followed by South Carolina dropping all the way down to #7 and then Ohio State in eighth position. We are all the way down at #9:
"By midseason Cameron Brink had surpassed Haley Jones as Stanford's best player, and the rising senior will be on every national player of the year shortlist. Jones' departure leaves a scoring, rebounding and ballhandling hole for Stanford. Brink will need a No. 2, and that role could fall to young guards Talana Lepolo and Indya Nivar or wing Brooke Demetre. The 6-7 Lauren Betts should be much improved, and combined with the 6-4 Brink, they could give the Cardinal the best shot-blocking tandem in the country."
Four other Pac-12 teams also cracked the top 25: Oregon was next up at #16, Colorado came in at #20, USC at #21 with the addition of top-ranked recruit JuJu Watkins and Washington State finishes the rankings in the 25th spot. Washington was also mentioned as a team considered in the rankings.
They slotted UConn as the #1 team heading into next season, but what is much more interesting and unexpected is that they had Utah above newly crowned champs LSU and finalist Iowa and just behind the Huskies in the #2 spot. They defend this ranking pointing to the expectation that the Utes will be the only team in their rankings to return all of their starters.
LSU is #3 and Iowa is #4 and Indiana rounds out the top five. UCLA is next up at #6 (they tabbed the Bruins along with us and Utes at the top of the conference), followed by South Carolina dropping all the way down to #7 and then Ohio State in eighth position. We are all the way down at #9:
"By midseason Cameron Brink had surpassed Haley Jones as Stanford's best player, and the rising senior will be on every national player of the year shortlist. Jones' departure leaves a scoring, rebounding and ballhandling hole for Stanford. Brink will need a No. 2, and that role could fall to young guards Talana Lepolo and Indya Nivar or wing Brooke Demetre. The 6-7 Lauren Betts should be much improved, and combined with the 6-4 Brink, they could give the Cardinal the best shot-blocking tandem in the country."
Four other Pac-12 teams also cracked the top 25: Oregon was next up at #16, Colorado came in at #20, USC at #21 with the addition of top-ranked recruit JuJu Watkins and Washington State finishes the rankings in the 25th spot. Washington was also mentioned as a team considered in the rankings.