The Huskies received a pair of first-place votes as well.
UConn women’s basketball came in at No. 2 in the AP Preseason Poll on Saturday and received a pair of first-place votes as well. It’s the same spot the Huskies were ranked at the start of the 2022-23 season.
They landed behind defending national champions South Carolina, but ahead of USC, Texas and UCLA in the top five, respectively.
UConn will play seven teams in the preseason top 25 this season: No. 1 South Carolina (Feb. 16), No. 3 USC (Dec. 21), No. 6 Notre Dame (Dec. 12), No. 8 Iowa State (Dec. 17), No. 15 UNC (Nov. 15), No. 17 Louisville (Dec. 7) and No. 21 Creighton (Jan. 25, Feb. 27). The Huskies could also potentially face No. 20 Ole Miss in the second game of the Baha Mar Women’s Championship on Nov. 27.
Some notable teams outside the top 25 to receive votes are Shea Ralph’s Vanderbilt squad, Tennessee (who UConn will play on Feb. 6), Fairfield and Carla Berube’s Princeton team.
Last season, the Huskies reached the Final Four and although they lost Nika Mühl and Aaliyah Edwards to graduation, they return superstar Paige Bueckers along with KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade from that squad. They’ll also get a slew of players back from injury, most notably Azzi Fudd and Jana El Alfy, while adding Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen and a top-ranked freshman class.
The season kicks off on Nov. 7 against Boston University at the XL Center in Hartford.