Women's Basketball Earns First National Ranking Since 2000
Oct. 30, 2009
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
The Kansas women’s basketball team earned its first national ranking in over nine years when the Associated Press announced its 2009-10 Preseason Poll Friday. The Jayhawks are ranked No. 20 in the season-opening poll.
The Jayhawks, who return four starters from last season’s 22-14 team, are in the poll for the first time since Feb. 21, 2000 and are ranked in the AP Preseason Poll for the first time since the 1999 poll came out.
“There’s a nice buzz surrounding our program,” said Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson, who is entering her sixth season at the helm of the Jayhawk program. “It’s a tribute to the kids we have returning in our program and the way we played down the stretch last season.”
Kansas, one of four Big 12 Conference teams in the poll, is led by 2009 Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Danielle McCray, who averaged 21.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 2008-09 on her way to Honorable Mention All-America honors and a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team. The Jayhawks also have senior guard Sade
Morris (12.7 ppg) and junior center Krysten Boogaard (9.0 ppg) returning, as well as, highly touted redshirt freshman guard Angel Goodrich, who missed the entire 2008-09 season with a knee injury.
Connecticut picked up right where it left off last season: unanimous No. 1 in the women’s basketball poll.
The Huskies received all 40 first-place votes Friday from a national media panel. It’s the seventh time in school history UConn has held the top preseason ranking by The Associated Press.
Stanford was voted second and Ohio State third, with Notre Dame and North Carolina rounding out the first five.
Duke and Baylor start the next five, followed by Tennessee. LSU is ninth, with Michigan State rounding out the top 10.
Xavier is No. 11 — Kansas’ opening round opponent in the Junkanoo Jam (Nov. 26). The Musketeers are followed by Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia and Florida State, while Arizona State, DePaul, California, Georgia Tech and KU complete the first 20.
Georgia, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Middle Tennessee State and Rutgers finish off the Top 25.
Kansas is one of eight teams in the poll not ranked at the end of last season. The others are LSU, Michigan State, DePaul, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Middle Tennessee State and Rutgers.
The Jayhawks will open the 2009-10 Sunday afternoon when they host Pittsburg State in their exhibition opener. Game time is slated for 2 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse
Associated Press Preseason Top 25
- Connecticut (40)
- Stanford
- Ohio State
- Notre Dame
- North Carolina
- Duke
- Baylor
- Tennessee
- LSU
- Michigan State
- Xavier
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Virginia
- Florida State
- Arizona State
- DePaul
- California
- Georgia Tech
- Kansas
- Georgia
- Vanderbilt
- Louisville
- Middle Tennessee State
- Rutgers
