PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Seven BIG EAST women’s basketball teams remained ranked in the Associated Press and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls, released after the sixth week of play.
Once again, Connecticut topped both lists after downing then-No.11/10 Ohio State 81-50 on Dec. 19. West Virginia continues its steady climb in both polls, reaching No. 6/7, the highest ranking in school history, as the Mountaineers remain undefeated with a 12-0 mark. The Mountaineers went 1-0 last week, beating St. Francis (Pa.) 83-55 on Dec. 18.
DePaul gained the most ground in the polls for the BIG EAST, jumping from No. 22/25 to No. 16/18. The Blue Demons went 2-0 last week, edging Northwestern 76-72 on Dec. 13 and knocking off then-No. 3/2 Stanford 91-71 on Dec. 16.
Notre Dame and St. John’s both moved up one spot in the USA Today/ESPN poll to No. 15 and No. 17, respectively, while remaining No. 17 and No. 18 in the AP list. The Irish posted a 94-43 win over Valparaiso on Dec. 20. The Red Storm improved to 11-1 last week, defeating Southern Mississippi 81-50 on Dec. 18 and UC-Santa Barbara 56-47 on Dec. 19, while hosting the St. John’s Chartwell’s Holiday Classic.
Georgetown held on to No. 20/19 after beating Missouri State 72-59 on Dec. 19. Syracuse rounds out the BIG EAST contingent, claiming No. 23 in the AP rankings, while receiving 21 votes in the USA Today/ESPN poll. The Orange took a break from games last week to focus on exams.
Marquette continued to collect USA Today/ESPN votes.
To view the polls in their entirety, please visit the BIG EAST women’s basketball national poll page.
