PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Seven BIG EAST women’s basketball teams remain ranked in the Associated Pressand the USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls, released after the seventh week of play.
Once again, Connecticut topped both lists after downing then-No.22/20 Florida State 93-62 on Dec. 21 to collect its 89th consecutive win. West Virginia held on to 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 North Carolina Central 71-39 on Dec. 21.
Three league teams gained ground in the national rankings this week. Notre Dame continued its steady climb in polls, moving up one spot in each poll to No. 16/14. The Irish posted a 94-43 win over Valparaiso in their last outing on Dec. 20. St. John’s followed suit, jumping to No. 17 in the APlist, while remaining No. 17 in the USA Today/ESPN Poll. The Red Storm improved to 11-1 during their last outing, 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 also made moves in the rankings this week, climbing to No. 19/18 after beating Coppin State 73-52 on Dec. 22.
DePaul slid to No. 21/22 this week, while Syracuse rounds out the BIG EAST contingent, claiming No. 24 in the APrankings. The Blue Demons went 0-1 last week, losing to Arizona State 79-66 on Dec. 21. The Orange also received votes in the USA Today/ESPN Poll after posting a 1-1 record last week. SU suffered its first loss of the season to then-No. 2/2 Baylor 77-43 on Dec. 21, before defeating Clemson 77-58 on Dec. 22.
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.
