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Final WBB Top 25 Polls & ESPN's Way-Too-Early WBB Top 25 for 2022-23

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Aug 29, 2004
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USA Today Coaches Top 25 - Final (4/4)
1. South Carolina (30) (35-2)
2. Connecticut (30-6)
3. Stanford (32-4)
4. Louisville (30-5)
5. North Carolina State (32-4)
6. Texas (29-7)
7. Michigan (25-7)
8. Iowa State (28-7)
9. Maryland (23-9)
10. Indiana (24-9)

11. Baylor (28-7)
12. LSU (26-6)
13. Ohio State (25-7)
14. Iowa (24-8)

15. Tennessee (25-9)
16. North Carolina (25-7)
17. Notre Dame (25-9)
18. Arizona (21-8)
19. BYU (26-4)
20. Florida Gulf Coast (30-3)
21. Oklahoma (25-9)
22. Central Florida (26-4)
23. Creighton (23-10)
24. South Dakota (29-6)
25. Virginia Tech (23-10)

Others Receiving Votes
Georgia, Kentucky, South Dakota State, Princeton, Oregon, Gonzaga, Utah, Nebraska, Seton Hall, Kansas, UCLA, Colorado, Villanova, Mississippi, South Florida, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Florida
 

Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2022-23
1. South Carolina
2. Connecticut
3. Stanford
4. Texas
5. Maryland
6. Iowa

7. Iowa State
8. Tennessee
9. Notre Dame
10. Oklahoma
11. North Carolina
12. Arizona
13. Ohio State
14. Louisville
15. Virginia Tech
16. North Carolina State
17. Indiana
18. Oregon
19. Utah
20. Nebraska
21. Kansas
22. UCLA
23. Princeton
24. Creighton
25. Baylor

Also Considered
South Dakota State, Arkansas, Kansas State, Gonzaga

================================

5. Maryland
Injuries wreaked havoc with the Terps' season, and even though they never lived up to expectations as a result, they still ended up in the Sweet 16. With Angel Reese, Ashley Owusu, Diamond Miller, Shyanne Sellers and the addition of Florida transfer Lavender Briggs, Maryland has a collection of offensive pieces that is unrivaled. If Brenda Frese can add some more size via the transfer portal, getting back to the top of the Big Ten is likely.

6. Iowa
The loss to Creighton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament was devastating. It could have been more devastating had that been Monika Czinano's last game. The decision by the nation's field goal percentage leader to use her extra year of eligibility to once again pair with Caitlin Clark, the nation's leader in scoring and assists, is enough to make the Hawkeyes a threat for bigger things than just a Big Ten title.

13. Ohio State
In one of the quietest championship seasons the Big Ten has ever seen, the Buckeyes tied Iowa for the regular season title. They should return four of the top five scorers from that team, and much will revolve around the backcourt. Taylor Mikesell's decision to take her extra season to rejoin All-America candidate Jacy Sheldon, plus a full recovery by Madison Greene -- who missed the 2021-22 season with a knee injury but averaged 13.4 ppg in 2020-21 -- combine to give Ohio State a trio that is hard to match.

17. Indiana
Much will be made of how the chemistry Nicole Cardano-Hillary, Ali Patberg and Aleksa Gulbe helped create will disappear, so it's easy to forget that the Hoosiers' two best players -- Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes -- will be back in Bloomington. Coach Teri Moren does have some work to do to rebuild around Berger and Holmes, but having two honorable mention All-Americans is a good way to keep the program among the best in the Big Ten.

20. Nebraska
Early in the 2021-22 season, sophomore Jaz Shelley was the Cornhuskers' best player. By season's end, that distinction had gone to freshman Alexis Markowski. Senior Sam Haiby was always the glue. All three, plus 11.1 ppg scorer Isabelle Bourne, plan to return, giving coach Amy Williams a chance to have her best team in her seven seasons as Nebraska's coach.
 
ISU has their whole roster returning.

I am going to be very happy when the words "free covid year" are never used again

One thing to note: now that EVERYONE coming back for 2022-2023 counts against the scholarship limit, that impacted some 2022 high school seniors who might have otherwise gotten a D1 scholarship (or a better D1 scholarship).
 
Looks like people think Michigan won't recover from losing Naz Hillmon. I feel they will still be pretty good to be a top 25 team.
 

1. South Carolina
2. Connecticut
3. Stanford
4. Iowa
5. Iowa State
6. Texas
7. Notre Dame
8. Tennessee
9. Maryland
10. North Carolina
11. Oklahoma
12. Virginia Tech
13. UCLA
14. Louisville
15. North Carolina State
16. Kansas State
17. Ohio State
18. Arizona
19. Belmont
20. Indiana
21. Kansas
22. Creighton
23. Michigan
24. Oregon
25. Oregon State

========================

4. Iowa
Key Departures:
None

Top Returnees: Caitlin Clark (6-0, guard, JR); Monika Czinano (6-3, center, SR); McKenna Warnock (6-1, forward, SR); Kate Martin (6-0, guard, SR); Gabbie Marshall (5-9, guard, SR)

Incoming: Hannah Stuelke (6-2, wing, No. 45); Jada Gyamfi (6-1, forward, No. 76); Taylor McCabe (5-9, guard, No. 89)

The reigning Big Ten champs ran out of steam in the NCAA Tournament, but every starter returns thanks to Czinano deciding to use her bonus year of eligibility for a super senior season. Clark will, again, be the star, but the Hawkeyes will need to use this offseason to make sure others around her can take the scoring pressures off her. Iowa is at its best when Czinano can get going in the paint and another player (or two) outside of Clark can be a consistent weapon from range. In the third year of this starting unit playing together, perhaps this is the time when everything really comes together.

========================

9. Maryland
Key departures:
Ashley Owusu, 6-0 point guard (transfer); Katie Benzan, 5-6 guard; Chloe Bibby, 6-2 forward; Channise Lewis, 5-8 guard (transfer); Tai Koslova, 6-1 guard (transfer)

Top returnees: Angel Reese, 6-3 forward, junior; Diamond Miller, 6-3 guard, senior; Shyanne Sellers, 6-2 guard, sophomore

Incoming: Mila Reynolds, 6-2 guard (No. 60); Lavender Briggs, 6-1 guard, redshirt junior (mid-season transfer from Florida with two seasons of eligibility remaining)


With Owusu entering the transfer portal, there are now questions about how this offense-driven team will function. The good news for the Terps: If Reese and Miller stay healthy, they can power an offense that might function even if the point guard is only good, not great. Plus, Sellers’ growth during her freshman season was impressive, and she could become one of the Big Ten’s best perimeter defenders next year. Adding Briggs, who averaged 16 points a game in 61 games at Florida while shooting 40 percent, gives the Terrapins another dynamic scorer who has an ability to distribute. Still, Brenda Frese will need to find that point guard; without one on the roster or in the recruiting class, perhaps we’ll see her turn to the portal.

========================

17. Ohio State
Key departures:
Braxtin Miller, 5-11 guard

Top returnees: Taylor Mikesell, 5-11 guard; Jacy Sheldon, 5-10 point guard, senior; Rebeka Mikuláśiková, senior; Madison Greene, 5-8 guard, senior

Incoming: Cotie McMahon, 5-11 wing

With the return of Greene, who only played 15 games in 2021-22 before suffering a season-ending injury, this again will be a very guard-driven team. With Sheldon as a scoring point (4.2 assists per game, 19.7 points per game) and targets in Mikesell (18.6 points per game, 48 percent 3-point shooter) and Greene, the Buckeyes will make some noise in the Big Ten.

========================

20. Indiana
Key Departures:
Ali Patberg, 5-11 guard; Nicole Cardaño-Hillary, 5-6 guard; Aleksa Gulbe, 6-3 forward

Top returnees: Grace Berger, 6-0 guard, fifth year; Mackenzie Holmes, 6-3 forward, senior; Chloe Moore-McNeil, 5-11 guard, junior

Incoming: Lexus Bargesser, 5-8 guard

The Hoosiers lose three starters off their Sweet 16 team, but Berger and Holmes are enough to build around, especially in a Big Ten that will be seeing some transitioning rosters at the top. Could Teri Moren turn to the transfer portal to add more depth, given her starting unit won’t be as experienced from one through five this season?

========================

23. Michigan
Key Departures:
Naz Hillmon, 6-2 forward; Danielle Rauch, 5-8 point guard; Emily Kiser, 6-3 forward

Top returnees: Leigha Brown, 6-1 guard, fifth year; Maddie Nolan, 5-11 guard, senior; Laila Phelia, 6-0 guard, sophomore

Incoming: Alyssa Crockett, 6-1 forward; Kate Clarke, 6-0 guard

The Wolverines will need to learn how to win in a different way without their rebounding juggernaut of Hillmon in the paint. With Brown back and the way Phelia grew throughout this season, Kim Barnes Arico has plenty of talent with which to work.
 
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Iowa is the best team in the B1G. Everything else is nonsense.
 
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