After Iowa women’s basketball’s (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) three victories over Nebraska (80-67), Purdue (83-74), and then-No. 5 Michigan (62-44) this past week, the Hawkeyes have reentered the Top 10 of the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
Similar to the Week 16 Women’s College Basketball AP Top 25 Poll, the Hawkeyes three victories have risen them to the No. 9 spot in this week’s Coaches Poll.
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During Sunday’s Senior Day clash against Michigan inside a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena, sophomore center Ava Heiden was a formidable force on both ends of the floor for Iowa. Heiden posted a game-high 24 points on 11-for-17 shooting, along with 10 boards, two blocks, and two steals for her third consecutive double-double (eighth of her career) to help fuel the Hawkeyes to arguably their best win of the season so far.
In addition to Iowa, six other Big Ten squads are within the updated Top 25. The No. 2 UCLA Bruins lead the group, followed by No. 8 Michigan, No. 12 Maryland, No. 13 Ohio State, No. 15 Michigan State, and No. 22 Minnesota.
Washington (two points) is the lone conference representative in the receiving votes category.
Iowa will have its final two matchups of the Big Ten regular season as fuel to potentially rise even further in next week’s AP Top 25 poll, as it hosts Illinois on Thursday, Feb. 26, and travels to Wisconsin on Sunday, March 1. Tipoff against the Fighting Illini is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network, while the clash against the Badgers is set for 2 p.m. CT on BTN+.
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Here’s a look at the full USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll for Week 17:
|
Rank |
Team |
Record |
Points |
1st |
Previous |
Change |
High/Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
UConn |
29-0 |
775 |
31 |
1 |
– |
1/1 |
|
2 |
UCLA |
27-1 |
741 |
0 |
2 |
– |
2/4 |
|
3 |
South Carolina |
27-2 |
716 |
0 |
3 |
– |
2/3 |
|
4 |
Texas |
26-3 |
680 |
0 |
4 |
– |
2/5 |
|
5 |
Vanderbilt |
25-3 |
646 |
0 |
6 |
+1 |
4/21 |
|
6 |
LSU |
24-4 |
617 |
0 |
7 |
+1 |
5/12 |
|
7 |
Oklahoma |
21-6 |
552 |
0 |
9 |
+2 |
5/16 |
|
8 |
Michigan |
22-5 |
543 |
0 |
5 |
-3 |
5/15 |
|
9 |
Iowa |
22-5 |
526 |
0 |
12 |
+3 |
8/23 |
|
10 |
TCU |
25-4 |
511 |
0 |
11 |
+1 |
7/14 |
|
11 |
Louisville |
24-5 |
467 |
0 |
8 |
-3 |
6/22 |
|
12 |
Ohio State |
23-5 |
425 |
0 |
10 |
-2 |
8/NR |
|
13 |
Maryland |
22-6 |
396 |
0 |
15 |
+2 |
6/19 |
|
14 |
Duke |
20-7 |
360 |
0 |
13 |
-1 |
6/NR |
|
15 |
Michigan State |
22-6 |
339 |
0 |
16 |
+1 |
13/NR |
|
16 |
Baylor |
24-6 |
285 |
0 |
14 |
-2 |
10/21 |
|
17 |
West Virginia |
22-6 |
276 |
0 |
19 |
+2 |
17/NR |
|
18 |
Kentucky |
20-8 |
240 |
0 |
18 |
– |
7/20 |
|
19 |
North Carolina |
23-6 |
200 |
0 |
22 |
+3 |
8/23 |
|
20 |
Ole Miss |
21-8 |
194 |
0 |
17 |
-3 |
13/20 |
|
21 |
Texas Tech |
24-5 |
191 |
0 |
20 |
-1 |
18/NR |
|
22 |
Minnesota |
21-7 |
128 |
0 |
23 |
+1 |
22/NR |
|
23 |
Alabama |
21-7 |
93 |
0 |
24 |
+1 |
21/NR |
|
24 |
Georgia |
21-7 |
74 |
0 |
25 |
+1 |
24/NR |
|
25 |
Iowa State |
21-7 |
32 |
0 |
Not Ranked |
+1 |
10/NR |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 21 Tennessee;
Others Receiving Votes
Princeton 29; Tennessee 12; Rice 11; Colorado 6; Rhode Island 4; Washington 3; North Dakota State 2; Notre Dame 1;
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s basketball soars in latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
