Connecticut is No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports preseason women's basketball poll

In the inexact science that is college sports polling, there is one theory that a team is No. 1 until someone else proves otherwise.

Most of the voters in the USA TODAY Sports WBCA women’s basketball coaches poll appear to subscribe to that theory. They chose four-time defending NCAA champion Connecticut as the top-ranked team in the preseason poll. The Huskies went wire-to-wire at the top a season ago en route to the program’s 11th NCAA title and a 38-0 record.

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But this time it wasn’t unanimous. UConn did get 18 of 32 first-place votes, but coach Geno Auriemma had to say goodbye to arguably the greatest senior class of his accomplished tenure. That group included four-time Final Four MVP Breanna Stewart as well as All-Americans Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson. There are still plenty of experienced Huskies returning, like junior guard Kia Nurse and sophomore wing Katie Lou Samuelson.

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But the panel also identified several candidates with the potential to snap UConn’s four-year championship streak. Heading that list is No. 2 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish received eight No. 1 votes and are just 16 poll points behind the Huskies. Third-ranked South Carolina was picked first on three ballots, No. 4 Baylor got two firsts, and the last went to Texas, which will open in a tie for No. 6 with Ohio State. Maryland rounds out the top five.

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