   |
| |
I always argue that the tournament plays too big a role in the final rankings, but this year I'm not complaining -- hey, my alma mater slipped in at number 25 thanks to an upset of LaTech.
There weren't a lot of surprises in the rankings, and, all in all, justice appeared to be done (though Purdue dropped a little far and Texas Tech jumped a little too much for my taste).
More important, it was a great year on the court, with tons of young talent flowing into the NCAA. And though the recruiting gurus may not love the next couple classes, the game is only going to get better. Now if fans discover that, and start going to the regionals, the revolution may finally begin.
1. UConn (39-0) {14} -- 350 (1)
There's no doubt in my mind: This is the best team ever.
2. Oklahoma (32-4) -- 336 (2)
There's no disgrace is losing to UConn. Oklahoma had a marvelous season.
3. Tennessee (29-5) -- 318 (5)
The Lady Vols seemed somewhat less than the sum of their parts, but you know, it's hard to find too much fault with finishing third in the nation.
4. Duke (31-4) -- 307 (3)
Experience doesn't mean a thing until you have it. Watch out for the Blue Devils now ...
5. Vanderbilt (30-7) -- 293 (4)
I guess Jim Foster felt this was the best he could ever do at Vandy. One thing for sure: They won't be number five next year.
6. Old Dominion (28-6) -- 269 (17)
The biggest jump in the rankings was well-deserved, but I'm still not convinced the Lady Monarchs deserved a higher seed. They proved they earned one, but I don't know how the committee could have figured that out.
7. Colorado (24-10) -- 265 (13)
A lot of losses for a top ten team, but the Buffaloes picked a good time to get hot.
8. South Carolina (25-7) -- 185 (14)
The Lady Gamecocks didn't beat any great teams in the Big Polka, but they beat two pretty good ones, and hung tough against Duke.
9. Stanford (32-3) -- 225 (6)
Tournament or no tournament, the Pac-10 just wasn't enough of a test for the Cardinal, who seem to be making a tradition out of postseason frustration.
10. Kansas State (26-8) -- 195 (9)
The Wildcats capped a great season with a trip to the Sweet 16, where a veteran ODU team taught them what the tournament is all about.
11. Texas Tech (20-12) -- 190 (16)
Even though the Red Raiders made it to the Sweet 16, beating Stephen F. Austin and Mississippi State to get there didn't prove all that much. To my mind, the jury's still out on this 12-loss team.
12. Texas (22-10) -- 187 (10)
Another Big 12 team that reached the Sweet 16 after a 12 seed beat a five seed, Texas might not have been quite as good as advertised. But then again, both the Longhorns and Raiders proved themselves in the toughest league in all the land.
13. Penn State (23-12) -- 183 (19)
You have to wonder how that FIU game would have turned out if it had been played in Florida, but still, give Rene Portland and the Lions lots of credit: This was an outstanding effort by a team in transition.
14. North Carolina (26-9) -- 152 (15)
Yet another up-and-down season ended on an up note with a gut-check win over Minnesota. You wonder how much the Tar Heels will really miss Nikki Teasley.
15. Purdue (24-6) -- 146 (8)
Probably too great a punishment for that second round loss to ODU. Purdue was a really good team.
16. Brigham Young (24-9) -- 140 (nr)
Not only not ranked, but barely even mentioned. The Cougars had the most surprising run in the tournament, thumping Florida and then beating Iowa State at Iowa State. This could be just the beginning ...
17. Baylor (27-6) -- 129 (7)
The voters were never really sure about the Bears, thanks to that weak preseason schedule, and when Drake put the hammer down, their doubts were confirmed.
18. Drake (25-8) -- 127 (nr)
Beating Syracuse was nice, but beating Baylor at Baylor was vindication for Drake and the Missouri Valley. And if the tournament means that much in the final rankings, shouldn't the Bulldogs be ahead of the Bears?
19. Iowa State (24-9) -- 90 (11)
With the graduation of Angie Welle and Tracy Gahan, Bill Fennelly's going to have to rebuild. It's been a grand run, though.
20. Minnesota (22-8) -- 79 (21)
The team ran out of gas, and then the coach just ran out. A sad ending to a fairy tale season.
21. Louisiana State (18-12) -- 78 (18)
The altitude and lack of depth caught up with the Tigers, but if LSU's on your schedule next year, start worrying right now.
22. Lousiana Tech (25-5) -- 43 (12)
The Lady Techsters never beat a good team, and then the weak WAC didn't get them ready for postseason. How much longer before Leon follows Van Chancellor to the WNBA?
23. Florida International (27-6) -- 31 (20)
A wonderful season ruined by the committee's love affair with big conferences. But should we really be surprised that money talks so loudly?
24. Arkansas (20-12) -- 27 (25)
Another strong season for one of the underappreciated programs in the country. Gary Blair always finds a way to win some big games.
25. UC Santa Barbara (24-6) -- 20 (nr)
The Gauchos didn't even get a vote in the last regular season poll, and then they were badly underseeded at number 12 before taking full advantage of their opportunity. And this team was very young.
BUBBLING UNDER: Villanova (20-11) 18, Texas Christian (24-7) 17, Notre Dame (20-10 (17), Iowa (18-11) 17, Cincinnati (27-5) 16, Arizona State (25-9) 16.
All these teams won a tournament game and all but Iowa won 20 games, so a little recognition is well-deserved.
OTHERS MENTIONED: Oregon (22-13) 9, Florida (18-11) 4, Creighton (24-7 ) 4, Colorado State (24-7) 1.
This shows just how much, or little, the voters think of the NIT -- Oregon, after all, is one of just two teams that played in postseason that ended the year with a win.
DROPPED OUT: #22 Boston College, #23 Cincinnati, #24 Florida
Cincinnati could make a case that it deserved to stay, but the other two finished with a whimper -- and in Florida's case, it was a sad way to say goodbye to Carol Ross.
The Women's Basketball Mailing List is composed of women's basketball fans from all across the country. Though it does include coaches, journalists and administrators, the voters are primarily fans of the women's game. Like all polls, it suffers from the biases of the individual voters, but over the past few years, it has shown itself to be the most accurate and up-to-the-minute poll anywhere -- which is why we publish it for FCP readers each week.
Please let us know your thoughts. Contact Full Court Press.