The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team was on a magical ride last year exceeding expectations on their way to an appearance in the national championship game. A Big Ten Championship and an NCAA Tournament run this year are now the high bar of expectations.
Led by star guard Caitlin Clark, who just put up a triple-double in the Crossover at Kinnick, the Hawkeyes have reloaded their lineup to make another run. Iowa is the favorite to win the Big Ten and one of the top teams in America.
The USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll came out and the Iowa Hawkeyes are ranked No. 3. They are also No. 3 in the Associated Press top 25 poll. Ahead of Iowa are the defending champs, the LSU Tigers, at No. 1 and the UConn Huskies at No. 2.
Other Big Ten schools are represented well. The Ohio State Buckeyes are ranked No. 6, the Indiana Hoosiers are ranked No. 9, the Maryland Terrapins are ranked No. 11, and the Michigan Wolverines are ranked No. 25.
Here is a look at the entire USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | LSU | 0-0 | 797 | – |
| 2 | UConn | 0-0 | 727 | – |
| 3 | Iowa | 0-0 | 713 | – |
| 4 | South Carolina | 0-0 | 671 | – |
| 5 | Virginia Tech | 0-0 | 617 | – |
| 6 | Ohio State | 0-0 | 598 | – |
| 7 | Utah | 0-0 | 565 | – |
| 8 | UCLA | 0-0 | 555 | – |
| 9 | Indiana | 0-0 | 534 | – |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 0-0 | 511 | – |
| 11 | Maryland | 0-0 | 451 | – |
| 12 | Tennessee | 0-0 | 431 | – |
| 13 | Stanford | 0-0 | 427 | – |
| 14 | Texas | 0-0 | 357 | – |
| 15 | Louisville | 0-0 | 309 | – |
| 16 | Ole Miss | 0-0 | 304 | – |
| 17 | North Carolina | 0-0 | 278 | – |
| 18 | Colorado | 0-0 | 212 | – |
| 19 | Duke | 0-0 | 152 | – |
| 20 | Baylor | 0-0 | 151 | – |
| 21 | USC | 0-0 | 138 | – |
| 22 | Florida State | 0-0 | 128 | – |
| 23 | Oklahoma | 0-0 | 95 | – |
| 23 | Creighton | 0-0 | 95 | – |
| 25 | Michigan
Miami (FL) |
0-0
0-0 |
75
75 |
–
– |
Others Receiving Votes
Mississippi State, 67; Villanova, 42; Gonzaga, 40; Washington State, 34; Arizona, 33; FGCU, 27; Iowa State, 26; Kansas State, 22; Kansas, 22; South Florida, 16; Marquette, 16; UNLV, 14; Nebraska, 12; Princeton, 11; North Carolina State, 10; Oregon, 9; Illinois, 8; Toledo, 6; Middle Tennessee, 6; South Dakota State, 5; Texas A&M, 4; Georgia, 3; Arkansas, 1.
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