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Mississippi State Begins the Season #4 in Preseason Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

Mississippi State begins the preseason at #4 following last season’s run to the National Championship Game

By Will Larsen
NCAA Womens Basketball: NCAA Tournament-Oklahoma City Regional-Baylor vs Mississippi State Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi State begins the season at #4 in the country and #2 in the SEC according to the USA Today Coaches Poll.

The Top 3

Connecticut is back on top at #1 receiving 25 out of the 32 first place votes. UConn is expected to be loaded with another top recruiting class and a transfer from Duke that is expected to make an immediate impact. The Defending National and SEC Champions enter at #2 receiving the other 7 first place votes. They return A’ja Wilson but lose key play makers Alaina Coates and Allisha Gray. While this South Carolina team might not be as good as last season’s squad, expect this team to remain a top 5 team. Baylor checks in at #3 in the country. Baylor lost in OT to Mississippi State at the Elite Eight in Oklahoma City. While they don’t return as much depth at C, they still return Kalani Brown and that will be enough for them to win the Big 12.

Top 10:

  1. Connecticut
  2. South Carolina
  3. Baylor
  4. Mississippi State
  5. Notre Dame
  6. Texas
  7. UCLA
  8. Ohio State
  9. Stanford
  10. Louisville

Full Top 25

The Rest of the SEC

Missouri at #16 and Tennessee at #18 give the SEC 4 teams in the Preseason Poll. Texas A&M has the most receiving votes while Kentucky has the 3rd most receiving votes. Missouri appears to be the biggest challenger in the SEC outside of Mississippi State and South Carolina. They return Sophie Cunningham and are a legit SEC contender. Texas A&M will probably be that 4th team and outside of them I think that 5th spot is up for grabs. Tennessee has had quite the offseason to say the least.

#4 Mississippi State

Mississippi State returns seniors Blair Schaefer, Morgan William, and Victoria Vivians, while also returning Teaira McCowan. With talented players like Myah Taylor and Chloe Bibby, this Mississippi State squad looks as deep as it’s ever been despite losing 4 seniors. This is once again a Final Four Contender and a top 2 SEC team. I think Mississippi State has a great chance to win the SEC this year since they get South Carolina at home this season. The SEC Tournament is in Nashville TN this season as well so it will not be a total home game for South Carolina this season.

The AP will release their preseason poll soon and expect Mississippi State to be a top 5 team in that poll as well.

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