Indiana Women Ranked No. 8 in Associated Press Preseason Top-25 Poll

Indiana's women's basketball team earned its highest ranking ever on Tuesday when they were ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press preseason top-25 poll. The Hoosiers, who have had six straight 20-win seasons under coach Teri Moren, open the season with an exhibition game on Nov. 5 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Coming off an Elite Eight run and the return of practically its entire roster, big things are expected of Indiana's women's basketball team this season. 

That's true internally, of course, but the Hoosiers are in the national spotlight as well. They are ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press top-25 preseason poll, its highest ranking in school history. 

The Hoosiers have appeared in the AP preseason poll for four consecutive seasons. Their previous highest ranking was at No. 9 in Week 16 last season. Indiana finished last season ranked No. 12 and have now been ranked for a program-record 38 consecutive weeks. 

Indiana, which has had six straight 20-win seasons under coach Teri Moren, return all five starters for 2021-22. Among those returners includes a pair of All-American honorees in junior forward Mackenzie Holmes  (17.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg.) and senior guard Grace Berger (15.4 ppg.) Second team All-Big Ten selection Ali Patberg (14.0 ppg.) also returns for her seventh and final collegiate season, along with senior forward Aleksa Gulbe (9.0 ppg., 6.9 rpg.) and senior guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary (8.5 ppg.). 

Moren has a 148-80 overall record during her Indiana career. She's taken the program to three NCAA appearances and are coming off a second-place finish in the Big Ten last season. 

Indiana will host UIndy in exhibition play on Nov. 5 and will open the 2021-22 regular season on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at Butler. 

Season tickets are now on sale by visiting IUHoosiers.com/tickets, calling 1-866-IUSPORTS or visiting the west lobby ticket windows at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

Five Big Ten teams are ranked, with three in the top-10. Maryland is the highest at No. 4, and Iowa checks in at No. 9. Michigan (11) and Ohio State (17) are also ranked. Michigan State also received votes.

Here is the complete Associated Press top-25 women's basketball preseason poll, with first-place votes in parenthese and total points. Big Ten teams are in bold:

1. South Carolina Gamecocks (14) — 705 points 
2. Connecticut Huskies (10) — 696 points
3. Stanford Cardinal (5) — 682 points
4. Maryland Terrapins — 632 points
5. N.C. State Wolfpack — 589 points
6. Louisville Cardinals — 575 points
7. Baylor Bears — 522 points
8. Indiana Hoosiers — 521 points
9. Iowa Hawkeyes — 513 points
10. Oregon Ducks — 479 points
11. Michigan Wolverines — 403 points
12. Iowa State Cyclones — 376 points
13. Kentucky Wildcats — 368 points
14. Oregon State Beavers — 273 points
15. Tennessee Volunteers — 244 points
16. Florida State Seminoles — 231 points
17. Ohio State Buckeyes — 197 points
18. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets — 197 points
19. West Virginia Mountaineers — 192 points
20. UCLA Bruins — 175 points
21. South Florida Bulls — 146 points
22. Arizona Wildcats — 135 points
23. Texas A&M Aggies — 123 points
24. Virginia Tech Hokies — 98 points
25. Texas Longhorns — 79 points

Others receiving votes: Georgia 65, Michigan State 63, Florida Gulf Coast 43, Missouri State 18, South Dakota 13, LSU 10, Arkansas 10, Washington State 9, Oklahoma State 8, Notre Dame 8, DePaul 6, Belmont 5, Oklahoma 3, South Dakota State 1

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