UConn women’s basketball ranked No. 5 in AP Preseason Poll

Expectations for the UConn women’s basketball team are at their lowest point in years. The Huskies are ranked fifth in the AP Preseason Poll, their lowest position to start the season since before the Breanna Stewart Years.

To find the last time UConn wasn’t in the top-five, you have to go back to January 2007 — nearly 13 years ago. The Huskies also dropped to fifth last season after losing to Louisville.

While UConn certainly isn’t the best team to open the season, fifth still seems a bit low. Yes, the Huskies did lose the highest-scoring classmates in program history, but they still have one of the best point guards in the nation in Crystal Dangerfield along with a core of Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Megan Walker and Christyn Williams. It would be shocking if UConn lost more than two games again this year.

Oregon took the top spot in the poll, followed by Baylor, Stanford and Maryland ahead of UConn. In addition to the Ducks and Lady Bears, UConn will play No. 8 South Carolina, No. 16 Notre Dame and No. 18 DePaul this season.