Women’s basketball tied for No. 6 in national preseason poll

By Steve Lansdale

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas women’s basketball team usually is among the top-ranked teams in the country, and this year is no exception. The Longhorns were tied with Ohio State for the No. 6 spot in the USA Today Sports NCAA Division I Top 25 preseason coaches poll released Thursday.

The USA Today Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 32 Div. I head coaches, each of whom is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Texas 31-5 last year, marking the Longhorns’ most victories since the 1987-88 season, and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Eight teams on UT’s 2016-17 opponents are ranked among the top 25 in the preseason poll, including three of the nation’s top four teams and six of the top 12. The five schools ranked ahead of the Longhorns and Buckeyes are (in order) top-ranked Connecticut, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Baylor and Maryland.

The Longhorns open the 2016-17 season at 7 p.m. (CT) Nov. 14 at Stanford in a game that can be seen on ESPN2.