If a women’s basketball team needed a little bulletin board material before their season-opener, the USA TODAY Sports’ Coaches Poll has provided that for the squads excluded from the top 25.
The poll was released on Tuesday, Oct. 20, a little less than two weeks before the season begins with a matchup between Notre Dame and Villanova in Rome on Nov. 1.
As expected, South Carolina and UConn top the poll, coming in at first and second, respectively. Both are projected to be contenders for the national title once again. USC was third, Duke fourth and Michigan rounded out the top five.
But the poll is only fit for 25 teams, leaving several worthy teams on the outside of the national rankings.
Of course, the voting panel won’t be right about every selection.
Here’s a few teams capable of proving the projections wrong.
Arizona State
In Molly Miller’s first season at the helm, the Sun Devils went 24-11, making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 and notching their best overall record in a decade. And this offseason, all Miller did was make the roster better.
Before the portal even officially opened, Arizona State signed former Tennessee standout Ruby Whitehorn, a former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American who averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the floor in the 2024-25 season for the Lady Vols.
Then, when the portal opened, the Sun Devils added several players that should help them win. All-Big Ten defender Rashunda Jones joined Arizona State, as did the MAC’s leader in field goal percentage Ayanna-Sarai Darrington. MAC Player of the Year Madi Morson also landed with the Sun Devils, and so did Ella Ryan from Quinnipiac who shot 41.1% from 3-point land last season.
Perhaps overlooked in the national picture, Arizona State will be a team to watch in the Big 12.
Gonzaga
Lisa Fortier is entering her 13th season at the helm of the Bulldogs and has led the team to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the Sweet 16. Over the last two decades, Gonzaga has dominated the West Coast Conference. While they’ll face a bit tougher competition in the newly formed Pac-12, the Bulldogs should still be a team that expects to dance in March.
Gonzaga returns one of the best duos in the country in forward Lauren Whittaker and guard Allie Turner.
As a sophomore last season, Turner ranked second nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (47.1%) and led the country in free-throw shooting (95.6%) while averaging 14.8 points and 3.5 assists per game. Whittaker, as a freshman last year, averaged a double-double with 19.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 56.3% from the floor. Whittaker was one of only four players nationally to average at least 19 points and 10 rebounds per game last season.
With Fortier on the sidelines, and Turner and Whittaker on the court, Gonzaga should be the favorite to win this version of the Pac-12.
Virginia
The Cavaliers did a good job of proving everyone wrong in the NCAA Tournament last season, beating Arizona State, upsetting Georgia and shocking Iowa to make the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000.
But Virginia didn’t quite get the storybook ending to its season. A week after getting bounced out of the tournament by TCU, head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton was fired after she was the subject of an internal investigation amid allegations of staff mistreatment.
Perhaps the voters should’ve looked past that and locked in what Virginia did in the aftermath. The Cavaliers hired Aaron Roussell to guide the program after he had led Richmond to three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, a stretch that included two at-large bids and a March Madness win over Georgia Tech. And then Virginia retained their best player, All-ACC standout Kymora Johnson. The Charlottesville native averaged 19.5 points and 5.9 assists per game last season and was the bus driver for the team’s success.
Betting against the pedigree of Roussell and the talent of Johnson seems unwise. They are a team to pay attention to in the ACC.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Women's college basketball poll snubs: Three teams get way too little preseason respect
