Iowa WBB Ranked #4 in Preseason AP Poll

Deliver on the strain, proper? The preseason AP High 25 for girls’s basketball is out and the 2022-23 Iowa Hawkeyes are flying excessive (VERY excessive) in that ballot on the cusp of the brand new season. 

That is #4 total, behind solely South Carolina (#1), Stanford (#2), and Texas (#3). Welcome to the huge time, Hawks. 

That is the second-straight season that Iowa has been ranked within the preseason High 10 by the AP — they had been ninth final yr. Earlier than that Iowa was final ranked within the preseason High 10 in 1997, once they had been sixth. Iowa’s #4 preseason rating is their highest preseason rating underneath Lisa Bluder and their highest preseason rating since a #3 rating in 1994 (which was additionally their highest-ever preseason rating). 

Different notable groups on this yr’s preseason High 25: 

• Doable three non-conference opponents: UConn (#6), NC State (#10), and Iowa State (#8) — and Duke, the workforce Iowa will play of their second recreation within the Phil Knight Legacy Match if they do not face UConn was among the many “others receiving votes” groups
• 5 different Massive Ten groups: Indiana (#11), Ohio State (#14), Maryland (#17), Nebraska (#22), and Michigan (#25)

Iowa has eight video games this yr towards these ranked Massive Ten groups, together with 4 of their closing six video games within the common season.

A rating like this places a really huge goal on Iowa’s again for your entire season — they are going to get everybody’s finest shot. Can Lisa Bluder, Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano, and the remainder of the Iowa workforce deal with the strain? We’re about to search out out.