UNDATED (AP) — UConn is the No. 1 team in the country in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason women's basketball poll. The Huskies received 27 first-place votes from a 31-member national media panel. South Carolina, last season’s runner-up, is second and received the other four first-place votes. UCLA and Texas are third and fourth, with LSU fifth. UConn, led by Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, is ranked No. 1 in the preseason for the 13th time since 1995. Coach Geno Auriemma is optimistic about the season, emphasizing leadership and luck as key factors.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The No. 6 ranked Duke Blue Devils have been picked to repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference champions, despite losing Cooper Flagg and four other players to the NBA draft. Duke received 34 of 49 first-place votes from the media panel. Louisville, which lost to Duke in last season's ACC championship game, received the other 15 first-place votes and was selected to finish second. N.C. State's Darrion Williams has been named the conference's Preseason Player of the Year. Williams was also named first-team All-ACC, along with Duke's Cameron Boozer, who was named Preseason Rookie of the Year.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Duke Blue Devils are projected to repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball champions. Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo has been selected as the conference Preseason Player of the Year. Duke received 40 of the 70 first-place votes from the media panel. North Carolina State, which lost to Duke in last year's ACC championship game, received 25 first-place votes. Five schools received at least one vote to win the conference. Hidalgo averaged 23.8 points per game last season for the Fighting Irish.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville has a long history of high-powered offense. Coach Jeff Brohm has a much more balanced group of Cardinals these days. Sure, the Cardinals still can light up the scoreboard averaging 36 points per game. Credit the Cardinals’ defense for helping pull out victories when the offense has struggled. The Cardinals are holding opponents to just 262 yards per game while following senior linebacker TJ Quinn. That’s stingiest in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 12th nationally, just ahead of No. 2 Miami. Both defenses will be on display Friday night when Louisville visits the Hurricanes.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Bill Belichick has denied reports that he's been seeking an exit strategy from his North Carolina coaching role. Belichick says “some of the reports out last week about my looking for a buyout and trying to leave here and all that is categorically false.” Belichick was making his first public comments since a blowout loss to Clemson. During the second of two off weeks in a three-week span, the subject of Belichick’s future with the Tar Heels was a hot topic, so much so that last Wednesday the university released brief statements from the coach and athletics director reaffirming commitments between Belichick and the school.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pat Narduzzi keeps testing Pittsburgh freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel, and he keeps passing each one. Last weekend, Heintschel overcame two interceptions to lead the Panthers to a 34-31 upset over Florida State. His 321-yard, two-touchdown performance has sparked hope for a season that seemed shaky after losses to West Virginia and Louisville. With the return of running back Desmond Reid and contributions from other newcomers, Pitt now stands at 4-2. They face Syracuse on Saturday, aiming to stay competitive in the ACC. Narduzzi believes his team is maturing and ready for the challenges ahead.