After an 80-66 New Year’s Day road victory against Penn State, the highs were suddenly crushed by a tough 74-66 home loss against an undefeated and top-10 Maryland squad.
As a result of the mixed week, Iowa women’s basketball (11-3, 1-2 Big Ten) saw their positioning in the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll slip a bit from the previous week.
Despite its valiant efforts to roar back later in the game, a turnover-riddled 48-27 first-half deficit against the Terrapins was enough for the collection of voters to drop Iowa down one spot to No. 23.
The Hawkeyes will have two more opportunities to improve their positioning in the rankings before the Week 11 poll is released, with a Thursday night road matchup vs. Illinois (11-4, 1-3 Big Ten) followed by a Sunday evening home bout vs. Indiana (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten).
As for the remainder of the Big Ten, undefeated UCLA remains atop the polls at No. 1 for the sixth consecutive week. The Bruins are followed by No. 5 USC, No. 7 Maryland, No. 9 Ohio State, and No. 21 Michigan State.
Three additional Big Ten programs comprised the 13 listed programs receiving outside votes for the Top 25, including Minnesota, Michigan, and Nebraska.
Below is how this week’s full USA TODAY Sports Women’s College Basketball Coaches Poll appears.
Schools Dropped Out
No. 24 Baylor; No. 25 Ole Miss;
Others Receiving Votes
Baylor 34; Ole Miss 20; Vanderbilt 16; Minnesota 11; Michigan 9; Saint Joseph’s 8; South Dakota State 5; Harvard 2; Creighton 2; Seton Hall 1; Nebraska 1; George Mason 1; FGCU 1;
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