Lady Vols Remain No. 1 in Women’s Top 25

Monday, Nov. 12, 2007 | 8:44 a.m.

Tennessee is still the unanimous No. 1 and Wisconsin's back in the Top 25 for the first time in five years. The Lady Vols remained the unanimous choice Monday, again receiving all 50 first-places votes in the AP poll.

They compiled 1,250 points - 63 more than No. 2 Connecticut. Tennessee, which was unanimous in the preseason poll, started its season Sunday with a 76-56 victory over Chattanooga.

Tennessee has a showdown with No. 9 Oklahoma on Thursday in Tampa, Fla., at the site of this season's Final Four.

Wisconsin entered the poll for the first time since Feb. 11, 2002. The Badgers routed Cleveland State 82-62 on Friday night in their season opener. Wisconsin faces Marquette on Saturday.

"It's an awesome thing for us to reach the Top 25," Wisconsin coach Lisa Stone said. "It's an early ranking, but it demonstrates the fact that we're headed in the right direction."

Stone took over the program in 2003 and the Badgers have been improving every year. They had their first winning record last season since 2002, going 23-13. The Badgers lost in the NIT championship game to Wyoming.

With their entire team back, Stone is excited at the prospects for this year and aims to challenge for the Big Ten title and earn an NCAA tournament berth.

Maryland moved into the No. 3 spot after beating then-No. 6 Oklahoma 76-66 on Sunday. LSU is fourth and Stanford is fifth. The Cardinal edged Rutgers 60-58 Sunday when preseason All-American Candice Wiggins hit two free throws with a tenth of a second left.

The Scarlet Knights fell three spots to No. 6, followed by North Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma and Duke.

Texas A&M remained 11th, followed by California, Baylor, and George Washington. Arizona State fell to 15th after losing to North Carolina on Sunday. Ohio State, Michigan State, Florida State, West Virginia and Vanderbilt round out the top 20.

Texas, Louisville, Notre Dame, DePaul and Wisconsin held the final five spots.

Pittsburgh was the only team to fall out of the poll after losing to Penn State in the finals of the WBCA Classic on Sunday.