NEW YORK (AP) — Connecticut, which returns four starters from last season’s Final Four team, is the No. 1 pick in the Big East women’s basketball coaches’ poll.
The Huskies, who won the Big East tournament title last season, received 12 first-place votes and Notre Dame got the other three. The Irish have advanced to the NCAA tournament championship the past two years, beating UConn both times in the Final Four.
Notre Dame won the Big East regular season crown last year.
Louisville was third followed by St. John’s, Rutgers, DePaul, Syracuse, Georgetown, South Florida, Villanova, Marquette, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and Providence.
Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins was selected preseason player of the year for the second straight season.
Connecticut freshman Breanna Stewart was chosen as the conference’s preseason freshman of the year.
