Alabama makes noticeable jump in USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll

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Nov 4, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama,USA; Alabama guard Aaliyah Nye (32) takes a three point shot against New Orleans at Coleman Coliseum.

After starting the season 3-0, coach Kristy Curry and the Alabama Crimson Tide women's basketball team made a nice leap forward in the new USA TODAY Sports women's basketball coaches poll, released Tuesday.

Alabama rose three spots to No. 22, one spot behind No. 21 Ole Miss and one spot ahead of No. 23 Stanford. The Crimson Tide defeated New Orleans, 115-53, in their regular season opener on Nov. 4 at Coleman Coliseum, then won 84-59 at Alabama A&M before taking down Troy, 94-71.

Zaay Green led Alabama with 24 points in 31 minutes against the Trojans on Sunday at Coleman Coliseum. Green is one of three seniors that have been in double figures for the Crimson Tide this season. Aaliyah Nye has averaged 18.3 points per game with Sarah Ashlee Barker at 18 and Green at 16.7.

It's the second season in a row that Alabama has won its first three games. A year ago, the Tide started the season 6-0 and eventually played their way into the NCAA Tournament in March. They beat Florida State for their first NCAA Tournament win since 2021 before losing to No. 1 seed Texas in the second round in Austin.

Entering this season, Alabama was ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 1998. The Crimson Tide also checked in at No. 22 in the new AP poll this week.

Alabama hosts Norfolk State Wednesday night in Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. The game can be seen on SEC Network+.

The defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks and coach Dawn Staley remained atop the polls. A total of seven SEC teams are ranked in the coaches poll. In addition to South Carolina and Alabama, Texas is ranked No. 4 with Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers at No. 7 and the Oklahoma Sooners at No. 9.

The Kentucky Wildcats are ranked No. 19 with Ole Miss No. 21.

Full USA TODAY Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll Ranking

Team

Record

Points

1

South Carolina Gamecocks

2-0

772 (29)

2

UConn Huskies

2-0

740 (1)

3

USC Trojans

2-0

707 (1)

4

Texas Longhorns

2-0

674

5

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

1-0

652

6

UCLA Bruins

2-0

598

7

LSU Tigers

2-0

586

8

Iowa State Cyclones

3-0

547

9

Oklahoma Sooners

2-0

516

10

NC State Wolfpack

1-1

476

11

Kansas State Wildcats

2-0

462

12

Ohio State Buckeyes

1-0

439

13

West Virginia Mountaineers

2-0

382

14

Maryland Terrapins

3-0

378

15

North Carolina Tar Heels

2-0

327

16

Duke Blue Devils

2-1

281

17

Baylor Bears

1-1

256

18

Louisville Cardinals

1-1

206

19

Kentucky Wildcats

2-0

165

20

Nebraska Cornhuskers

2-0

158

21

Ole Miss Rebels

1-1

145

22

Alabama Crimson Tide

3-0

123

23

Stanford Cardinal

3-0

99

24

Illinois Fighting Illini

2-0

87

25

South Dakota State Jackrabbits

2-0

50

Schools Dropped OutOthers Receiving Votes Oregon 42; Florida State 38; Iowa 34; Tennessee 33; Utah 17; Creighton 11; Auburn 11; TCU 10; Michigan State 9; Middle Tennessee 8; Indiana 8; Fairfield 7; UNLV 6; Michigan 4; Penn State 3; Mississippi State 3; Saint Joseph’s 2; Gonzaga 2; Richmond 1; Columbia 1;

List Of Voters The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The board for the 2024-25 season: Ashleen Bracey, Illinois-Chicago; Jen Brown, Queens University; Dan Burt, Duquesne; Fred Chmiel, Bowling Green; Janell Crayton Del Rosario, Bethune-Cookman; Denise Dillon, Villanova; Carrie Eighmey, South Dakota; Dalila Eshe, Yale; Heather Ezell, Wyoming; Bill Fennelly, Iowa State; Cindy Fisher, San Diego; Aqua Franklin, Lamar; Ty Grace, Howard; Hana Haden, Georgia Southern; Johnnie Harris, Auburn; Brian Holsinger, Montana; Rick Insell, Middle Tennessee; Renee Jimenez, UC Santa Barbara; Chris Kielsmeier, Cleveland State; Mike Lane, NJIT; Amy Mallon, Drexel; Mike McGuire, Radford; Kim McNeill, East Carolina; Lynn Milligan, Rider; Dan Nielson, Utah Valley; Shawn Poppie, Clemson; Samantha Quigley Smith, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville; Missy Traversi, Army; Jonathan Tsipis, Western Carolina; Way Veney, Central Connecticut State; Coquese Washington, Rutgers.

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama makes noticeable jump in USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll

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