UConn finished the regular season in a familiar place — No. 1 in The Associated Press women's basketball poll.
For the third year in a row and 13th time overall, the Huskies are the top choice in the final poll as selected by the 32-member national voting panel. The undefeated Huskies (32-0) started the season at No. 1 and didn't relinquish that spot, capping off their sixth year as the top team in every poll.
"Obviously the AP Poll is the oldest and the most recognized poll in women's basketball," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "For us to finish first in the final poll and to have done it on numerous occasions says a lot about the success that we've had and how a lot of people around the country view us. It's an honor for us to be in this situation and hopefully we can live up to it in the NCAA Tournament."
The Huskies will be the top overall seed when the women's NCAA Tournament bracket is released Monday night. They are six victories away from becoming the first team ever to win four consecutive national championships.
While UConn finished No. 1, Tennessee missed the final poll for the first time in school history. The Lady Vols, who received four points in the final poll, saw their record streak of being ranked for 565 consecutive weeks end in February.
With only a few games played over the past week, there wasn't much change in the Top 25. Notre Dame, South Carolina and Baylor follow UConn in the poll. Those three teams are expected to also be top seeds in the NCAAs.
The only change in the final poll from the week before was DePaul dropping two spots from 18th to 20th with Texas A&M and Miami each moving up one place.