:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/2142183/20120303_jel_aj4_203.0.jpg)
The Associated press has released their preseason women's NCAA basketball rankings, and the defending national champion Baylor Bears are the unanimous No. 1 team in the country. Baylor also started last season as the No. 1 team, and they went wire-to-wire as they went undefeated last year en route to winning the NCAA title.
Head coach Kim Mulkey sees it as an extreme honor to be ranked No. 1 in the preseason:
"It's a humbling honor, which we'll embrace but it's just that an honor. It doesn't win basketball games. Our goal every year is to win championships,'' Mulkey said.
Baylor will once again be led by Brittney Griner, last season she was the AP player of the year.
Here is the complete AP poll:
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | 2011-12 Record | Points | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baylor (40) | 40-0 | 1,000 | 1 |
| 2 | Connecticut | 33-5 | 951 | 3 |
| 3 | Duke | 27-6 | 909 | 6 |
| 4 | Stanford | 35-2 | 854 | 2 |
| 5 | Maryland | 31-5 | 827 | 5 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 28-7 | 767 | 12 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 35-4 | 754 | 4 |
| 8 | Penn State | 26-7 | 676 | 11 |
| 9 | Louisville | 23-10 | 657 | 19 |
| 10 | Georgia | 22-9 | 599 | 20 |
| 11 | Delaware | 31-2 | 545 | 7 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 21-13 | 476 | NR |
| 13 | California | 25-10 | 428 | NR |
| 14 | St. John's | 24-10 | 422 | 14 |
| 15 | Texas A&M | 24-11 | 370 | 22 |
| 16 | Vanderbilt | 23-10 | 361 | NR |
| 17 | West Virginia | 24-10 | 335 | NR |
| 18 | Nebraska | 24-9 | 297 | T-17 |
| 19 | Ohio State | 25-7 | 273 | 16 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 27-9 | 256 | 9 |
| 21 | Purdue | 25-9 | 223 | 13 |
| 22 | Georgia Tech | 26-9 | 140 | 15 |
| 23 | Oklahoma State | 22-12 | 139 | NR |
| 24 | Miami (Fla.) | 26-6 | 110 | 8 |
| 25 | DePaul | 23-11 | 104 | NR |