South Carolina is the preseason No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll for the first time in school history.
The Gamecocks had been second twice in the preseason poll, in 2014 and 2015, and received 29 of the 30 first-place votes from a national media panel.
South Carolina was followed by Stanford, which received the other first-place vote. It’s the Cardinal’s highest ranking in the preseason since the 2009 season when the team also was second.
UConn, Baylor and Louisville were third, fourth and fifth.
