Behind the AP Top 25 Poll: Why LSU is No. 1 on this preseason women’s basketball ballot

The start of the 2023-24 women’s college basketball season is less than a month away. It’s going to begin with a bang, as Notre Dame faces South Carolina in Paris, and Virginia Tech battles Iowa in Charlotte in a pair of noteworthy non-conference clashes in the opening week. Later in November, we’ll also see a few other ranked-versus-ranked matchups in the inaugural SEC-ACC Challenge.

This season will feature the return of UConn’s Paige Bueckers, the introduction of an anti-flopping rule, and the final year of the Pac-12 as we know it — where players like Stanford’s Cameron Brink are expected to shine and be the face of the league.

And of course, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese — the latter of which received some noteworthy reinforcements from the transfer portal — are back again too, poised to lead their teams back to the Final Four.

This is my fourth season as a voter in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for women’s college basketball. Each week during the season, I’ll break down my ballot here after turning it in to give some thoughts on the best teams in the nation.

Before the season starts, us voters are asked to submit preseason ballots. Here’s how mine shook out.

Also considered: Marquette, Kansas, Illinois, Creighton