Best in Tennessee? MTSU women's basketball team ranked No. 23 in AP poll

Cora Hall, Murfreesboro Daily News Journal
·2 min read

When the Associated Press Top 25 for women's basketball poll was released Monday, it was expected a team from Tennessee may enter the rankings.

And one did, but it wasn't the Lady Vols.

It was Middle Tennessee State University. Tennessee was first out of the poll with 47 votes. MTSU was ranked No. 23, which is the first ranking for the team since 2014. The Raiders have compiled a 16-2 record and are undefeated 9-0 in Conference USA play.

MTSU's Jalynn Gregory fires a 3-pointer as the Lady Raider bench reacts during Wednesday's Conference USA game vs. Rice, won by the Lady Raiders 85-56.
MTSU's Jalynn Gregory fires a 3-pointer as the Lady Raider bench reacts during Wednesday's Conference USA game vs. Rice, won by the Lady Raiders 85-56.

In the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, MTSU is second receiving votes and UT is seventh.

MTSU is on a 14-game win streak, and its strongest wins are against Louisville, Memphis and Belmont. The Raiders have lost games to Texas Tech and Mercer.

More:MTSU women's basketball feasting off strong bench, dynamic post duo of Malashka, Boldyreva

The Lady Vols went into the 2022-23 season ranked No. 4 in the preseason poll. They fell out of the poll after losing to Gonzaga at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament and had a 2-4 record. Tennessee is 16-6 and have started SEC 8-0, which is its best start to conference play since the 2014-25 season. All six teams the Lady Vols have lost to are still ranked in the AP Top 25.

Tennessee assistant coach Samantha Williams tweeted, "It's all just added motivation," shortly after the poll released Monday.

Colorado is also ranked for the second straight week, checking in at No. 25 this week. Tennessee beat Colorado 69-51 in November.

Tennessee is on a nine-game winning streak, taking down SEC opponents like Florida, Alabama, Mississippi State and Missouri on the road. The Lady Vols losses are to No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Stanford, No. 6 Indiana, No. 8 UCLA, No. 12 Virginia Tech and No. 17 Gonzaga.

According to Her Hoop Stats, all of Tennessee's losses except UCLA rank higher than MTSU's best win (Louisville). The Lady Vols' overall rating by Her Hoop Stats is No. 12 and MTSU's is No. 21.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU women's basketball team ranked No. 23

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