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WVU Women’s Basketball Learns AP Preseason Ranking

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WVU Women's Basketball HC Mark Kellogg

WVU women’s basketball head coach Mark Kellogg will open his second season leading the Mountaineers with a preseason national ranking. On Tuesday, West Virginia received a No. 16 ranking from the Associated Press.

Showing the strength of the conference, there are four teams ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25, with WVU actually owning the lowest rank of the group.

WVU earned 277 points in the poll. The four Big 12 teams to appear in the rankings included No. 8 Iowa State (521), No. 12 Baylor (422) and No. 13 Kansas State (390). In addition, TCU was listed as receiving votes.

This comes two weeks after WVU learned what the media thinks of their chances this season and guard JJ Quinerly earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team as a unanimous selection.

West Virginia was predicted to finish fifth and received one first place vote in the preseason media poll. Quinerly also was selected to the preseason team before the 2023-24 season. She lived up to last year’s preseason honors by being named first team all-conference at the conclusion of the regular season.

WVU Women’s Basketball Star Preseason All-Big 12, Team Learns Media Prediction

Outlook for the season:

West Virginia women’s basketball has momentum going within the program, coming off a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Mark Kellogg’s first season. The Mountaineers ended up falling to the eventual national runner-ups in Iowa. Kellogg finished 25-8 during his first year at WVU, the most wins ever by a first-year coach at West Virginia. WVU was ranked nine weeks in the Associated Press poll.

There are a lot of changes in Big 12 basketball for the 2024-25 season. The conference officially adds Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah this summer while losing Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC. Women’s basketball in the Big 12 will continue with an 18-game schedule as the men’s transition into a 20-game slate.

The Mountaineers—who finished at No. 24 in last year’s AP Poll—will see senior guard JJ Quinerly, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a two-way star who saw her name floated for a number of national awards, return for her final season in Morgantown. They can also bank on junior Jordan Harrison, a sharpshooter who actually picked up more steals than Quinerly last season.

For a related story, find out how often the WVU women’s basketball team appears on national TV.