PHILADELPHIA – For the seventh-consecutive season, UConn was picked as the American Athletic Conference’s women’s basketball preseason favorite as voted on by the league’s 12 head coaches.
The Huskies received all 11 possible first place votes for 121 points, with USF earning second in the poll with 107 points. UCF and Cincinnati, which both surpassed the 20-win mark last season, tied for third at 96 points apiece, while the Knights earned the remaining first-place vote. Houston (81 points) and Temple (68 points) rounded out the top half of the rankings.
UConn senior guard Crystal Dangerfield and UCF senior guard Kay Kay Wright were selected as Preseason Players of the Year after earning First Team All-Conference accolades last season. Dangerfield, a 2019 Honorable Mention All-American, paced the conference with 5.9 assists per game last season as UConn captured its sixth-straight American Athletic Conference title. Wright ranked fourth in the conference with 18.0 points per game as a junior, leading UCF to the American Championship final and the program’s first at-large bid to the NCAA Championship.
Tulane took seventh in the Preseason Poll with 59 points, followed by Memphis (42), Wichita State (37), Tulsa (33), ECU (31) and SMU (21).
UConn made its 12
th-conseuctive trip to the NCAA Final Four, as the Huskies went 36-3 overall with a 16-0 record in league play. Geno Auriemma’s squad enters the 2019-20 season with a stacked slate, including matchups with defending national champion Baylor, national runner-up Notre Dame and 2019 Final Four participant Oregon. Junior forward Megan Walker and 2019 Freshman of the Year Christyn Williams rounded out three Preseason All-Conference selections for the Huskies.
USF is primed to build on last season’s late success, which saw the Bulls advance to the American semifinals as the No. 5 seed and earn a berth to the WNIT. Head coach Jose Fernandez returns seven starters and 75 percent of last season’s scoring, including Preseason All-Conference selection Enna Pehadzic. The Bulls also face a strong non-conference schedule, including games against Baylor, Notre Dame and Mississippi State.
UCF advanced to the NCAA Championship last season for the first time since 2011, earning the program’s highest-ever seed at No. 12. With a 26-7 overall record (13-3 American), the Knights set a program record for wins in head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson’s third season and advanced to the American championship as the tournament’s No. 2 seed.
Cincinnati experienced a breakout season in 2018-19 in head coach Michelle Clark-Heard’s first year at the helm. The Bearcats reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2003 and advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals for the program’s deepest postseason run. Two 2019 all-conference selections return for this season in senior Antoinette Miller and junior IImar’I Thomas, both of whom landed on the Preseason All-Conference team.
All 12 teams will compete in the 2020 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, to be held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., for the seventh-straight season. The tournament will be held March 6-9, 2020 and aired live on ESPN networks.
2019-20 American Athletic Conference
Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
| Team (First Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. UConn (11) |
121 |
| 2. USF |
107 |
| T-3. UCF (1) |
96 |
| T-3. Cincinnati |
96 |
| 5. Houston |
81 |
| 6. Temple |
68 |
| 7. Tulane |
59 |
| 8. Memphis |
42 |
| 9. Wichita State |
37 |
| 10. Tulsa |
33 |
| 11. ECU |
31 |
| 12. SMU |
21 |
Preseason Players of the Year
Kay Kay Wright, G, UCF
Crystal Dangerfield, G, UConn
Preseason All-Conference First Team
Kay Kay Wright, G, UCF
Crystal Dangerfield, G, UConn*
Megan Walker, F, UConn
Mia Davis, F, Temple*
Krystal Freeman, F, Tulane
Preseason All-Conference Second Team
Antoinette Miller, G, Cincinnati
IImar’I Thomas, F, Cincinnati
Christyn Williams, G, UConn
Dorian Branch, G, Houston
Enna Pehadzic, G, USF
*denotes unanimous selection