Irish women earn No. 9 ranking in preseason AP Poll

Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey will enter her third season as the Notre Dame leader as a preseason top-10 team. On Tuesday, the Associated Press announced the Irish are No. 9 in the rankings heading into the 2022-23 campaign. 

The mark is Notre Dame’s first preseason top-10 ranking since 2018-19, the season after the team won the program’s second national title on April, 1, 2018. The Irish entered that season ranked No. 1 in the country, and it was the eighth consecutive season Notre Dame started the year ranked inside of the top 10. 

Ivey will have a veteran squad this year as the group aims to best a 2021-22 season which ended with a heartbreaking, three-point loss to NC State in the Sweet Sixteen. Notre Dame finished 17th in the final AP Poll last year and 21st in the final Coaches Poll. Four of five starters return, including All-ACC First Team point guard Olivia Miles. 

On the topic of the ACC, it will be one of — if not the — most challenging conferences in women’s college basketball this season. Five ACC teams cracked the top 15: Louisville (7), NC State (10), North Carolina (12) and Virginia Tech (13). In addition to the conference foes, the Irish will play two ranked teams before ACC play: home matchups with both No. 6 UConn and No. 17 Maryland during the first week of December. 

Notre Dame will host Truman State on Oct. 31 for an exhibition before welcoming Northern Illinois for a Nov. 7 home opener. 

Season tickets are on sale here, and single-game tickets will become available on Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Previous Preseason Rankings

2021-22: NR

2020-21: 22

2019-20: 16

2018-19: 1

2017-18: 6

2016-17: 1

2015-16: 3

2014-15: 3

2013-14: 6

2012-13: 7

2011-12: 2

2010-11: 12

2009-10: 5

2008-09: 16

2007-08: 24

2006-07: NR

2005-06: 15

2004-05: T-10

2003-04: 15

2002-03: 10

Complete Preseason AP Top 25

1. South Carolina
2. Stanford
3. Texas
4. Iowa
5. Tennessee
6. Connecticut
7. Louisville
8. Iowa State
9. Notre Dame 
10. NC State
11. Indiana
12. North Carolina
13. Virginia Tech
14. Ohio State
15. Oklahoma
16. LSU
17. Maryland
18. Baylor
19. Arizona
20. Oregon
21. Creighton
22. Nebraska
23. South Dakota State
24. Princeton
25. Michigan