The Missouri women's basketball team was rewarded for its Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament with a No. 19 ranking in the final USA Today/ESPN coaches poll released yesterday.
After knocking off No. 25 Wisconsin and No. 4 Georgia in the first and second rounds, the Tigers lost to No. 6 Louisiana Tech in the semifinals of the East Regional in Pittsburgh.
The Tigers' exploits apparently impressed the voters as they received 270 points in the poll of a panel of 40 Division I head coaches.
Notre Dame was a unanimous No. 1 choice after its 68-66 win over Purdue in the national championship game on Sunday night. Purdue, Connecticut, Southwest Missouri State and Tennessee rounded out the top five.
Three other Big 12 teams - Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Iowa State, wound up 10th, 11th, and 12th respectively.
The final 2001 Associated Press poll has not been released yet, but if the coaches poll is any indication, MU (22-10) will finish in the top 25 for the first time since the 1983-84 season. That year, Missouri wound up as the nation's No. 11-ranked team.
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