Gators Tabbed No. 20 in AP Preseason Poll

Ronni Williams (#1) and Haley Lorenzen (#44) are two of UF's top-3 returning scorers from last year.

Gators Tabbed No. 20 in AP Preseason Poll

Tuesday, November 1, 2016 | Women's Basketball

This is the first time since 2001-02 that the Gators enter the season nationally ranked.

By: Kathy Cafazzo

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida women's basketball team checked in at the No. 20 spot in the Associated Press' Preseason 2016-17 Poll which was released on Tuesday.

The Gators are coming off a 22-win season, a fourth-place finish in the Southeastern Conference and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

While Florida has received votes in national preseason polls multiple times in the program's history, this is just the seventh time in the Top 25 at the beginning of the year since the 2001-02 season, when the team opened at No 12 in the USA Today ranking and No. 13 in the Associated Press poll.

Gators All-Time in the Preseason Top-25 National Rankings
1994-95: No. 14 in AP; No. 14 in USA Today
1995-96: receiving votes in AP; No. 23 in USA Today
1996-97: No. 21 in AP; No. 21 in USA Today
1997-98: No. 9 in AP; No. 8 in USA Today
1998-99: No. 22 in AP; No. 20 in USA Today
2001-02: No. 13 in AP; No. 12 in USA Today
2016-17: No. 20 in AP; No. 24 in USA Today

Returning from 2015-16

Florida's top three scorers from last year's SEC-leading scoring offense (77.4 ppg) return for the 2016-17 season, with senior Ronni Williams (11.1 ppg), sophomore Eleanna Christinaki (10.4 ppg) and junior Haley Lorenzen (9.3 ppg) pacing the Gators. Williams has been UF's leading scorer each of the last two seasons.
Head Coach Amanda Butler, who was named the 2016 WBCA Region 2 Co-Coach of the Year and a 2016 WBCA National Coach of the Year finalist, enters her 10th season coaching her alma mater. Her tenure at UF is tied for the second-longest among active coaches in the SEC this year.
Last year's Gators finished ranked in the top 10 of four national stats categories: No. 3 for Turnovers Forced, No. 4 for Steals per game, No. 7 for Steals, No. 10 for Offensive Rebounds per game. UF also ranked No. 16 for Scoring Offense.

Nine will be just fine

The Gators will open the season with a 12-player roster, however just nine will suit up for the 2016-17 campaign. Senior Simone Westbrook, a member of the 2016 SEC All-Defensive Team, tore her ACL in August and will miss the season, freshman Sydney Morang will not play due to concussion symptoms and junior Funda Nakkasoglu joined the Gators from Utah State and must sit out the year per NCAA rules for transfers.

When Do They Start

The Gators play South Alabama in their season opener on Nov. 11 at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville
Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. ET and is the first game of a Gator Basketball doubleheader, with the UF men's team tipping off at 7:30 p.m.
TICKETS: http://jaxevents.com/event/uf-basketball/
Florida will play its first 12 games on the road due to a $64.5 million renovation of the Exactech Arena at the O'Connell Center, which is slated to be completed in mid-December.
The Gator's home opener is set for Dec. 28 against Southeastern Louisiana.

Associated Press Top 25 Preseason Poll
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Notre Dame (14)	0-0	793
2	Baylor (12)	0-0	789
3	Connecticut (6)	0-0	743
4	South Carolina (1)	0-0	719
5	Louisville	0-0	718
6	Maryland	0-0	635
7	Ohio State	0-0	632
8	Texas	0-0	604
9	UCLA	0-0	557
10	Mississippi State	0-0	516
11	Stanford	0-0	471
12	Florida State	0-0	437
13	Tennessee	0-0	415
14	Miami	0-0	328
14	Syracuse	0-0	328
16	Oklahoma	0-0	285
17	Washington	0-0	259
18	Arizona State	0-0	244
19	Kentucky	0-0	228
20	Florida	0-0	181
21	DePaul	0-0	160
22	West Virginia	0-0	154
23	Indiana	0-0	108
24	Missouri	0-0	98
25	Oregon State	0-0	95
Others receiving votes: Michigan State 78, Auburn 43, Texas A&M 20, Duke 16, Colorado State 10, California 9, Creighton 9, South Florida 8, Temple 6, BYU 6, South Dakota State 5, Belmont 4, UTEP 3, Green Bay 2, Chattanooga 2, NC State 2, Boise State 2, Saint Louis 1, Iowa State 1, Oregon 1