Gators Break into Associated Press Poll Top-10
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 | Women's Basketball
With the best 24-game record in the history of the program and riding a seven-game winning streak in the Southeastern Conference, also the longest run of its kind for the Gators, the University of Florida women's basketball team jumped into the top-10 of this week's Associated Press poll, released Monday afternoon.
The Gators (22-2) received 759 votes to place No. 9 in the national ranking, the team's first appearance in the top-10 since being ranked No. 9 in the Feb. 12, 2001 listing.
“I'm excited for our team to be getting that type of recognition because they've put in a great amount of work to get to where we are right now,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “At the same time, we're more interested in winning our next SEC ballgame and continuing to climb in those standings. We can't be consumed with a ranking because at this point of the season, the most important ranking is where you finish in the league standings.”
Florida began the 2008-09 season unranked and started receiving votes on Nov. 24th, eventually cracking into the top-25 on Dec. 8 at the No. 23 position, the team's first national ranking by the media since Feb. 27, 2006. Florida's highest ranking in the AP poll was No. 5 back on Nov. 24, 1997.
The Gators will put their new ranking on the line Thursday, when the team travels to Nashville to play No. 24 Vanderbilt in Memorial Gymnasium. Florida is tied atop the SEC standings with an 8-1 record, while the Commodores are third at 7-2.
“I like how we're playing right now. There are obviously a lot of areas where we can improve and there are things we need to focus on each week to get better, but at the same time the thing that has driven us toward our current success is that we have yet to be satisfied,” Butler continued. “The road ahead of us, specifically on Thursday when we play at Vanderbilt, is very challenging and we can't get distracted by our ranking or by things that won't have any impact on beating Vanderbilt. They are not going to care at all what our ranking is.”
Vanderbilt has won three straight against Florida and hold a 26-18 all-time record against the Gators, who have not won in Nashville since Feb. 1, 2004.
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