HAMDEN, CT – The Quinnipiac women's basketball team's 4-0 start has caught the attention of the votes as the Bobcats earned the No. 4 ranking in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll, as determined on Tuesday, November 22. The No. 4 ranking marks the highest the Bobcats have ever been ranked in the national mid-major poll in program history.
South Dakota State continued their run atop the poll in the mid-major rankings with 28 first place votes out of a possible 31. Gonzaga and Green Bay follow before the Bobcats checked in at No. 4 while James Madison rounds out the Top 5. Quinnipiac remains the highest-ranked MAAC institution in the poll as the defending conference champion Iona earned the No. 16 ranking. Quinnipiac defeated then-No. 7 ranked FGCU who now holds the No. 11 spot in the mid-major ranks while the Bobcats turned around and defeated a Dayton squad not far removed from a 2015 Elite Eight run earlier this season.
College Insider Mid-Major Top-25 Poll:
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RECORD
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POINTS
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PREVIOUS
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1.
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South Dakota State (28)
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4-0
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772
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1
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Summit
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|
2.
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Gonzaga (1)
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3-0
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733
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3
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West Coast
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3.
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Green Bay (2)
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2-1
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724
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2
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Horizon
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4.
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Quinnipiac
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4-0
|
645
|
7
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Metro Atlantic
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5.
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James Madison
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2-2
|
628
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5
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Colonial
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6.
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Ohio
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3-0
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615
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9
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Mid-American
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7.
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BYU
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1-2
|
572
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6
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West Coast
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8.
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Chattanooga
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3-3
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558
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4
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Southern
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9.
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Saint Mary's
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2-2
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498
|
16
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West Coast
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10.
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Albany
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2-2
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441
|
14
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America East
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|
11.
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Florida Gulf Coast
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2-2
|
413
|
11
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Atlantic Sun
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12.
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Troy
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2-1
|
398
|
19
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Sun Belt
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13.
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Bucknell
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3-1
|
335
|
15
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Patriot
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14.
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Drake
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1-2
|
300
|
10
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Missouri Valley
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15.
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Drexel
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3-1
|
298
|
20
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Colonial
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|
16.
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Iona
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2-2
|
289
|
17
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Metro Atlantic
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|
17.
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Long Beach State
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3-1
|
249
|
13
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Big West
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18.
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Northern Iowa
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2-1
|
229
|
18
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Missouri Valley
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19.
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San Diego
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3-1
|
209
|
21
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West Coast
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20.
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New Mexico State
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2-2
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194
|
12
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Western Athletioc
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21.
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Pennsylvania
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1-2
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164
|
8
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Ivy League
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22.
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South Dakota
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3-1
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140
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NR
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Summit
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23.
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Bryant
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3-0
|
102
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NR
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Northeast
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24.
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Elon
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3-1
|
76
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NR
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Colonial
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25.
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Abilene Christian
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3-1
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74
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NR
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Southland
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OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Mercer 60, Central Michigan 56, Missouri State 39, UT Arlington 37, Jacksonville 35, Northern Colorado 25, Ball State 23, Princeton 22, UC Riverside 17, Idaho 16, Steston 11, UNC Asheville 11, Western Kentucky 11, Wright State 10, Buffalo 9, Delaware 6, Belmont 5, Maine 5, Toledo 5, Santa Clara 4, Southern Illinois 4, Central Arkansas 3, San Francisco 3, Army 1, St Francis (PA) 1.
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Quinnipiac's No. 4 ranking is two spots higher than the program's previous-highest rank in the poll (No. 6) achieved during the Bobcats' 2014-15 season wherein the team finished 31-4 and won the 2015 MAAC Championship. The Bobcats have improved the most spots week-to-week of any team in the poll as the Bobcats vaulted up from No. 13 in the preseason poll to No. 4 just two weeks into the season. The markup also is reflected in the total points as Quinnipiac checked in with 645 this week compared to 345 in the preseason poll. The +300 improvement is easily the most of any team currently ranked in the mid-major poll.
Most-recently the Bobcats are coming off a pair of convincing 15+ point victories over Holy Cross (78-55) on the road last Wednesday and at home over Northeastern (76-59) on Sunday. In those two wins, the Bobcats shot 41.6 percent (57-137 FG) from the floor and averaged 77 points per game while holding the two opponents to a combined 35.5 percent shooting (38-107 FG) and just 17.2 percent from three (5-29 3FG). Quinnipiac has also built a +21 edge in turnover-margin in the last two contests which translated into a 50-16 advantage in points-off-turnovers for the Bobcats.
The strength of the Bobcats' first two wins this season cannot be understated as they stand as two of the most impressive wins in program history. Starting with a 66-56 win over perennial mid-major power Florida Gulf Coast, the Bobcats' 63-60 road win over Dayton comes against a Flyer team that had won six consecutive Atlantic-10 Championships from 2010-15. Between the Bobcats' first two opponents, Quinnipiac defeated a pair of teams that have combined for 453 wins (FGCU: 246-52; Dayton: 207-82), 50.3 wins per season (FGCU: 27.3; Dayton: 23), 77.1 winning percentage, 10 conference titles and five NCAA Tournament victories in the last nine seasons (since 2007-08).