Hype continues for Iowa State women's basketball, ranked No. 8 in Associated Press poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Iowa State women’s basketball team arrived at the Big 12 Conference’s media day on Tuesday not only as one of the most respected teams in the league, but the entire country.

The Cyclones are ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press preseason poll, released Tuesday. It’s the second-highest preseason national ranking in program history.

The highest was when Iowa State entered the 1999-2000 season at No. 7.

The hype for the Cyclones is as high as it's ever been. The Cyclones return three key contributors from a season ago when they won a school-record 28 games and reached the Sweet 16.

More:Iowa State women's basketball media day takeaways: What's left for Ashley Joens to work on?

The three big contributors, Ashley Joens, Emily Ryan and Lexi Donarski, are a big reason why the Cyclones were selected to finish first in the Big 12 this upcoming season.

Joens, a two-time defending Cheryl Miller Award Winner, was named the Big 12’s Preseason Player of the Year. Donarski and Ryan were both named to the All-Big 12 first team, along with Joens.

Iowa State starts the season on Nov. 7 against Cleveland State at Hilton Coliseum.

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women's basketball team ranked No. 8 in AP preseason poll