The Talladega women’s basketball team opened the season with four straight wins, including a victory over then-No. 14 Bethel.
But a loss to Freed-Hardeman is the last thing voters have to look at on the Tornadoes schedule prior to voting in the first regular season poll.
Talladega droped one spot to No. 20 in the NAIA Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
Here is the complete poll:
NAIA WBB Top 25 Poll – 2020-2021 No. 1
| Rank | Previous | School [First-place votes] | Record | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Westmont (Calif.) [12] | 0-1 | 581 |
| 2 | 2 | Wayland Baptist (Texas) [3] | 2-0 | 566 |
| 2 | 4 | Campbellsville (Ky.) [6] | 4-0 | 566 |
| 4 | 5 | The Master’s (Calif.) | 1-0 | 522 |
| 5 | 6 | Oklahoma City | 0-0 | 488 |
| 6 | 20 | Carroll (Mont.) | 5-0 | 471 |
| 7 | 9 | Shawnee State (Ohio) | 8-0 | 470 |
| 8 | 14 | Thomas More (Ky.) | 6-0 | 461 |
| 9 | 3 | Marian (Ind.) | 9-4 | 423 |
| 10 | 10 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 0-0 | 415 |
| 11 | 22 | Indiana Tech | 9-0 | 405 |
| 12 | 16 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 7-1 | 360 |
| 13 | 13 | Clarke (Iowa) | 7-1 | 320 |
| 14 | 24 | Morningside (Iowa) | 7-2 | 319 |
| 15 | 12 | College of the Ozarks (Mo.) | 0-0 | 312 |
| 16 | 7 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 5-2 | 301 |
| 17 | NR | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | 7-2 | 299 |
| 18 | NR | Sterling (Kan.) | 15-0 | 288 |
| 19 | NR | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 8-1 | 271 |
| 20 | 19 | Talladega (Ala.) | 4-1 | 228 |
| 21 | 23 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 2-0 | 181 |
| 22 | 21 | Columbia (Mo.) | 2-1 | 176 |
| 23 | 18 | Lyon (Ark.) | 0-0 | 140 |
| 24 | 14 | Bethel (Tenn.) | 5-3 | 116 |
| 25 | NR | Providence (Mont.) (Mont.) | 0-0 | 105 |