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The UConn Huskies won their 12th national championship in April, and they will tip off the 2025-26 women's college basketball season as the favorites to do it again. However, there are other teams that look like strong contenders, including runner-up South Carolina, Texas, UCLA and LSU. There are also teams with the potential to surprise us the way TCU did last season, and programs in rebuilding mode, like Notre Dame and USC, who still have the pedigree to exceed expectations. It is impossible to predict what will happen in March and April at the beginning of the season, but we can certainly make some educated guesses. Here are the CBS Sports 2025-26 women's basketball preseason rankings. 2025-26 WBB Preseason Top 25 1. UConn This might be Geno Auriemma's deepest – and healthiest – team in a long time. Even with Paige Bueckers in the WNBA, the team is in good hands with Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong as the leaders. Fudd just had her first healthy offseason in years, while Strong is No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 10 players rankings after the versatility she showed during her historic freshman season. 2. South Carolina Despite senior Chloe Kitts missing the season with a torn ACL and Ashlyn Watkins taking a year off to focus on her personal life, the Gamecocks still have a lot of pieces that will keep them competitive. Joyce Edwards is returning from a strong freshman season, and Dawn Staley added a powerful offensive weapon in Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson, the nation's top scorer last season. 3. Texas Rori Harmon and Madison Booker running it back after a Final Four run is only a part of why this is a dangerous team. The Longhorns needed a three-point shooter last season and they have a couple of options now, including five-star freshman Aaliyah Crump and sophomore Jordan Lee, who is expected to play more significant minutes. There is also Missouri transfer Aston Judd, who will make an impact when she returns from a small fracture in her right kneecap. 4. UCLA The Bruins are returning their top three scorers in Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez after reaching the first Final Four in program history. The team also got deeper with former Utah star Gianna Kneepkens joining the roster. Another strong addition is Betts' younger sister, Sienna, who arrived at Westwood as the No. 2 freshman in the country – although her debut could be delayed due to leg injury. 5. LSU The Tigers don't have a double-double machine like Angel Reese or Aneesah Morrow returning, but they still have a lot of talent on the roster. Flau'jae Johnson and Mikayla Williams are the top returners, and they are joined by four of the top 25 freshmen in the nation. The most exciting addition is South Carolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley, who is not fully comfortable at the point guard position yet, but can make the team stronger with her defense and incredible athleticism. 6. Oklahoma After reaching their first Sweet 16 since 2013, the Sooners return their top three scorers in Raegan Beers, Payton Verhulst and Sahara Williams. Oklahoma's future looks extra bright with the addition of Aaliyah Chavez, the first No. 1 recruit to ever sign with the program. She has already captured national attention as an efficient scorer who had nine 50-point games in high school. 7. Duke The Blue Devils reached their first Elite Eight in over a decade and return four starters along with now-sophomore Toby Fournier, who led the team in scoring while coming off the bench. Coach Kara Lawson has been taking this program in the right direction, and this trend is likely to continue with the addition of top 10 freshman Emilee Skinner, an athletic and versatile point guard. 8. Tennessee The Lady Vols were a dangerous team last season and even beat UConn in February. That roster returns leading scorer Talaysia Cooper and leading rebounder Zee Spearman. Kim Caldwell also added some strong pieces in UCLA transfer Janiah Barker and Deniya Prawl – the No. 6 freshman in the nation. 9. NC State The Wolfpack will have to adjust without stars Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers, but the return of Zoe Brooks will help with stability. Wes Moore also added a strong frontcourt player in Vanderbilt transfer Khamil Pierre, who averaged 20.4 points, 9.6 assists and 2.9 steals per game last season. 10. Maryland Brenda Freese did a good job in the transfer portal with the additions of Yarden Garzon from Indiana and Oluchi Okananwa from Duke. Their impact should be felt right away as the two guards were stars at their previous schools. Maryland also returns Kaylene Smikle, who led the team in scoring and steals last season. 11. North Carolina The Tar Heels lost their top three scorers from last season, but this is another team that did a good job reloading in the transfer portal. The newcomers include Louisville transfer Nyla Harris, who is expected to take a lot of the responsibilities Alyssa Ustby had, and UCLA transfer Elina Aarnisalo, who, despite only being a sophomore, has a lot of valuable experience from playing in Finland and Belgium. 12. Michigan The Wolverines are a young team with potential. The trio of Olivia Olson, Syla Swards and Mila Holloway led the roster in most major stats and are now in their sophomore year. Olson led in scoring and blocks, Swords in rebounds and Mila Holloway in assists. The steals leader was senior Brooke Quarles Daniels, who is also returning. 13. Iowa State The Cyclones didn't quite live up to expectations last season, but they return two of their top players in Addy Brown and Audi Crooks. Emily Ryan, one of the best point guards in program history, has moved on from the roster to the coaching staff as a graduate assistant. However, Iowa State got a good replacement in Arizona transfer Jada Williams. 14. Notre Dame The Fighting Irish had a lot of potential last season but ultimately fell apart. They only have three returners from last season, and only two of them saw the court. That being said, Hannah Hidalgo is one of the most exciting players in the nation and seniors Cassandra Prosper and KK Bransford are ready to embrace bigger roles. 15. Ole Miss There are a lot of players gone from last season, but this team's reconstruction looks quite promising. Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin got some strong pieces in the transfer portal, including former Ohio State forward Cotie McMahon and fifth-year player Kaitlin Peterson, who averaged 21.4 points per game during her senior year at UCF. 16. TCU The Horned Frogs were the most surprising team last season, so it would be unwise to overlook them this year. TCU got Kennedy Basham from Arizona State and Clara Silva from Kentucky, two 6-foot-7 centers who could help take over Sedona Prince's responsibilities now that she has graduated. But the most talked-about addition has been former Notre Dame star Olivia Miles, who will replace Hailey Van Lith as the starting point guard. 17. USC The Trojans lost some key pieces in the transfer portal and will have to adjust with star player JuJu Watkins sitting out due to a torn ACL. But the team got some reinforcements with grad transfer Kara Dunn, who was Georgia Tech's leading scorer. Another new player to watch will be Jazzy Davidson, a strong two-way player and one of the top freshmen in the nation. 18. Baylor Baylor's top returners include double-double machine Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and one of the top defenders in the Big 12, Bella Fontleroy. Transfer Taliah Scott will also be a player to watch. She averaged 22.1 points per contest as a freshman in Arkansas before transferring to Auburn. She only played three games for the Tigers due to a wrist injury, but averaged 20.3 points in those games. 19. Vanderbilt Mikayla Blakes put on some impressive performances last season, including a freshman record 55 points against Auburn in February. The Commodores ultimately lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but it marked the first time in over a decade that the program reached the Big Dance two consecutive years. Coach Shea Ralph can build on that momentum in Blakes' second college basketball season. 20. Kentucky Kenny Brooks no longer has his quarterback Georgia Amoore on the roster, but Georgia Tech transfer Tonie Morgan will be taking on a lot of her responsibilities while bringing in her own strengths. The Wildcats also benefit from returning the strong frontcourt trio of Clara Strack, Teonni Key and Amelia Hassett. 21. Louisville Jeff Walz lost a lot of key players from last year's roster, but the rebuilding process will be made easier with the return of Tajianna Roberts, who showed a lot of promise during her freshman year as the second leading scorer and the leader in steals. The transfers also have a lot of potential, including senior Laura Ziegler, who averaged 17.5 points and 10.4 rebounds at Saint Joseph's last season. 22. Iowa Two years ago the Hawkeyes had Caitlin Clark as their leader. Last year it was Lucy Olsen. This season Hannah Stuelke is set for a big year as one of the veteran returners. The addition of Addie Deal, a top 10 freshman, should also help boost Iowa as Jan Jensen begins her second year as the head coach. 23. Oklahoma State The Cowgirls return their top two scorers, Stailee Heard and Micah Gray, while getting help via the transfer portal. Former BYU guard Amari Whitting almost got a triple-double last season against a ranked Baylor team with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, nine assists and eight rebounds. There is also Haleigh Timmer, who was one of the top scorers for South Dakota State. 24. Michigan State The Spartans, who were ranked as high as No. 15 last season, return forward Grace VanSlooten and guard Theryn Hallock for their senior years. Jalyn Brown should also be an impactful addition, as she averaged 18 points per game on 41% shooting as a junior at Arizona State. 25. Ohio State The Buckeyes have to readjust with only five players who actually saw the court last season, but the return of the backcourt duo of Jaloni Cambridge and Chance Gray is a good starting point. Ohio State also added one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation in Boston State transfer T'yana Todd. Another key new player could be Kylee Kitts, the younger sister of South Carolina star Chloe Kitts.
