Sports Illustrated's Women's Basketball Preseason Top 25: Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios

The defending champion Gamecocks will be tough to beat, but some stacked contenders are dreaming big.

Teams like UConn and USC will be looking to dethrone South Carolina this season. / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

1. South Carolina 

Best case: With most of her champion-winning team back for more, Dawn Staley’s group, led by Raven Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao, harness their experience and chemistry and charges to a second straight NCAA title. 

Worst case: After an undefeated 2023–24 campaign, the Gamecocks are knocked from their footing when the stumbles come and miss out on a top seed.

2. USC

Best case: Sophomore superstar guard JuJu Watkins and new sidekick Kiki Iriafen, a Stanford transfer forward, lead a dynamic Trojans lineup to the national championship.

Worst case: The roster—which also includes Oregon State grad transfer Talia von Oelhoffen—is loaded with talent, but cultivating chemistry proves a challenge.

3. UConn

Best case: The Huskies avoid the injuries that sabotaged the last two seasons, and guards Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd finally get a chance to show what they’re capable of.

Worst case: The Huskies struggle with Nika Mühl and Aaliyah Edwards gone to the pros, and Bueckers leaves Storrs without a national title.

4. Texas

Best case: Rori Harmon returns from an ACL injury and pairs with Madison Booker to form a dominant backcourt and propel the Longhorns into title contention.

Worst case: The exodus of frontcourt players through the transfer portal comes back to bite Texas, and a second straight season ends with a loss in the Elite Eight.

5. Notre Dame 

Best case: Point guard Olivia Miles, back after missing last season with a knee injury, leads a stacked roster to title contention.

Worst case: Miles isn’t the same, and big-name transfers Liatu King and Liza Karlen don’t mesh with the returning talent.

6. UCLA 

Best case: Junior transfer Timea Gardiner outdoes her stellar 39.5% three-point shooting at Oregon State, and Charlisse Leger-Walker ably replaces Charisma Osborne at point guard.

Worst case: Despite doing everything right, Cori Close’s program is still just the second-best women’s basketball team in L.A.

All eyes will be on Johnson this season in Baton Rouge. / Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

7. LSU

Best case: Flashy junior guard Flau’jae Johnson thrives in a starring role and heads back to the Final Four.

Worst case: The shoes of Angel Reese are tough to fill, while Hailey Van Lith excels at TCU after what was a middling year in Baton Rouge.

8. NC State 

Best case: Aziaha James, Saniya Rivers and Zoe Brooks recreate the magic of last year’s Final Four run, boosted by transfer Caitlin Weimar.

Worst case: The Wolfpack miss the leadership of departed grads River Baldwin and Mimi Collins, key figures in the team’s recent success.

9. Iowa State

Best case: Perimeter threats Kenzie Hare and Sydney Harris, added as transfers, prosper around sophomore center Audi Crooks, who averaged 19.2 points and 7.8 boards per game last season.

Worst case: A tough nonconference schedule, with games against UConn, South Carolina and Iowa, keeps the Cyclones from getting on track.

10. Duke 

Best case: An experienced core that’s tough defensively meshes with a strong recruiting class to make noise in the competitive ACC.

Worst case: An inconsistent offense drags down Kara Lawson’s squad, which lost five-star recruit Arianna Roberson to a knee injury during international play this summer.

11. Kansas State

Best case: Center Ayoka Lee, in her seventh year with the program, leads an attack rife with capable scorers. With a more versatile offense, buoyed by the addition of Tulsa transfer forward Temira Poindexter, the Wildcats make a push for the Elite Eight.

Worst case: Opponents know how to game-plan against Lee and disrupt the K-State offense, making the squad vulnerable come tournament time.

12.  Baylor 

Best case: Center Aaronette Vonleh, a 6' 3" transfer from Colorado, lifts an already solid team with a deep backcourt led by Sarah Andrews.

Worst case: Vonleh isn’t enough to compensate for the loss of last season’s top scorer, Dre’Una Edwards, and top rebounder, Aijha Blackwell.

13. Louisville 

Best case: The elite rebounding of Olivia Cochran keeps a team with a reliable core in the ACC fight.

Worst case: With the departure of top scorer Kiki Jefferson, Louisville’s guard depth proves too thin.

14. Oklahoma 

Best case: The Sooners make a splashy entrance into the SEC after nabbing a top transfer in 6' 4" forward Raegan Beers of Oregon State.

Worst case: Oklahoma struggles to assimilate Beers into its up-tempo style of play.

15. UNC

Best case: Five-star recruits Ciera Toomey, who redshirted last season, and Blanca Thomas shine together.

Worst case: After losing six players in the transfer portal, the Heels fail in acclimating so many newcomers.

McMahon and the Buckeyes will want to avoid another early exit in the NCAA tournament this season. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

16. Ohio State

Best case: Forward Cotie McMahon takes the spotlight in her junior year, and the Big Ten regular-season champs repeat.

Worst case: While OSU no longer has to contend with Caitlin Clark, the addition of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten causes new headaches.

17. West Virginia

Best case: The Mountaineers’ defense that led the nation in turnover margin and was second in steals per game runs it back, while Auburn transfer Sydney Shaw boosts the team’s offensive production with the two returning top scorers, Jordan Harrison and JJ Quinerly. 

Worst case: Mark Kellogg doesn’t match his successful first season as coach when his team held Iowa to a season-low 64 points in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

18. Florida State 

Best case: Leading scorer Ta'Niya Latson, who averaged 21.4 points per game last season, powers an experienced Seminoles team to its first second-round NCAA tournament game since 2019. 

Worst case: The five-straight March Madness losses loom large over Florida State’s head, and the hump proves to be too ominous to overcome. 

19. Creighton

Best case: Last year’s top scorer Lauren Jensen (17.4 PPG) and her four fellow fifth-year seniors take the Blue Jays on their deepest tournament run in program history, topping their 2022 Elite Eight appearance. 

Worst case: The Blue Jays can’t make up for the dynamic loss of Emma Ronsiek (16.8 ppg), who was the lone senior to transfer, using her final year of eligibility at Colorado State to play with her sister, Hannah. 

20. Utah

Best case: Gianna Kneepkens’s healthy return, alongside 6' 2" transfers Chyra Evans (Michigan) and Mayé Touré (Rhode Island), powers an experienced group through a conference change to the Big 12 and past last year’s second-round exit. 

Worst case: Kneepkens’s (14 PPG) return after almost an entire season out due to injury isn’t enough to fill the hole left by Alissa Pili.

21. Nebraska 

Best case: After an impressive freshman season, Natalie Potts elevates in her sophomore year, helping out Nebraska’s top scorer and rebounder Alexis Markowski as the Cornhuskers become a chaos agent in March.

Worst case: Losing guard Jaz Shelly to the WNBA means the Cornhuskers say goodbye to an experienced playmaker and a deep tournament run slips out of reach.

22. Alabama

Best case: Fifth-year seniors Aaliyah Nye (14.1 PPG last year) and Sarah Ashlee Barker (16.8 PPG) are the lethal combo the Crimson Tide need to compete in the SEC.

Worst case: A tough conference schedule with late matchups against LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee plus newbie Texas make it difficult down the stretch for the Tide to break through for a second straight tournament berth. 

The Wildcats have great expectation for Brooks, who took Virginia Tech to the Final Four in 2023 and won the ACC regular-season championship in ‘24. / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

23. Kentucky 

Best case: Kenny Brooks picks up right where he left off at Virginia Tech, with former Hokies Georgia Amore and Clara Strack, as well as UNC transfer guard 6' 4" Teonni Key, along for the ride.

Worst case: Unlike when he took over in Blacksburg, it will take a season or two for Brooks to find his footing with the SEC and Kentucky’s new-look group takes time to find its rhythm. 

24. Iowa

Best case: Junior forward Hannah Stuelke steps into the spotlight and thrives alongside senior guard Sydney Affolter and transfer Lucy Olsen, who averaged 23.3 points per game at Villanova. 

Worst case: The expected drop after losing the talent and experience of Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, with players struggling to find the late-game spark Clark could undoubtedly ignite when games get close late.

25. Ole Miss 

Best case: Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s busy offseason pays off with transfers Tameiya Sadler, DeeDee Hagemann, Starr Jacobs and Christeen Iwuala injecting the Rebels’ lineup with plenty of offensive firepower.

Worst case: Ole Miss struggles to contend with the exit of leading scorer Marquesha Davis to the pros, and it takes more time than the team has to incorporate new faces while toughing it out in a competitive conference.