A season that was supposed to be defined by parity instead ended with the two most iconic brands in women’s basketball meeting in the national title game and UConn adding a historic record 12th title. Those programs once again top the field in this way-too-early look at 2025-26.

As is tradition in these power rankings, the defending champions get the top spot. However, an early wave of entrants into the transfer portal, combined with the double graduations of the senior class and the super senior class from the pandemic bonus year, has created a lot more flux below the upper tier.

Some teams barely have enough players to field a lineup now. Most rosters will be unrecognizable when comparing today with the start of the regular season as transfers pick their new landing spots, putting a heavier emphasis on recruiting classes because the status of returning players is uncertain.

Almost famous: Baylor, Maryland, Columbia

Final Four teams aren’t going anywhere

Even without Paige Bueckers, UConn is a worthy candidate for the best team in the country thanks to its rising superstar Sarah Strong. She finished the season second nationally in win shares behind only Bueckers and figures to become even more prolific with more of the offense running through her as a sophomore.

With Strong, Jana El Alfy and Azzi Fudd returning from the starting lineup, plus KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade ready to assume bigger roles as juniors (they already took on bigger burdens as freshmen), this is the best five in the country. Ice Brady, Allie Ziebell, Morgan Cheli and the sixth-ranked recruiting class provide solid depth even if the Huskies don’t add any transfers.

South Carolina will lose at least three starters, and potentially four if Raven Johnson decides to go pro. But the Gamecocks machine is ready to backfill, with MiLaysia Fulwiley, Tessa Johnson and Joyce Edwards waiting in the wings. This isn’t a program that rebuilds; it reloads.

Texas also loses two starters but has a trio of rising sophomores (Jordan Lee, Bryanna Preston, and Justice Carlton) to help Madison Booker get to the next level. The talent is obvious, but South Carolina’s historical dominance of the SEC — and Dawn Staley’s historical dominance over Vic Schaefer — keeps the Gamecocks ahead of the Longhorns for now.

UCLA can welcome back the most players from its Final Four team, with everyone eligible to return. However, the national semifinal flameout creates some doubt about the Bruins’ overall ceiling compared with the rest of this crew, slotting them in fourth despite being the No. 1 team for most of the season.

Kevin Durant is a fan of Sarah Strong’s game 👏

Strong’s performance in the National Championship:

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◽️24 PTS
◽️15 REB
◽️5 AST
◽️3 BLK
◽️2 STL
◽️10/15 FGM pic.twitter.com/HsGN9CcORO

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 6, 2025

SEC is still deepest conference

Beyond the co-conference champions, the rest of the SEC is also reloading. LSU has the perimeter duo of Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams plus the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, headlined by Grace Knox.

Tennessee’s Kim Caldwell can now get players to specifically fit her system and has brought in the second-best class with several dynamic guards to play alongside Talaysia Cooper, Zee Spearman and Ruby Whitehorn.

The single best freshman is headed to Oklahoma to join Raegan Beers, Sahara Williams and Zya Vann. As such, all three teams, which all advanced to the 2025 Sweet 16, project in the top 10.

Kentucky is harder to evaluate with the loss of Georgia Amoore, who has been central to everything Kenny Brooks has built in Lexington and previously at Virginia Tech. However, the return of three starters, including Clara Strack, healthy seasons for Jordan Obi and Dominika Paurova, plus Brooks’ historical success in the portal keep the Wildcats’ outlook high.

Vanderbilt returns the dynamic duo of Mikayla Blakes and Khamil Pierre. Mississippi State has many holes to fill, but a top-15 class coming in to surround Madina Okot is worth including in this group.

I’m keeping an eye on Georgia as well. The Bulldogs struggled to a 4-12 SEC record in 2024-25 but beat the Lady Vols on the last day of the regular season. Rising sophomores Trinity Turner and Mia Woolfolk are a strong core to build around, and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson brings in a top-20 class.

Which young teams can take next step?

Duke slides into the top five as it expects to bring back eight of its 10 rotation players. Ashlon Jackson had her best season as a junior, and underclassmen Jadyn Donovan, Oluchi Okananwa and Toby Fournier have all taken significant steps forward in Durham. With a true center next season in Arianna Roberson (who missed 2024-25 with an injury), the Blue Devils might finally have the pieces to make their first Final Four in two decades after coming up one possession short in 2025.

Iowa’s freshman class showed flashes in its first year. Ava Heiden, Teagan Mallegni and Taylor Stremlow will need to be much more productive to get the Hawkeyes back to hosting in the first weekend, though incoming freshman Addison Deal should help juice the offense.

Michigan’s trio of freshmen (Syla Swords, Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway) needs some reinforcements in the frontcourt. The Wolverines can get that in the portal — Swords’ high school teammate Kate Koval, who might leave Notre Dame, would be an excellent addition. If so, the Wolverines could challenge in the Big Ten.

Louisville had five freshmen in the rotation last season, and the Cardinals found their next cornerstone in Tajianna Roberts. The veterans are basically all gone except for Ja’Leah Williams, but this ranking is a bet on Roberts being good enough to lead Louisville and Mackenly Randolph filling in Olivia Cochran’s shoes.

Elsewhere in the ACC, this might be a year early for NC State, considering the Wolfpack lose a trio of starters and have no seniors. However, the freshman class of Tilda Trygger, Lorena Awou, Zamareya Jones and Devyn Quigley is promising. With Zoe Brooks at the helm, there is still a lot to work with.

Iowa State was the young team last season, and we just can’t quit the potential of Audi Crooks and Addy Brown. The Cyclones’ ceiling is still probably limited by Crooks’ defense, but to start the year, there is too much continuity and talent to leave Iowa State out of the top 15.

𝘼𝙡𝙡-𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 🇺🇸@AudiCrooks has been named a Third Team All-American by the @AP and @USBWA!

🌪️🏀🌪️ | 📰: https://t.co/aSPesV0w9d pic.twitter.com/aR2MhnPRRF

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— Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneWBB) March 19, 2025

And a nod to the WBIT champs, Minnesota. Even without Mara Brown, the Golden Gophers’ core of Amaya Battle, Grace Grocholski and Tori McKinney did some special things to close out the 2024-25 season. If Braun can ever be healthy, and this ranking presupposes that, Minnesota has so many long, versatile forwards/wings and is a modern basketball fan’s dream.

Big names missing

Culling this list to 25, especially at the start of the season, is always tricky. Teams such as Baylor, Ohio State, Columbia and West Virginia could easily have slotted in ahead of Maryland or Alabama.

But let’s address the elephants in the room: the big-name teams that either didn’t make the rankings at all or barely squeezed in. Notre Dame slots in at 25 because it’s impossible to exclude two-time first-team All-American Hannah Hidalgo altogether, even if she has essentially no other teammates but Cassandre Prosper after a portal exodus, which included backcourt mate Olivia Miles. Regardless of who ends up playing next to Hidalgo in 2025-26, she can will the Irish to enough wins.

USC and TCU, teams that lost in the Elite Eight, couldn’t make the cut, however. The Trojans are expected to be without JuJu Watkins for most of the season, and they graduated four seniors who played significant roles. Two of their three top freshmen are in the portal, so the combination of Kennedy Smith, Malia Samuels and incoming Jazzy Davidson wasn’t enough to vault past these other teams.

With TCU, the roster is barren. Although Mark Campbell will almost certainly sign some of the best transfers in the country, as he has done each of the past two seasons, they aren’t in Fort Worth yet. Donovyn Hunter alone does not make a top-25 team.

(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Joe Buglewicz, Patrick McDermott, Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)