South Carolina tops women’s basketball preseason polls; USC ranks third
The Gamecocks lead both the AP and coaches polls for 2026–27. UConn and USC follow in each, while defending champion UCLA starts outside the top 10.
South Carolina enters the 2026–27 women’s college basketball season ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Sports coaches preseason polls, released ahead of the November opening games. UConn is second and USC third in each poll, putting JuJu Watkins’s Trojans among the leading teams as she returns after missing last season.
The Gamecocks received 23 of 31 first-place votes from the AP panel, according to CBS Sports. UConn received six and USC two. CBS Sports said this is the fifth time in seven years that South Carolina has opened atop the AP poll. USA TODAY Sports reported that Dawn Staley’s team has reached six consecutive Final Fours.
How the AP preseason top 10 ranks
Duke is fourth in the AP poll, its highest preseason position since 2013, and Michigan is fifth, its highest preseason ranking, CBS Sports reported. Texas, Louisville, Vanderbilt, LSU and Iowa complete the AP top 10. USA TODAY Sports reported that the coaches chose the same 10 teams, although the order differs below the top three.
Defending national champion UCLA begins at No. 11 in the AP poll and No. 12 in the coaches poll. The Bruins beat South Carolina in the NCAA title game about six months ago. CBS Sports reported that UCLA has since lost its entire starting five to the WNBA and that coach Cori Close turned to the transfer portal to rebuild the roster.
Watkins returns to a third-ranked USC team
Watkins tore her ACL during the 2025 NCAA Tournament and missed last season, CBS Sports reported. She returns to a USC squad that also includes sophomore Jazzy Davidson and freshman Saniyah Hall, described by CBS Sports as the top-ranked recruits from their respective classes. The Trojans’ two AP first-place votes show that some voters placed them ahead of South Carolina and UConn, despite their third-place overall ranking.
South Carolina brings back Tessa Johnson and Joyce Edwards, while adding Texas transfer Jordan Lee and freshman Jerzy Robinson, according to CBS Sports. USA TODAY Sports also identified Edwards as a returning All-American and pointed to the Gamecocks’ frontcourt depth. The rankings set expectations before those lineups have played the new season; they are the first measure of how voters view teams reshaped since the championship game.
The season’s opening games include Notre Dame against Villanova in Rome on November 1, followed by Maryland against South Carolina and Oklahoma against North Carolina in Paris on November 2, CBS Sports reported. South Carolina’s Paris game will give the preseason No. 1 an early test against an AP-ranked opponent: Maryland starts at No. 20.
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Sources and context
- Women's college basketball rankings: JuJu Watkins has USC at No. 3 in AP Top 25, South Carolina begins on topCBS Sports
- Women's college basketball rankings: Preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, AP Top 25USA TODAY Sports (republished by Yahoo; by Heather Burns)
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