South Carolina Opens as the AP Preseason No. 1 in Women’s Basketball, With UConn and USC Close Behind
Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks begin the new season atop the national rankings. South Carolina is No. 1 in The Associated Press preseason women’s basketball poll.
The Poll
South Carolina collected 23 first-place votes from the 31-member national media panel on Tuesday. UConn, Southern California, Duke, and Michigan fill out the rest of the top five. This is the fifth time in seven years that a Staley-coached team has opened the season at No. 1.
Staley has mixed feelings about the label.
“It’s a gift and curse,” Staley said. “I tend to not look at the number, but our players do. They look at it and feel like there’s a sense of respect to being No. 1. They also know that it’s pressure-packed. With the type of nonconference schedule we have, we’re going to be challenged. If we stand there at No. 1 at the end of our nonconference season that’s something to be truly to be proud of.”
A Brutal Early Schedule
The Gamecocks will play five ranked opponents in the first month, including UConn, USC, and Duke. Staley said the slate serves a practical purpose as well as a competitive one.
“It’s a doozy of a schedule, something we have to do for us to actually keep having the roster we have,” Staley said. “Some of them are NIL games, some of them are games we just got to play because they are super competitive and we want to test ourselves.”
UConn Still Lurking
UConn, which South Carolina beat in last season’s Final Four, received six first-place votes. The Huskies have been in the top 10 of every preseason poll since 1994. South Carolina and UConn have now held the top two spots for a third straight preseason, though UConn was No. 1 a year ago. They meet on Nov. 24 in Uncasville, Connecticut.
USC Gets Its Star Back
The Trojans earned the other two first-place votes. Expectations are high in Los Angeles because JuJu Watkins is healthy again after missing last season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. USC’s No. 3 ranking equals its position from two years ago.
Duke and Michigan Climb
Duke has its best preseason ranking since 2013, when the Blue Devils were No. 2. Michigan reached its highest preseason ranking in program history after spending the final 18 weeks of last season’s poll inside the top 10. Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico credited her junior class, led by Olivia Olson and Syla Swords.
“They came to Michigan to do things that have never been done before,” Barnes Arico said. “We’re in the position we’re in because they came here and made a difference.”
The first regular-season poll comes out Nov. 9.
Bottom Line
South Carolina starts at No. 1 again, but Staley’s comments show the ranking is as much a burden as an honor. A November schedule loaded with ranked opponents will show quickly whether the Gamecocks deserve the top spot. The UConn game on Nov. 24 is the early marker to watch, with USC, Duke, and an ascending Michigan program making this one of the deeper preseason fields in years.
