Women's preseason top 25: JuJu is back, but South Carolina opens on top

Women's college basketball is back -- and so is JuJu Watkins. Her return after sitting out all of last season is the biggest story in the country as college hoops teams hit the hardwood for 2026-27. Watkins suffered a torn ACL in March 2025 in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The national player of the year that season, Watkins guided the USC Trojans to a No. 1 seed. They reached the Elite Eight before being eliminated. Without her last season, USC won 18 games, finished in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten and reached the NCAA tournament's second round as a No. 9 seed. With Watkins back, USC is again a national championship contender. But there are questions, of course. Most of the roster has turned over since Watkins last played. With the exception of classmate Kennedy Smith, Watkins hasn't played an official game with any teammates in coach Lindsay Gottlieb's expected rotation. USC is not alone. Every team in ESPN's preseason top 25 faces questions as the race to the Final Four appears more wide open than it was a season ago. We answer the most important question for every team ahead of the season tipping off Nov. 1. 1. South Carolina Gamecocks Will a point guard emerge? Coach Dawn Staley, one of the sports' all-time greatest point guards, doesn't have a true point guard to start the season. In August, junior Maddy McDaniel announced she was withdrawing from the university to focus on her mental health. The move leaves a hole in an otherwise loaded roster. McDaniel was expected to assume the role that Raven Johnson filled so well for four years. Tessa Johnson can handle some of the ballhandling duties, but it diminishes her value as a wing shooter and penetrator. Agot Makeer and Texas transfer Jordan Lee can also help, but neither is a facilitator. The late transfer addition of Michigan's Brooke Quarles-Daniels, who was granted a fifth year of eligibility, adds depth, but while she's a high-level defender, she's also not a true lead guard. Expect South Carolina's offense to look unconventional at times and run through Joyce Edwards in the high post. Edwards has emerged as one of the five or six best players in the country, and that approach might work well for the Gamecocks, who get forward Chloe Kitts back after she missed last season because of a torn ACL suffered in October 2025. Projected starting lineup Tessa Johnson (12.8 PPG) Joyce Edwards (19.2 PPG) Jordan Lee (13.2 PPG at Texas) Chloe Kitts (10.2 PPG in 2024-25) Agot Makeer (7.3 PPG) 2. UConn Huskies Is Blanca Quinonez the next UConn star? The sophomore forward's talent is eye-popping. She draws attention whenever she's on the court. Her 18 points against Ohio State in her second college game and her 20 points and eight rebounds in the Elite Eight against Notre Dame are just two examples of what Quinonez is capable of doing. There were also bad turnovers, mental lapses and inconsistent attention to detail. If Quinonez learns from her freshman season and leans in to her ability, UConn won't miss Azzi Fudd nearly as much -- and Sarah Strong, 2026's consensus national player of the year, will have a potential All-American as a running mate. The Huskies' depth is once again a strength, but a peak Quinonez gives them some needed star power. Projected starting lineup Sarah Strong (18.4 PPG) KK Arnold (6.9 PPG) Ashlynn Shade (7.6 PPG) Blanca Quinonez (10.7 PPG) Jana El Alfy (4.0 PPG) 3. USC Trojans How will all the pieces fit? From the moment USC tips off the season in Las Vegas against UNLV on Nov. 2, how Lindsay Gottlieb uses all the talent she has accumulated will be analyzed and dissected. JuJu Watkins is back and once again on the short list of national player of the year candidates. But the USC team she is coming back to is much different than the one she left. Only three teammates remain. She has never played with fellow No. 1 recruits Jazzy Davidson (2025) and Saniyah Hall (2026), two players with a similar skill set as Watkins. Davidson, who led the Trojans in points, rebounds and assists last season in Watkins' absence, might play more of a point guard role. Kennedy Smith also could have a role change with the addition of Hall and Sara Okeke, the No. 5-rated recruit. Pania Davis, a 6-foot-6 senior center and transfer from Florida State, will also have to find her place in the rotation. The chemistry should look much different in March than it does in November. Projected starting lineup JuJu Watkins (23.9 in 2024-25) Jazzy Davidson (17.9 PPG) Kennedy Smith (11.5 PPG) Saniyah Hall (No. 1 in SC Next 100) Pania Davis (7.7 PPG at Florida State) 4. Duke Blue Devils What will Emilee Skinner's impact be after a lost season? The No. 4 recruit in 2025, Skinner was supposed to be a major contributor last year, but a lower body injury forced her to miss all but three games. With Taina Mair now in the WNBA, coach Kara Lawson needs a point guard to direct a talented roster led by Toby Fournier, Delaney Thomas and Texas transfer Aaliyah Crump. Skinner's court vision and size should fit well into Lawson's schemes offensively and defensively, and she was also a 2,000-point scorer in high school in Utah. Her ability to take the reins from Mair and stay healthy might be the key to Duke reaching its first Final Four since 2003. Projected starting lineup Toby Fournier (17.3 PPG) Delaney Thomas (11.0 PPG) Riley Nelson (9.4 PPG) Emilee Skinner (4.3 PPG) Aaliyah Crump (7.9 PPG at Texas) 5. Michigan Wolverines Will Courtney Ogden be the difference maker? Kim Barnes-Arico's 2024 recruiting class of Olivia Olson, Syla Swords, Mila Holloway and Te'Yala Delfosse has lived up to expectations, delivering the program's first Elite Eight appearance as sophomores. But the blowout loss to Texas illustrated that the Wolverines needed something else to take that next step. Ogden could be that player after having a significant increase in production from her sophomore to junior seasons (5.9 PPG to 12.9 PPG, with 51.3% field goal shooting) at Stanford. One more experienced scorer to take some pressure off Olson might be the missing piece to a Final Four appearance. Projected starting lineup Olivia Olson (18.9 PPG) Syla Swords (14.6 PPG) Mia Holloway (12.3 PPG) Ashley Sofilkanich (7.7 PPG) Courtney Ogden (12.9 PPG at Stanford) 6. Louisville Cardinals Will the Cardinals have a breakout star? Louisville won 29 games last season without a player averaging more than 11.5 points per game. Three of those starters are back, plus top reserve Imari Berry (10.9 PPG). Jeff Walz also added Zamareya Jones (NC State), Carys Baker (Virginia Tech) and Deniya Prawl (Tennessee) from the portal. As versatile and interchangeable as the Cardinals were in 2025-26, they might be more so this season. And Jones could be that star. She broke out as a sophomore at NC State, doubling her scoring average from her rookie campaign. Pairing Jones with Taj Roberts gives Walz an explosive backcourt. Projected starting lineup Tajianna Roberts (11.5 PPG) Elif Istanbulluoglu (10.1 PPG) Zamareya Jones (14.9 PPG at NC State) Mackenly Randolph (8.5 PPG) Carys Baker (14.3 PPG at Virginia Tech) 7. Iowa Hawkeyes Can Dani Carnegie make the same impact at Iowa that she made at Georgia? Georgia was an afterthought in the SEC heading into last season, picked to finish 12th. The Lady Bulldogs finished sixth, won 22 games and made the NCAA tournament. Most of that was on the shoulders of Carnegie. Now on her third team in three years, she is surrounded by the most talent in her career, and her decision to join Iowa propelled the Hawkeyes into the top 10. She appears to be the ideal fit for a team that wants to play fast but needed a lead guard to make it all work. With Chazadi Wright as a running mate and Ava Heiden in the post, Carnegie should lead Iowa to some big offensive numbers. Projected starting lineup Ava Heiden (18.0 PPG) Chazadi Wright (12.5 PPG) Taylor Stremlow (7.9 PPG) Dani Carnegie (17.8 PPG at Georgia) McKenna Woliczko (No. 7 in SC Next 100) 8. LSU Tigers How will Kim Mulkey manage the Tigers' rotation? While Mulkey doesn't have the experienced size of her best teams, this LSU roster is loaded with talented guards and wings, providing the Hall of Fame coach with a host of lineup options. Does MiLaysia Fulwiley continue off the bench or join Iowa State transfer Jada Williams as a starter? Does former Florida starter Laila Reynolds continue in that role, or will returning sophomore ZaKiyah Johnson get the starting nod? The one certainty: Senior Mikaylah Williams has been a consistent scorer since her arrival in Baton Rouge and is one of the country's best midrange shooters. Projected starting lineup Mikaylah Williams (14.2 PPG) ZaKiyah Johnson (9.7 PPG) Grace Knox (8.8 PPG) MiLaysia Fulwiley (14.6 PPG) Jada Williams (15.3 PPG at Iowa State) 9. Texas Longhorns Who is the No. 2 option after Madison Booker? Now that rosters around the country have settled, the loss of Jordan Lee to South Carolina looks more pronounced. She was the Longhorns' second-leading scorer, and Texas' next four top scorers are also gone. Booker, a three-time All-American and Texas' fifth all-time leading scorer, does not have an obvious running mate. Vic Schaefer's recruiting class, by led top-15 additions Addison Bjorn, Brihanna Crittendon and Lizzy Spaight, was ranked third in the country by ESPN, and Bryanna Preston showed signs last season playing behind Rori Harmon that she could be a breakout player in 2026-27. But those are all still unknowns. With Ohio State, Louisville and TCU on the schedule in the first month, Booker might have to carry a heavy load. Projected starting lineup Madison Booker (18.9 PPG) Breya Cunningham (7.7 PPG) Bryanna Preston (4.9 PPG) Addison Bjorn (No. 10 in SC Next 100) Jayda Clark (WNBL in Australia) 10. North Carolina Tar Heels Is Kate Harpring the player to get the Tar Heels to the next level? Coach Courtney Banghart has restored North Carolina's status on the national scene in her seven years in Chapel Hill. Yet the Tar Heels have yet to advance past the Sweet 16 or finish above third in the ACC during that time. Banghart has also never secured a recruit as highly regarded as Harpring. A point guard with a scorer's mentality, Harpring is Georgia's all-time leader in points and should add another layer to an already improving offense along with transfer additions Achol Akot (Oklahoma State), Chloe Clardy (Stanford) and Sophie Burrows (Syracuse). Projected starting lineup Ciera Toomey (8.8 PPG) Reniya Kelly (6.1 PPG) Achol Akot (12.4 PPG at Oklahoma State) Nyla Brooks (8.6 PPG) Kate Harpring (No. 4 in SC Next 100) 11. Vanderbilt Commodores Can Mikayla Blakes win national player of the year? While leading the country in scoring, Blakes took the Vanderbilt program to heights it had not reached in nearly 20 years: 29 wins and a Sweet 16 appearance. She was a consensus first-team All-American and a finalist for every major player of the year award. Blakes' challenge to reach the top is even greater this season, with 2026 winner Strong back at UConn, the return of Watkins, plus the two-way excellence of Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo. The Commodores' success will directly correlate to Blakes' chances. Beating Notre Dame in the ACC/SEC Challenge; outdueling South Carolina, LSU and/or Texas; and winning an SEC championship would go a long way in that campaign. To accomplish any of it, Blakes will need help, which should largely come from dynamic point guard Aubrey Galvan and 6-3 post Mia Woolfolk, one of the more underrated transfer portal additions. Projected starting lineup Mikayla Blakes (27.0 PPG) Aubrey Galvan (13.5 PPG) Mia Woolfolk (13.9 PPG at Georgia) Aiyana Mitchell (5.8 PPG) Olivia Jones (No. 16 in SC Next 100) 12. Washington Huskies Will Sayvia Sellers finally get some national attention? Quietly and methodically, coach Tina Langley has rebuilt a Washington program that had just 25 wins in the four years prior to her arrival. The success truly began when Sellers arrived. Last season, she averaged 18.0 points per game, good for seventh in the Big Ten, was named first-team all-conference and led the Huskies to their first NCAA tournament win in 10 years. Yet outside of Seattle and the Big Ten, Sellers is rarely mentioned among the country's top players. If the Huskies improve on last season's 22 wins and push USC, Michigan and Iowa for conference supremacy, Sellers should get noticed in her final year. Projected starting lineup Sayvia Sellers (18.0 PPG) Avery Howell (14.2 PPG) Tilda Trygger (10.7 PPG at NC State) Brooke Carlson (11.7 PPG at Colorado State) Brynn McGaughy (9.3 PPG) 13. UCLA Bruins How improved will Sienna Betts be? With six seniors leading last season's national championship run -- all of whom became WNBA draft picks -- little was required or expected of Betts, younger sister of Final Four Most Outstanding Player Lauren Betts. That will not be the case this season. She is the Bruins' singular inside presence and the only significant returner from a season ago. Surrounded by transfers, highlighted by the versatile Addy Brown from Iowa State, Betts' familiarity with Cori Close's expectations will be a key, but a dramatic increase in production is even more important. Projected starting lineup Elina Aarnisalo (10.2 PPG at North Carolina) Donovyn Hunter (10.2 PPG at TCU) Addy Brown (11.9 PPG at Iowa State) Sienna Betts (6.0 PPG) Timea Gardiner (7.6 PPG in 2024-25) 14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Does Hannah Hidalgo have enough help? The entire rotation around Hidalgo from last year's Elite Eight team is gone. In its place Niele Ivey brought in one of the country's best recruiting classes and a top transfer in Madison St. Rose from Princeton. The freshmen, led by 6-2 wing Jacy Abii and long-range shooter Jenica Lewis, are talented but can't match the experience of Iyana Moore, Vanessa de Jesus, Malaya Cowles and Cassandre Prosper. St. Rose might be the X factor. She is a talented shooter and penetrator, which should free Hidalgo to finish what has been an elite career on a high note. Projected starting lineup Hannah Hidalgo (25.3 PPG) Madison St. Rose (15.8 PPG at Princeton) Anaya Hardy (4.9 PPG at Louisville) Jacy Abii (No. 9 in SC Next 100) Leah Macy (No. 19 in SC Next 100 in 2025) 15. Kentucky Wildcats Will Ayanna Patterson flourish in Lexington or remain a role player? A McDonald's All-American in 2022, Patterson's four years at UConn were ravaged by injuries. After playing in just two of those seasons, including last season when she averaged a mere 5.1 minutes, the 6-2 Patterson has one more chance to meet expectations. With good health, Patterson has the size and athleticism to be a difference maker for coach Kenny Brooks in the ultracompetitive SEC. She might also be a solid backup to program centerpiece Clara Strack and new addition Me'Arah O'Neal in the frontcourt. Another injury, this one a minor knee strain suffered in preseason practice, is worth keeping an eye on. Projected starting lineup Clara Strack (16.9 PPG) Me'Arah O'Neal (13.6 PPG at Florida) Asia Boone (10.1 PPG) Maddyn Greenway (No. 14 in SC Next 100) Diana Collins (8.4 PPG at Alabama) 16. Minnesota Golden Gophers Will new additions make up for the size and leadership losses? The top three scorers -- Tori McKinney, Grace Grocholski and Mara Braun -- are back, but the team lost key veterans Amaya Battle, Sophie Hart and Finau Tonga, who helped the Gophers to their first Sweet 16 in 21 years. Gracie Merkle from Penn State averaged 19.2 points and gives the Gophers a more reliable inside scorer than Hart or Tonga. UCF transfer Leah Harmon replaces Battle at the point and is a more dynamic scorer, but she's coming off a knee injury that shortened her 2025-26 campaign to 20 games. Projected starting lineup Grace Grocholski (12.1 PPG) Tori McKinney (12.7 PPG) Mara Braun (11.7 PPG) Gracie Merkle (19.2 PPG at Penn State) Leah Harmon (15.7 PPG at UCF) 17. Ohio State Buckeyes How much will be asked of Jaloni Cambridge? With the exception of Chance Gray, the Buckeyes return their entire rotation, but everything revolves around Cambridge. The junior point guard led Ohio State in scoring, assists, field goal attempts and minutes, and she ranked sixth among Power 4 conference players in usage rate. With the departure of Gray, the only other Buckeye to average double figures in scoring in 2025-26, Cambridge might have to average more than her 17.6 field goal attempts, 23.2 points and 49.4% shooting if Ohio State is to surpass its 27 wins of a season ago. Projected starting lineup Jaloni Cambridge (23.2 PPG) Kennedy Cambridge (9.0 PPG) Elsa Lemmila (9.1 PPG) Ava Watson (7.2 PPG) Kylee Kitts (7.4 PPG) 18. Maryland Terrapins Will Bri McDaniel stay healthy? McDaniel is another player with injury questions in the Big Ten. A torn ACL cost her the past season and a half, but if she is fully recovered, Maryland has another backcourt scorer and a ball handler to ease the burden on leading scorer Oluchi Okananwa and sophomore Addi Mack. In her last full season in 2023-24, McDaniel, once a top-50 recruit, averaged 12.6 points and 2.4 assists. With eight freshmen and sophomores on the roster, McDaniel's four years spent in the program could be invaluable. Projected starting lineup Oluchi Okananwa (17.8 PPG) Addi Mack (11.0 PPG) Nunu Agara (15.3 PPG at Stanford) Bri McDaniel (10.6 PPG in 2024-25) Jordyn Jackson (No. 8 in SC Next 100) 19. TCU Horned Frogs Will the Mark Campbell transfer magic work for a third straight season? From Sedona Prince and Hailey Van Lith to Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez, coach Campbell has built consecutive Elite Eight squads almost exclusively with star transfers. A trio might lead the way this season. Lara Somfai (Stanford) is a versatile forward who could shine in Campbell's pick-and-roll sets. Many of those high screens will be set for Jadyn Wooten, a good penetrator who averaged 5.4 assists last season at Oklahoma State. Lanie Grant is a natural point guard who played more off the ball at North Carolina and made 41.9% of her 3-pointers a season ago. Campbell also landed Jessie May-Hall, a combo guard from the top Australian semipro league, whom the Big 12 coaches have already named their preseason conference freshman of the year. Projected starting lineup Jessie-May Hall (19.6 PPG in the NBL1 in Australia) Clara Silva (9.0 PPG) Jadyn Wooten (12.8 PPG at Oklahoma State) Lara Somfai (10.8 PPG at Stanford) Lanie Grant (10.8 PPG at North Carolina) 20. Illinois Fighting Illini Will Gretchen Dolan play in March? A right knee surgery has ended each of Dolan's past two seasons, and she has played in just 26 games in that span. When healthy, Dolan is a versatile scorer and one of Illinois' top defenders, and having her available might have meant a better NCAA tournament seed (No. 8 in 2025 and No. 7 in 2026) and more opportunity to get past the second round. With the development of junior Berry Wallace and sophomore Cearah Parchment, a healthy Dolan would give coach Shauna Green one of the best trios in the Big Ten and a chance to finish in the conference's top four for the first time since 2007. Projected starting lineup Berry Wallace (18.4 PPG) Cearah Parchment (13.6 PPG) Gretchen Dolan (12.9 PPG) Destiny Jackson (9.9 PPG) Jasmine Brown-Hagger (6.7 PPG) 21. Oklahoma State Cowgirls How will Audi Crooks and Liv McGill mesh? Crooks and McGill are two of the biggest talents coming out of the transfer portal. Their games are also very different. Crooks does her best work in the low post. She thrived at Iowa State surrounded by patient guards and good shooters. McGill is a fast-paced driver and rim attacker. Not only was she second in the SEC in scoring (22.5 PPG), McGill ranked fourth in assists (6.3). She is also just a 28.2% 3-point shooter. The challenge for coach Jacie Hoyt will be getting the most out of her new stars while asking them to also make some sacrifices. If the chemistry works, the Cowgirls could be the best team in the Big 12. Projected starting lineup Audi Crooks (25.8 PPG at Iowa State) Liv McGill (22.5 PPG at Florida) Stailee Heard (11.9 PPG) Nene Ndiaye (14.8 PPG at Rutgers) LA Sneed (6.3 PPG at Utah) 22. Arizona State Sun Devils Will Ruby Whitehorn take advantage of the fresh start? Whitehorn was dismissed from Tennessee following an arrest in August 2025. After sitting out last season, the guard decided that Arizona State was the place to resume her career. She joins a program on the rise under Molly Miller. The Sun Devils made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019 and might be ready to contend for a Big 12 title. Whitehorn, who averaged a career-best 12.3 points in 2023-24 at Clemson before her one season in Knoxville, might be the most talented player in a transfer class that includes MAC player of the year Madi Morson and former Michigan State point guard Rashunda Jones. Projected starting lineup Rashunda Jones (11.7 PPG at Michigan State) Ruby Whitehorn (11.6 PPG at Tennessee in 2024-25) McKinna Brackens (14.4 PPG) Heloisa Carrera (10.4 PPG) Madison Morson (20.1 PPG at Central Michigan) 23. Oklahoma Sooners Is Aaliyah Chavez ready to be an All-American and a leader? With Raegan Beers and Payton Verhulst gone, the Sooners are Chavez's team now. She was already Oklahoma's best player as a freshman but last season could leave the culture building to those seniors. No longer. Only Sahara Williams and Caya Smith have spent more time in the program. With 10 freshmen and sophomores and four transfers, coach Jennie Baranczyk has completely turned over the roster in two years. Yet all paths to success lead back to Chavez, who will have to be even better than her 37.7% shooting and 18.4 points and 4.2 assists per game. Projected starting lineup Aaliyah Chavez (18.4 PPG) Sahara Williams (12.4 PPG) Sa'Myah Smith (7.9 PPG at Virginia) Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu (8.0 PPG) Jordan Speiser (10.2 PPG at Kansas State) 24. Ole Miss Rebels Can the mid-major transfers hold up to the rigors of the SEC? Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin reached into the portal for nine players, four of whom have played in the SEC. Talaysia Cooper, who was Tennessee's top scorer, is the most important addition. If the Rebels are to improve on a sixth-place conference finish and get back to the Sweet 16 -- which they reached in 2023 and 2025 -- Maya Anderson, Jade Tillman and 6-5 Emily Howard (Boise State) will have to assimilate to the SEC's physical style. Last season, Anderson, a junior wing, led San Jose State in scoring and rebounding. The America East newcomer of the year at UMBC, Tillman averaged 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds. Projected starting lineup Talaysia Cooper (16.0 PPG at Tennessee) Jada Richard (9.5 PPG at LSU) Kaitlin Peterson (3.6 PPG) Maya Anderson (13.9 PPG at San Jose State) Emily Howard (2.4 PPG at Boise State) 25. West Virginia Mountaineers Will defense still lead the way in Morgantown with all the new faces? Skylar Forbes led the Big East in blocks twice in her three seasons at Marquette. Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris combined for 4.0 steals per game a season ago at George Mason. Ball-hawking pressure defense has been Mark Kellogg's calling card in his three years coaching the Mountaineers, and it appears he has recruited from the portal three players who will continue his objective. It also helps that they can each score. Adding Forbes, Walton and Harris to holdover Gia Cooke could also mean Kellogg has his most potent offense. Projected starting lineup Skylar Forbes (15.5 PPG at Marquette) Zahirah Walton (18.1 PPG at George Mason) Gia Cooke (15.0 PPG) Khyala Ngodu (10.8 PPG at UCF) Kennedy Harris (14.1 PPG at George Mason) Also considered: Baylor Bears, NC State Wolfpack, Villanova Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, Nebraska Cornhuskers