Predicted top teams for NCAA Women’s Basketball 2026-27

UCLA has won its first NCAA Tournament, but you won’t find the Bruins at the top of our way-too-early Top 25 rankings for next season. That’s because this UCLA team was built on seniors, and now its best six players are set to depart for the pros after this season. But the other three teams from this season’s Final Four? It’s a much different story there.

For the most part, this early look at next season’s top teams is ignoring that the transfer portal will still shake things up. We’re mainly looking at returning players and incoming freshmen to determine which teams will be the best next season, with the caveat that a ton can and will change between now and the fall.

11. Notre Dame

• 2025-26 finish: 25-11 (12-6)

Notre Dame was such a hard team to get a read on, as so much revolved around Hannah Hidalgo after the departure of much of the rest of the program before the season began. It didn’t end up being the Irish’s best year — the team lost double-digit games for the first time since 2021 — but Hidalgo dragged the roster to the Elite Eight nonetheless.

Heading into next season, Notre Dame should be more consistent with the addition of ESPN’s No. 9 recruit, wing Jacy Abii, and No. 24 recruit, guard Jenica Lewis. While this might not be a title contender, the Irish should at least get that loss total back down into the single digits.

10. Iowa

• 2025-26 finish: 27-7 (15-3)

Iowa has to replace Hannah Stuelke, which won’t be easy. Luckily, Ava Heiden is back, and she proved to be arguably even better than Stuelke last season.

But the bigger reason to be excited about Iowa is freshman McKenna Woliczko, ESPN’s No. 6 overall recruit. The 6-foot-2 wing will give Iowa an outside threat to complement Heiden. No, she’s not Caitlin Clark, but a Woliczko-Heiden pairing will be as close as Iowa’s had to what Clark-Stuelke did for the program.

9. Duke

• 2025-26 finish: 27-9 (16-2)

After a rough start to the season, Duke rebounded and looked like one of the best teams in the nation once conference play began, with much of that happening because of the emergence of Toby Fournier as one of the best interior presences in the nation.

Next year’s Duke team should have a chance to be better depending on how former top recruit Emilee Skinner looks. Limited to just three games as a freshman due to injury, a healthy Skinner could really transform this team. Add in incoming freshman point guard Autumn Fleary plus a ton of returning talent, and you get a very dangerous Blue Devils team.

8. Louisville

• 2025-26 finish: 29-8 (15-3)

Just as it was last season, Duke and Louisville should battle it out for the ACC title. As far as which team I’d take, though, I lean ever so slightly in the direction of the Cardinals.

The big reason? Louisville should return five of its top six players from last season’s team, plus Jeff Walz is adding two top 70 recruits, highlighted by guard Ariyana Cradle. This will be a very deep team with plenty of high-end talent.

7. Vanderbilt

• 2025-26 finish: 29-5 (13-3)

As long as Mikayla Blakes is back for another season with the Commodores, this team will enter the season as a preseason top-10 squad. Assuming Aubrey Galvan returns as well, Vandy should be viewed as a potential title dark horse.

Just as it was this season, defense will be a primary concern, which might limit the team’s overall upside. But at least as far as offense goes, this will be a team that’s capable of outscoring anyone, making the Commodores a threat to win every night.

6. USC

• 2025-26 finish: 18-14 (9-9)

Assuming JuJu Watkins is back and healthy next season, no team is better equipped to make a huge leap than USC, which will have one of the best backcourts in the nation with Watkins and Jazzy Davidson. Am I worried about the growing pains of putting those two together? Sure, but the talent will almost certainly win out in the end.

Also helping the case for a huge year is that the team is adding another No. 1 overall-ranked recruit. This time, it’s Saniyah Hall, who will add even more wing talent to this roster. Figuring out the rotation won’t be easy, but the talent is certainly there.

5. LSU

• 2025-26 finish: 29-6 (12-4)

Losing Flau’Jae Johnson will be tough, but LSU already has the talent to weather her loss without even mentioning how good head coach Kim Mulkey tends to be at finding transfer portal talent.

The key to another strong season in Baton Rouge will be the continued development of young players ZaKiyah Johnson and Grace Knox, who both impressed as freshman role players this season. LSU will need both to step up into even bigger roles next season.

4. Michigan

• 2025-26 finish: 28-7 (15-3)

For much of this season, Michigan felt like it almost had everything figured out, dropping extremely close games to UConn, Vanderbilt and UCLA during the regular season. But things fell apart at the end, with the team losing 77-41 to Texas in the Elite Eight.

The duo of Syla Swords and Olivia Olson now enter their third season together and should continue to grow into one of the nation’s best pairings. The Wolverines need to add a little more size inside, but few teams have a foundation as good as this one.

3. South Carolina

• 2025-26 finish: 36-4 (15-1)

The top three teams entering next season are obvious, and I really think you could arrange them however you want. I’ve got South Carolina third at the moment because the team will lose a number of key players in Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot, but the Gamecocks still have plenty of other big names returning.

Notably, Joyce Edwards is back. One of the nation’s most underrated players, Edwards is the key to South Carolina’s success next season. There’s also the possibility of Ashlynn Watkins and Chloe Kitts returning from injury to bolster the frontcourt, and No. 5-ranked recruit Jerzy Robinson can provide early scoring on the perimeter

2. UConn

• 2025-26 finish: 38-1 (20-0)

The Huskies have the unenviable task of replacing Azzi Fudd, but as long as Sarah Strong is back inside, this team should be positioned for another huge season. Strong is arguably the best player in college basketball, something that gives UConn a huge advantage, and Blanca Quiñonez should help make up for the loss of Fudd.

What also helps UConn: The team has far more easily winnable games on its schedule than other top teams, since it plays in the Big East. That should help the Huskies rack up the victories again next season.

1. Texas

• 2025-26 finish: 35-4 (13-3)

If not for Madison Booker having one of the worst shooting nights of her life in the Final Four, the Longhorns could easily have ended the season as champions. Booker will be back next season to lead a team that will look a bit different, but that should once again be among the elite teams in the nation.

Replacing senior point guard Rori Harmon is the biggest issue Texas has to face, but the Horns have options to replace her, including incoming freshman Aaliah Spaight, part of the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the nation. Much of the team’s potential success rests in how well Booker plays, but the 2026-27 season should be Vic Schaefer’s best shot at a title. It’s just a shame that a legend like Harmon won’t be around for it.

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