No. 7 Duke is well positioned to establish themselves as the class of the ACC, unless Hannah Hidalgo executes an incredible carry job and overachieves with No. 15 Notre Dame. Beckett Harrison also has his eye on a retooled team in No. 9 NC State.

UConn starts the 2025–26 season right where it left off: on top of the mountain. Last spring’s title and a bolstered roster have BetMGM putting the Huskies at +250 to repeat, ahead of their title game foe South Carolina (+290). Just behind these two leaders are the other two most recent visitors to the Final Four, UCLA (+425) and Texas (+800).

The UConn Huskies won their 12th national championship in April, and they will tip off the 2025-26 women's college basketball season as the favorites to do it again. However, there are other teams that look like strong contenders, including runner-up South Carolina, Texas, UCLA and LSU.

There’s no Paige Bueckers (who’s off to the WNBA) and no JuJu Watkins (who’s out with an injury), but plenty of star power remains this season.

Audi Crooks scored 20 points, Addy Brown had 11 points, six rebounds and six assists, and No. 14 Iowa State beat St. Thomas-Minnesota 85-36 on Monday for its NCAA-leading 31st straight season-opening victory.

Ava Heiden scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Hannah Stuelke added 20 points with nine boards, and No. 21 Iowa topped Southern 86-51 to open the season.

The Tennessee women's basketball team has dismissed senior guard Ruby Whitehorn, head coach Kim Caldwell announced on Sunday. The decision came a few days after Whitehorn was charged with simple possession of marijuana following a traffic stop in Knoxville.

The 2026 women's NCAA tournament begins with Selection Sunday on March 15 and ends with the national championship in Phoenix on April 5.