The first AP preseason women’s college basketball poll is out, and South Carolina is sitting right where a lot of people expected: at No. 1.
Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks earned the top spot in the 2026-27 rankings, giving them the early look of the team to chase as the season nears. The poll also puts UConn at No. 2 and USC at No. 3, setting up a top-heavy opening stretch for the sport’s biggest names.
There’s no shortage of buzz around the league before the first tip. USC star JuJu Watkins is back after injury, and the freshman class has drawn plenty of attention too. North Carolina’s Kate Harpering, USC’s Saniyah Hall and South Carolina’s Jerzy Robinson are among the newcomers expected to step into the spotlight right away.
The AP poll also shows how deep the top of the sport looks across conferences. The Big Ten leads the way with nine teams in the Top 25, while the SEC has seven, including four in the Top 10. The ACC has five teams ranked, the Big 12 has three, and the Big East has one.
UCLA, the defending national champion, opens the year at No. 11. That means the Bruins will spend the early part of the season trying to prove they can repeat, with their transfers expected to have a major role in how fast they settle in.
Here’s the full preseason AP Top 25:
- South Carolina (23)
- UConn (6)
- USC (2)
- Duke
- Michigan
- Texas
- Louisville
- Vanderbilt
- LSU
- Iowa
- UCLA
- North Carolina
- Notre Dame
- Kentucky
- TCU
- Washington
- Minnesota
- Ohio State
- Ole Miss
- Maryland
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State
- Illinois
- West Virginia
- NC State
In Other News...
Clemson's ACC Hopes Could Come Down To A Messy Finish
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The leagues new 2026 tiebreaker policy only adds another layer to the uncertainty, putting more emphasis on head-to-head results and overall body of work while still leaving room for subjective judgment from officials in certain tie situations. For Clemson, that means the final answer may not come neatly from the scoreboard alone. It could take a messy finish, with several results around the ACC playing as big a role as anything the Tigers do themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Beamer Knows Tennessee's Biggest Week 8 Problem For South Carolina
Shane Beamer is already planning for the uncertainty Tennessee is bringing to Columbia this week. With Josh Heupel still not naming a starter, South Carolina has to get ready for both sophomore George MacIntyre and freshman Faizon Brandon as the Gamecocks prepare to host the No. 11 Volunteers on Oct. 24, just days after their upset win over Florida.
Beamer pointed back to South Carolinas 2022 upset of Tennessee as a reminder that the Gamecocks have already handled this matchup in a big moment, but he also made clear the challenge is different now. Preparing for two quarterbacks means more than a standard game plan, and against a Tennessee team ranked in the top 15, South Carolinas defensive staff has to cover all the bases before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
James Island Carries A Perfect Season Into A High Stakes Road Test
James Island enters the weekend as the areas last unbeaten high school football team, a status it inherited after Bishop England fell to Oceanside Collegiate. The Trojans have already wrapped up the Region 5-AAAAA title, but the work is hardly finished as they head back on the road for a meeting with West Florence, a game that will give them one more chance to protect a perfect season against a fresh challenge.
The matchup is part of a busy slate for area teams, with several other local games on the schedule and records starting to sharpen the stakes around the region. For James Island, though, the spotlight is a little brighter now, because every week from here carries the weight of keeping that unbeaten mark intact. [Read more 🡒]