Way-too-early women's college basketball rankings: Predicted top 25 for 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.

25. Kansas

• 2025-26 finish: 22-14 (8-10)

I really don't know what to think about the Big 12 next season. Baylor and West Virginia are both set to lose a lot of players, as is TCU, though the Horned Frogs have better shown they can recover from that in recent years. While I'd expect all three of those aforementioned programs to be competitive, one name that may surprise people is Kansas.

The Jayhawks are set to bring back S'Mya Nichols and Jaliya Davis. At this point, that's the best returning duo in the Big 12, and Davis in particular feels set for a huge breakout season after an extremely strong freshman campaign.

24. Michigan State

• 2025-26 finish: 23-9 (11-7)

The Spartans have now enjoyed three consecutive 20-win seasons and will look to make it four in a row next year, though having to do so without Grace VanSlooten will be tough.

Still, this should be a good basketball team, and Kennedy Blair looks set to be one of the Big Ten's best players in her third season in East Lansing. The addition of freshman post Lilly Williams will shore things up on the interior, too.

23. TCU

• 2025-26 finish: 32-6 (15-3)

This ranking will almost certainly go up after transfer portal season, but for now, the Horned Frogs have to replace Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez. On paper, that sounds tough, but head coach Mark Campbell is an expert at finding talent on the open market, so expect a big rise here when we redo these rankings a month from now.

As for where this roster currently stands, the Horned Frogs should still have Donovyn Hunter and Clara Silva, which is a good foundation to build from. Campbell will get the rest figured out.

22. Oklahoma

• 2025-26 finish: 26-8 (11-5)

The Sooners will officially be Aaliyah Chavez's team next season with Raegan Beers and Payton Verhulst graduating. Chavez is a special player, but there are certainly concerns about the depth behind her in Norman.

The best bet here is that Alliyah Bell can become an instant impact player on the interior. The 6-foot-3 freshman won't replace Beers single-handedly, but if head coach Jennie Baranczyk can scheme up the right plays to ease her transition into the college game, then the Sooners will be dangerous once again.

21. Nebraska

• 2025-26 finish: 19-13 (7-11)

Nebraska should go as far as Britt Prince will take it next season. In her second year with the Huskers, Prince averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Is the supporting cast a concern? Sure, though getting a healthy Natalie Potts back will help. She played just five games this season, but was on track for a big year, averaging 14.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

20. UCLA

• 2025-26 finish: 37-1 (18-0)

I mean, this has to be the toughest team to project in the nation, right? The six graduating seniors who led the Bruins to the title will be basically impossible to replace, but there's still talent on the team, including Sienna Betts, who should play a key role going forward.

I'd also assume that the Bruins will be active in the transfer portal, though until we see what head coach Cori Close is able to do in that department, I struggle to rank them too highly. I'd expect this placelement to look pretty silly by the time rosters are finalized for next season.

19. Oregon

• 2025-26 finish: 23-13 (8-10)

The 2025-26 season was a breakout campaign for guard Katie Fiso. The 2026-27 campaign will be the one that turns her into a true superstar.

The problem for the Ducks is that we saw against Texas that Fiso alone isn't quite enough. She was really good in that game, but Oregon lost 100-58 because no one else stepped up. Will Kelly Graves be able to find other players capable of helping Fiso out next season? If not, sneaking into the top 20 is probably this team's ceiling.

18. Illinois

• 2025-26 finish: 22-12 (9-9)

The Illini are a very young team. In recent seasons, we've seen that sort of promise grow into true contenders (Michigan) and we've also seen it completely fall apart (Iowa State). Which way will Illinois go?

The duo of Berry Wallace and Cearah Parchment should be good enough for Illinois to go more in the Michigan direction. Maybe not quite as far as the Wolverines did, but this team making a Sweet 16 trip next season is easily in the picture.

17. Washington

• 2025-26 finish: 22-11 (10-8)

This was the season where the women's basketball world at large got to learn something I've known for years: Tina Langley is a really, really good coach.

Langley's squad should continue to impress next season. Sayvia Sellers, Avery Howell and Brynn McGaughy are a great foundation to build upon, and the addition of top-50 recruit Amayah Garcia at guard will give the Huskies additional depth.

16. Maryland

• 2025-26 finish: 24-9 (11-7)

Honestly, this feels low for Maryland. I know that as the person writing this, I can fix it by moving the Terrapins up, but I don't really know what team ahead of them I'd move down. Chalk this one up to "the numbers say this team is No. 16, but the reality is it will probably be better than that."

The key to next year will be how healthy Kaylene Smikle is after her season ended due to knee surgery in December. If she's close to 100 percent, Maryland can absolutely crash the top 10.

15. Kentucky

• 2025-26 finish: 25-11 (8-8)

The Wildcats will have a number of key players to replace, most notably Tonie Morgan. However, Kenny Brooks has brought in a very strong recruiting class, headlined by point guard Maddyn Greenway, ESPN's No. 13 recruit.

Greenway is one of three top-25 recruits coming into Lexington next season. If you're looking for the next school to join the "strong freshman class that ignites massive hope in their fan base going forward" ranks, Kentucky is a really good choice.

14. Minnesota

• 2025-26 finish: 24-9 (13-5)

The Golden Gophers were one of the biggest surprises in the nation this season, winning 24 games and making the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual champion UCLA.

Minnesota is now set to return its top three scorers, headlined by Tori McKinney, who averaged 12.7 points per game last season. Two of ESPN's top 100 recruits will join the program as well. Could an Elite Eight run be in the cards here?

13. North Carolina

• 2025-26 finish: 28-8 (14-4)

Sophomore guard Lanie Grant entering the transfer portal is a worrisome sign for the Tar Heels, but there might be good reason for the move: UNC is bringing in the top-ranked point guard in the 2026 class in Kate Harpring.

Additionally, a number of key role players are back, headlined by Nyla Brooks and Reniya Kelly. Courtney Banghart's team is set to have a ton of depth next season, so if Harpring can be an immediate impact player, this team could push to win the ACC.

12. Ohio State

• 2025-26 finish: 27-8 (13-5)

Losing Chance Gray will suck, but that's about the only major loss for the Buckeyes heading into next season. That continuity will be huge for Ohio State.

Even more huge will be the continued development of Jaloni Cambridge, whose breakout 2025-26 campaign saw her average 23.2 points per game, the sixth-best mark in the nation. If she can continue to improve her efficiency, the Buckeyes can be a threat for the Big Ten crown.

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.