The dust has barely settled on the 2024-25 college basketball season, with UConn winning the national championship on Sunday over South Carolina. It's never too soon to look ahead though. Next season will be a weird one, as Paige Bueckers will be in the WNBA and JuJu Watkins will likely be out all year due to a knee injury, but there are still plenty of talented teams and players left to vie for a title.
Will the Huskies be the favorites to repeat even without Bueckers? Or can a team like South Carolina or UCLA take down UConn? What teams will rise? Which will fall off?
Let's take a look at the Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2025-26.
25. West Virginia
Replacing JJ Quinerly won't be easy, but Mark Kellogg is one of the nation's most underrated coaches and Jordan Harrison has a chance to be one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2025-26 season.
24. Ohio State
Cotie McMahon entering the portal is a huge blow for the Buckeyes, but Jaloni Cambridge and Kennedy Cambridge are back and should keep this team from falling off too much without McMahon.
23. Iowa
It's Hannah Stuelke's time to shine. In Year 1 without Caitlin Clark, the Hawkeyes attempted to fill the void with transfer player Lucy Olsen, but next season things should run more through Stuelke on the interior.
22. Richmond
The Spiders were one of the best stories of this past season, though the team never actually made its way into the Top 25. With Maggie Doogan back, that should change in the 2025-26 season. This is a very dangerous team.
21. TCU
I have no idea what TCU will look like next season, but Mark Campbell has proven already that he can build a new roster from scratch. As currently constructed, this might barely look like a Top 25 team, but something tells me that the Horned Frogs will figure out how to replace Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince by the time next season tips off.
20. Oklahoma State
I've been a huge Micah Gray fan since she was at Texas Southern, so watching her blossom in the Big 12 this season was a lot of fun. Expect even bigger things from Gray in her second season as a Cowgirl.
19. Michigan
Michigan employed a freshman-heavy roster this past season. Theoretically, another year toward should launch Syla Swords and company to new heights next season, though we've seen young teams with a lot of potential falter before. Just look at Iowa State this past season for an example.
18. Louisville
How far the Cardinals go next season will depend heavily on how well Tajianna Roberts looks as the team's top scoring option, because Louisville will lose a lot of its top scorers next season. If Roberts is up for the task, there shouldn't be too much fall-off.
17. Kentucky
Replacing Georgia Amoore won't be easy, but Kenny Brooks has a deep well of talent to draw from beyond her. Expect a huge season from Clara Strack.
16. Iowa State
Two seasons ago, a young Iowa State team led by Addy Brown and Audi Crooks looked set to be contenders going forward. Then last year, the team took a surprising step back. The 2025-26 campaign should be the year that the Cyclones finally pull it all together, especially after adding Jada Williams from Arizona.
15. Vanderbilt
I think people were concerned that Mikayla Blakes might look for greener pastures after her strong freshman season, but it appears that she's set to stick around with the Commodores. This should be one of the SEC's best teams next season.
14. Notre Dame
Hannah Hidalgo is back, but it's unclear what kind of team Notre Dame will have in place around her. I'd expect the Irish to figure things out in the transfer portal, but right now this team lacks the necessary depth to be a true contender. Hidalgo will probably lead the nation in scoring, though!
13. Maryland
As I was writing this, Maryland added Indiana's Yarden Garzon in the portal, a huge get for a Terrapins program that needed to find a replacement for Shyanne Sellers. There's a good chance that ranking Maryland at No. 13 is a mistake and that the Terps emerge as a top 10 team next season.
12. Baylor
Maybe this seems high for Baylor, but after a runner-up performance in the Big 12 last season, the Bears enter this offseason on a high note. The team has already made one of the most consequential portal adds in the country, signing Taliah Scott from Auburn.
11. NC State
It won't be easy to replace Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers, but the Wolfpack have plenty of really good pieces still. Zoe Brooks is set for a true breakout campaign next season.
10. USC
The Trojans look to be in trouble next season. JuJu Watkins could be out the entire season due to an ACL tear she suffered during the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Avery Howell hitting the portal is a huge loss, as will be Kiki Iriafen to the WNBA. Still, Lindsay Gottlieb is a great coach and will still have some solid pieces to work with. Maybe the Trojans aren't title contenders, but they should be a borderline top 10 team.
9. North Carolina
The Tarheels have to replace some very important players including Alyssa Ustby, but Reniya Kelly should take a big step forward and UNC has a lot of young players who should be able to slide into larger roles.
8. Tennessee
Kim Caldwell's first season in Knoxville was a success and she returns a roster that should once again be among the nation's best teams. After a Sweet Sixteen loss this past season, could the Lady Vols make their first Elite Eight since 2016?
7. LSU
LSU will have to figure out how to replace Aneesah Morrow, but the return of Flau'jae Johnson is huge. Kim Mulkey might have a few holes to fill, but the veteran head coach always seems to make the right portal moves.
6. Oklahoma
The Sooners were one of the best stories last season as the addition of Raegan Beers added an interior dimension to the team that OU had been lacking. With Beers back for another season, Oklahoma has a great shot at making its first Final Four since 2010.
5. Duke
The Blue Devils return most key players aside from Reigan Richardson. Toby Fournier will have another year of experience under her belt. Could Duke be the first non-UConn school to win both the men's and women's tournaments next season? That might be asking a lot, but the women's team is certainly built to contend.
4. Texas
What we learned this year is that Texas can beat almost anyone because of its defense, but is susceptible to offensive struggles if an opposing team can slow down Madison Booker. That's probably the case again next season. If Rori Harmon uses her medical redshirt year and returns, that'd be a huge boost to the team's chances of contending, though it still likely needs another go-to scorer.
3. South Carolina
South Carolina will lose some good players, but Dawn Staley is the master of retooling. She won't even have to do that much work next season — just move MiLaysia Fulwiley and Joyce Edwards into the starting five. The one thing the team lacks at the moment is a true lead scorer, which doomed them in both games against UConn, but maybe freshman Agot Makeer will step in and make an immediate impact on the wing, plus Fulwiley probably has the ability to be a No. 1 option.
2. UCLA
With Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice returning, the Bruins have a good an argument as anyone to rank No. 1. The team also adds another Betts, as ESPN's No. 2 recruit, Sienna Betts, joins the team as well. Charlisse Leger-Walker should be healthy next season. The Bruins might be the deepest team in the country.
1. UConn
Paige Bueckers might be gone, but there's a very good chance that at some point next season, we'll collectively decide that Sarah Strong is the best player in college basketball. She's that good, and as long as Azzi Fudd stays healthy, the team shouldn't lose too much from Bueckers graduating. Which seems like a wild thing to say considering how good Bueckers is, but UConn has a roster that can handle her absence.