The popularity of women’s sports—especially women’s basketball—has skyrocketed this past year. Trailblazers like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and many more prompted women’s sports viewership to hit astronomical records. The Women’s National Championship for “March Madness” garnered around 18.9 million viewers, making it the most-viewed collegiate basketball game in history. Across the board, the popularity of women’s basketball has overshot the popularity of men’s basketball, a massive step for women’s sports. Now, as women’s college basketball gets in full swing, let’s take a look at the predictions for the top-ranked teams of this season.Â
Coming off of a historic season where they became the 10th team in women’s basketball history to go 38-0, the South Carolina Gamecocks are predicted to be the top program this season. Led by coach Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks return to the court defending their national championship title. Although they lost a prominent player, Kamila Cardoso, in 2024 to the WNBA, the Gamecocks hope to continue their reign as nearly the entire team is returning this season. Not only do the Gamecocks have a majority of their national champion team returning this season, but they also added talented freshmen Adhel Tac, Maddy McDaniel, Joyce Edwards, and transfer student Maryam Dauda from Arkansas. Tac, a powerful forward, is a redshirt freshman who was recovering from a knee injury last season. McDaniel comes to the Gamecocks as a point guard, which will be key to advancing the team’s offense and getting the ball up the floor. Finally, Edwards is again a talented forward. Thus, it’s possible that the Gamecocks could make up for their loss of Cardoso with these fresh recruits (though they have large shoes to fill).
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Not too far behind, the UConn Huskies are well-known for their women’s basketball program. Key player Paige Bueckers, along with Azzi Fudd, will remain a powerful force in the Huskies’ game plan. With Bueckers and Fudd on the court, the Huskies possess star guards that will boost the team’s offense in the upcoming season. Another central force on the team this year will be Jana El Alfy, who trained at the NBA Global Academy and traveled from Egypt to play for UConn; sadly, El Alfy was taken out early last season due to an injury. Standing at a towering 6’5,” there is no doubt about viewers’ anticipation to see her skills in action this time around. The team is also gaining a transfer student from Princeton, Kaitlyn Chen, alongside one of the nation’s top recruits, Sarah Strong.Â
The California teams are renowned for their female athletic programs; both the Trojans and the Bruins are considered up-and-coming in women’s basketball this season. The UCLA Bruins acquired Janiah Barker, a transfer from Texas A&M. Similarly, the USC Trojans added talented transfers from Stanford and Oregon State, respectively: Kiki Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen. With Iriafen and von Oelgoffen, the Trojans have undoubtedly leveled up, and their chances of advancing past the Elite Eight seem more likely.Â
The Texas Longhorns are also anticipated to be quite a force to be reckoned with this season. The Longhorns lineup includes Madison Booker, a 6’1″ guard who was the first freshman to win “Big 12 Player of the Year.” Booker stepped up after the junior Rori Herman tore her ACL early in the season, so coming back to the court with both of these talented players will be a game-changer for the Longhorns. Though Texas lost a few graduating players, they seem to have gained back talent through their recruits, Justice Carlton and Jordan Lee. Now that the Longhorns are in the SEC, they are in for a challenge as they compete against a three-time national champion conference.
Hoping to break their three-year streak of ending their season in the Sweet Sixteen, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a distinguished lineup for this season. After winning the ACC Tournament last season, the Irish retained the majority of their team. Their strong guards, Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, are paired with Maddy Westbeld at forward and a new freshman center, Kate Koval. With these notable players combined with the rest of Notre Dame’s talent, there is no doubt that the Fighting Irish will be a tough team to beat this season.Â
Returning to the South, LSU—with Kim Mulkey entering her fourth season as head coach—has always been a force in women’s basketball. As the team lost their power player Angel Reese to the WNBA draft this year, they will certainly take a hit without her rebounding skills to get a quick shot up in the paint. Despite this loss, the team will see Flau’jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow returning, which leaves little doubt that the Tigers will go far this season. Â
This upcoming women’s basketball season may be the best yet. You will not want to miss a game with countless talented players on the court! Watching women’s sports excel throughout the years allows long overdue and well-deserved recognition for the hardworking student-athletes. As women’s basketball continues to rise in fame, other female sports will hopefully follow suit, increasing the development of an appreciation for female athletes.