South Carolina Opens Verdict 25 on Top

Joyce Edwards is back with Chloe Kitts, Tessa Johnson and Agot Makeer, while Ta'Niya Latson, Madina Okot and Raven Johnson aren't on the roster. Dawn Staley adds Texas guard Jordan Lee and Michigan's Brooke Quarles-Daniels. After a 79-51 title-game loss to UCLA, the bar is March.

Sarah Strong (18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds) is the centerpiece, with Blanca Quiñonez, Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold around her. Azzi Fudd isn't on the roster. Geno Auriemma's one loss last season came against South Carolina in the Final Four, so the rematch talk starts now.

Fournier and Delaney Thomas give Kara Lawson a strong frontcourt after a 27-9 season. The question is the backcourt, since Taina Mair (5.6 assists) and Ashlon Jackson aren't on the roster. Texas's Aaliyah Crump and Riley Nelson have to fill the gap.

A 28-7 team brings back four rotation players, and three of them averaged double figures. Mila Holloway added 4.8 assists a game. Kim Barnes-Arico also adds Stanford transfer Courtney Ogden. That's why we have them ahead of USC.

JuJu Watkins is on the roster, alongside Davidson and Kennedy Smith (11.5 points). Lindsay Gottlieb adds Florida State's Pania Davis, and Londynn Jones isn't on the roster. Last season ended in the second round. How Watkins and Davidson share the ball decides how high this goes.

Madison Booker is back after averaging 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds, but Texas has to replace Rori Harmon's 6.3 assists a game. The Longhorns fell to UCLA in the Final Four, and the question now is who runs Vic Schaefer's offense.

The national scoring leader and SEC Player of the Year returns with SEC Freshman of the Year Aubrey Galvan, who averaged 5.7 assists. Shea Ralph adds Georgia's Mia Woolfolk. After a 29-5 season ended 67-64 against Notre Dame in the Sweet 16, we think this backcourt is ready for more.

Jeff Walz brings back Tajianna Roberts, Imari Berry and Elif Istanbulluoglu, all at 10 points or more, and adds NC State's Zamareya Jones (14.9 a game). The depth is real. We're lower than the polls only because nobody on the roster has yet carried a team.

Flau'jae Johnson's 14.2 points are gone, but MiLaysia Fulwiley and Mikaylah Williams return at 14-plus each. Kim Mulkey adds a true playmaker in Iowa State transfer Jada Williams and a scorer in Florida's Laila Reynolds. Watch how fast the backcourt meshes.

Heiden, who also averaged 7.2 rebounds, is back from a 27-7 team. Jan Jensen adds Georgia's Dani Carnegie, who scored 17.8 a game there. The roster still has open questions, which is why we're a few spots below the polls.

Hidalgo also averaged 25.3 points and pushed Notre Dame to the Elite Eight. Niele Ivey adds Princeton's Madison St. Rose (15.8 points) and Louisville's Anaya Hardy. We have them higher than both polls because Hidalgo can take over any game.

Leading scorer Nyla Harris isn't on the roster, and Lanie Grant and Elina Aarnisalo have moved on. Courtney Banghart returns Ciera Toomey and Nyla Brooks and adds Akot inside. A 28-8 team now needs a new go-to scorer.

Mark Campbell rebuilt the backcourt around Oklahoma State's Jadyn Wooten (12.8 points, 5.4 assists) and UNC's Lanie Grant, with Clara Silva's 7.4 rebounds anchoring the frontcourt. We trust Campbell's track record with transfers more than the polls do.

The champion lost most of last season's scoring, so Cori Close is starting over. Addy Brown (11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds) leads a transfer class with UNC's Elina Aarnisalo and TCU's Donovyn Hunter. Timea Gardiner returns after missing last season with a medical redshirt. The talent is there, but the chemistry is unproven.

Jacie Hoyt landed Iowa State's Audi Crooks, then added Florida's Liv McGill (22.5 points) and Rutgers's Nene Ndiaye. Stailee Heard gives the newcomers a returning anchor. The firepower is there, and putting it together quickly is the job.

Sellers and Avery Howell (14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds) return to a 22-11 team, and Tina Langley adds NC State's Tilda Trygger and Colorado State's Brooke Carlson. It's a solid group, and we'd like to see one more breakthrough before ranking it higher.

Cambridge is one of the country's most dangerous guards, and Kevin McGuff surrounds her with four returning rotation players. Chance Gray's 14.7 points are the hole to fill. If Elsa Lemmilä keeps up her 7.5 rebounds, this group can climb.

The 24-9 team keeps its scoring trio of Tori McKinney, Grace Grocholski and Mara Braun. Dawn Plitzuweit adds Penn State's Gracie Merkle and UCF's Leah Harmon. The core is steady, but Big Ten road games will show how far it goes.

Kentucky's 2026-27 roster story is still taking shape. We'll have full player notes in our first Monday reset.

Okananwa and Addi Mack return for Brenda Frese, and Stanford's Nunu Agara joins the frontcourt. Losing Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu to Oklahoma thins the paint. Maryland's ceiling depends on who becomes the second scorer.

Shauna Green brings back five rotation players. Berry Wallace (18.4 points) and Cearah Parchment (13.6 points, 8.4 rebounds) lead, and Destiny Jackson adds 5.2 assists. That's a lot of experience together in a league full of transfers.

Chavez and Sahara Williams return to a 26-8 team, and Jennie Baranczyk adds Kansas State's Jordan Speiser and Maryland's Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu inside. Hoops HQ left them out of its rankings. We think the backcourt is too good for that.

Molly Miller brings back McKinna Brackens (14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds) and Heloisa Carrera, and adds a pair of scorers in Morson and Michigan State's Rashunda Jones. With top scorer Gabby Elliott not on the roster, the newcomers have to carry the offense.

Mark Kellogg reloaded around Gia Cooke with Marquette's Skylar Forbes and George Mason's Kennedy Harris. The headliner is George Mason's Zahirah Walton, who averaged 18.1 points and 6.1 rebounds.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin rebuilt almost entirely through transfers, led by Tennessee's Talaysia Cooper (16.0 points) and UMBC's Jade Tillman (15.8 points, 7.4 rebounds). Hoops HQ has them at 16. We're waiting to see the new pieces play together.