Louisville women’s basketball No. 7 in preseason AP poll

Louisville Cardinals head coach Jeff Walz stands during the national anthem before a first-round game between the Louisville Cardinals and Vermont Catamounts in the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the KFC Yum Center, March 21, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co Je

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What is the story about?

Jeff Walz’s highly promising Louisville women’s basketball team will begin the 2026-27 season at No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

It’s the highest preseason ranking for U of L since the 2022-23 season, when the Cardinals were also ranked seventh. That campaign ended with an Elite Eight loss to Caitlin Clark and Iowa.

Here’s the complete poll:

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

Others receiving votes: Nebraska 47, Arizona State 36, Baylor 31, Virginia 30, Michigan State 16, Kansas 12, Tennessee 9, Alabama 7, Syracuse 5, Villanova

5, Fairfield 2, Oregon 2, Rice 2, Georgia 2, Colorado 2, Virginia Tech 1, Clemson 1

Louisville’s first game against a ranked opponent will be a Nov. 15 showdown against No. 2 UConn inside the KFC Yum Center. The Cards will open the season on Nov. 2 against Bellarmine.