UConn women’s basketball will open the 2025-26 season as the No. 1 team in the land after taking the top spot in the AP Preseason Poll on Tuesday. The defending national champions received 27 of 31 first-place
votes with No. 2 South Carolina claiming the others.
This is the first time the Huskies have been the preseason No. 1 since 2017-18 and the 13th time overall, joining 1995-96, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2017-18. Of those 13 seasons, UConn has gone on to win the national championship eight times and went wire-to-wire in the top spot on six occasions. Just two of the last nine teams to cut down the net opened the season at No. 1.
The Huskies haven’t topped the AP Poll since the final week of the 2020-21 season.
Elsewhere in the poll, the 2025 Final Four teams claimed the top four positions with No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 Texas following behind UConn and South Carolina. The Huskies will ultimately play six teams in the preseason top 25: No. 8 Tennessee (Feb. 1), No. 13 Michigan (Nov. 21), No. 15 Notre Dame (Jan. 19), No. 18 USC (Dec. 13), No. 20 Louisville (Nov. 4), No. 21 Iowa (Dec. 20), while Ohio State (Nov. 16) received the second-most votes of a team outside the poll.
Meanwhile, Shea Ralph’s Vanderbilt team came in at No. 19 while Carla Berube and Princeton received votes.
Despite losing Paige Bueckers to the WNBA alongside Kaitlyn Chen and Aubrey Griffin, UConn are the heavy favorites to repeat as national champions. Reigning national freshman of the year and WBCA All-American Sarah Strong returns alongside Final Four Most Outstanding Player Azzi Fudd, leading a core that also includes KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade, Jana El Alfy and Caroline Ducharme. The Huskies also made some big additions with transfers Serah Williams and Kayleigh Heckel along with freshman Blanca Quiñonez.
UConn unofficially began its season yesterday when it took on Boston College in an exhibition at Mohegan Sun Arena and has one final tune-up against Southern Connecticut on Oct. 26. The new campaign will begin in earnest with No. 20 Louisville in the Armed Forces Classic from Germany on Nov. 4.
