Notre Dame women’s basketball within top-15 of AP preseason poll

The Associated Press released its preseason poll for the 2026-27 women’s basketball season, and Notre Dame has cracked into the top-15. The Fighting Irish come in at No. 13, which is two spots better than their preseason rank at the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign (No. 15). South Carolina, Connect

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The Associated Press released its preseason poll for the 2026-27 women’s basketball season, and Notre Dame has cracked into the top-15.

The Fighting Irish come in at No. 13, which is two spots better than their preseason rank at the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign (No. 15).

South Carolina, Connecticut, USC, Duke and Michigan round out the top-5. Defending national champion UCLA is at No. 11. Notre Dame is coming off a 2025-26 season where it went 25-11 and reached the Elite Eight before losing to UConn.

The Fighting Irish will host Truman State in an exhibition game on Monday. Notre Dame will then open its regular season against Villanova at the Eternal City Tip-Off in Rome, Italy.

checking in at no. 13 to start the year🫡#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/Wj6aR8F8Ru

— Notre Dame Women's Basketball (@ndwbb) October 20, 2026

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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame women’s basketball within top-15 of AP preseason poll