5 best women's college basketball teams heading into 2024-25 season ft. South Carolina
Women's college basketball is kicking into gear. The WNBA draft has come and gone, the transfer portal is closed and it's getting closer to time to think about next season. What teams are going to come out on top?
Obviously, there's still plenty of time between now and October, when the season tips off. But it's not too early to start thinking about who'll be No. 1. Here are five likely suspects.
5 best women's college basketball teams heading into the 2024-25 season
#5, Texas
Texas comes off a 33-5 season that ended in a regional final loss to NC State. The Longhorns return all four players who averaged double-figure scoring. That includes sophomore Madison Booker, who was one of the nation's best freshmen with 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
Add in 6-foot-6 Miami transfer Kyla Oldacre and super freshman Justice Carlton. Texas returns one of the nation's best backcourts and has assembled enough frontcourt pieces to be one of the top teams in women's college basketball next year.
#4, Notre Dame
A 28-7 Notre Dame team ended its run in the Sweet 16 with a loss to Oregon State. There's reason to be more optimistic about the season to come. Start with all-everything sophomore Hannah Hidalgo, who was an astonishing freshman last year. Hidalgo finished with 22.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 5.5 apg.
Notre Dame also returns its other top two scorers, Maddy Westbelt (14.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Sonia Citron (17.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg). Add in point guard Olivia Miles, who missed last season due to injury. Six-foot-four freshman Katernya Koval could also be a game-changer.
#3, USC
USC (29-6) ended its season by losing to UConn in a regional final. This year? Take arguably the best returning player in college basketball in JuJu Watkins (27.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg), plug in a pair of star transfers in Stanford's Kiki Iriafen and Oregon State's Talia Von Oelhoffen and then add in the nation's top recruiting class.
Oh, and USC returns Rayah Marshall, who averaged a double-double last year (10.2 ppg, 10.5 rpg). USC has plenty of weapons, many of whom are absolutely elite talents. It could be argued that the Trojans should be the top team in women's college basketball heading into next season.
#2, UConn
The Huskies (33-6) went all the way to the Final Four last year, losing to Iowa by two points. They'll be tough next year, too. Paige Bueckers is the likely face of women's college basketball after the matriculation of Caitlin Clark. Bueckers, finally healthy after two injury-riddled years, averaged 21.9 ppg and 5.2 rpg last year.
The Huskies also return Ashlynn Shade (11.0 ppg), Azzi Fudd (11.0 ppg before a season-ending injury) and KK Arnold (8.9 ppg) among others. Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen and freshman Sarah Strong will also be significant contributors. UConn will be one of the toughest teams in women's college basketball.
#1, South Carolina
It's not exactly an upset, but it's hard to pick against the two-time defending champions. Center Kamilla Cardoso is in the WNBA, but the other two double-figure scorers, MiLaysia Fulwiley (11.7 ppg) and Te-Hina Paopao (11.0 ppg) will return.
Carolina had plenty of depth, returning virtually its entire roster. It also added 6-foot-3 Joyce Edwards, who is the top prospect in the freshman class. Frankly, South Carolina could be even better next season than it was in its undefeated, national title season.
Which women's college basketball teams are you looking forward to watching in 2024-25? Let us hear your thoughts below in our comments section!