Rashard Hall's NCAA Women's Basketball Top 25: First Edition
The college season is here! No Cap Space's Rashard Hall brings you his first edition of Top 25 Rankings.
The 2024-2025 Women’s College Basketball season is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling yet with powerhouse programs reloading, rising stars ready to take the spotlight, and a transfer portal shakeup that has shifted rosters across the nation. Here’s a deep dive into the top teams to watch as we head into a new season of fierce competition and fresh storylines:
1. South Carolina Gamecocks
The Gamecocks are fresh off their third National Championship in the last seven years. They return all players with the exception of their Most Outstanding Player, Kamilla Cardoso, who went 3rd in the WNBA Draft to the Chicago Sky. Expect to see Raven Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao, and MiLaysia Fulwiley leading the team in the backcourt.
While the frontcourt will miss Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina still has great depth. Sania Feagin and Chloe Kitts will look to take on larger roles along with Maryam Dauda (transfer from Arkansas). In addition, Joyce Edwards, the No. 3 recruit in the nation, looks to make an impact this year as well as Adhel Tac, the 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman.
There’s a possibility of Ashlyn Watkins returning to the team, as the Gamecocks await updates regarding her legal issue.
2. USC Trojans
JuJu Watkins put the world on notice during her freshman campaign at USC, leading the Trojans to a Pac-12 tournament title and the Elite Eight. Head coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, also went to work on the recruiting trail and then in the transfer portal, securing the No. 1 recruiting class that includes Kennedy Smith and star transfers, Kiki Iriafen (Stanford) and Talia von Oelhoffen (Oregon State).
Iriafen emerged as a star last season and was arguably the best transfer in the portal this offseason. She’ll now join Rayah Marshall, a 6-foot-6 center, in the frontcourt for USC.
3. UCLA Bruins
The Bruins also made waves in the transfer portal this offseason, adding Charlisse Leger-Walker (Washington State), Timea Gardiner (Oregon State), and Janiah Barker (Texas A&M). Each transfer will add a veteran presence and versatility to an already talented UCLA team that returns the dynamic duo of juniors Kiki Rice (13.2 PPG, 4.5 APG) and Lauren Betts (14.9 PPG, 9.3 RPG).
UCLA also returns juniors, Londynn Jones and Gabriela Jaquez, and senior, Angela Dugalić. Kendall Dudley, a top-20 recruit, will be looking to make a splash for the Bruins as well. The team has a lot of depth this season and aims at another deep tournament run.
4. UConn Huskies
Can the Huskies remain healthy? That’s been the biggest question surrounding UConn over the past few seasons. A healthy UConn team is great for basketball, and we’ll have to wait to see them at full strength after it was announced they’ll be without Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme, and Aubrey Griffin to start the season.
Senior point guard, Paige Bueckers, is back after an impressive season (21.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.8 APG) in what can be her last year in a UConn jersey (has another year of eligibility). She led the Huskies to a Final Four appearance in 2024 and hopes to lead them to Tampa this season.
They bring in yet another great recruiting class in addition to Kaitlyn Chen, the Princeton graduate transfer. Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold stepped up and delivered for UConn during their freshman year and will surely have important roles this season.
5. Texas Longhorns
Vic Schaefer’s back in the SEC, but with the Longhorns this time. Texas returns stars Madison Booker (Preseason Co-Player of the Year) and Rori Harmon, along with the frontcourt pairing of Aaliyah Moore and Taylor Jones.
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish will have arguably one of the best backcourts in the nation this season with the trio of Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo, and Sonia Citron. Miles is back after sitting out last season due to injury, and the excitement continues to grow as the season nears.
7. LSU Tigers
The Bayou Barbie is now in the WNBA, but look to Aneesah Morrow and Flau’jae Johnson (both Preseason SEC Co-Players of the Year) to lead the Tigers this season. Mikaylah Williams, the 2023-2024 SEC Rookie of the Year, looks to pick up where she left off last season and will be a major contributor as well.
8. Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners are joining the SEC along with Texas and return the core of their Big 12 Championship team. Skylar Vann (15.1 PPG), Payton Verhulst (12.6 PPG, and Sahara Williams (10.3 PPG) will have additional help with the return of Liz Scott, who sat out last season with injury.
9. Iowa State Cyclones
Audi Crooks (19.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG) is looking to lead the Cyclones back into the postseason after a very impressive showing last year and a near upset against Stanford. Emily Ryan returns for a fifth while Addy Brown enters her sophomore season.
10. NC State Wolfpack
The Wolfpack were the Cinderella team of the 2023-2024 season. Despite losing key players from the season prior, they exceeded expectations and went on to the Final Four. The dynamic backcourt duo of Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Aziaha James (16.8 PPG) return along with sophomore guard Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG).
NC State lost depth in their frontcourt with the graduation of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins. So, there are some concerns there but they did add Caitlin Weimar (Boston University) out of the transfer portal. The 6-foot-4 post player was the Patriot League player of the year last season.
11. Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State is a team many are sleeping on heading into the season. Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor have gone onto the WNBA, but there’s still a lot of talent on this team.
Look for Cotie McMahon (14.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.1 APG) to lead this Buckeye team this season along with new portal additions in Chance Gray (Oregon) and Ajae Petty (Kentucky). The Buckeyes bring in the No. 2 recruit from the 2024 class, Jaloni Cambridge. The point guard was heavily recruited by many top teams in the nation. Kevin McGruff will definitely be leaning on her at the guard position this year.
12. Duke Blue Devils
Duke had an impressive showing in the postseason last year and are back with even more talent on their young roster. Can Kara Lawson effectively gel that talent on her roster and lead her team to consistent success?
Reigan Richardson (12.4 PPG) will be leading Duke this season. The senior guard showcased her ability to deliver for this team in the clutch last season and she looks to keep that momentum going into the season. Taina Mair (9.8 PPG), Oluchi Okananwa (9.7 PPG), Ashlon Jackson (9.2 PPG), and Jadyn Donovan (6.3 PPG) return as well.
The Blue Devils also add talented freshmen in Toby Fournier and Arianna Roberson, who Lawson will expect an immediate impact from in the frontcourt.
13. Maryland Terrapins
Brenda Frese has made the most of the transfer portal yet again, adding a total of seven players this offseason. Saylor Poffenbarger (Arkansas), Kaylene Smikle (Rutgers), Mir McLean (UVA), Christina Dalce (Villanova), and Amari DeBerry (UConn) highlight the group of talented transfers coming in. Frese added depth at every position.
Shyanne Sellers (15.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 5.5 APG) will be leading this Maryland team in her last season before heading into the next chapter of her career. Expect to see more from Bri McDaniel, who emerged as a go-to player for the Terrapins last season.
14. Baylor Bears
Baylor returns their core from last season in Sarah Andrews (11.4 PPG), Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (10.5 PPG), and Bella Fontleroy (9.6 PPG). Jada Walker (8.4 PPG), who had an impressive showing in the postseason, also returns for Baylor.
The key to success for the Bears has been fast paced offense and small ball, but depth in their frontcourt is what they’ve been lacking. Nicki Collen hopes her new portal addition in Aaronette Vonleh (Colorado) can help in that area. Vonleh averaged 14.0 PPG and 5.1 RPG for Colorado last season.
15. TCU Horned Frogs
This TCU team isn’t on anyone’s radar and that is actually surprising. Mark Campbell and his team had a great showing last season until they suffered significant injuries across their roster. Now, heading into the new season, TCU have reloaded their roster with stars out of the transfer portal to join leading scorers, Sedona Prince (19.7 PPG) and Madison Conner (19.2 PPG).
Hailey Van Lith (LSU), who just won bronze in the 2024 Paris Olympics, highlights a talented group of transfers that includes: Maddie Scherr (Kentucky), Donovyn Hunter (Oregon State), and Taylor Bigby (USC). Both Maddie Scherr and Taylor Bigby were at Oregon (along with Prince) when Campbell was coaching there.
16. North Carolina Tar Heels
Leading scorer, Deja Kelly (16.3 PPG), has transferred to Oregon for her fifth year of eligibility (COVID eligibility). But the Tar Heels still return a solid team led by the returning graduate, Alyssa Utsby (12.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG).
Lexi Donarski (10.5 PPG) aims to be more impactful for this UNC team in her last season along with Maria Gakdeng (9.2 PPG). Courtney Banghart successfully recruited point guard Grace Townsend (Richmond) out of the transfer portal and Blanca Thomas, a 6-foot-5 five-star in the class of 2024.
17. Kansas State Wildcats
6-foot-6 center, Ayoka Lee, is back for the Wildcats and keeping her healthy will be essential to the success of the team this season.
Serena Sundell (12.1 PPG) returns at the guard position and the Wildcats also expect Jaelyn Glenn and Brylee Glenn to be productive this season. Temira Poindexter (Tulsa) will be a huge addition to Kansas State if the 21.0 PPG she averaged last season translates into the Big 12.
18. Ole Miss Rebels
Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin returns an experienced team this year and hopes that experience will lead to success. KK Deans is back after suffering a season-ending knee injury that limited her to just six games last season. Deans was expected to lead the team in the point guard position and has another opportunity to do so.
Returners in Madison Scott and Kennedy Todd-Williams will be relied on heavily as well as the Rebels’ newest portal addition in Starr Jacobs, the versatile forward from Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
19. Louisville Cardinals
Jeff Walz is back and returns his star player in Olivia Cochran (10.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG). Walz was able to acquire Ja’Leah Williams (Miami) out of the portal, adding depth to the backcourt.
The Cardinals also return Jayda Curry, Nyla Harris, and Merissah Russell. Expect talented freshmen recruits Mackenly Randolph, Tajianna Roberts, and Imari Berry to contribute for this Louisville team.
20. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama returns their core group of guards in Sarah Ashlee Barker (16.8 PPG) and Aaliyah Nye (14.1 PPG). Expect to see more production from Jessica Timmons (11.2 PPG) and Essence Cody (8.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG) this season after a year under Kristy Curry’s system.
The Crimson Tide was also able to grab two players out of the transfer portal. Zaay Green (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) returns back to the SEC after averaging an impressive stat line of 16.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 2.2 SPG. She started her career at Tennessee and played one season at Texas A&M. Also, Diana Collins (Ohio State) looks to be impactful for this team after a quiet freshman season.
21. Florida State Seminoles
Ta’Niya Latson is arguably one of the best players in the country. She showed no signs of a sophomore slump last year, averaging 21.4 PPG. The Seminoles didn’t take advantage of the portal in the offseason, so expect this team to rely heavily on Latson once again.
O’Mariah Gordon and Makayla Timpson are back though and will be players that opposing teams must focus on as well.
22. Kentucky Wildcats
It’s a new era for Kentucky with Kenny Brooks, former head coach at Virginia Tech, leading the way. He brings star guard Georgia Amoore (18.8 PPG, 6.8 APG) and center Clara Strack along with him. Strack emerged as a solid center once Elizabeth Kitley went down for Virginia Tech with an injury last year.
Kenny Brooks did some work in the portal and was able to successfully recruit Dazia Lawrence (Charlotte), Jordan Obi (Pennsylvania), and Teonni Key (UNC). Teonni Key, the sister of former Tennessee center Tamari Key, gets a fresh start in the SEC and hopes to unlock her full potential under Brooks.
23. Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers lose Mackenzie Holmes (19.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG) and Sara Scalia (16.3 PPG), but still return a good veteran group along with portal additions.
Yarden Garzon (11.7 PPG), Sydney Parrish (10.8 PPG), and Chloe Moore-McNeil (10.2 PPG) are back for Indiana. The Hoosiers also add Shay Ciezki (Penn State) and Karoline Striplin (Tennessee), who both are looking to replace some of the production Indiana lost to graduation.
24. Iowa Hawkeyes
Yes, the Caitlin Clark era is over but that doesn’t mean the Hawkeyes should be written off as a solid team in the country. With Jan Jensen now at the head of the helm expect to see a similar play style with this Iowa team. Hannah Stuelke (14.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG) is back and has been working on expanding her game in the offseason. Sydney Affolter (8.4 PPG) will have a bigger role this season too.
But the player fans have been excited for is Lucy Olsen (23.3 PPG), the transfer guard out of Villanova. Her average in points per game last season was the third best in the country. Olsen will make an immediate impact for Iowa.
25. Creighton Bluejays
This team was the second best in the Big East Conference last year behind UConn. Lauren Jensen (17.4 PPG) is back for the Bluejays with her fifth and last year of eligibility.
Morgan Maly (15.2 PPG), Mallory Mogensen (7.7 PPG), and Mallory Brake (4.9 PPG) are also back and will look to continue this team’s success this season.
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