It’s no surprise which program is favored to win the 2025 women’s college basketball championship.
Everyone is out to topple South Carolina, winners of two of the last three titles. Head coach Dawn Staley continues to stack the roster so deep it could roll out two top-10 squads. Even youth and a slew of first-time collegiate starters couldn’t stop them last year.
Though heavy favorites, South Carolina is far from the only program with enough talent to win it all come April. Three of the top teams are welcoming back a crucial piece to their trophy-holding puzzles while a fourth boasts the nation’s best player shining alongside a star-studded new cast.
Here are the favorites to win it all, plus three long shots who could make it interesting come March.
South Carolina Gamecocks
The reigning champions are in the midst of a dynasty era. The Gamecocks reached the Final Four each of the last four seasons, winning it all in 2022 and 2024. They’re the favorites to become the first back-to-back champions since UConn’s four consecutive titles from 2013-16. Hence, their spot atop the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll with 27 of 30 votes.
Nearly everyone from the title team is back except 6-foot-7 center and leading scorer Kamilla Cardoso, the Chicago Sky’s No. 3 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. Staley typically relies heavily on a strong post presence, winning the program’s first title with A’ja Wilson (a three-time WNBA MVP), a second with Aliyah Boston (WNBA Rookie of the Year) and last year with Cardoso entering the starting lineup.
Replacing that dominant big is the only glaring weakness. Staley’s squad is deep enough to fill it with a by-committee approach made easier by a stronger scoring backcourt not typical of the Gamecocks prior to ’23-24. After their season-opening victory over Michigan in Las Vegas, South Carolina extended its winning streak to 39 games.
As always, Staley loaded up the non-conference schedule, which should help the Gamecocks secure another No. 1 seed line and potentially another overall No. 1 spot. They will play No. 9 NC State in the Ally Tipoff held in Charlotte on Sunday. They also face UCLA, Iowa State (Fort Myers Tipoff), Duke, TCU (Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Classic) and UConn (Feb. 16 at home). The path to an SEC title will be more difficult with conference newbie Texas in the mix.
Connecticut Huskies
The former dynasty is attempting to snap an eight-year drought, its longest without a title since the organization won its first of 11 in 1995. For years now it has had the talent to do it, but not the luck. If those converge, expect Connecticut back at the top.
UConn is banking on finally having a healthy Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, back-to-back No. 1 guard recruits, on the floor together. Bueckers is arguably the most hungry player in the country. It’s her last chance at a national title after her commitment to UConn elicited talk of another four-in-four-years run of trophies. Fudd is coming off ACL and medial meniscus tears in her right knee and will be back “sooner than later,” head coach Geno Auriemma said this week on the “WBB Show.” She is participating in 5-on-5 drills in practice.
The Huskies have outperformed in recent seasons while dealing with a litany of injuries. Aaliyah Edwards, their consistent forward presence amidst the injury chaos, is in the WNBA as a first-round pick. Jana El Alfy should fill in nicely in her debut after sitting out her freshman season with an Achilles injury. Sarah Strong, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2024, also joins the frontcourt.
All the pieces are there, but health is the priority.
The Huskies’ best path to a title is a solid seed line, so the non-conference performance will have to be strong. Connecticut plays North Carolina (road game), Louisville (Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn), Iowa State (Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase), USC (home) and South Carolina (road).
USC Trojans
Never count out a team with the nation’s best player. JuJu Watkins, the reigning national Freshman of the Year and former No. 1 recruit, headlines a star-studded USC team favored to win the Big Ten conference title in its first season as a member of the league.
The only player to score more than Watkins (27.1 ppg) last year was Caitlin Clark (31.6 ppg), who herself proved the “never count out” theory at Iowa. USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb added talent around Watkins and senior center Rayah Marshall via the transfer portal to take the scoring pressure off of Watkins. Kiki Iriafen (Stanford), the Katrina McClain Award winner as the nation’s best power forward, adds versatility in the frontcourt and Talia von Oelhoffen (Oregon State) will carry ball-handling duties.
USC rode a No. 1 seed to the regional final last year, where it lost to UConn. But with so many new, crucial pieces, it will take longer for this version of the Trojans to become a title contender when compared to already established powerhouses South Carolina and UConn. The group also skews young with the sophomore Watkins and the nation’s top recruiting class that includes Kennedy Smith (ranked No. 6). Nearly falling to Ole Miss in the season opener in Paris proved there’s growth needed.
But it’s where one ends up in March that matters and USC, with the benefit of Big Ten competition and national TV spots, has the roster to make it through.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Welcome back, Olivia Miles. The junior point guard played her first game since sustaining an ACL injury in February 2023 and put up her fourth career triple-double. Her return is a much-welcomed one for the Fighting Irish, another program that has faced too many injuries in the previous seasons of promise.
Notre Dame boasts one of the highest IQ and most prolific backcourts in the nation when healthy. Miles was a national player of the year contender before injuring her knee days before the 2023 NCAA tournament. Sophomore Hannah Hidalgo, a 2024 top-five finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award given to the nation’s best point guard, is also one of the nation’s stealthy defenders averaging a Division I-best 4.6 steals per game as a freshman. The two All-Americans hadn’t played together in a game until the season opener.
They’re joined by All-ACC selections Sonia Citron at wing and fifth-year senior Maddy Westbeld at forward. Head coach Niele Ivey bolstered the ranks with graduate forwards Liatu King (Pittsburgh) and Liza Karlen (Marquette) in the transfer portal and signed five-star freshman center Kate Koval.
Again with the injuries. The Irish had seven players available on Monday as Westbeld (left foot), Citron (precautionary) and Karlen (foot/ankle) were among those on the bench.
If Notre Dame can stay healthy for long enough to mesh all the pieces together (and not have to deal with late-season injuries to upend the chemistry), the Fighting Irish have a promising shot at the program’s third NCAA championship, and first since the Muffet McGraw era. Their non-conference schedule includes No. 2 ranked UConn (Dec. 12), No. 3 USC (Nov. 23) and No. 4 Texas (Dec. 5).
Texas Longhorns
Texas is also ecstatic to have their point guard back and healthy alongside a breakout star.
Rori Harmon, a two-time All-American honorable mention, emerged as a Player of the Year contender before tearing her ACL during a December 2023 practice. The senior point guard was cleared to play last month and leads Texas into its first season in the SEC.
In her absence, freshman small forward Madison Booker stepped in as starting point guard to keep the Longhorns on track to a No. 1 seed and Elite Eight berth. Putting the duo back on the court together in their natural positions is enough to make Vic Schaefer’s squad a title contender. His teams are always one of the nation’s best defensively and should give South Carolina a tight race for the conference title.
Texas also returns Aaliyah Moore, a preseason Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year watchlist selection, and added transfer All-Big Ten senior forward Laila Phelia as well as a freshman class of three top-40 recruits in guard Jordan Lee, forward Justice Carlton and guard Bryanna Preston.
Long shots
Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State quite nearly ended Tara Vanderveer’s legendary coaching career early in the 2024 NCAA tournament, entering the national lexicon in the process. The Cyclones aren’t favorites — not even in the Big 12, where Kansas State and center Ayoka Lee earned that distinction instead — but have pieces to make a surprising Final Four run.
They return their young and emerging frontcourt duo of Addy Brown and Audi Crooks, an AP All-American honorable mention. Crooks, who averaged 19.2 points and 7.8 rebounds, is the key piece whose ascension in Year 2 will lift the Cyclones. Emily Ryan, who ranked top-10 in assists each of the last three seasons, opted to use her fifth year and guide the squad at point guard. And head coach Bill Fennelly has depth on the roster.
Duke Blue Devils
Head coach Kara Lawson has the defense, but can the Blue Devils consistently find enough offense to help itself out? Duke lost eight of its 12 games last year by single digits, including a Sweet 16 loss to UConn after upsetting Ohio State. Improving from the 3-point line and limiting turnovers could propel them through the tournament.
Senior guard Reigan Richardson is one of four starters to return as well as Sixth Player of the Year, sophomore forward Oluchi Okananwa. Lawson signed No. 9 ranked recruit Toby Fournier, a 6-foot-2 forward from Canada who became a dunking sensation at 14 years old.
UCLA Bruins
UCLA’s core of forward Lauren Betts and guard Kiki Rice make the Bruins a favorite in their first Big Ten season. Both players were named to preseason All-Big Ten teams and made national player of the year watch lists. And graduate student Angela Dugalić gained international experience this summer with the Serbian national team at the Paris Olympics.
If UCLA can develop quality and consistent scoring options beyond Betts (which it has the potential to with its standout juniors), the Bruins could go much farther than its back-to-back Sweet 16 berths. One major early question mark is Rice’s health. She missed the opener with a shoulder injury. That absence could help develop more depth, but they need her back to be a long-shot title contender.