Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers will start the season the same way the last one ended: at the top. The reigning national champions sit at No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll for the first time in program history.
The Tigers' roster was looking solid already with Angel Reese returning along with Flau'jae Johnson and Kateri Poole, but Mulkey bolstered it by adding Louisville transfer Hailey Van Lith along with the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. LSU is fresh off its first ever national title, and the Tigers will be on the hunt for another one.
Only three women's basketball programs have been able to win the title in consecutive seasons: USC, Tennessee and UConn.
UConn has been struggling with injuries the past few seasons, but the Huskies will finally have Paige Bueckers back on the court. She sat out last season due to a torn ACL, but the 2021 Naismith Player of the Year is ready to bounce back. Geno Auriemma's squad did well throughout their 2022-23 campaign considering the Huskies only had seven healthy players available at one point. If UConn can stay injury-free, this will certainly be a challenging team for anyone to face.
Meanwhile, the Iowa Hawkeyes made it all the way to the national title game and are ready to run it back with Caitlin Clark as their leader. The reigning National Player of the Year returns after putting up historic numbers throughout her junior season, including the first ever 40-point triple-double in the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA won't be sneaking up on anybody this year as the Bruins are fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance and bring back all their key players -- including leading scorer and rebounder Charisma Osborne. The team struggled with rim protection last season, but Stanford transfer Lauren Betts landed in Los Angeles to help resolve the issue. This is UCLA's first appearance in the preseason top five since 1999.
Utah is coming off its best season in program history, and it looks like the Utes are ready to continue that momentum by starting off at No. 5 in the AP poll. This will be the last season of the Pac-12 as we know it, and its teams are making a statement. Six squads are ranked, the most of any conference, with UCLA (No. 4), Utah (No. 5), Stanford (No. 15), Colorado (No. 20), USC (No. 21) and Washington State (No. 24). Three other teams are receiving votes in Washington, Oregon and Arizona.
The ACC, Big Ten and SEC have five teams in the top 25, while the Big East and Big 12 each have two.
Preseason women's AP Top 25
- LSU (35)
- UConn (1)
- Iowa
- UCLA
- Utah
- South Carolina
- Ohio State
- Virginia Tech
- Indiana
- Notre Dame
- Tennessee
- Ole Miss
- Texas
- Maryland
- Stanford
- North Carolina
- Louisville
- Florida State
- Baylor
- Colorado
- USC
- Creighton
- Illinois
- Washington State
- Mississippi State
Others receiving votes: Kansas St 47, NC State 34, Kansas 26, Texas A&M 20, Iowa St. 18, Gonzaga 15, Duke 7, Nebraska 5, Miami 3, UNLV 2, Washington 2, Toledo 1, Oregon 1, Villanova 1, Arizona 1.
