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Top 10 Women College Basketball Teams 2025-2026

With us a few weeks removed from the end of the college basketball season it is a good time to break down the cream of the crop when it comes to teams in 2025-26.

We had a couple of usual suspects make their way into the sports best again, as Geno Auriemma’s Uconn Huskies found their way into another final 4 before they were taken out by the always elite Dawn Staley South Carolina Gamecocks.

But with that we also have some new blood etch their name into college basketball history as it was a year of firsts. UCLA stamped their name in the class of national championship winners as they were able to capture their first national title in school history as the knocked off South Carolina. Then, in the SEC, Texas also got their first SEC title as they were also able to knock off SC.

Vanderbilt’s Makayla Blakes had a record breaking season as her and coach of the year Shea Ralph brought new found joy to a program that was desperate for something good.

With the sport getting more talented and talented each day, and teams getting better and better, it makes lists like this more intriguing. Here are the top 10 teams in College basketball for 2025-26.

Honorable Mention

Oklahoma Sooners

Conference: SEC

Landing just outside of the Top 10 Women’s College Basketball Teams 2025-2026 Rankings is the talented Oklahoma Sooners.

Coming into this season, a lot of the college basketball world had their eyes on Oklahoma because of the hype of their star freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez. Considered one of the best girls’ high school basketball players ever, there were eyes locked on what she could bring to Norman.

Chavez has lived up to that hype early for Oklahoma and shown why she was tabbed as a generational prospect. With that being said, Chavez is not the only high-impact player on Oklahoma this season. OU really thrived on having great depth and got great scoring contributions from several players.

Reagan Beers was excellent for this team all season, and OU’s pace and overall dominance scoring in the paint made them one of the top offenses this season. They were able to make the sweet 16 before being blown out by South Carolina, which is not a loss you should be ashamed of. With Chavez returning next year, this should again be a top program in the country.

Louisville Cardinals

Conference: ACC

Louisville has been nothing but consistent since Jeff Walz took over about 2 decades ago, and they again had a really good season this year. Louisville hung its hat on being one of the most elite defensive teams in the country. They were extremely opportunistic on that side of the ball, consistently turning teams over, and that played into them being one of the best transition teams in the country. Their balance offensively was fun to watch, and their depth set them apart.

Louisville’s season ended after being blown out in the sweet 16 against a really good Michigan team, but they still finished the season hovering around that 30-win mark.

Top 10 Women’s College Basketball Rankings 2025-2026

10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Conference: ACC

kicking off the Top 10 Women’s College Basketball Team’s 2025-2026 rankings list is the talented Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

If you watched Notre Dame play this season, their ball pressure and ability to turn defense into offense stood out to you. Hannah Hidalgo won national defensive player of the year because of what she was able to do, racking up steals and getting easy points for her and her teammates.

Notre Dame’s guard play was really solid, even outside Hidalgo, which is no surprise for Guard University. ND struggled at times early in the year and lost a number of games to some of the best teams in the country. But by the time March came around, this team started to really put it together.

From Valentine’s Day on, this team’s only lose before getting eliminated in the elite 8, was a 2-point loss to an elite Duke team. Their close win over Louisville on the road felt like a wake-up call that this team could make some damage in March, and that they did. They upset Ohio State and Vandy before losing to undefeated UConn in the Elite 8. Despite this team finishing as a 6 seed, their close to the season couple with the fact they have one of the best players in the country feels like they deserve a spot on this list.

9. Vanderbilt Commodores

Conference: SEC

For as great as women’s college basketball is and how fun this uptick in popularity is, the sport has not had a whole lot of parity. The ascension of what was a dead program at Vanderbilt feels like a cool changeup in the sport.

Mikayla Blakes is a superstar and led the nation in scoring, while Shea Ralph has truly transformed this program. Ralph deservedly won Coach of the Year and led this Vandy team to a perfect home record. Vandy has great guard play even outside of Blakes, as Aubrey Galvan had one of the best freshman years in the ACC and is already one of the best passers in the country.

Vandy will return a large chunk of their production next season and will be looking to build upon their Sweet 16 finish this year.

8. LSU Tigers

Conference: SEC

For LSU, their pace and overall offensive prowess made them one of the most fun watches in the country this season. They shot the ball at an extremely high level this year and finished the year with scoring 100 points a whopping 16 times.

Their guard trio of MiLaysia Fulwiley, Flau’jae Johnson, and Mikaylah Williams was as potent as any backcourt in the country, and they were all equally big catalysts for this team’s offensive dominance.

They played a really tough schedule in conference mid-year, but still picked up wins over Texas, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss, and still finished the year with 29 wins.

7. Michigan Wolverines

Conference: Big Ten

Michigan surprised some people this season and put together an outstanding year. They were downright dominant at the Crisler Center and were guided through the Big 10 with their elite trio of guards. Olivia Olson, Syla Swords, and Mila Holloway were a formidable trio that led a really good Wolvervine offense.

Michigan will return its 5 leading scorers next season, and after being blown out by Texas in the Elite 8, this is definitely a team that will be contending for a national title next season.

6. TCU Horned Frogs

Conference: Big 12

I don’t know if many teams in the country fit Olivia Miles’ skillset better than TCU this year. She fit TCU’s offense to a tee, and it felt like her passing was maximized really well there. She, along with Marta Suarez, was the catalyst for one of the better offensive teams in the nation.

I loved how competitive TCU was on both ends, and although they were blown out by South Carolina in the Elite 8, I felt like they were good enough to be a final 4 squad. TCU finished as regular-season Big 12 champs for the second year in a row, and outside of a few losses to teams that they are probably better than, they were pretty great all season.

5. Duke Blue Devils

Conference: ACC

Rounding out the Top 5 on Top 10 Women’s College Basketball Teams 2025-2026 rankings list is the Duke Blue Devils.

Duke started the season 3-6, losing 3 straight games to top 10 teams in the nation by pretty wide margins. It was not a team that looked like they would be contending for an ACC title and definitely not making a run into the second weekend in March. Nonetheless, Duke did both of those things.

Kara Lawson had this Duke team locking up opposing teams with physical man-to-man defense. They made a concerted effort in forcing teams into tough jump shots and making them pay at the rim, often blocking or altering layups. Duke’s defensive versatility was their calling card, and it’s why they were able to make the Elite 8.

They also have one of the most underrated players in the country in Toby Fournier, who was big for Duke all season, averaging 17.3 PPG and 7.9 RPG. Her defensive versatility is huge for the identity of this squad, and she is a special athlete at her size. She will be back next year and will help Kara Lawson keep building this program.

4. Texas Longhorns

Conference: SEC

I feel like consistency and balance are a good way to describe this Texas program as of late. They made their second consecutive final 4, and their only regular season losses this year came @ LSU, @ South Carolina, and @ Vanderbilt. All three of these teams are on this list and are obviously the cream of the crop when it comes to the best teams in the country.

Texas is great on both sides of the ball, and their physicality on defense often gives teams real issues. On offense, they have an efficient go-to scorer in Madison Booker, who just oozes skill whenever she touches the court.

Texas also won the SEC championship, which, without a doubt, is the best conference in the sport, by defeating South Carolina. They have one of the best resumes in the country and were the only team to beat national champion UCLA this season. Although losing to them in the final 4, they were also the only team that really played UCLA competitively in any of their March Madness games.

3. UConn Huskies

Conference: Big East

UConn had so many options on offense while also being arguably the best defensive team in the nation. They were truly elite on both ends of the floor, and this elite balance led them to their 11th undefeated regular season record in school history. They arguably had the best player in the country in Sarah Strong, while also having the #1 overall pick in the draft in Azzi Fudd.

This team was so well built while also obviously being extremely well coached by the HOFer Geno Auriemma. Coming into the tourney, they were widely considered the favorite and were bludgeoning teams en route to another final 4.

They were not able to get over South Carolina, which, of course, had another outstanding season themselves. Still, either way, this was another great year for the Huskies, who have been the gold standard in Women’s College Basketball over the past 2 decades.

2. South Carolina Gamecocks

Conference: Big Ten

Dawn Staley has built a powerhouse in Columbia, and year in and year out, this team finds itself playing in the final 4 if not the national championship. They dominated a talent-rich SEC and finished the year losing only 1 regular season conference game.

They have outstanding depth, per usual, with players like Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson, Madina Okot, Ta’Niya Latson, among several highly talented players. They have outstanding rebounding and defense, and know how to drag teams down to play their style of play.

Dawn Staley did not take over a program rich with history, but in her time at SC, she undoubtedly turned them into a school that garners the attention of the college basketball world.

1. UCLA Bruins

Conference: Big 10

The number 1 spot for me was a no-brainer, partly because UCLA just won the national title quite emphatically, and partly because this UCLA team had a level of talent you don’t often see. They had 6 players drafted in this past draft, 5 of which were in the first round. Led by several talented Seniors like Kiki Rice, Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens, among many others.

UCLA was dominant from start to finish all year, going undefeated in the Big 10 in the regular season, then going on to win the Big 10 tourney. Despite 1 close game with Texas in the final 4, they cruised through the NCAA tourney, consistently blowing teams out.

They were an elite defensive squad, particularly protecting the paint, but they were also outstanding offensively. They were able to win a lot of games wherever they chose to, and I think this UCLA team could contend with some of the best of this past decade.