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 deep enough that two top-10 selections could roll out. Even the youth and a slew of collegiate starters couldn’t stop them last year.
While they are heavy favorites, South Carolina is far from the only program with enough talent to win it all in April. Three of the top teams welcome back a crucial piece of their trophy puzzles, while a fourth stars the country’s best player alongside a star-studded new cast.
Here are the favorites to win it all, plus three long shots that could make things interesting in March.
South Carolina Gamecocks
The reigning champions are in the midst of a dynasty era. The Gamecocks reached the Final Four each of the past four seasons, winning all of them in 2022 and 2024. They are the favorites to become the first back-to-back champions since UConn’s four straight titles from 2013-2016. Hence their spot atop the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll with 27 of 30 votes.
Nearly everyone from the title team is back, except for 6-foot-4 center and leading scorer Kamilla Cardoso, the Chicago Sky’s third 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 (three-time WNBA MVP), a second with Aliyah Boston (WNBA Rookie of the Year) and last year with Cardoso in the basic setup. .
Replacing that dominant piglet is the only glaring weakness. Staley’s roster is deep enough to fill it with a committee approach made easier by a higher-scoring backcourt that wasn’t typical of the Gamecocks before ’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 and possibly another overall No. 1 spot. They will play No. 9 NC State in the Ally Tipoff held Sunday in Charlotte. They also face UCLA, Iowa State (Fort Myers Tipoff), Duke, TCU (Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Classic) and UConn (Feb. 16 at home). The road to an SEC title will be tougher with conference newcomer Texas in the mix.
Connecticut Huskies
The former dynasty is trying to end an eight-year drought, the longest without a title since the organization won its first of 11 years in 1995. For years she had the talent to do it, but not the luck. If these come together, expect Connecticut to be back on top.
UConn is banking on finally having a healthy Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, back-to-back No. 1 guards, on the floor together. Bueckers might be the hungriest player in the country. It’s her last chance at a national title after her commitment to UConn sparked talk of a new four-in-four-year series of trophies. Fudd is coming off an ACL and medial meniscus tear in her right knee and will return “sooner rather than later,” head coach Geno Auriemma said on the “WBB Show” this week. She participates in 5-on-5 exercises in practice.
The Huskies have performed extremely well in recent seasons while dealing with a litany of injuries. Aaliyah Edwards, their consistent forward amid the injury chaos, is in the WNBA as a first-round pick. Jana El Alfy should be able to make her debut well after sitting out her first season with an Achilles injury. Sarah Strong, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2024, also joins the frontcourt.
All components are present, but health has priority.
The Huskies’ best path to a title is a solid starting lineup, so non-conference performances should be strong. Connecticut will play 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 best player in the country. JuJu Watkins, the reigning national freshman of the year and former No. 1 recruit, headlines a star-studded USC team that has been favored to win the Big Ten conference title in his first season as a member of the competition.
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 through the transfer portal to take the scoring pressure off Watkins. Kiki Iriafen (Stanford), winner of the Katrina McClain Award as the nation’s top forward, adds versatility in the frontcourt and Talia von Oelhoffen (Oregon State) will handle ball-handling duties.
USC advanced to the regional finals last year as a No. 1 seed, 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 compared to already established powerhouses South Carolina and UConn. The group is also young with sophomore Watkins and the nation’s top recruiting class, including Kennedy Smith (at No. 6). The close loss to Ole Miss in the season opener in Paris proved that growth is needed.
But it’s all about where you end up in March, and USC, thanks to Big Ten competition and national TV spots, has the roster to get through it.
Notre Dame battles Irish
Welcome back, Olivia Miles. The junior point guard played her first game since suffering an ACL injury in February 2023 and posted her fourth career triple-double. Her return is a very welcome return for the Fighting Irish, another program that has struggled with too many injuries in previous promising seasons.
Notre Dame boasts one of the highest IQs and most productive backcourts in the country when healthy. Miles was a contender for national player of the year 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 top point guard, is also one of the nation’s stealthiest defenders, averaging a Division I-best 4.6 steals per game as a freshman. The two All-Americans had not played in a game together until the season opener.
They are joined by All-ACC selections Sonia Citron at wing and fifth-year senior Maddy Westbeld at forward. Head coach Niele Ivey strengthened the ranks with graduated 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 (precaution) and Karlen (foot/ankle) were on the bench.
If Notre Dame can stay healthy long enough to put all the pieces together (and not have to deal with late-season injuries that rock its chemistry), the Fighting Irish have a promising shot at the third NCAA championship for the program, and the first since the Muffet McGraw era. Their non-conference schedule includes No. 2 UConn rankings (Dec. 12), No. 3 USC (Nov. 23) and No. 4 Texas (Dec. 5).
Texas Longhorns
Texas is also excited to have their point guard back and healthy in addition to a breakout star.
Two-time All-American honorable mention Rori Harmon emerged as a contender for Player of the Year before tearing her ACL during a practice in December 2023. The senior point guard was cleared to play last month and is leading 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 an Elite Eight berth. Putting the duo back on the field together in their natural positions is enough to turn Vic Schaefer’s side into a title contender. His teams are consistently among the best in the country defensively and should give South Carolina a close race for the conference title.
Texas also returns Aaliyah Moore, a Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year preseason 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
Cyclones in the state of Iowa
Iowa State nearly ended Tara Vanderveer’s storied coaching career at the start of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, thrusting itself into the national lexicon. The Cyclones aren’t favorites — not even in the Big 12, where Kansas State and center Ayoka Lee earned that distinction — but have pieces to make a surprise Final Four run.
They return their young and emerging offensive duo of Addy Brown and Audi Crooks, an honorable mention AP All-American. 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 in the top 10 in assists the past three seasons, opted to spend her fifth year guiding the team 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 themselves? Duke lost eight of its 12 games by single digits last year, including a Sweet 16 loss to UConn after upsetting Ohio State. Improving from the three-point line and limiting turnovers could propel them through the tournament.
Senior guard Reigan Richardson is one of four starters returning, as is sixth player of the year, sophomore forward Oluchi Okananwa. Lawson signed No. 9 recruit Toby Fournier, a 6-foot-4 forward from Canada who became a dunking sensation at age 14.
UCLA Bruins
UCLA’s core of forward Lauren Betts and guard Kiki Rice make the Bruins the favorite in their first Big Ten season. Both players were named to preseason All-Big Ten teams and were named to National Player of the Year watch lists. And graduate Angela Dugalić gained international experience this summer with the Serbian national team at the Olympic Games in Paris.
If UCLA can develop quality and consistent scoring options beyond Betts (which it has the potential to do with its standout juniors), the Bruins could go well beyond their back-to-back Sweet 16 berths. A big 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 to be a long-term title contender.
