The 2022-23 women's college basketball season will tip off on Nov. 7 and the preseason AP Top 25 is officially out. South Carolina was the unanimous No. 1 selection in the preseason AP Top 25. This is the third consecutive season the Gamecocks start as the top ranked team.
South Carolina won the 2022 NCAA tournament after going wire-to-wire as the No. 1 in the nation. The Gamecocks have a strong chance to repeat with four starters returning, including Naismith Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Aliyah Boston. Head coach Dawn Staley had a defensive powerhouse last year, and with a little bit of an improvement in the offense her team could be even more intimidating.
The Stanford Cardinal open in the No. 2 spot. They are returning two solid scorers and rebounders in Cameron Brink and Haley Jones – both among our CBS Sports women's basketball players to watch this season. Stanford is also adding the No. 1 freshman in the country in 6-foot-7 forward Lauren Betts.
Texas checks in at No. 3, which is not surprising as the Longhorns can feel confident with point guard Rori Harmon as their leader. She was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and the Big 12 Tournament's most outstanding player last season. The sky is the limit now that she has another year of experience under her belt.
Iowa and Tennessee round out the top five. The UConn Huskies are No. 6. They took a big hit when star player Paige Bueckers tore her ACL, but Geno Auriemma's squad is still expected to stay competitive.
Here's a look at the full preseason AP Top 25 (first place votes are in parentheses):
- South Carolina (30)
- Stanford
- Texas
- Iowa
- Tennessee
- Connecticut
- Louisville
- Iowa State
- Notre Dame
- North Carolina State
- Indiana
- North Carolina
- Virginia Tech
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- LSU
- Maryland
- Baylor
- Arizona
- Oregon
- Creighton
- Nebraska
- South Dakota State
- Princeton
- Michigan
