COLUMBIA, S.C. — Dawn Staley and South Carolina begin another women’s basketball season as the team to beat. A national power ranking released this week put the Gamecocks at No. 1 heading into 2026-27, matching their spot atop the preseason poll of media voters.
In that preseason poll, released Oct. 20, South Carolina drew 23 of the 31 first-place votes. It is the fifth time in seven seasons the program has opened at the top, after starting at No. 2 a year ago.
The new power ranking lists UConn second, Southern California third, and Texas and LSU rounding out the top five. Defending national champion UCLA checks in at No. 16 after losing every player who scored in last season’s title game.
Questions at point guard followed the Gamecocks through the offseason, but Staley assembled a roster with plenty of upside, according to the ranking. The schedule will test it quickly. South Carolina faces five teams ranked in the preseason top 25, three of them in the top three, before Dec. 3.
The game everyone has circled comes Nov. 24 in Connecticut, where South Carolina and UConn square off in a Hall of Fame showcase at the Mohegan Sun. It is the third straight year the two programs have opened the season ranked first and second.
The national season tips off Sunday, and most teams play their first games Monday and Tuesday.
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