The 2026-27 women's college basketball season began Sunday with Notre Dame defeating Villanova in Rome, while most teams start play Monday and Tuesday. Defending champion UCLA and preseason No. 1 South Carolina headline the campaign, and USC star JuJu Watkins returns after 588 days recovering from an ACL tear.
Final Four and title predictions
CBS Sports analysts Lindsay Gibbs and Jack Maloney each selected their Final Four and national champion. Gibbs projects UConn, South Carolina, USC, and Duke to reach the Final Four, with South Carolina winning the title. Maloney picks South Carolina, UConn, USC, and Texas for the Final Four, also choosing South Carolina as champion.
Gibbs cites UConn's returning National Player of the Year Sarah Strong and a veteran core including KK Arnold, Jana El Elfy, and Ashlynn Shade, plus top recruit Olivia Vukosa. For USC, she highlights Watkins' return alongside 2025-26 Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson and No. 1 recruit Saniyah Hall. Gibbs chose Duke as her fourth team, noting back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, the No. 4 recruiting class, and the addition of Texas transfer Aaliyah Crump.
Maloney agrees on South Carolina, UConn, and USC as the top three, but selects Texas as his fourth team, pointing to Madison Booker's return and the nation's top recruiting class per 247 Sports. He believes Vic Schaefer's Longhorns will be ready for March.
National champion rationale
Both experts favor South Carolina to capture the championship after consecutive runner-up finishes (to UConn in 2025 and UCLA in 2026). Gibbs emphasizes the Gamecocks' staggering depth: returning players Tessa Johnson, Agot Makeer, Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts, and Ashlyn Watkins (both missed last season), plus Texas transfer Jordan Lee, French forward Alicia Tournebize, and top recruits Oliviyah Edwards (No. 4) and Jerzy Robinson (No. 6). Maloney notes the frontcourt depth with Kitts and Watkins back, and says if Tessa Johnson and Jordan Lee solidify the backcourt, South Carolina will be the team to beat.
National Player of the Year
Both Gibbs and Maloney select UConn's Sarah Strong to repeat as National Player of the Year. Strong won the award last season despite not being fully healthy. With Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd departed for the WNBA, Strong steps into a larger role and could post even better numbers while leading one of the country's best teams.
