Nielsen releases Top 10 most popular women’s college basketball teams of 2025-26 regular season

With the NCAA Tournament just about underway, Nielsen has released a new ranking of college women’s basketball teams. By combining TV ratings figures with social media followers, the company broke down the Top 10 most popular teams of the 2025-26 regular season.

The data combines total Nielsen Big Data + Panel viewership with teams’ followers on both Facebook and Instagram. ESPN saw a 19% increase in viewership on its networks during the regular season while FOX saw its second-best season on record behind Caitlin Clark’s senior campaign in 2023-24.

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Nielsen’s Top 10 most popular teams in men’s college basketball are different from the most-watched teams of the season. The latest rankings still include the same networks: ABC, CBS, CNBC, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, ION, NBC, truTV, TNT and USA Network.

1. Iowa

One of the top brands in women’s college basketball tops Nielsen’s Top 10 most popular teams list. Iowa saw its social media following skyrocket, especially as Caitlin Clark dominated during her time with the Hawkeyes, and the program is still in a great spot with Jan Jensen in her second season as head coach.

Across Facebook and Instagram, Iowa has more than nearly 570,000 followers, including 288,000 on Instagram alone. The Hawkeyes also played in one of the most-watched games of the 2025-26 regular season as 1.03 million viewers tuned in for the Jimmy V Classic against Iowa State.

2. South Carolina

All eyes were on South Carolina this women’s basketball season as the Gamecocks played in the top three games of the year. They also come in at No. 2 on Nielsen’s Top 10 most popular women’s college basketball teams this year.

South Carolina has roughly 473,000 followers across Facebook and Instagram, putting the program nearly 100,000 behind Iowa. On the TV side of things, three Gamecocks games topped 1 million viewers this year, led by the Feb. 14 matchup against LSU on ABC.

3. LSU

Another big brand in college women’s basketball, LSU has more than 530,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram. That helped the Tigers come in at No. 3 on Nielsen’s Top 10 most popular teams in the sport during the regular season.

LSU’s loss to South Carolina was the most-watched game during the regular season as part of a loaded Valentine’s Day slate. The Tigers’ game against Texas Feb. 5 was also a top game with 817,000 viewers on ESPN.

4. Tennessee

Although it was an up-and-down year for Kim Caldwell at Tennessee, the Lady Vols were still a big draw. Two of their games topped 1 million viewers, and they also have a strong following on Facebook with 161,000 followers.

The Feb. 8 game between Tennessee and South Carolina averaged 1.46 million viewers – the second-most watched of the year, according to data compiled by On3. As a result, the Lady Vols come in at No. 4 on Nielsen’s Top 10 most popular college women’s basketball teams.

5. Texas

Once again, Texas was a force through SEC play en route to a conference tournament championship. The Longhorns also brought plenty of attention, both on social media and from a TV ratings standpoint.

Across Facebook and Instagram, Texas has more than 155,000 followers. On the court, though, the Longhorns played in two of the top five most-watched games of the year – led by a matchup against South Carolina on March 8, which averaged 1.40 million viewers.

6. UConn

Fresh off another national title, UConn put together another dominant showing in the regular season. The Huskies went undefeated and won the Big East Tournament to become the No. 1 overall seed, and they sit at No. 6 in Nielsen’s Top 10 most popular women’s college basketball teams.

UConn has more than 875,000 followers across Facebook and Instagram, fueled by 600,000 on Instagram alone. The Huskies also played in two of the most-watched games of the year, led by a win over Tennessee which averaged 1.21 million viewers. Six of their regular-season games were also on Peacock and, therefore, were not measured by Nielsen.

7. Notre Dame

It wasn’t an easy start to conference play for Notre Dame this season, but the Fighting Irish got hot at the right time. Niele Ivey’s group won seven of its last eight games heading into the conference tournament, where the Irish won two of three.

On social media, Notre Dame has nearly 200,000 total followers across Facebook and Instagram. The Fighting Irish also drew plenty of eyes on TV, notably with the matchup against USC in November, which drew 639,000 viewers on ESPN.

8. Oklahoma

OU HC Jennie Baranczyk. — Sarah Phipps – Imagn Images

Oklahoma was another team that got hot ahead of the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners rattled off seven straight wins before falling to LSU in Greenville, and they rank No. 8 in Nielsen’s most popular teams in college women’s basketball.

OU has more than 87,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram, and their rivalry game against Texas was one of the most-watched games of the year. An average of 1.102 million viewers tuned in for the Feb. 1 matchup on ABC.

9. Iowa State

After a dominant start to the year, Iowa State struggled to start Big 12 play. The Cyclones got back on track, though, and became a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a 22-9 overall record.

ISU also sits at No. 9 in Nielsen’s Top 10 most popular teams in women’s college basketball, which includes their more than 90,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram. The CyHawk win over Iowa in December was also the first game of the season to top 1 million viewers.

10. Michigan

Rounding out the Top 10 most popular teams in college women’s basketball, Michigan became a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, led again by Olivia Olson. The Wolverines’ non-conference matchup against UConn was also one of the most-watched games of the season.

An average of 967,000 viewers tuned in to FOX for the high-profile showdown. Michigan also has more than 105,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram, which helped the program make Nielsen’s list.

Wednesday night marks the start of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament with the First Four. From there, the Round of 64 will get underway Friday and Saturday.

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