College basketball preview: UConn’s title defense, Tennessee’s resurgence, the SEC stronghold and USC’s chances without JuJu Watkins

The 2025-26 NCAA women’s college basketball season is upon us, and there is no shortage of storylines. Will there be a repeat champion for the first time since the mid-2010s? How will transfers impact their new teams? Who can ascend to a first-time National Player of the Year award? Here are the four biggest storylines to track as the season tips off:

A season without JuJu Watkins

National Player of the Year JuJu Watkins will not play this season while rehabbing the torn ACL she sustained in the second round of the NCAA tournament, casting a similar pall over this season that it did then. Watkins is college basketball’s brightest star who stayed home to lift Southern Cal back into relevance and title contention.

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The Trojans entered the 2025 NCAA tournament as a title contender led by do-it-all performances from Watkins, but their 2025-26 outlook is less sure. The Trojans relied heavily on Watkins, almost to their detriment at times, and will need to readjust without their top two scoring options of Watkins (23.9 ppg) and WNBA lottery pick Kiki Iriafen (18.0 ppg). They’re also without freshman standouts Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel, who transferred to Washington and UConn, respectively.

Jazzy Davidson, a 6-foot-1 guard and No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, will step up into a leading role. She won golds for Team USA at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2024 FIBA 3×3 World Cup and 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup. She swept Oregon’s Gatorade Player of the Year honors throughout her four high school seasons.

Can Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd and UConn repeat?

After years of derailing injuries and the school’s longest title drought, the UConn Huskies lifted the NCAA championship trophy with a resounding 82-59 victory over South Carolina in April. It was their first title since winning four consecutive from 2013-16, and capped the collegiate career of Paige Bueckers in fitting fashion.

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Can the Huskies do it again? Azzi Fudd, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, opted to return for a redshirt year. The shooting guard has yet to reach her full potential at UConn, with injuries setting her back. Sarah Strong, who set a Division I record for most points in a tournament by a freshman, could become the best player to come out of UConn. It’s a high bar, and a claim also made by South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley.

As ever, they’ll have reinforcements stepping into the fold. Geno Auriemma recruited guard Kelis Fisher, a top-25 recruit and Jordan Brand Classic All-American from IMG Academy, and signed transfer Serah Williams, a 6-foot-4 senior center. Williams was one of the most sought-after transfers after averaging 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds as a junior at Wisconsin, where she won the 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She’ll add size offensively after years of the Huskies having to play smaller. Williams, Fudd and junior guard duo Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold were all voted to the preseason All-Big East team.

In a lackluster conference, their early non-conference games will be pivotal in preparation for the tournament and securing a No. 1 seed, which they haven’t had since 2021. UConn faces Louisville, Florida State, Ohio State, Michigan, Utah, South Florida, USC, Iowa, Notre Dame and Tennessee.

How dangerous will Tennessee be in Year 2 of Kim Caldwell’s tenure?

The Lady Vols remain one of the country’s most fascinating teams, luring fans in with high pace and hockey-style subs. Players from Caldwell’s Glenville State Division II NCAA championship team told Yahoo Sports last year that it takes at least a full season to fully grasp the system, putting the returners at an advantage. Three of the four top scorers and rebounders return, led by Talaysia Cooper, Zee Spearman and Ruby Whitehorn.

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Caldwell also has a group she recruited and signed herself, including transfer Janiah Barker (Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year at UCLA) and the No. 1-ranked class by ESPN. Incoming are McDonald’s All-Americans Mia Pauldo, Deniya Prawl and Jaida Civil. It’s a promising group, but Caldwell remained cautious earlier this month at the SEC Basketball Tipoff.

“I think we have a low floor, I think we can get in our way,” Caldwell told reporters at the media day event. “And I think we have a really high ceiling, and those two things right now are very far apart. We need to do really a better job of [raising] what our floor is, staying out of our own way, staying focused and hungry.

Tennessee hasn’t reached a Final Four since 2008, when it won back-to-back titles with Pat Summitt and Candace Parker. It’s been a decade since the Lady Vols’ last Elite Eight berth after they lost to Texas in the Sweet 16.

Breaking the SEC-and-UConn stronghold

Everyone is grasping for an entrance pass to the elite stronghold of the SEC and Connecticut. The powerhouse conference and women’s hoops juggernaut have combined to win 24 of the NCAA’s 43 women’s college basketball championships. They’ve won nine of the last 12, and four consecutive since Stanford’s 2021 title.

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UConn’s win extended its championship record to 12, including five of those last 12, and is distantly followed by Tennessee (8). It tied the entire SEC, which leads all conferences with 12 combined championships. The Big East has nine and the Big 12 has four.

UConn and South Carolina are again the leading preseason contenders. Beyond them is a solid chunk of the SEC: Texas, LSU and Tennessee. Five of the top 10 Associated Press preseason teams are in the SEC, and eight total are in the Top 25.

The Big Ten still has the best chance of breaking through. UCLA returns National Player of the Year finalist Lauren Betts, and added her younger sister, Sienna, the No. 2-ranked recruit in the 2025 class according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz. The Bruins are third in the AP poll as the only team in the top six not from the SEC or named UConn.