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UCLA is the national champion, but for the first time in my way-too-early power rankings for The Athletic, UCLA will not be the top-ranked team heading into the 2026-27 season. With all due respect to Cori Close and the success of the Bruins program over the last few years, the reality is that six seniors are leaving. It was touch-and-go whether to rank the Bruins at all.
Part of the problem is that these rankings are being conducted as the transfer portal opens on Monday. We can imagine that UCLA (and other high-profile programs) will be able to bring in some quality players after already crushing the portal each of the last two offseasons. Close said: “The transfer portal just got easier” in Sunday’s postgame news conference in Phoenix. But we don’t know what the Bruins roster will look like, or which players across the country are on the move.
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That puts even more uncertainty than usual into these rankings, especially compared to last season when we could already pencil in the Final Four. Keep that in mind when we look back at this list a year from now.
Rank
Team
1
Texas
2
UConn
3
USC
4
South Carolina
5
Notre Dame
6
Michigan
7
LSU
8
Vanderbilt
9
Louisville
10
Iowa
11
Nebraska
12
Minnesota
13
Washington
14
Oklahoma
15
Maryland
16
Kentucky
17
Duke
18
Kansas
20
Michigan State
21
Oregon
22
Ohio State
23
Kansas State
24
Georgia
25
UCLA
Also considered: Princeton, Arizona State, Florida
Is this the year for Texas?
First-team All-American Madison Booker returns alongside rising juniors Justice Carlton and Jordan Lee plus senior center Breya Cunningham. Aaliyah Crump had a fantastic finish to her freshman season, and the Longhorns bring in three top-20 recruits. There is a core here that knows how to win, and especially knows how to defend, led by a fantastic No. 1 option. Even if Texas has disappointed in the last two national semifinals, if the baseline for the Longhorns is making it to the Final Four then they deserve the top ranking heading into next season.
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UConn slots in just below because of…
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Publish date : 2026-04-06 10:16:00
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