Women’s NCAA basketball: Five things we learned in opening week

Less than a week into the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season, we’ve already gotten a feel for how some new faces are fitting in new places and how some standout players have settled back into familiar surroundings.

current national champion Yukon Both are there. sarah strong And azy fadBoth produced tremendous performances in last season’s NCAA title run, leading the No. 1 Huskies’ season-opening 79-66 win over Louisville on Tuesday. and transfers sera williams And kayle heckel Look to make an impact for UConn as well.

No. 3 UCLAThe team, which made the Final Four for the first time in the NCAA era last season, is off to a 2-0 start entering the top 10 with a No. 6 seed. oklahoma On Monday. Joining the returnees Lauren Bates, gabriela jacquez And kiki rice are in the starting lineup Charlie’s Leger-Walkerwho missed the previous season due to a knee injury after transferring from Washington StateAnd Gianna Knipkenswho have transferred this year utahBoth guards could be big contributors for the Bruins this season.

olivia milesAnother big-name guard transfer makes debut for No. 17 TCU Won 82-43 on Thursday North Carolina A&Tand take care Milesia Fulvillewho transferred from South Carolina To LSUHas been part of the Tigers’ 2-0 start.

number 2 South Carolina and number 16 boiler took Center stage on Monday on inauguration dayHere’s a more in-depth look at what we’ve seen.

UConn looks part of title favorites

Geno Auriemma points to UConn’s season-opening win over No. 20 louisville A “tremendous success”, and although it was not a perfect performance – the Huskies allowed the Cardinals to cut the 28-point margin to 10 in the fourth quarter – it showed why UConn is favored to repeat. The Huskies struggled from beyond the 3-point arc (4-for-26), but outscored Louisville in the paint (50-18) and played at a pace that allowed them to throw the first punch. They led 25–9 after the first quarter and by 21 at the half.

Fudd and Strong largely picked up where they left off in the Final Four. Strong (21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals) hit most of the clutch baskets when Louisville threatened to get within single figures and continued to show why he is one of the most promising young talents in the country. junior keke arnold And USC transfer Heckel also impressed. But to make the Huskies truly unstoppable, they could use more from Williams wisconsin transfer, and guard ashlyn shade, –Alexa Filippo

Hidalgo is the prodigious star of Notre Dame

Whereas hannah hidalgo Was Notre DameThe best player in her first two seasons in South Bend, she was also surrounded by All-American-level players. Sonia Citron And olivia milesThe ability of the Irish to win did not rest entirely on Hidalgo’s shoulders. That is no longer the case.

This version of Notre Dame is undoubtedly Hidalgo’s team, and with it comes a great responsibility. The Irish will not be successful if they are not elite. While bigger tests will come later, Hidalgo was exactly that in Wednesday’s 98-52 loss Fairleigh DickinsonThe 5-foot-6 junior set the pace, scoring 11 of Notre Dame’s first 19 points and finishing with a typical stat-stuffing total of 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. All five starters scored in double figures, but Hidalgo has been the engine of Notre Dame’s success. — Cream

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Hannah Hidalgo made a great defensive play to get the steal.

Hannah Hidalgo played great defensive play to get the steal.

It appears Fulville has found the perfect fit at LSU

Fulville seemed like a sure thing in South Carolina: another native of the state who would win titles for Don Staley and the Gamecocks. In fact, she was a part of the 2024 NCAA Championship team as an exciting freshman. Last season, he faced an up and down South Carolina team that lost in the NCAA finals. She transferred to rival LSU and got a chance for a new chapter in the same conference.

The junior guard came off the bench for 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting in Tuesday’s 108-55 season-opening win. Houston ChristianHe followed that up with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in 13 minutes in a 115–26 demolition. SE Louisiana On Thursday. Fullville and second year players kate kowal (who is averaging 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds) should be a key transfer for LSU this season. The Tigers’ freshman class is also going to be important, including support from the seniors flaujay johnson and junior Mikayla WilliamsLSU’s returning stars. — Vopel

Tennessee still struggling to rejoin the SEC’s elite

First Tennessee The Lady Vols clashed in last season’s edition, defeating eventual national champion UConn in a non-conference game in early February. They could beat the teams below them in the SEC standings, but had to work hard to keep up the lead over the better part of the schedule. Lost 80-77 on Tuesday nc state It felt a lot like this. The seven-point lead vanished in the third quarter – and so did the chance for a season-defining win.

With the addition of top recruits Maia Pauldo (10 points) and one of the best players of Portal, Jania Barker (15 points), as well as what appears to be an even better version of Taleshia Cooper (23 points), this may be a more talented Tennessee team than a year ago. But Tennessee will still struggle to beat the best SEC teams if shots don’t fall (34.2% in the second half against NC State) and the Lady Vols can’t establish their press or dominate the offensive glass (NC State had one more offensive rebound). — Cream

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Tennessee Lady Volunteers vs. NC State Wolfpack: Game Highlights

Tennessee Lady Volunteers vs. NC State Wolfpack: Game Highlights

This is the year the Cyclones live up to expectations audi crux

iowa state Coach Bill Fennelly didn’t say anything about how last season’s non-conference losses affected the perception of his team.

“At the beginning of the season, people probably thought we were better than we actually were,” he said. “But by the end of the season, they thought we were worse than we actually were.”

Iowa State started last season ranked 8th, but lost northern iowaSouth Carolina and iowa The Cyclones dropped out of the top 25, and then a blowout loss to UConn added insult to injury.

However, since February, Iowa State has played well, with its only losses coming to the top two Big 12 teams – TCU and Baylor – and then to Michigan in the NCAA Tournament. Through it all, center Audie Crooks was the reliable star, leading the Big 12 in scoring (23.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (60.5).

Through two wins this season, Crooks is averaging 24.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 70.5%. fellow junior eddie brown The transfer guard averaged 8.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists while Jada Williams Is averaging 13.0 points and 4.5 assists. The No. 14 Cyclones don’t have marquee nonconference opponents like UConn and South Carolina this season, but they have plenty of confidence and a chance to pick up wins before heading into the Big 12 campaign. — Vopel