It's been seven months since the confetti fell on Stanford, the 2020–21 women's national title winner, and a new season is about to get underway. The Cardinal remain a staunch threat, and they'll be joined by familiar faces like South Carolina, Connecticut and Baylor. Will one of the sport's powerhouses take home the championship again, or will programs on the rise—like Iowa, Michigan or Indiana—follow Arizona's lead and crash the party?
Read on for Sports Illustrated's preseason top 25 for the 2021–22 season, which kicks off on Nov. 9.
1. UConn
To the chip on their shoulder after a Final Four loss to Arizona, the Huskies added No.