Preseason Poll Basketball
FILE - Southern California guard JuJu Watkins warms up before a game against Mississippi State in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, March 24, 2025, in Los Angeles.
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South Carolina is ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25 women's basketball poll. The Gamecocks received 23 first-place votes from a 31-member national media panel. UConn, USC, Duke and Michigan round out the top five. This marks the fifth time in seven years that Staley's team has been ranked No. 1 in the preseason. South Carolina will face five ranked teams in the first month, including UConn, USC, and Duke. UConn, which lost to South Carolina in the Final Four last season, garnered six first-place votes. Southern California picked up the other two.
