One great thing about sports is how often something we think can't happen actually does happen.
Earlier this week, for example, we wouldn't have thought it likely for one player to get 16 steals in a game. But Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo made it real Wednesday in the Irish's 85-58 victory over Akron.
So after nearly two weeks of the 2025-26 women's basketball season, what can we predict is real versus not real? Things can change quickly and dramatically, but we examine -- and cast our verdict -- on five early trends.
Jump to a trend:
Can UConn run the table?
South Carolina's best backcourt
Jazzy can step into JuJu's shoes
TCU '25-26 better than '24-25
UCLA's best team in program history
UConn could go undefeated this season and win back-to-back titles
Sure, it's early, but the UConn Huskies have largely picked up where they left off from their dominant 2025 Final Four run. With Paige Bueckers moved on to the WNBA, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd have comfortably taken over as the next UConn stars. Having both of them on the same team is a luxury, and yet Geno Auriemma has to like what he has seen so far of his team's depth.
Verdict: Real
Kayleigh Heckel has been a great fit as a transfer from USC, while KK Arnold has been more aggressive in looking to score. In her first action of the season Wednesday, Blanca Quionez showed why she's one of the most intriguing freshmen in the country with her combination of size, skill and athleticism. And that's not even all the pieces Auriemma is working with: So far, 11 players are averaging double-figure minutes, and no player more than 27.
The Huskies led Louisville by 28 points before the Cardinals pulled within 10 late, and UConn crushed ACC foe Florida State by 32. The Huskies face some decent teams in nonconference play: Ohio State, Michigan, Utah, USC, Iowa, Notre Dame and Tennessee. But of that group, only the Trojans, who are without injured JuJu Watkins this season, are ranked in the top 10. And though the Lady Vols beat UConn last year, the Huskies will undoubtedly be motivated to avenge that defeat.
In all, it's a fairly favorable schedule for the Huskies that could allow them to put together their seventh undefeated campaign on their way to banner No. 13. -- Alexa Philippou
This is the best backcourt that coach Dawn Staley has had at South Carolina
The South Carolina guards include last season's Division I scoring leader who transferred in from Florida State, Ta'Niya Latson, fellow senior Raven Johnson and junior Tessa Johnson, veteran players with complementary skill sets. Johnson and Johnson were part of South Carolina's 2024 national championship team and last year's national runner-up squad.
Freshmen guards Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell are both top-15 recruits. If everyone jells, this will be a backcourt that is deep and scores and defends at a very high level to help the No. 2 Gamecocks, who are off to a 3-0 start, pursue their fourth NCAA title.
Verdict: Not real
This season's group of guards is impressive and could be a big factor in taking the Gamecocks all the way to another championship. Who can say just how good they will be together by NCAA tournament time?
But for now, it's hard to beat the 2017 national champion Gamecocks' backcourt: Allisha Gray, Kaela Davis, Bianca Cuevas-Moore and Tyasha Harris. Gray, a future WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, was the top scorer (13.2 PPG) and rebounder (5.0 RPG) among South Carolina guards that season, and Harris led a balanced effort in assists (3.2 APG). Cuevas-Moore was tops in steals (1.6 SPG), and Davis had the most 3-pointers (59) on the team. They were a strong group in support of post player A'ja Wilson in winning the program's first NCAA title.
South Carolina's backcourt on the 2022 championship team also stands out: Destanni Henderson, Zia Cooke and Brea Beal were the starters on a guard-deep team that gave UConn its only loss in the NCAA final.
And the 2024 Gamecocks had a perfect record in winning the NCAA title behind a balanced backcourt led by Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson, Bree Hall and MiLaysia Fulwiley. -- Michael Voepel
Jazzy Davidson will fill JuJu Watkins' shoes at USC
Some of the comparisons are obvious. Watkins and Davidson were both the top-rated recruits in their class. They are each rangy wings who can also handle the ball and excel on both ends of the floor. JuJu and Jazzy have each been described as potentially transformative on and off the court. Both were asked to be stars immediately. The only thing more anticipated in the world of USC basketball than their respective debuts is the potential of them playing together in November 2026.
Much has been asked of Davidson with Watkins sidelined for the season with a knee injury. With the Trojans off to a 2-0 start, Davidson averaged a team-high 17.5 points (tied with Londynn Jones) and 4.0 assists. She delivered a second-half performance -- 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting -- that included the game winner in USC's win over ninth-ranked NC State on Sunday. Davidson's smooth glide through the lane that ended in a layup in the one-point win could be one of those moments that years from now, once superstardom is cemented, fans look back on and say, "Remember when Jazzy did that in just her second college game?"
Verdict: Not quite real
If Watkins wears a size 11, Davidson fills about a 9. Davidson can almost get there -- but for as great as that performance against the Wolfpack was over the final 20 minutes, Watkins has set the bar too high. Watkins faced No. 7-ranked Ohio State in her debut and dropped 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting. Davidson's first game was against New Mexico State. She scored 14 points and made 4 of 16 shots from the field. Watkins hit the 30-point mark five times in her first seven games. Davidson missed 21 of her first 26 shots.
Perhaps Davidson will finish second in the country in scoring and lead the Trojans to a conference tournament championship and the Elite Eight like Watkins did as a freshman. It's also unfair to expect that. What Watkins did in her first year is once-in-a-generation stuff. Davidson will have a great rookie year, just not that great. -- Charlie Creme
TCU is better with Olivia Miles/Clara Silva than it was in 2024 with Hailey Van Lith/Sedona Prince
If TCU coach Mark Campbell can keep acquiring point guard/post combos out of the transfer portal like he has the past couple of years, he will take the Horned Frogs to sustained success the program has never seen. In their one season together under Campbell, Van Lith and Prince helped produce 34 wins, nine more than the previous program best. Both went to Fort Worth with something to prove -- and did it, combining to score 35.1 points per game. They were a lethal pick-and-roll duo.
Miles' circumstances are different. She is coming off the best season of her three-year career at Notre Dame. Likely a top-five WNBA draft pick had she elected to turn pro, Miles' talent wasn't a question the way Van Lith's was after a bumpy 2023-24 season at LSU. Miles' style was also crowned the perfect fit for Campbell's system, and everything through three games has reinforced that. TCU is averaging 97.3 points per game, led by 18.3 points and 8.7 assists from Miles.
Verdict: Not real
Van Lith had a great final season at TCU, but Miles is the better player. Where this comparison falls short is the difference in experience between Prince and Silva. Injuries derailed the early part of Prince's career. A broken leg sidelined her for 2018-19, Prince's freshman season at Texas, and she was forced to sit out 2019-20 after transferring to Oregon. By the time Prince reached TCU, she was 23 years old.
Silva left Kentucky after one season and 4.0 points per game in a spot roll. Playing with Miles and under Campbell has certainly helped. Silva is up to a 9.7 scoring average and is grabbing 8.7 rebounds through three games. The ceiling for the 6-foot-7 sophomore is high, but she likely won't be at the level of Prince this season.
The wild card in this might be Marta Suarez, another transfer who could make the comparison moot by creating a big three for TCU. After stops at Tennessee and Cal, Suarez is also off to a fast start playing with Miles, averaging 14.7 points on 53.1% shooting.
Sunday's game at NC State (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) should tell an accurate story of these two TCU teams. A November win over the Wolfpack last year made people take notice of the Horned Frogs. They backed it up by beating Notre Dame. If Miles and Silva want to reach the heights of the team success of Van Lith and Prince, Sunday is the place to start. -- Creme
This is the best UCLA team in program history
The No. 3 Bruins are off to a 4-0 start that includes victories over No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 11 North Carolina this week. They have a potential draft lottery pick at center in Lauren Betts, one of eight seniors. That group also includes guards Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens and Kiki Rice, who are all averaging double-figure scoring, and Charlisse Leger-Walker, who leads the Bruins in assists.
Last season, UCLA made its first Final Four appearance in the NCAA era, losing to eventual champion UConn in the semifinals. That was a major breakthrough for a program that hadn't been that far since the AIAW era, when UCLA won the 1978 national title and also made the 1979 final four. As good as last season's Bruins were, this year with Kneepkens transferring in from Utah, UCLA looks to be even better.
Verdict: Not real
Let's put it this way: These Bruins have a chance to be the best, but they must win the NCAA title to do that. Because the 1978 squad is still the pace-setter for UCLA women's hoops. Led by two of the all-time greats of the game, Ann Meyers and Denise Curry, they were coached by another Hall of Famer, Billie Moore. It was a different era, but still a major accomplishment to win a championship because there were multiple standout programs even then nationwide. -- Voepel
