University of Connecticut's women's basketball team has been one of the most dominant programs in college sports history but its competition is creeping up on it. With star guard Paige Bueckers out for the entire 2022-23 season, the Associated Press ranked five other teams ahead of UConn in its annual preseason top-25 women's basketball poll. It was the first time since the 2006-07 season the Huskies ranked outside the top-five in the AP's poll.

South Carolina, led by Aliyah Boston, received 750 points to grab the top spot in the national rankings. The Gamecocks won the national championship last season and went 35-2.

“This is where we wanted to be and envisioned for our program,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley told ESPN. “I got to give it to our players. We constantly get some of the best players in the country. They put us in this position as they work extremely hard. I don't know if they come in and say i want to be the No. 1 team in the country, but they do say they want to be national champions. This is a step to being a national champion.”

Behind South Carolina is Stanford at No. 2, Texas at No. 3, Iowa at No. 4 and Tennessee at No. 5.

With UConn being without Bueckers this year, it will be led by Caroline Ducharme, Aaliyah Edwards and Azzi Fudd. They bring in freshman Ayanna Patterson, who was ESPN's No. 4 high school recruit last season.

Other notes about the Top 25

According to the AP's Doug Feinberg:

  • South Dakota State and Creighton made their way into the top 25 for the first time in their respective programs' history.
  • Princeton (No. 24) is the first Ivy League team to be ranked in the preseason. They were one win away from making it to the Sweet Sixteen last year.
  • Virginia Tech at No. 13 is its best preseason ranking since 1999 when it was also No. 13.