Picking up right where they left off, 2024 NCAA champions South Carolina claimed the No. 1 spot on yesterday's AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll. This marks the fourth time in five years the Gamecocks have topped the preseason rankings.

"We knew we'’'d have a target on our backs this season as the reigning champions and this preseason ranking just confirms that," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, who swept the 2024 Coach of the Year awards, told the AP.

"We appreciate the recognition, but I know our coaching staff and our team are more focused on what we see in the gym every day," she continued. "And that's every player working extremely hard to get better individually and as a team."

The 2024/25 Gamecock roster is nearly identical to last season's undefeated squad. With all but one starter — Chicago Sky rookie Kamilla Cardoso — returning, fans can expect to see stars like MiLaysia Fulwiley, Ashlyn Watkins, and Te-Hina Paopao continuing to set the standard in Columbia.

The Gamecocks, who blasted Memphis 106-63 in an exhibition game Tuesday night, will officially tip off their hunt for a third national championship in four seasons when they take on Michigan on November 4th. Over the previous three seasons, South Carolina has lost only three games.

Bueckers, Watkins boost NCAA teams' preseason stock

The impact of big-name players is palpable on the AP's preseason Top 25 list.

Dynasty UConn is on South Carolina's heels at No. 2, thanks in large part to projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Paige Bueckers. Though like many Huskies, Bueckers battled injuries over the last few seasons, hampering UConn's impact.

Her return last year fueled the Huskies all the way to the Final Four. This season — both Bueckers's final collegiate season and legendary head coach Geno Auriemma's 40th year at the helm — she'll take aim at bringing UConn's first NCAA trophy since 2016 back to Storrs.

On the other coast, USC clocks into the AP poll at No. 3 behind headliner JuJu Watkins, who put up arguably the most impactful freshman campaign in NCAA history last year.

Watkins aside, the Pac-12 implosion and resulting conference realignment has other aspects of USC looking decidedly different this season. Now representing the Big Ten alongside fellow former Pac-12 squad No. 5 UCLA, USC picked up top transfers Kiki Iriafen (Stanford) and Talia von Oelhoffen (Oregon State) in the offseason to build a title-contending 2024/25 roster.

Last season's Big 12 champion No. 4 Texas will now play in the SEC. With standout Rori Harmon back from ACL injury to duet with Madison Booker — who stepped up in a huge way last season in Harmon's stead — the Longhorns look a tough addition to the conference.

Former college basketball powerhouses omitted

With the departure of top players, a couple of last season's powerhouse teams failed to make the preseason Top-25 cut.

Without 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, plus the retirement of longtime head coach Lisa Bluder, 2024 NCAA runners-up Iowa fell from the rankings.

The biggest snub, however, belongs to new ACC addition Stanford, who went unranked for the first time since 1999. The Cardinal lost LA Sparks rookie Cameron Brink alongside transfer Kiki Iriafen after Tara VanDerveer — the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history — retired last April.

The preseason AP Top 25 women's college basketball poll

1. South Carolina (SEC)
2. UConn (Big East)
3. USC (Big Ten)
4. Texas (SEC)
5. UCLA (Big Ten)
6. Notre Dame (ACC)
7. LSU (SEC)
8. Iowa State (Big 12)
9. NC State (ACC)
10. Oklahoma (SEC)
11. Duke (ACC)
12. Baylor (Big 12)
13. Kansas State (Big 12)
14. Ohio State (Big Ten)
15. UNC (ACC)
16. West Virginia (Big 12)
17. Louisville (ACC)
18. Maryland (Big Ten)
19. Florida State (ACC)
20. Ole Miss (SEC)
21. Creighton (Big East)
22. Kentucky (SEC)
23. Nebraska (Big Ten)
24. Alabama (SEC)
25. Indiana (Big Ten)

Nike is sending Team USA to Italy in style, with the sportswear giant's ACG (All Conditions Gear) brand releasing the designs for a special 2026 Winter Olympics collection this week.

Branded with Nike ACG badges alongside Team USA patches, this year's collection builds off a traditional red, white, and navy color scheme to outfit the country's Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as fans, ahead of the 2026 Games' February 6th opening ceremony in Milan.

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The designs include a long-sleeved T-shirt displaying an animated, winter sports-bound bald eagle and a zipped fleece sherpa and Therma-Fit skirt, both emblazoned with a bald eagle soaring over mountains.

Additionally, the collection boasts multiple T-shirts, long-sleeved sweat-wicking shirts, Polartec® jackets, and accessories including a baseball cap and winter beanie.

Nike is just one of many major brands outfitting Team USA for this year's competition, with the athletic corporation joining J.Crew in inviting fans to gear up for the Games after the fashion retailer dropped its own Winter Olympics capsule collection earlier this month.

How to purchase items from the Nike ACG x Team USA collection

The Nike ACG x Team USA line will hit shelves on Friday, January 23rd, with fans able to snag pieces prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The collection will be available for purchase via nike.com.

Stars of the 2025 Euro stole the EA FC 26 spotlight this week, as the video game giant's fan-voted 2026 Team of the Year recognized some of international soccer's top achievers on Thursday.

Champions England fielded four honorees as forward Alessia Russo joined a trio of Lioness defenders — Leah Williamson, Millie Bright, and Team of the Year captain Lucy Bronze — on the 11-player list.

"Being named the first-ever Women's EA Sports FC TOTY Captain is an honour," Bronze said in a statement. "2025 was an amazing year — winning the Euros again and picking up my first BWSL with Chelsea — so much of that success is thanks to our fans, and it's great to see them recognize my efforts with this award."

The rest of the EA FC 26 Team of the Year also favored European titans, as Euro runners-up and Nations League winners Spain also saw a quartet of players make the roster. La Roja fully owned the Team of Year midfield as stars Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, and Alexia Putellas joined forward Clàudia Pina on Thursday's lineup.

Rounding out the squad were three other European club standouts as EA FC 26 also tapped Chliean goalkeeper Christiane Endler (OL Lyonnes), French defender Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes), and Polish forward Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona).

The first Grand Slam of 2026 has arrived, as the main draw of the Australian Open hits the court on Saturday evening, promising some early-round fireworks.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka enters as the tournament favorite, though the rest of the WTA Top 10 promises to give her a run for her money — as No. 2 Iga Świątek chases the only major tournament title still eluding her.

Meanwhile, No. 9 Madison Keys will attempt to defend her 2025 crown, as fellow US products No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula also locked down top seeds.

Another US superstar will return this weekend, with 45-year-old Venus Williams following up her impressive 2025 performances by accepting a wild-card entry to her first Australian Open in five years.

"Even though I've been on tour for a long time, this is also still my first experience as [reigning champion]," Keys said. "I'm really just trying to soak in all of the really cool fun parts."

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open

The 2026 Australian Open begins at 7 PM ET on Saturday, with Williams as well as top-seed Sabalenka and world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini set to face their first opponents on the first day of the Slam's main draw.

The second day of first-round matches will see the rest of the WTA elite in action, as No. 2 Świątek, No. 3 Gauff, No. 4 Anisimova, No. 6 Pegula, and No. 9 Keys — as well as No. 5 Elena Rybakina, No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 10 Belinda Bencic — will hit the hardcourt in Melbourne starting at 7 PM ET on Sunday.

All matches in the 2026 Australian Open — from the first round through the women's final on Saturday, January 31st — will air live across ESPN platforms.

Monday's NCAA basketball action will put two of the nation's top guards to the test, as No. 10 TCU faces No. 14 Ohio State in Newark, New Jersey's Coretta Scott King Classic — part of a stacked MLK Day slate.

Buckeye sophomore Jaloni Cambridge is on a tear in this season, averaging 21.8 points per game — good for No. 10 in the country — and tallying 102 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists across Ohio State's last three games.

At the same time, TCU has seen similar stylings from Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles, with the senior putting up a career-high 19.2 points per game while sitting at No. 9 in the nation behind her 7.3 assists average for the Horned Frogs.

Even more, Miles is lapping her collegiate cohort in triple doubles on the season, posting four of the elite stat-sheet performances while all other NCAA players have a maximum of one.

Both teams are meeting expectations head-on this season, impressing following 2025 NCAA tournament exits that spurred significant offseason roster changes.

Ohio State star forward Cotie McMahon transferred to Ole Miss after the Buckeyes' second-round ousting, while TCU graduated standout starting guard Hailey Van Lith and center Sedona Prince.

With Miles and Cambridge leading the charge, however, both squads are flourishing: TCU faltered just once in their 2025/26 campaign so far — a January 3rd overtime loss to unranked Utah — while Ohio State's two season losses came at the hands of titans No. 1 UConn and No. 3 UCLA.

"Ultimately, [TCU forward] Marta [Suarez] and Miles are two of the best players in college basketball," Horned Frogs head coach Mark Campbell said after Sunday's win over Arizona State. "But for our team to reach our full potential, we need these other players to show great growth. And I think we have."

How to watch TCU vs. Ohio State basketball on Monday

The No. 10 Horned Frogs will take on the No. 14 Buckeyes at 12 PM ET on Monday, airing live on FOX.