COLUMBIA — South Carolina women's basketball is No. 1 in the 2026-27 USA TODAY Sports preseason Top 25 women's basketball poll released Oct. 20.

Coach Dawn Staley's team finished last year ranked No. 2 in the poll, one spot behind UCLA after losing to the Bruins in the national championship game.

South Carolina is also No. 1 in the Associated Press poll.

The Gamecocks have an exhibition game against Benedict on Oct. 23 (7 p.m.) in Colonial Life Arena before the season opener against Maryland in Paris on Nov. 2 (noon ET, ESPN).

It's the first time since the start of the 2024-25 season and fifth time overall that South Carolina was ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll. Last year, UConn held the top spot after beating the Gamecocks in the 2025 national championship.

The Huskies maintained the spot in the polls all of last season, until the final rankings, when South Carolina got revenge and beat them in the Final Four.

South Carolina was also No. 1 in the 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 preseason USA TODAY polls. South Carolina won the 2022 national championship and lost in the 2021 and 2023 Final Fours.

USA TODAY Sports preseason Top 25 women's basketball poll

Team's records from last year are in parentheses, total points based on 25 for first place through one point for 25th and first-place votes received.

1. South Carolina (36-4): 792 points, 26 first place votes

2. UConn (38-1): 772 points, six first place votes

3. Southern Cal (18-14): 686 points, 0 first place votes

4. Duke (27-9): 664 points

5. Michigan (28-7): 652 points

6. Texas (35-4): 632 points

7. Louisville (29-8): 578 points

8. LSU (29-6): 572 points

9. Vanderbilt (29-5): 521 points

10. Iowa (27-7): 476 points

11. North Carolina (28-8): 432 points

12. UCLA (37-1): 422 points

13. Notre Dame (25-11): 403 points

14. Kentucky (25-11): 352 points

15. Washington (22-11): 319 points

16. TCU (32-6): 270 points

17. Maryland (24-9): 267 points

18. Minnesota (24-9): 252 points

19. Oklahoma State (24-10): 239 points

20. Ohio State (27-8): 233 points

21. Oklahoma (26-8): 211 points

22. Illinois (22-12): 163 points

23. Mississippi (24-12): 95 points

24. West Virginia (28-7): 92 points

25. NC state (21-11): 67 points

The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 32 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The board for the 2026-27 season: Kim Barnes Arico, Michigan; Ashleen Bracey, Illinois-Chicago; Jen Brown, Queens; Dan Burt, Duquesne; Jeff Cammon, Saint Mary’s; Fred Chmiel, Bowling Green; Denise Dillon, Villanova; Carrie Eighmey, South Dakota; Heather Ezell, Wyoming; Bill Fennelly, Iowa State; Aqua Franklin, Lamar; Juli Fulks, Marshall; Corry Irvin, Chicago State; Renee Jimenez, UC Santa Barbara; Chris Kielsmeier, Texas State; Mike Lane, NJIT; Monique LeBlanc, Brown; Amy Mallon, Drexel; Kristen Mattio, Northern Colorado; Mike McGuire, Radford; Kim McNeill, East Carolina; Shawn Poppie, Clemson; Terry Primm, Siena; Samantha Quigley Smith, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville; Shea Ralph, Vanderbilt; Kyle Rechlicz, Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Margaret Richards, Jackson State; Alexis Sherard, Liberty; Jonathan Tsipis, Western Carolina; Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell; Jermain Woods, Norfolk State; Shereke Wright, Texas-Arlington.