Which women’s college basketball teams are showing signs for concern in Week 1? – The Athletic
The first week of the women’s college basketball season is almost over, with every preseason AP Top 25 team playing at least once. There were plenty of blowouts in the opening action, but also a few eye-catching moments.
More complete impressions will come with time, however, The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman share some of their initial thoughts on some of the notable results and performances they’ve watched so far.
Do you have any concerns about the top five teams?
Merchant: UCLA wasn’t at its best in its opener against San Diego State, falling far short of the dominant standard set in 2024-25, when no team was ranked No. 1 more frequently than the Bruins. Coach Cori Close said postgame: “The level of excellence and focus and effort and relentlessness and teamwork and execution was not there.” That UCLA currently has only two healthy bigs (Timea Gardiner and Sienna Betts are both out) changes the identity of a team that was able to overwhelm with its size last season, as the Bruins started four guards in their second game against UC Santa Barbara. UCLA looked much smoother offensively against the Gauchos, but it remains to be seen if their personnel absences play a factor when they face stouter opponents, including Oklahoma on Monday.
Pickman: Not particularly. All five top-five teams led by at least 20 points at one moment in their season-openers, with No. 1 UConn’s 13-point win over No. 20 Louisville being the closest final margin (albeit against the best opponent). For the Huskies, they started fast in the post-Paige Bueckers era, jumping out to a 16-point lead after the first quarter and were up big at halftime. The adjustment for UConn without Bueckers will be significant, and coach Geno Auriemma has not been shy about saying as much. But the Huskies’ depth is also a major strength. While former Wisconsin forward Serah Williams had a relatively quiet UConn debut — finishing with only four points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes — USC transfer Kayleigh Heckel provided immediate ballhandling relief, finishing with 14 points off the bench.
we think Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are gonna be pretty unstoppable this season pic.twitter.com/5A1z7em3mL
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) November 6, 2025
What Week 1 box score line stands out?
Merchant: It’s no secret that Kara Lawson wants Duke’s identity to be its defense. Over the last three seasons, the Blue Devils ranked third, 20th and ninth in defensive rating, putting them in position to contend with the nation’s best teams. At a certain point, offense has to come along for the ride. But in its first game of the season, Duke shot 29 percent from the field. Twenty-nine!
This wasn’t the debut of a team hoping to take a step forward. The Blue Devils turned the ball over multiple times directly after timeouts. They only shot sub-30 percent once last season, in one of their regular slug-fests against rival North Carolina. Baylor held only one opponent below 30 percent shooting in 2024-25. Every starter for Duke was a returning player; they should have been familiar with each other and the system, but instead, they were indecisive and ineffective. They put up what is, hopefully, one of the grossest offensive outings you will see from a tournament team all season.
Pickman: Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes put up a number of eye-catching statlines as a freshman — including scoring more than 50 points twice — and in the No. 19 Commodores’ 74-65 win over California, she had another. Blakes scored a game-high 27 points, but she did so in 40 minutes.Yes, 40! She was one of only nine players across Division I women’s college basketball to play every minute of her team’s opener, and the only player from a Power 5 conference to do so, per CBB Analytics. Blakes has the ultimate greenlight with the Commodores, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see her lead the country in scoring, not only because of her talent but because of the opportunity she’ll be presented with, especially following the offseason transfer of Khamil Pierre. Still, Blakes’ usage is worth watching.
Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph has not been shy about voicing how good she thinks Blakes already is. “We have the best player in the country on our team,” Ralph said after Vanderbilt’s win. “So we’re gonna be really tough to beat.” But finding a way to spell Blakes, even for a few minutes, will all be critical to Vandy’s long-term success.
Who had the most impressive win?
Merchant: NC State over Tennessee. The Wolfpack lost three starters from the team that won the ACC and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2025. Yet they showed a lot of grit in their season opener, even if it was essentially a home game in Charlotte. Zoe Brooks couldn’t find her shot but collected 11 rebounds and five assists. Freshman Destiny Lunan had a miserable first half but sparked a 9-0 run during her third-quarter stint with five points. Qadence Samuels defended her tail off, the only NC State defender with the requisite speed to handle Tennessee’s guards off the dribble. And Pierre, the Vanderbilt transfer, found a way to get buckets even if she wasn’t always on the same page as her teammates. There is still a lot of depth for Wes Moore’s squad.
Get used to this from @destiny_kyshe 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/RpZKiW9VQ6
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) November 6, 2025
Pickman: South Dakota State over Creighton. Although neither program is ranked, credit the Jackrabbits for already showing just how dangerous they can be. SDSU picked up a 78-62 road win over Creighton, which has made the NCAA Tournament four straight years. Senior star Brooklyn Meyer notched one of the best games of her career, and perhaps what will be one of the most impressive games of the entire college basketball season. She finished a point shy of her career-high, scoring 33 points on 14-of-20 shooting, while adding eight rebounds, five blocks and five assists. Only USC’s JuJu Watkins tallied at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a game last year, so credit Meyer for already accomplishing this. SDSU is among the mid-majors to watch closely this season, as it looks to make a fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Jackrabbits were ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last four weeks last season, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them climb into the rankings again with November matchups with Gonzaga, UNC, Columbia and Kansas State looming.
Which transfer looks the most comfortable?
Merchant: Since we’ve already discussed Pierre’s impact at NC State, let’s stay with the Big 12. The Emily Ryan era is finally over at Iowa State, and it’s on Jada Williams to take the reins after transferring from Arizona. Williams’ output in her first game was a little muted, though she had four assists and zero turnovers in 19 minutes. She picked it up in the second contest and provided the perimeter scoring complement that Audi Crooks craves, getting to her spots in the middle of the floor at will, and comfortably hitting her jumpers. Williams posted 17 points and five assists in only 24 minutes, demonstrating the firepower that made her a desirable candidate in the portal. Perhaps more importantly, the Cyclones have had two strong defensive performances to start the season, and Williams’ effort at the point of attack is key to that effort.
Pickman: Baylor junior guard Taliah Scott made an immediate impact for the No. 16 Bears in their 58-52 season-opening victory over No. 7 Duke. Despite playing only three games last season due to a season-ending wrist injury, Scott showed few signs of rust and was aggressive throughout, finishing with 24 points, 15 of which came in the second half, and five rebounds. The 5-foot-9 guard broke down the Blue Devils’ defense. A third of her points came in the paint, and her 10 free-throw attempts were the second-most she’s taken in her career. Scott will have to be more efficient — she shot only 38.9 percent from the field and missed five of her seven 3-point attempts – but it’s hard not to be intrigued by her potential impact in Waco. “Down the stretch, you saw why (Scott) is at Baylor,” coach Nicki Collen said.
Which game are you looking forward to or hoping to learn from?
Merchant: No. 24 Richmond at No. 4 Texas. I would be more interested in this matchup were it not a home game for the favored Longhorns, but either way, it’s a useful test case to see if Richmond’s offense can hold up against a premier defense. The Spiders return Atlantic 10 player of the year Maggie Doogan alongside upperclassmen Ally Sweeney and Rachel Ullstrom from an offense that was 13th in the nation in offensive rating in 2024-25 and first in effective field-goal percentage. But when Richmond faced its SEC portion of the schedule last season, the Spiders averaged 63 points per game against Texas, Tennessee and Alabama. They need to be much more explosive to have a chance against power conference opponents. This is their first real test.
Pickman: No. 9 NC State plays No. 18 Southern California on Sunday afternoon in what will be the Trojan’s biggest test without Watkins. The Trojans were balanced on offense in their season-opening 39-point win over New Mexico State, with four players scoring in double-digits. But there’s a lot more to learn about coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s guard rotation, and the potential of her group against the Wolfpack, who as Sabreena pointed out, have already notched an impressive win. Freshman Jazzy Davidson was a preseason favorite for Freshman of the Year honors, but missed all seven of her 3-point attempts in USC’s opener and finished with only one more field goal (four) than turnover (three). NC State is experienced and has a prolific, all-conference guard in Brooks leading the way. It’ll be a good early-season barometer for where USC is.
