When looking forward to the 2025-26 girls’s faculty basketball season, the favorites are apparent. The expectation is that UConn and South Carolina will attain the Last 4 once more, and different contenders like LSU, UCLA or Texas may be a part of them.
The Bruins had been the Last 4 newbies final season, as Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice powered UCLA to its first nationwide semifinal within the NCAA period (that is the place it’s price noting that UCLA gained a nationwide title in girls’s basketball within the AIAW period in 1978). The 2024 Last 4 all had repeat visitors, whereas 2023 noticed Virginia Tech seem in its first nationwide semifinal with a Kenny Brooks-coached group that was powered by WNBA gamers in Georgia Amoore and Elizabeth Kitley.
Is there a group — or maybe a number of groups — that has by no means been to a Last 4 that would go to their first this season?
Briefly, sure. There are a number of candidates. Two of them are within the Huge 12.
Let’s break down why these new youngsters on the block could possibly be contenders, and why we would see them in Phoenix in April:
The Horned Frogs got here actually shut to creating the Last 4 final 12 months, finally falling to Texas within the Elite Eight. Coming off its finest season in program historical past, TCU needed to rebuild after shedding Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince and Madison Conner.
Mark Campbell went out and obtained arguably the most effective participant within the portal in Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles after which put extra intriguing items round her in Kentucky heart Clara Silva, Texas A&M guard Taliyah Parker, Arizona State heart Kennedy Basham, Cal wing Marta Suarez, and San Diego State guard Veronica Sheffey. Pairing these additions with key returners like Donovyn Hunter, Taylor Bigby and Aaliyah Roberson ought to give TCU an opportunity to make one other deep March Insanity run.
With Miles main the way in which and a number of gifted gamers round her, the expectations will likely be excessive for TCU.
One of many largest winners of the switch portal season, Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s Rebels have what appears to be an extremely gifted roster, on-paper in any case.
After a run to the Candy 16 final season — for the second time in Coach Yo’s tenure — Ole Miss added eight gamers within the portal, led by All-Huge Ten ahead Cotie McMahon, one of many nation’s high scorers in UCF’s Kaitlin Peterson, and a robust publish participant in Latasha Lattimore. The category additionally consists of two gamers with SEC expertise in Denim DeShields and Debreasha Powe, who be a part of the opposite aspect of the Egg Bowl rivalry from Mississippi State. Coach Yo flexed her muscle groups within the portal, however the Rebels additionally introduced in Lauren Jacobs, an ESPN High 100 recruit.
Whereas the SEC is an extremely robust convention, Ole Miss could possibly be ready to have a breakthrough season.
Jacie Hoyt’s third 12 months on the helm noticed the Cowgirls win 25 video games, simply the fourth time in program historical past they’ve reached that whole. They notched spectacular victories final season over Fairfield, Baylor, West Virginia, TCU and Kansas State, and completed third within the Huge 12 standings.
From that group — which fell within the opening spherical of the NCAA Event to South Dakota State — their high two scorers in Stailee Heard and Micah Grey return. So does Jadyn Wooten, who led the Cowgirls in assists as a real freshman final 12 months. Additions to the roster embrace BYU switch Amari Whiting, ESPN High 100 recruit Lena Girardi, UCF switch Achol Akot, 6-foot-5 McNeese State switch Wilnie Joseph, Tarleton State switch Religion Acker, and Haleigh Timmer — a participant who performed a key position within the Jackrabbits handing the Cowgirls that March Insanity defeat, scoring 11 factors for South Dakota State in that upset.
4 of these 5 transfers averaged a minimum of six factors per sport final season, Timmer shot 40 p.c from 3-point land, and Whiting posted 10.3 factors, 5.5 rebounds and three.8 assists per sport for BYU. It’s additionally price mentioning that Oklahoma State performed final season with out 6-foot-5 heart Favour Ogechukwu Onoh as a consequence of an damage.
Because the newcomers mix forces with the trio of Heard, Grey and Wooten, Oklahoma State appears to be geared up with the expertise and depth to have their deepest postseason run in program historical past.
