The opening week of the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season is in the books. Fans and media members don’t have to predict and project any longer — we finally have some real games to reflect on and some hard data to look at.
There wasn’t many ranked-on-ranked matchups in Week One, but the few that we were presented with were pretty exciting. N.C. State was the only preseason AP Top 25 team to open its season with two fellow ranked opponents, and the Wolfpack got mixed results. They topped then-ranked No. 8 Tennessee in Greensboro thanks to Zam Jones’ heroics, but then on Sunday in Charlotte saw their 11-point lead against No. 18 USC collapse. The latter result said more about what the Trojans are than what the Wolfpack aren’t. USC should still be considered as a team capable of contending, even without JuJu Watkins.
Elsewhere on Tobacco Road, Duke was upset in Paris by Baylor behind a strong effort from Taliah Scott. Until highly touted freshman Emily Skinner enters this Blue Devils’ lineup, there’s reason to be concerned about Duke’s offense.
In other ranked-on-ranked matchups, Texas comfortably beat Richmond, and UConn easily pulled away from Louisville in Annapolis.
Here’s what my AP Top 25 ballot looks like after Week One of the season…
Just missed: Louisville, Richmond, Michigan State, Princeton, Ohio State
