Women's college basketball is back — and these were the offseason's biggest winners and losers

Before the 2026-27 season tips off on Sunday, let’s take a look back at the biggest offseason storylines

Before the 2026-27 season tips off on Sunday, let With the women's college basketball season set to tip off on Sunday (Nov. 1), it's worth taking a look at some of the major events of the summer and what programs benefited — or didn't — from the offseason. When we last left the sport, UCLA had just routed South Carolina to win the national championship. All six players who scored for UCLA in the Bruins' first even NCAA national title have graduated, but players such as Sienna Betts are embracing bigger roles and showing that the reigning national champions can still be competitive this upcoming season. Meanwhile, USC is preparing for a bounce-back year with the return of superstar JuJu Watkins.

On the opposite side of the country, Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks are looking like a favorite even after the departure of their starting point guard Raven Johnson. Other programs are still figuring some things out, including the Tennessee Lady Vols, who had a complete roster turnover. Without further ado, here are the winners and losers of the offseason. The Trojans faced some struggles during their 2025-26 campaign without star player JuJu Watkins. She tore her ACL during the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, but finally made her return to practice this summer. When the season tips