South Carolina starts No. 1 in AP poll as ranked opponents await

South Carolina is No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason women's basketball poll released Tuesday, October 20. The Gamecocks received 23 of 31 first-place votes, ahead of UConn, USC, Duke and Michigan.

The ranking brings a demanding opening stretch for Dawn Staley's team. AP reported that South Carolina will face five ranked opponents in the first month, including UConn, USC and Duke. The poll describes preseason expectations; those games will begin to test them.

South Carolina's returning players offer a reason for that confidence. In its October 12 announcement of the SEC media poll, the school identified Joyce Edwards as its leading returning scorer and rebounder after she averaged 19.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last season. She shot 57.1 percent from the field and earned a place on the preseason All-SEC first team.

The Gamecocks also had Chloe Kitts and Tessa Johnson selected to the preseason All-SEC second team. The SEC media panel picked South Carolina to win the conference again. Those conference selections are separate from Tuesday's national AP ballot.

Edwards scored 768 points last season and reached 20 points in 22 games, according to the school. Johnson brings experience from two Final Four all-tournament selections, in 2024 and 2026.

Tuesday's ranking gives South Carolina the top national position before any regular-season results. Its early meetings with other highly ranked teams will show how that returning production holds up against the opponents immediately behind it.