BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — South Carolina and LSU have two major new challengers for Southeastern Conference supremacy in women’s basketball.
The programs that have combined for the past three NCAA tournament titles are joined by two other league members among the top 10 in the preseason AP Top 25 that was revealed earlier this week, with No. 4 Texas and No. 10 Oklahoma preparing for their first go-around in the SEC after moving over from the Big 12 this year.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are No. 1 but must make up for losing dominant center Kamilla Cardoso as they pursue a third national title in four years after romping through a 38-0 season in 2023-24, while coach Kim Mulkey’s fourth LSU team is ranked seventh but must replace standout forward Angel Reese. Both of those players were among the top seven picks in April’s WNBA draft and recently completed their rookie seasons with the Chicago Sky.
Without those stars and with Oklahoma and Texas in the fold, the competition just got even tougher.
“It’s pretty much upgraded what I think is the best conference in the country,” Staley said Wednesday at the SEC’s media day for women’s basketball. “They’ve upgraded us to another level. We’re fortunate enough that we get to play Texas twice and then we get to play Oklahoma as well.