The leaves are turning colors and starting to fall.
asserted
leaves → turn → colors
You know what that means: College basketball is nearly here.
asserted
basketball → know → what
And the women’s season is filled with storylines.
asserted
season → fill → storylines
JuJu Watkins, the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft, returns after a yearlong layoff, putting USC back into the spotlight.
Her return makes
asserted
return → presume → spotlight
Last season’s winner, Sarah Strong, headlines a UConn squad determined to get back to the mountaintop.
asserted
winner → headline → mountaintop
Dawn Staley’s South Carolina team is always a force to be reckoned with.
asserted
team → reckon → ?
But did the Big Ten finally overtake the SEC as the best basketball conference?
asserted
Ten → overtake → conference
But let’s start here, with The Post’s preseason Top 25:
1.
asserted
’s → let → Top
After falling in last season’s national championship game to UCLA, expect the Gamecocks to return this season with vengeance on their mind.
asserted
Gamecocks → fall → mind
It doesn’t matter that they lost four seniors because Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts and Tessa Johnson are back.
asserted
Edwards → matter → seniors
The Gamecocks also reloaded their roster with the additions of highly rated freshmen Jerzy Robinson and Oliviyah Edwards, and transfers Brooke Quarles Daniels (Michigan) and Jordan Lee (Texas).
asserted
Gamecocks → reload → Robinson
UConn
Death, taxes and the Huskies having championship expectations.
asserted
Death → have → expectations
UConn went 38-1 last year but was bounced by South Carolina in the Final Four.
asserted
UConn → go → Four
Strong leads a talented roster featuring veteran guards KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade and Kayleigh Heckel.
asserted
Strong → lead → guards
The Huskies have an elite combination of scoring, defense and versatility, and they jam-packed their nonconference schedule full of heavyweights.
3. USC
asserted
they → have → heavyweights
There’s no denying that the return of Watkins changes the Trojans’ ceiling entirely.
asserted
return → deny → ceiling
Jazzy Davidson, the reigning Freshman of the Year, is expected to take a leap, and USC also welcomes the nation’s top recruiting class, headlined by Saniyah Hall.
asserted
USC → reign → Hall
After back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, Duke is eager to get over the hump and reach a Final Four for the first time since 2006.
asserted
Duke → get → 2006
The Blue Devils have a lot of continuity, bringing back nine players from last season, including star Toby Fournier.
asserted
Devils → have → Fournier
Guards Syla Swords and Olivia Olson, now juniors, didn’t mince their words at Big Ten media days, saying their sights are set on winning a national championship.
asserted
sights → mince → championship
The Wolverines are coming off a 28-win season (tying a program high) and a third-place finish in the Big Ten with a program-high 15 conference wins.
asserted
Wolverines → come → wins
Texas
Texas knocked off South Carolina to win the SEC tournament last season.
asserted
Texas → knock → tournament
The Longhorns then went to the Final Four for the second consecutive year but are trying to get to the national championship game that’s eluded the program for 40 years.
asserted
that → go → years
Booker, a three-time All-American, leads a balanced Longhorns team with five freshmen.
asserted
Booker → lead → freshmen
The Cardinals are returning four of their five top scorers from last season, including guard Tajianna Roberts, who shot 35.3 percent from deep last season.
8.
asserted
who → return → deep
After finishing second in the Big Ten last season, Iowa has a roster that blends veteran talent (Ava Heiden, Chazadi Wright) with newcomers, including five-star high school recruit McKenna Woliczko and Georgia transfer Dani Carnegie.
9.
asserted
that → finish → Woliczko
Vanderbilt swept SEC coach (Shea Ralph), player (Mikayla Blakes) and freshman of the year (Aubrey Galvan) last season.
asserted
Vanderbilt → sweep → year
All three are back as the Commodores look to continue their ascent into women’s basketball elite.
asserted
Commodores → look → elite
They’ll rely on MiLaysia Fulwiley and Mikaylah Williams to lead the charge this season.
asserted
They → rely → charge
Despite being the defending national champions, the Bruins are practically playing with a new roster after their top six scorers from last season went to the WNBA.
asserted
scorers → defend → WNBA
Freshman guard Kate Harpring turned heads in the preseason averaging 23 points and seven rebounds.
asserted
Harpring → turn → points
She’s the only freshman named to the Naismith Player of the Year watch list.
asserted
She → ’ → list
Sayvia Sellers, who led the Huskies with 18 points per game, and Avery Howell, who led the Big Ten in defensive rebounds, return as Washington looks to go on a deep run come March.
14.
asserted
Washington → lead → March
The Fighting Irish will go where Hidalgo — the 5-foot-7 dynamo who averaged 25.3 points and 5.6 steals last season — takes them.
asserted
who → go → them
Keep an eye on Clara Strack, who averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds last season and broke her own program record with 91 blocked shots.
asserted
who → keep → shots
But the lack of continuity might mean some early-season growing pains.
uncertain
lack → mean → pains
This looks like a rebuilding year for Mark Campbell’s program as the Horned Frogs underwent massive roster turnover, bringing back just one starter and three total players from last season.
asserted
Frogs → look → season
The Buckeyes return four starters from last season’s NCAA Tournament team, including 2026 Dawn Staley Award winner Jaloni Cambridge, who averaged 23.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
asserted
who → return → game
Illinois’ roster continuity should bode well for making a third consecutive NCAA Tournament.
20.
asserted
continuity → bode → Tournament
Bri McDaniel is set to make her highly anticipated return to Maryland’s rotation after missing nearly two years for an ACL recovery.
asserted
McDaniel → set → recovery
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
