Kentucky women’s basketball moves up in the AP Top 25 after its 3-0 start
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky rises to No. 23 after 3-0 start; Clara Strack leads four stats.
- Wildcats showcase depth: four players average double figures early.
- Kentucky hosts USC Upstate and travels to Marshall on Nov. 12 and 15.
After going 3-0 in the first week of the 2025-26 college basketball season, Kenny Brooks and the Kentucky Wildcats improved one spot in the Associated Press women’s college basketball Top 25, moving up to No. 23.
This year’s Wildcats are taller and deeper, a pleasant surprise to fans who watched Brooks lean heavily on his ironclad starting five last season en route to the program’s first NCAA Tournament second-round appearance since 2021. What’s no surprise, however, is the continued rise of reigning SEC defensive player of the year Clara Strack.
Through three games, Strack leads the team in scoring (17.0 points), rebounding (11.0), steals (1.7) and block shots (3.3). She is joined in double figures in scoring by fellow returning starters Teonni Key (12.0 points) and Amelia Hassett (11.7), and graduate transfer guard Jordan Obi (10.7), who did not play last season due to a lower-leg injury. Point guard Tonie Morgan is averaging 9.7 points and 7.3 assists.
In the Wildcats’ season opener, a 75-59 win over Morehead State, the offense looked disjointed and compiled a poor shooting performance while the defense appeared halfhearted. Kentucky bounced back in its 104-46 trouncing of Monmouth — against whom sophomore guard Lexi Blue, a former top-40 prospect who received little playing time as a freshman, sank a career-best six of seven three-point attempts, and Liberty transfer Asia Boone recorded 14 points, one rebound, four assists and two steals off the bench.
Not until Sunday’s 81-47 win over Buffalo, Strack’s homecoming game, did preseason All-SEC second-teamer Teonni Key look like her typical self when she contributed 17 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and one steal.
This week, Kentucky will host USC Upstate (1-1) on Wednesday and travel to play Marshall (2-0) on Saturday.
The Wildcats remain one of eight Southeastern Conference teams in the AP Top 25. No. 2 South Carolina (2-0), No. 4 Texas (2-0), No. 5 LSU (3-0), No. 6 Oklahoma (1-0) and No. 19 Vanderbilt (1-0) held their previous rankings. No. 12 Tennessee (2-1) fell four places after losing to North Carolina State, and Ole Miss (2-0) fell one spot due to shakeups around the Top 25.
No. 7 Baylor and No. 8 Southern California made the biggest jumps with their upsets of former top-10 programs Duke and North Carolina State, respectively. No. 25 Washington entered the rankings, while previously-No. 24 Richmond exited.
CAROLINE MAKAUSKAS’ AP TOP 25 BALLOT
1. CONNECTICUT
No surprises here, as I didn’t hesitate to put the Huskies at the top of my preseason top 25, and UConn only took care of business in the first week back. UConn defeated two power-conference foes by double digits — then-No. 20 Louisville 79-66 in the season opener and Florida State 99-67 on Sunday. Azzi Fudd, who is must-see-television, and Sarah Strong looked awesome in the process.
Fudd leads Connecticut in scoring with 21.5 points while Strong paces the Huskies in rebounds (9.0), assists (4.5) and blocks (2.0) per game. Southern California transfer Kayleigh Heckel already seems to be a good fit in the system, averaging 13.0 points and a team-best 3.5 steals.
2. SOUTH CAROLINA
Through two games, six Gamecocks are averaging double figures in scoring while true freshman guard Agot Makeer — who left the team’s 114-47 victory against Bowling Green early due to injury — is posting 8.5 points per game. Though South Carolina only faced the Falcons and Grand Canyon, now coached by former Gamecocks assistant Winston Gandy, Dawn Staley appears to have another high-powered offense on her hands; South Carolina looks to have a solid enough bench, too, despite missing Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts this season.
Several new faces have impressed thus far. Transfer guard Ta’Niya Latson is tied for the scoring lead with sophomore forward Joyce Edwards at 18.5 points per game. Freshman Ayla McDowell posted 10.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals during the first week, and transfer center Madina Okot averaged 12.5 points and led the team with 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
3. TEXAS
Like UConn, Texas took on a top-25 opponent in Week 1 of the college basketball season. After dominating Incarnate Word 123-51, the Longhorns beat then-No. 24 Richmond 85-56. Six Longhorns are averaging double figures in scoring, while reigning SEC player of the year Madison Booker is averaging 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 1.0 blocks.
Transfer forward Breya Cunningham brings 11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and a team-high 1.5 blocks per game, a helpful addition to the Longhorns’ frontcourt, while true freshman Aaliyah Crump adds 15.0 points per contest. This is a disciplined team, and I’ll be curious to see how it fares against additional high-level opponents.
4. UCLA
The Bruins’ wins against San Diego State (77-53) and UC Santa Barbara (87-50) weren’t as commanding as I expected given the talented, veteran roster Cori Close has assembled. UCLA appeared off-kilter or lacking consistent energy during the times when All-America center Lauren Betts wasn’t on the floor. That said, this team has enough skill and offensive depth to beat maybe anyone in the country. Plus, if teams were at their best in Week 1, this sport would be a lot less enjoyable. The Bruins’ defense and rebounding will probably tighten up as this group’s chemistry builds and once they finally get to debut former five-star recruit Sienna Betts. This week, the Bruins face No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 11 North Carolina and NCAA Tournament regular South Florida — so the test begins now.
Much like Fudd, Betts is as advertised. The two projected lottery picks in the 2026 WNBA draft are incredibly fun to watch. The 6-7 senior is averaging 26.5 points on 73.7% shooting from the field, while dishing a career-best 3.5 assists per game. The Bruins have many, many weapons, from leading scorer Gabriela Jaquez (18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0assists) to sharpshooter Gianna Kneepkens.
5. LSU
Kim Mulkey is no stranger to scheduling criticisms, and many will be quick to point out that the Tigers’ Week 1 schedule included Houston Christian, Southeast Louisiana and Georgia Southern, but her team put up a combined 341 points while holding opponents to 151. If you thought losing Aneesah Morrow would hold the Tigers back, you underestimated the power of Mulkey and Flau’jae Johnson.
This season’s LSU roster is deep and packed with energy, which isn’t a shock with Johnson leading the team. On just 21.0 minutes per contest, Johnson is averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.0 steals. Transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley is averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a team-leading 4.3 steals off the bench. Mulkey is getting impressive performances out of newcomers Kate Koval (Notre Dame) and Kentucky’s own ZaKiyah Johnson.
The rest of Caroline Makauskas’ Top 25 ballot: No. 6. Oklahoma, No. 7 Maryland, No. 8 North Carolina, No. 9 Southern California, No. 10 Baylor, No. 11 North Carolina State, No. 12. Tennessee, No. 13 Duke, No. 14. Michigan, No. 15 Iowa State, No. 16 Ole Miss, No. 17 Notre Dame, No. 18 TCU, No. 19 Vanderbilt, No. 20 Kentucky, No. 21 Oklahoma State, No. 22 Michigan State, No. 23 Princeton, No. 24 Washington, No. 25 Louisville.
