After falling to UConn in an 82-59 national championship loss earlier this April, South Carolina had initially landed at No. 2 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2025–26 season.
That ranking has now changed—Dawn Staley’s squad has officially climbed to the No. 1 spot in ESPN’s updated projections released Tuesday.
What tipped the scales? According to ESPN’s Charlie Creme, it’s all about the Gamecocks’ transfer portal success—specifically the blockbuster addition of Florida State star guard Ta’Niya Latson.
“Latson is the best backcourt scorer Dawn Staley has ever had in Columbia and provides the dimension that this season’s team lacked: a bona fide go-to bucket getter,” Creme wrote.
While MiLaysia Fulwiley’s transfer was noted as a loss, Latson’s arrival was considered a “net positive.”
Latson, the nation’s leading scorer at 25.2 points per game, spent three dominant seasons at Florida State, earning All-ACC honors each year. She shot 45.1% from the field and 34.3% from three, and now reunites with her former high school teammate Raven Johnson in Columbia.
“With Raven Johnson back at the point and Tessa Johnson as a third guard, Staley has backcourt players who complement each other,” Creme noted. “They’ll join a frontcourt anchored by Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards, and bolstered by the return of Ashlyn Watkins from a knee injury.”
Although not yet reflected in ESPN’s update due to timing, the **Gamecocks also secured former Mississippi State center Madina Okot just hours after the rankings were released. The 6-foot-6 post averaged 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game last season and brings immediate interior depth.
South Carolina bumped UCLA out of the No. 1 spot, as the Bruins dropped in the rankings following key portal departures. UConn now sits at No. 2.
ESPN’s Updated Way-Too-Early Top 25:
- South Carolina
- UConn
- UCLA
- Texas
- LSU
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Duke
- NC State
- North Carolina
- Vanderbilt
- Maryland
- Ole Miss
- Iowa State
- Michigan
- Baylor
- Louisville
- Notre Dame
- Southern Cal
- Richmond
- Oklahoma State
- Iowa
- Michigan State
- Washington
- Princeton
