LSU, UConn, UCLA headline preseason 2023-24 Top 25 rankings - ESPN

LSU had never ended a season on top of women's college basketball before winning its first national title in Dallas last April. The Tigers have also never started a season No. 1 — until now.

The Tigers open in the top spot in ESPN's 2023-24 preseason women's college basketball rankings.

LSU is expected to be even better this season and seeks to become the sport's first repeat champion since UConn capped a four-peat in 2016. Coach Kim Mulkey added the top two transfers in Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow and the No. 1 recruiting class, not to mention gets back Final Four Most Outstanding Player Angel Reese. The depth of talent might be the most Mulkey has ever had. Finding out how all the pieces fit on the march to Cleveland — which will host the Final Four on April 5 and 7 — will be one of the season's great storylines.

The same is true of every move for Caitlin Clark at Iowa, the NCAA runner-up. One of the game's most electrifying players, Clark will be trying to return the Hawkeyes to the Final Four without some of the teammates who played a big role in Iowa's 2023 run. First, the Hawkeyes must navigate a highly competitive Big Ten, which has four teams among the top 13.

Due to realignment, the Pac-12 might not exist next year, but the conference could go out on a high note. Six Pac-12 teams are in the top 25, led by UCLA and Utah in the top five. The ACC and SEC each have five in the rankings.

UConn sets up to be LSU's greatest threat and is the only team that can match the Tigers' talent. The return of Paige Bueckers, the 2020-21 national player of the year who sat out last season with a torn ACL, and her pairing with Azzi Fudd and Nika Muhl in the Huskies' backcourt will be another of 2023-24's most compelling