"A little more than midway through the 2025-26 regular season in women's college basketball, UConn and sophomore Sarah Strong remain the favorites to win the NCAA title and national player of the year award -- just as they were before the season tipped off in early November. As great as Bueckers was at UConn, the Huskies are still lethal. The star combination of Strong and guard Azzi Fudd leads a deep squad that has a good chance at the program's seventh perfect season."
"UConn's top challengers are much the same as last year: Texas, South Carolina and UCLA, which have one loss each. They made up the 2025 Final Four in Tampa and could do the same this year in Phoenix. Still, this season has held some surprises -- good and bad. And after two weeks of upsets, several conference races should be exciting all the way to March. Plus, no matter how strong UConn looks, the other contenders aren't conceding anything."
UConn retained dominance despite losing Paige Bueckers, with sophomore Sarah Strong and guard Azzi Fudd forming a star duo that anchors a deep roster capable of a seventh perfect season. Strong is the clear frontrunner for national player of the year, producing all-around stat lines such as 18 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals in limited minutes. Top challengers include Texas, South Carolina and UCLA, each with one loss, and several conference races have tightened after recent upsets. The 2025 Final Four participants remain contenders, and competition is expected to intensify into March.
Read at ESPN.com
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