Early takeaways: Hidalgo is Notre Dame's singular star, UConn can run it back

Less than a week into the 2025-26 women's college basketball season, we've already gotten a sense of how some new faces fit into new places and how some standout players have settled back into familiar surroundings.

Defending national champion UConn has both. Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, both huge in last season's NCAA title run, led the way in the No. 1 Huskies' season-opening 79-66 victory over Louisville on Tuesday. And transfers Serah Williams and Kayleigh Heckel also look ready to make an impact for UConn.

No. 3 UCLA, which made the Final Four for the first time in the NCAA era last season, is off to a 2-0 start heading into a top-10 showdown with No. 6 Oklahoma on Monday. Joining returners Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Kiki Rice in the starting lineup are Charlisse Leger-Walker, who missed last season with a knee injury after transferring from Washington State, and Gianna Kneepkens, who transferred this year from Utah. Both guards could be big contributors for the Bruins this season.

Olivia Miles, another big-name guard transfer, made her debut for No. 17 TCU on Thursday in an 82-43 victory over North Carolina A&T. And guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, who transferred from South Carolina to LSU, has been part of the Tigers' 2-0 start.

No. 2 South Carolina and No. 16 Baylor took center stage Monday on opening day. Here's a deeper dive into what we've seen.

Geno Auriemma called UConn's season-opening win over No. 20 Louisville a "tremendous success," and while it wasn't a perfect performance -- the Huskies allowed the Cardinals to cut a 28-point gap to 10 in the fourth quarter -- it showed why UConn is favored to repeat. The Huskies struggled from the 3-point arc (4-for-26) but overwhelmed Louisville in the paint (50-18) and played with a pace that allowed them to throw the first punch. They led 25-9 after the first quarter and by 21 at half.

Fudd and Strong largely picked up where they left off in the Final Four. Strong (21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals) hit the most clutch baskets when Louisville threatened to get within single figures and continued to showcase why she's one of the most promising young talents in the country. Junior KK Arnold and USC transfer Heckel also impressed. But for the Huskies to be truly unstoppable, they could use more from Williams, a Wisconsin transfer, and guard Ashlynn Shade. -- Alexa Philippou

While Hannah Hidalgo was Notre Dame's best player in her first two seasons in South Bend, she was also surrounded by All-American-level players such as Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles. The Irish's ability to win didn't rest entirely on Hidalgo's shoulders. That is no longer the case.

This edition of Notre Dame is unquestionably Hidalgo's team, and with that comes a big responsibility. The Irish won't succeed if she's not elite. While bigger tests will come later, Hidalgo was exactly that in Wednesday's 98-52 rout of Fairleigh Dickinson. The 5-foot-6 junior set the pace, scoring 11 of Notre Dame's first 19 points on her way to a typical stat-stuffing 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. All five starters scored in double figures, but Hidalgo is the engine driving Notre Dame's success. -- Creme

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Hannah Hidalgo makes a great defensive play for a steal

Hannah Hidalgo makes a great defensive play for a steal.

Fulwiley seemed like a sure thing at South Carolina: yet another native of the state who would win titles for Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks. Indeed, she was a part of the 2024 NCAA championship team as an exciting freshman. Last season, she had her ups and downs on a South Carolina squad that lost in the NCAA final. She transferred to rival LSU and has a chance for a new chapter in the same conference.

The junior guard came off the bench for 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting Tuesday in a 108-55 season-opening win over Houston Christian. She followed that with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in 13 minutes in a 115-26 demolition of SE Louisiana on Thursday. Fulwiley and sophomore post player Kate Koval (who is averaging 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds) should be important transfers for LSU this season. The Tigers' freshman class is going to be key, too, backing up senior Flau'jae Johnson and junior Mikaylah Williams, LSU's returning stars. -- Voepel

Before Tennessee upended eventual national champion UConn in a nonconference game in early February, last season's edition of the Lady Vols struggled. They could beat the teams below them in the SEC standings but labored to get over the hump against the better part of the schedule. Tuesday's 80-77 loss to NC State felt a lot like that. A seven-point third-quarter lead disappeared -- and so did the chance at a season-defining win.

With the additions of top recruit Mya Pauldo (10 points) and one of the portal's best players, Janiah Barker (15 points), plus what appears to be an even better version of Talaysia Cooper (23 points), this might be a more talented Tennessee team than a year ago. But Tennessee will still struggle to beat the best the SEC teams if the shots don't drop (34.2% in the second half against NC State) and the Lady Vols can't set up their press or dominate the offensive glass (NC State had one more offensive rebound). -- Creme

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Tennessee Lady Volunteers vs. NC State Wolfpack: Game Highlights

Tennessee Lady Volunteers vs. NC State Wolfpack: Game Highlights

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly didn't mince words about how last season's nonconference losses hurt the perception of his team.

"At the start of the season, people probably thought we were better than we actually were," he said. "But by the end of the season, they thought we were worse than we actually were."

Iowa State began last season ranked No. 8, but losses to Northern Iowa, South Carolina and Iowa dropped the Cyclones out of the Top 25, and then a blowout loss to UConn was more salt in the wound.

From February on, though, Iowa State played well, with its only losses coming to the top two Big 12 teams -- TCU and Baylor -- and then to Michigan in the NCAA tournament. Through it all, center Audi Crooks was the reliable star, leading the Big 12 in scoring (23.4 PPG) and field goal percentage (60.5).

Through two victories this season, Crooks is averaging 24.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, while shooting 70.5%. Fellow junior Addy Brown is at 8.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists, while transfer guard Jada Williams is putting up 13.0 points and 4.5 assists. The No. 14 Cyclones don't have the marquee nonconference opponents this season such as UConn and South Carolina, but they do have a chance to build plenty of confidence and victories before they reach the Big 12 campaign. -- Voepel