Where South Carolina ranks in ESPN way-too-early women’s basketball poll for next year

The South Carolina women’s basketball roster will take on a new look for the 2023-24 season. With that comes a little bit of an unknown as to the potential of next year’s team.

ESPN’s “way too early” Top 25 poll for the next college basketball season seems to reflect that.

Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are ranked No. 7 by ESPN pundit Charlie Creme in his first look at how the sport’s teams could shape up for 2023-24. “A new era has arrived in Columbia,” Creme wrote.

Ahead of South Carolina, ESPN’s ranking has UConn at No. 1, followed by Utah, LSU, Iowa, Indiana and UCLA.

South Carolina (36-1) carried a wire-to-wire No. 1 ranking in the 2022-23 season before falling to Iowa 77-73 on Friday in the Final Four. LSU went on to defeat Iowa in Sunday’s national championship game.

The Gamecocks could lose up to seven seniors from the roster. The team had five seniors who could return for a final season. Star forward Aliyah Boston has already declared for April 10’s WNBA Draft, where she’s expected to be the No. 1 selection. Zia Cooke and Brea Beal are expected to turn pro as well, with Olivia Thompson telling The State she plans to be done with basketball. Laeticia Amihere has a decision to make of whether or not she’ll return.

Fifth-year seniors Kierra Fletcher and Victaria Saxton have no more eligibility.

Creme touted returning players Raven Johnson, Kamilla Cardoso and Bree Hall as next year’s team leaders.

“Cardoso could emerge as a dominating force with the extra minutes available with Boston’s departure,” he said.

South Carolina will add three high school signees from the 2023 recruiting class: guards Milaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson, and wing Sahnya Jah. Fulwiley and Johnson were McDonald’s All-Americans.

If all seven seniors depart, Staley would have four open scholarships that she could opt to fill through the transfer portal.

Creme has UConn as his projected No. 1 team, saying: “The Huskies are the most talented team in the country if they can avoid the injuries that have plagued the program the past two seasons. ... Full seasons from Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd could go a long way toward UConn raising a trophy for the first time since 2016.”

ESPN WBB Way-Too-Early Top 25

• 1. UConn

• 2. Utah

• 3. LSU

• 4. Iowa

• 5. Indiana

• 6. UCLA

• 7. South Carolina

• 8. Ohio State

• 9. Stanford

• 10. Notre Dame

• 11. Tennessee

• 12. Maryland

• 13. Texas

• 14. Virginia Tech

• 15. Ole Miss

• 16. Duke

• 17. Baylor

• 18. Oregon

• 19. Florida State

• 20. Colorado

• 21. Southern Cal

• 22. Louisville

• 23. Creighton

• 24. North Carolina

• 25. Washington State