With the New Year comes new possibilities, not just for individuals, but for women’s college basketball teams as well. South Carolina won last year’s title and Caitlin Clark took home Player of the Year honors, but that’s officially behind us. The Gamecocks have a new squad, Clark is in the WNBA and the sport has a new set of storylines to power it into March. Now that the page has turned to 2025 and conference play is in full swing, every team in the country has room for improvement. From top teams like No. 1 UCLA, to teams on the outskirts like Stanford and Oregon, every team can stand to better itself in the New Year.
Here are 20 New Year’s resolutions worth sticking to:
1. UCLA: Get to the Final Four for the first time in program history
Since Cori Close took over the program in 2011, the Bruins have been to eight NCAA Tournaments, six Sweet Sixteens and one Elite Eight, but never the Final Four. It’s time. This team has so much talent, from Player of the Year candidate Lauren Betts and sensational point guard Kiki Rice to an unexpected star freshman in Elina Aarnisalo. If they don’t make the Final Four, I would consider that a disappointment.
2. South Carolina: More minutes for Maddy McDaniel
Dawn Staley has one of the deepest teams in the country, particularly at the guard spot, with upperclassmen Te-Hina PaoPao and Raven Johnson leading the way and MiLaysia Fulwiley providing a spark off the bench. Ten Gamecocks average 15 minutes or more, so it’s hard to find extra court time for anyone. But as freshman Maddy McDaniel continues to develop, her impact will grow. The guard is an excellent decision maker, dishing out 2.7 assists and just 0.3 turnovers per game. I’d like to see how those numbers look with more minutes.
3. Notre Dame: Improve post presence
The Fighting Irish are title contenders, but the team does have a weakness in the paint. Freshman Kate Koval is an excellent rim protector, averaging 3.5 blocks per game, but her offense needs work. She has plenty of potential in the long run, but if Notre Dame can find a way to expedite the process and get her more comfortable by March, their Championship chances will increase dramatically.
4. USC: Find a way to get more out of Talia von Oelhoffen
During all four years at Oregon State, von Oelhoffen was a double-digit scorer. Now, at USC, she’s averaging just 6.6 points per game. The Trojans get almost all of their offense from JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen, which isn’t sustainable. Von Oelhoffen has been a talented guard who can score at all three levels, but for whatever reason, that isn’t coming through at USC. The Trojans need to prioritize getting her back on track.
5. Texas: Win the SEC
The Longhorns have made it to the Elite Eight in three of the last four seasons. Last season they barely missed out on a Final Four, losing by 10 points to N.C. State in the Elite Eight. The Final Four should be the goal once again this season, especially with Rori Harmom back and healthy. Winning the SEC is a good place to start. It’s Texas’ first season in the conference after previously playing in the Big 12 and the Longhorns would have to beat out teams like South Carolina and LSU to claim the title.If they do, that would definitely mean a No. 1 seed and a manageable path to the Final Four.
6. LSU: Elevate the play of Jersey Wolfenbarger
The ceiling is high for LSU. Aneesah Morrow, Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams are already established stars and Arizona transfer Kailyn Gilbert has found her groove as well. But Wolfenbarger is a unique player who can take this team to the next level, if the Tigers find a way to capitalize on her potential. The 6-foot-5 junior is a former five-star recruit with perimeter and post skills. She played her first two seasons at Arkansas but never found her stride. If she can find it at LSU then the Tigers will become all the more dangerous.
7. UConn: Find consistent help for Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong
It’s no secret that UConn needs a third scoring option. It’s something that coach Geno Auriemma has brought up many times throughout the first part of the season. Bueckers and Strong are two of the best players in the country at their respective positions, but having two consistent scorers isn’t enough. If Azzi Fudd is healthy then she can be that player. If she’s not, someone like Ashlynn Shade or KK Arnold needs to establish themselves as the third option.
8. Maryland: Contend for a Big Ten title
Maryland last won its conference in 2021 when Angel Reese was still a Terrapin. For a program like Maryland with a rich women’s basketball history, that seems like a long time ago. But this season, the Terrapins have a roster full of transfers who are looking to make their mark. Plus, they are talented enough to do it. Winning the Big Ten is harder this season thanks to the addition of UCLA and USC, but if Maryland can compete and knock off one of those teams, that will be a major success.
9. Oklahoma: Make the Elite Eight
Coach Jennie Baranczyk’s teams have gotten better and better in each of her three seasons at the helm. The Sooners won their conference the last two seasons, but that will be more difficult in the SEC. Oklahoma hasn’t been to an Elite Eight since 2010 and with this current roster that feat is well within reach. With highly-sought after transfer center Raegan Beers joining the squad plus a slew of talented returners, this could be the year that Okhlahoma makes a deep run.
10. Ohio State: Maintain offensive balance in conference play
In non-conference play, Ohio State’s numbers have been staggering. The undefeated Buckeyes have five players averaging double-digits, with Cotie McMahon and Chance Gray leading the way with 18 and 16.2 points per game, respectively. The Buckeyes haven’t faced too many tests in their non conference schedule, but the Big Ten is going to be challenging. The Buckeyes need to stick to what’s worked for them and keep everyone involved. If they go away from the balance and try to force things with one or two players, they won’t have the same level of success.
11. Kansas State: Make the most of Ayoka Lee’s last season
There won’t be another player like Ayoka Lee walking onto Kansas State’s campus any time soon. She holds almost every individual program record you can imagine and she also holds the NCAA record for points in a game with 61. Lee is a senior and the Wildcats have yet to make it out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament during her time with the program. It’s now or never.
12. Duke: Clean up the little things
This Duke team has all of the tools to be successful with two excellent scoring guards in Ashlon Jackson and Reigan Richardson as well as an athletic big in Toby Fournier. The Blue Devils play a disruptive style of defense and are excellent in the fastbreak, but in order to reach their full potential, they need to clean up the little things. Duke is currently shooting just 66 percent from the free throw line and they miss a handful of close-range, easy shots every game. That could be the difference in a close contest when the postseason rolls around.
13. Tennessee: Focus on getting good looks from three-point range
Kim Caldwell came in as head coach of Tennessee and immediately changed the program, opting to run a fast-paced, three-point focused offense that subs five players at a time. So far, the Vols have been successful, starting the season at 13-0. But I don’t see the style as being sustainable. When they get into SEC play defenses are going to get longer and more athletic, meaning knocking down threes gets even more challenging. Right now the Vols are shooting 33.5 percent from beyond the arc and taking a high volume of long range shots. They’d be better off taking high percentage threes as opposed to shooting as many as possible.
14. N.C. State: FInd a post presence
The Wolfpack planned to have Boston University transfer Caitlin Wiemar playing in the post this season, but she’s been sidelined with an injury since before games began. Without her the team has a clear weakness. Their three young posts Mallory Collier, Tilda Trygger and Lorena Awou combine for just 10 points a game. NC State will be hard-pressed to have postseason success if that doesn’t change.
15. Michigan: Prioritize freshmen development
The Wolverines have an impressive freshman class that includes three of their top four scorers: Syla Swords, Olivia Olson and Mia Holloway. Michigan is good enough to compete with top teams — they lost by just six to South Carolina and 10 to Oklahoma — but they aren’t good enough to beat those teams. Not yet at least. Michigan should focus on developing its freshmen this season and not worry so much about wins and losses because this program could be special in the coming years.
16. Oregon: Get back into top-25
Last season was a bust for Oregon as the Ducks lost 14 games in a row to end their record at 11-21. Coach Kelly Graves made a major move in the off-season, landing North Carolina standout Deja Kelly in the transfer portal. She helped the Ducks get back into the AP top 25 with a win over then-No. 12 Baylor in early November. Since then, Oregon has lost four games, all to respectable teams (Georgia Tech, South Dakota State, USC and Illinois) and fallen out of the rankings. With plenty of upset chances in the Big Ten, Oregon should look to get itself back into the top 15 with some key conference wins.
With an Assist From His New Point Guard, Kelly Graves Seeks a Reset at Oregon
With the addition of Deja Kelly, the Ducks are entering a new chapter17. Stanford: Get back on National radar
Changing conferences, losing Cameron Brink to graduation and having longtime coach Tara VanDerveer retire all in one off-season was a lot for Stanford to deal with. Stanford has struggled to start the season, going 8-5, but the Cardinal will have plenty of chances to secure resume-boosting wins in ACC play.
18. Baylor: Get more looks for Aaronette Vonleh
Colorado transfer Aaronette Vonleh is one of the best and most underrated posts in the country. So far this season, Baylor hasn’t put enough emphasis on getting her the ball. In each of the Bears’ three losses, she has had single-digit shot attempts. The Bears need to make Vonleh a priority going forward if they want to reach their full potential.
19. Harvard: Make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007
Princeton has dominated the Ivy League in recent years, but this could be Harvard’s year. Senior Harmoni Turner, who is averaging 21.3 points per game, is a once-in-a-generation player for a program like Harvard. The Crimson haven’t made an NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007, but with Turner leading the charge, they have a chance to break that streak.
20. Women’s basketball as a whole: More upsets in March
Every season we see increased parity in women’s basketball. The talent level gets better and so do the teams as a whole, making for better storylines and increased competition. Every year there are more and more upsets in March, a trend that needs to continue this season. The madder the March, the happier the fans.
