While No. 13 Notre Dame’s 99-75 victory over Villanova in Rome technically served as the official tip off of the 2026-27 women’s college basketball season (all with an extra dose of Catholicism), today is the real opening day, with tons of teams taking a first step towards a national championship, an NCAA Tournament bid, a better finish in conference play or, at minimum, a few more wins than last season.
The most high-profile action will, again, take place outside the United States, with the Oui-Play event in Paris featuring No. 20 Maryland vs. No. 1 South Carolina (12 p.m. ET, ESPN) and No. 21 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 North Carolina (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
I’ve already written about several of the freshmen, transfers and comeback players I’m excited to watch, quite a few of whom will be playing in Paris.
What teams and players are you excited to watch on Monday? Are you bold enough to pick an early season upset or two? Jump in the comments and give your thoughts.
Sticking with the games in Paris, I would expect South Carolina to look like the very best team in the nation, even against a Maryland team that I believe is underrated at No. 20. South Carolina is just too loaded. With apologies to our Terp superfan Zack Ward, I think the Gamecocks will cruise to a comfortable win, and while building continuity for a group that features a number of returners and newcomers will take time, I’d be a bit concerned if South Carolina can’t rev things up and run up the score.
I see the second showdown in Paris being much more competitive, and I’m most interested in Aaliyah Chavez’s sophomore season opening salvo for Oklahoma.
Last year, Chavez was empowered to run the show for the Sooners, with head coach Jennie Baranczyk willing to live with all the ups and downs and in-betweens that come with a talented-yet-unseasoned freshman point guard.
The swings with Chavez were, particularly, wild. Her upside is a product of her fearlessness, which can, and did, tip into recklessness. Audacious shots and ambitious passes are fun in blowout wins, but frustrating in unnecessary losses.
With a year of college experience, can Chavez find the right balance between boldness and winning basketball?
As indicated by her almost 93 percent shooting from the free throw line, she’s probably better than a 30 percent 3-point shooter. More shooting discretion, albeit not a lower volume, could result in a better percentage. Similarly, more patience as a 2-point scorer—not forcing tough midrangers or off-balance attempts at the basket—should see Chavez improve her 2-point scoring from her 44 percent freshman season mark.
If Chavez can establish herself as a more calculating, and thus more efficient, scorer, her playmaking can also become more precise. With as much as she projects to have the ball in her hands, she’s probably always going to be a high-turnover player, but her almost three turnovers per game need to be balanced by more than four assists.
Still, the excitement with Chavez comes from the unconsciously high highs she is capable of, where she can inspire visions of young, fully-unleashed Diana Taurasi. Because of that peak potential, a traditionally defensive-minded UNC team will be dialed in on Chavez, making how the sophomore star manages all that attention a revealing opening test.
Meanwhile, the Tar Heels themselves will hope that freshman Kate Harpring can author her own Tarausi-esque scoring show, announcing that her exhibition explosion of 29 points was just a preview of what’s to come for Carolina this season.