Women’s college basketball has never been in a better place. Yes, there has always been great talent in this sport, but now the whole world sees it. Last year’s national championship game between Iowa and South Carolina drew an average of 18.7 million viewers, with a peak audience of 24 million. That broke previous records set earlier in the NCAA tournament, which broke previous records set the year before in the postseason.

The Caitlin Clark effect was very real, as the two-time National Player of the Year and her incredibly deep three attracted millions of new fans, many of whom stayed to watch Dawn Staley’s dynasty as well as UConn’s attempt to return to the top of the mountain. the sport. But Clark left for the WNBA and there are plenty of superstars ready to fill that vacant spotlight.

Oh, and Staley’s team is certainly ready to repeat as national champions as well, although the way the Gamecocks win will look a little different with the loss of Kamilla Cardoso. Plus, we now have the two Los Angeles schools favored to win the Big Ten Conference, a changing of the guard at Stanford, and many more storylines to follow as the season begins in earnest.

Here are the top stories from the 2024-25 women’s college basketball season:

Caitlin Clark is gone. Who is next?

Clark was a generational talent and a draw unlike anything we’ve seen in any sport in a long time. The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer led Iowa to two national championship game appearances, but, for me, the most memorable images of her college career will always be the lines of fans around stadiums and parking lots waiting to get the chance. to see it. play. Or the photos of girls (and boys) smiling while Clark signed autographs for them.

Caitlin was a household name. The stars of the college game this season are too, or if they aren’t, they will be soon. USC’s JuJu Watkins, last year’s National Freshman of the Year and ESPY winner for Best New Athlete, is ready to take over the sport, complete with buns. UConn guard Paige Bueckers has been the face of the sport in the past and plans to be that way again, as long as her Huskies can stay healthy. And we can also expect Notre Dame sophomore Hannah Hidalgo to take another step toward greatness as one of the most exciting young players in the game.

Between JuJu, Paige and Hannah, the race for National Player of the Year could be one of the most competitive in years.

RELATED: NBC Sports Women’s College Basketball Schedule for 2024-25

How else will realignment affect women’s basketball?

Well, it will take some getting used to, but that’s the case in all sports this year. The strangest part of the new world order in college athletics as it relates to women’s basketball is the dissolution of the Pac-12 as we knew it. That league was the gold standard for women’s basketball and was home to some of the sport’s best coaches, such as Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, who has won more games than any other Division I college basketball coach. VanDerveer decided retiring after the school’s final Pac-12 season, which seemed appropriate for the end of an incredibly successful era. Now it will be strange to see Stanford travel across the country to play Virginia and Syracuse in ACC play. It will also be strange to see Arizona as a member of the Big 12 and Washington playing Rutgers in the Big Ten. As discussed, the two Los Angeles schools can dominate a conference that was previously known for its Midwest roots.

And then, of course, Texas will join the SEC. Can the Longhorns knock the Gamecocks off their top spot? The Longhorns return Rori Harmon (from injury) and Madison Booker (coming off a terrific freshman campaign in which she earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors), and that may very well be the best backcourt of the country. The transition to SEC play could be a challenge (and it will certainly be physical), but Texas also enters its new league in its best possible position.

Which new coaches will do best in year 1?

This is always difficult to predict, and it’s even more difficult in the era of transfer portals. But I feel very good about Kentucky’s signing of Kenny Brooks, who led Virginia Tech to the Final Four in 2023. Star guard Georgia Amoore followed Brooks to Lexington, which will help establish a solid foundation for Brooks in year 1. I also think Jan Jensen’s first season will go relatively well, with Hannah Stuelke returning and Villanova transferring Lucy Olsen into the fold.

The two most interesting first-year coaches to follow would have to be Tennessee’s Kim Caldwell and Stanford’s Kate Paye. Both take over iconic programs that expect excellence. Caldwell is a game-changing hire for athletic director Danny White, who hopes his up-tempo style of play translates into wins for the Lady Vols. Meanwhile, Paye is directly following a Hall of Famer and leading a program in a new conference that plays most of its games 3,000 miles away from Palo Alto. That’s a difficult task, to say the least.

READ MORE: For new Stanford coach Kate Paye, following Tara VanDerveer is a tall order