The Jeff Walz era at Louisville can be defined by two words. Consistent Success. Walz is entering his 20th season in The Ville. In that stretch Louisville has a career record of 515-154 (.770). The Cards made the Elite Eight or better eight times, including four trips to the NCAA Final Four (2009, 2013, 2018, 2022). In the ACC, Louisville has four regular season crowns and a tournament championship in 2018.
With 20 days until the season opener, the Louisville Women's Basketball team has been tabbed as the second-best team in the conference in the preseason. Duke is the preseason favorite to bring home the ACC Women's title with 49 first place votes. The Cards received 22 first place votes. North Carolina is projected to finish third and received one first place vote. Notre Dame also received four first place votes and are projected to finish fourth.
A season ago, the Cards finished 15-3 in conference which was good for second place behind 16-2 Duke. Louisville lost to Duke in overtime in the ACC Championship game hosted in Duluth, GA.
Mar 8, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; Players including Duke Blue Devils guard Riley Nelson (4) and Louisville Cardinals forward MacKenly Randolph (4) fight for a rebound during the second half at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Coach Walz has the advantage of familiarity with this roster, returning four of the top five scorers from a season ago:
2025-2026 Returner Stats
Tajianna Roberts (G) - 11.5 PPG, 3.1 APG, First Team All-ACC
Elif Instanbulluoglu (F) - 10.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2nd in ACC in Most Improved Player voting
Mackenly Randolph (F) - 8.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG
Imari Berry (F) - 10.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, ACC Sixth Player of the Year
Portal Additions (previous school) with 2025-2026 stats:
Zamareya Jones (G, NC State) 14.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.8 APG
Carys Baker (F, Virginia Tech) 14.3 PPG, 6,9 RPG, 1.1 BPG
Amiya Joyner (F, LSU) 9.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG
Deniya Prawl (G, Tennessee) 4.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG
Preseason All-ACC Team (76 voters)
Hannah Hidalgo, Sr., G, Notre Dame 871
Toby Fournier, Jr., F, Duke 767
Kymora Johnson, Sr., G, Virginia 655
Uche Izoje, So., C, Syracuse 466
Khamil Pierre, Sr., F, NC State 456
Zoe Brooks, Sr., F, NC State 455
Tajianna Roberts, Jr., G, Louisville 265
Imari Berry, Jr., G, Louisville 220
Talayah Walker, Jr., G, Georgia Tech 202
Lulu Twidale, Sr., G, California 113
Hidalgo was named ACC Preseason Player of the Year. Louisville and NC State are the only school with two players on the list.
Imari Berry is the reigning ACC Sixth Player of the Year after a stellar sophomore campaign. She led the team in scoring in ACC play with 11.4 points per game and was one of four players to average 10 or more points per game last season.
Louisville Cardinals Imari Berry (2) drives in for a score during a first-round game between the Louisville Cardinals and Vermont Catamounts in the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at the KFC Yum Center, March 21, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
This is the second-straight season Roberts has been named to the preseason All-ACC team, as she received this honor prior to last season. At the end of the year, Roberts was named to the First Team All-ACC by the league's coaches.
Roberts was the Cardinals leading scorer last season with 11.5 points per game and had a team-best 25 games with 10 points or more
ACC Women's Predicted Order of Finish (76 voters)
1. Duke (49), 1649
2. Louisville (22), 1580
3. North Carolina (1), 1462
4. Notre Dame (4), 1450
5. NC State, 1337
6. Virginia, 1085
7. Syracuse, 1009
8. Virginia Tech, 1003
9. Clemson, 988
10. California, 786
11. Miami, 689
12. Georgia Tech, 684
13. Stanford, 674
14. Florida State, 603
15. SMU, 373
16. Wake Forest, 296
17. Pitt, 236
18. Boston College, 170
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/louisville as ACC Women's Basketball: Preseason Poll & All-Conference Team Released .
